Looking for an entry-level smartphone at an affordable price? In Cricket Icon 2 review, find out if this phone is what you seek.
Cricket Icon 2 smartphone was released in October 2020. There are so many cheap phones on there but the Cricket Icon 2 surprised us at a whole new level. It’s because the price is unbelievably cheap.
The price offer is paired with interesting specs. We can see this phone can be appealing to first time owners. We are talking about people who have just made their move to an Android phone or to smartphones in general.
The first appeal is the big display. Featuring a 6-inch display, Cricket Icon attempts to entice new owners with a spacious interface to work with. This phone also features the Android 10 Go edition, which is claimed to be faster and efficient.
We’ll reveal more about the phone in this Cricket Icon 2 review. Let’s find out this phone’s potential by trying out its features and assessing the specs.
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Key Specs
Cricket Icon 2 specifications:
- Weight: 195g
- Dimensions: 160 x 77 x 8.6mm
- OS: Android 10 Go
- Screen size: 6-inch
- Resolution: 1440 x 720
- CPU: 1.8GHz Octa-core, MediaTek Helio A22
- RAM: 1GB
- Storage: 16GB
- Battery: 3,400mAh, Non-removable
- Rear camera: 5MP
- Front camera: 5MP
Design
Cricket Icon 2 weighs 195g and has a measurement of 160 x 77 x 8.6mm. This phone is quite slim although having a big display. It’s comfortable to hold in one hand and doesn’t feel bulky at all.
The design resembles an older phone which doesn’t have a camera notch. Not exactly full screen, you can see bezels that are slightly curved on its four corners. It’s a clean design, albeit looks pretty common. On top of the display, the front camera and the speaker are located.
On the back, it’s also as minimalistic as the front view. A single-camera adorns the matte back cover. You’ll also see the LED flash and the Cricket on the bottom. On the right side, there’s only the Power button and the Volume keys.
Cricket Icon 2 uses polycarbonate plastic as a material of choice. It’s durable and light, although lacking that luxury touch of a metal case. The only color options buyers can choose is black.
Read also: Cricket Icon 2 User Guide / User Manual
Display
Cricket Icon 2 features an ultra-wide 6-inch display with a 1440 x 720 resolution. The phone’s aspect ratio is 18:9 and the screen is categorized as an HD+ display.
The LCD IPS display has a pixel density of 268 ppi. We observed it to be quite sharp and vivid. An HD+ display is a common type you can get nowadays on a budget phone. It’s still not a competition to a Full HD screen and beyond. But it is certainly better than any non-HD display.
The size is the highlight of Cricket Icon 2’s display. At 6-inch, the screen allows less scrolling and more rooms for viewing. It felt comfortable both when browsing apps or when watching videos on full screen. The lack of a notch is also a plus. It means no distraction on the top of the screen.
So far, Cricket Icon 2 doesn’t disappoint us in quality too. It’s hard to detect pixel imperfections on icons and other graphic interfaces of the phone. Usually, pixelating graphics is a common problem on low-quality displays. It’s not the case with this phone.
The display on this phone is also coated with a protective layer. Cricket Icon 2 uses Dragontrail™ glass to shield it from scratch. We think it’s a nice final touch for the display quality.
Camera
Cricket Icon 2 straps a 5MP camera on the back with an LED flash. The front camera also has the same resolution at 5MP. However, there’s no flash on the front.
This humble setup of cameras remind buyers of things you have to compromise when buying a budget phone. Many people would find a 5MP shooter to be very lackluster on today’s phone. In this phone’s defense, it has to cut corners somewhere because they sell the phone very cheap.
Image results are not entirely bad. If buyers like to post occasionally on social media, this phone got your back. Pictures most likely won’t impress your friends for their quality. But you can be sure you always have a reliable camera when during important life moments.
The back camera is able to record full HD videos. It also has a 4X zoom feature to take pictures of faraway objects. The LED flash helps provide a light source when the surrounding is dark. Cricket Icon 2’s camera has few to offer but the essentials.
The front camera is a 5MP shooter without an LED flash. This camera too can record HD videos. In our opinion, it’s best used for video calls instead of selfies.
