Price and specifications of Plum Coach Plus II advantages, disadvantages, and a comprehensive explanation

Overview of the Plum Coach Plus II

The Plum Coach Plus II, announced in May 2014 and released in August of the same year, represents a noteworthy entry in the world of mid-range smartphones of its time. Despite being discontinued, it's interesting to look back at what this device offered, particularly in terms of its strengths and limitations within the context of 2014's technological landscape.

Design and Build

The design of the Plum Coach Plus II is characterized by its substantial screen size and practical build features. The phone has dimensions of 157.8 x 74 x 9.9 mm, making it a large device that caters to users who prefer bigger screens for better readability and media consumption. Weighing 156 grams, it is relatively lightweight despite its size. The phone supports a dual SIM setup, which was a significant feature for users needing to manage multiple numbers or separate work and personal lines.

Display Characteristics

The Plum Coach Plus II comes with a 6.0-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. This results in a pixel density of approximately 245 ppi, which was fairly standard for mid-range phones at the time. The display offers decent color reproduction and viewing angles, thanks to the IPS technology, making it suitable for various multimedia applications.

Performance Hardware

Under the hood, the device is powered by a Mediatek MT6582M chipset, featuring a quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU and a Mali-400MP2 GPU. While these specifications may not compete with modern devices, they were adequate for handling basic applications and multitasking. However, demanding tasks or high-end gaming might not perform optimally on this setup.

Memory and Storage

The Plum Coach Plus II includes 4GB of internal storage, coupled with 512MB of RAM. There is also the provision for expanding storage via a microSDXC card slot, which provides users with flexibility in managing their data. The RAM is relatively limited, which could impact performance, especially when multiple apps are open simultaneously.

Camera Capabilities

The phone features a single 8 MP rear camera with autofocus, complemented by an LED flash, and supports features like panorama and HDR. It can record videos at 1080p@30fps, allowing for decent video recording capabilities. The front houses a 1.3 MP selfie camera, which includes face detection – a nifty feature for enhancing portrait quality.

Battery Life

The battery in the Plum Coach Plus II is a removable Li-Ion 2400 mAh unit. It offers up to 780 hours of standby time on 2G and up to 690 hours on 3G, with talk time extending to 16 hours on 2G networks and 8 hours on 3G. This suggests that the device was capable of lasting through a full day of moderate use without needing a recharge, which is a vital consideration for mobile users.

Connectivity and Sensors

Connectivity options on this device include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with hotspot functionality, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, GPS for navigation, and microUSB 2.0 for charging and data transfer. Despite lacking NFC, the inclusion of an FM radio provides an analog audio entertainment option. The device carries essential sensors such as an accelerometer, gyro, and proximity sensor, which enhance the interactive experience of the user.

Operating System

Shipping with Android 4.4.2 (KitKat), the Plum Coach Plus II offered a user-friendly interface out of the box. KitKat was optimized for performance improvements and resource efficiency, which are essential given the limited hardware specifications of this smartphone. Users could still enjoy accessing a wide array of apps from the Google Play Store, albeit limited by the device’s hardware capabilities.

Conclusion

The Plum Coach Plus II serves as a snapshot of where smartphone technology stood in 2014. It offered a capable set of features for its price point, with its large display and dual SIM capability standing out. While it certainly wouldn’t stand up to modern smartphones in terms of performance, for users seeking basic smartphone functionality without a high cost, it presented a serviceable option. Its discontinuation may mark the end of its manufacturing run, but it remains a case study in budget-friendly smartphone design.