Unihertz Jelly Max Review - The Smallest 5G Phone In The World
The Unihertz Jelly Max is the companies latest compact phone packing numerous impressive features and the company makes the very clear statement that this is not just compact; it’s the smallest 5G handset ever released. I’d also like to say a big thank you to Unihertz for providing this review unit. It’s muchly appreciated.
Now this 5” device packs the excellent Mediatek Dimensity 7300, 12GB RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, a 4000mAh battery, 66W fast charging (with a charger in the box!), a 100MP main camera with a 3.4x telephoto, a rear fingerprint reader as well as a basic 2D face unlock feature. NFC. IR blaster. Dual SIM. It really does cover all bases.
The build is obviously different to a standard smartphone these days in that it’s…small. To pack all of this in to a phone with this screen size it has a bit of what I a like to call “chunk”. Now this isn’t going to be for someone who wants a nice looking trendy smartphone with a large screen. It’s not intended to be a CMF Phone 1 for instance which is probably the closest on price and performance. The transparent design is very cool though. Big fan of that.
So who is it actually for?
It’s a difficult one to answer, but in my mind it’s a great device for someone wanting a super compact communicator with excellent battery life. I can picture people working on a building site for instance, hands getting dirty, photos to be taken of various things. They don’t need anything fancy but it needs to be sturdy and offer the features they want. If they can’t use the fingerprint reader because they’re absolutely caked up, well there’s the face unlock for that. 60Hz screen because it’s simply there to get the job done. Colours are nice but it’s not particularly bright which may be an issue working outdoors, not that we get any sunshine here in Blighty.
The cameras are interesting because you get the main lens at 100MP as well as a 12MP 3.4x telephoto. They’re not to be used at night as there’s also no dedicated night mode, but during the day they will do exactly what you need. The JPEG’s from the 100MP are binned down to 25MP. The output isn’t the best and there’s a weird reddish hue to photos taken indoors when the lighting isn’t totally on point, but I wouldn’t be buying this for the cameras anyway. And to add, this is a prototype so things should be much better with the official release.
You may notice a fancy red button on the right side that is very difficult to miss. It’s programmable to launch any app you choose, which I absolutely love. I really wish more phones had something similar.
An interesting thing to look at is the benchmarks when compared to the CMF Phone 1 which runs the exact same SoC. The performance is definitely lower on the Jelly Max. It’s likely down to the fact that level of performance isn’t needed and it’s a way of giving even better battery life. I actually think it’s a good solution.
No issues with call clarity or signal strength which is always nice. I found no issues at all in general use. It does the job. Exactly what it needs to do. It’s all about the basics and there are many phones out there these days that try and be all fancy but often get some of the basics wrong.
There are some things I don’t particularly like such as the phone getting quite greasy, even with having clean hands. It just feels a bit grimy after a while. The other issue is the rear fingerprint reader. No issues with its accuracy I just have issues finding the right spot as the ring isn’t that pronounced. There’s a joke in there somewhere…
If you’re looking for a small device that covers the basics and that you can use one handed whilst offering some really nice quality of life features, then the Unihertz Jelly Max might just be for you.
You can see more on my YouTube video here: - Unihertz Jelly Max Review