Coolpad introduces ultra-affordable Cool 12A smartphone

Just when you think the entry-level smartphone market can’t get any more saturated, another company comes in and introduces a new device that will fight for its spot under the sun. The latest addition to the ultra-affordable scene is the Coolpad Cool 12A which has some intriguing specs for its price range.

The new phone has a 4,000 mAh battery and a USB-C port, two cameras, and an attractive price tag of CNY599 which translates to just south of $90/€75.

Coolpad Cool 12A

Coolpad does not reveal the chipset inside the Cool 12A but after some detective work we established it is the T310 platform by the Shanghai-based company Unisoc. It comes with a quad-core CPU - one Cortex-A75 unit at 2.0 GHz, and three Cortex-A55 cores at 1.8 GHz. It has its own AI camera algorithms and some features to offer a longer battery life, but in the end, remains a chipset for entry-level phones.

Promo posters of Cool 12A, revealing more about the design and features

The chip is coupled by 4 GB RAM and 64 gigs of storage, which is rather impressive for such an affordable phone.

Coolpad Cool 12A comes with a 6.3” LCD with 720p resolution and tall 19:9 screen ratio, with the 8MP selfie camera hidden behind a waterdrop.

Around the back you get a 16MP main shooter and a 2MP depth sensor.

Coolpad Cool 12A in Black, Blue, Silver

One interesting solution Coolpad implemented is the fingerprint scanner - it is not on the back or doubling as a power key or under the display, it is on the left-hand side below the SIM tray, while all the buttons remain on the right side. The 3.5mm audio jack is on top, while the USB-C port is on the bottom.

Offered in Black, Blue gradient, or Silver, the phone is sold through JD.com. Early birds were supposed to get a promo price of CNY569, but the first batch sold out so quickly that now it is back to its regular price, with the next flash sale yet to be scheduled.

Source (in Chinese)