Read also:
Storage
This phone runs on a 16GB of internal storage and allows up to 64GB SD card. This memory setup is undoubtedly low. However, it’s worth noting that this phone uses a light version of Android. Therefore, the phone doesn’t require a lot of space to store system files.
It seems inevitable that at one point, you would run out of space. This is where the external storage feature comes in handy. If you’d like to install an SD card, 64GB is the biggest capacity you can get. It can be either enough or insufficient depending on each individual. If you like to download files and install many apps, this phone is not for you. Otherwise, if you’re a super casual user with sparse download activity, 64GB can feel plentiful.
Performance
Running on a 1.8GHz Octa-core MediaTek Helio A22 processor, Cricket Icon 2 has a good start for its performance setup. Sadly its RAM is only 1GB. This is not a lot for a smartphone released lately.
This phone also has a curious choice of the operating system. It registers Android 10 the Go edition. Compared to a ‘normal’ Android, we discovered plenty of differences.
The minimal setup for hardware and software reminds us once again of this phone’s purpose. It’s truly a starter phone. The 1.8GHz processor is best used for basic apps. These apps include communication apps like callings, texting, and cameras.
The small RAM is not adequate for heavy activities. We’re talking about gaming and even rigorous internet browsing. We had to make sure there are not many apps opening in the background or else performance would start to suffer.
As it turned out, the Android Go on this phone has a crucial role to keep things smooth. The developer cut out unnecessary features so phone operations can be lightweight despite the low RAM. Android Go is probably the best choice for a low-performance device, including Cricket Icon 2.
You don’t have to worry about the user experience as well. What we saw on the phone’s Home screen and other screens is a beautifully designed UI. It doesn’t look messy at all. Even an inexperienced user can get around the phone in no time after a bit of learning.
Apps on this phone also come in the Go version. To put it simply, you’ll get the lite version of Google apps, such as YouTube Go. When you download a new app. Google Play Store automatically recommends the lighter version of apps like Facebook Lite.
The simplicity also extends into the miscellaneous functionalities. Cricket Icon 2 comes without fancy fingerprint sensors, as expected. At least, this phone still packs important accessibility features such as hearing aid compatibility.
All in all, this Cricket Icon 2 review for performance is somewhat mixed. We think not many people would like the limitation of Android Go. However, those who do will enjoy the phone and be delighted for its ease-of-use.
Connectivity
Cricket Icon 2 is well equipped with necessary network features. This phone supports 4G along with older network bands. There are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. The USB port uses the Type-C kind, which is an improvement when compared to the older Micro-USB.
For call quality, sounds come out without delay although the speaker is too loud. There were occasional dropped calls in the middle of the conversation. The phone lets you make calls but something you have to sacrifice quality.
Thankfully there were few problems with the internet. Our browsing was relationship undisturbed and everything feels quick. Connecting to Wi-Fi was fast. However, due to limited RAM, make sure to not open too many browser tabs.
Battery
Cricket Icon 2 runs on a 3,400mAh non-removable battery. Although it may look nothing special on paper, this battery performs better than we expected. It can last a full day with only a single charge. Charging is also pretty quick thanks to the USB Type-C port.
One of the reasons is the light Android version this phone runs on. It doesn’t require much power to get this phone up and running. Most battery consumption goes to the phone’s big display. If you want to get more battery life out of this phone, the key would be less screen time. If you only reach your phone for calls and checking messages, it’s easy to keep it on for one full day.
Is the Cricket Icon 2 a Good Phone?
Our verdict for Cricket Icon 2 is kind of mixed. This phone is sold for $9.99, a price that’s unbelievably cheap. If your sole consideration is the price and you aren’t concerned with features, we’d say go for it and bag this phone. It has all the essential functionalities one would need on a smartphone.
But if you want more, this phone is not for you. Although the big display is nice to have, there are other areas where the phone is lacking. Among the few are low-resolution cameras, low RAM, and small storage space. If money is not a concern, it’s better to spend more on a phone with more features.
Cricket Icon 2 Pros
- Big display
- Decent battery life
- Lightweight Android
- Very cheap price
Cricket Icon 2 Cons
- Low RAM
- Small storage capacity
- Poor camera
- Dropped calls problem