Originally Posted by lwildernorva

Got the F1 back in July and have a couple of months experience plus one trip to the UK under my belt. Given the limitations expected with any sub-$200 phone, I'm pleased with my experience so far. Plenty of onboard storage, reasonably fast, the screen is fine, the camera is acceptable for my limited purposes, and the battery is good for more than a day. In the UK, I used the phone extensively as my GPS plus used a golf app during numerous rounds of golf that requires extensive screen time. The battery still did not go down below 30% on any day. That's more than enough battery power for me as I always recharge at night.

I also had good coverage in the UK using a giffgaff SIM on the O2 network. The only time I ever was completely without a signal on a trip that took me from the northern Highlands through Inverness, Aberdeen, and St. Andrews to Edinburgh was near Elgin when I played on a little nine-hole course in a cove of cliffs and dunes. I have also had no problems using H2O Wireless in the US on the AT&T network, but my travels here haven't taken me any place as remote. Of course, signal reception is certainly aided by the multiple bands on which the F1 can receive a signal. Call quality on Google Voice when in Scotland according to the people I called was definitely better than on previous phones, and I noticed less "echo" in those calls. One thing I really appreciated--data can be used and calls can be made from either SIM so there's no need to move the SIM from one slot to the other when you get to your new country. You just make the change in settings regarding the preferred SIM for calls and data, and you're good to go.

There are negatives. I've had issues with the fingerprint reader, as many others on Amazon have reported--it seems to have more recognition problems than the Blu Vivo XL it replaced. The power button is placed almost perfectly so that I seem to squeeze it unintentionally when I'm carrying objects in one hand and handling the phone with the other, causing a reboot. Some Amazon reviews complain about spontaneous reboots--I haven't had that problem and wonder whether the reboots aren't related to the location of the power button. I've also noticed that occasionally, signal reception is significantly reduced as soon as I step indoors. Although I have no complaints with the camera, my camera needs are minimal; many expert and user reviews have strongly criticized the camera. And some have criticized the candy bar styling of the screen, taller than wider, so that it's less of a "phablet" than some people like nowadays, but since I want a phone that comfortably fits in my pocket, I don't consider this a problem.

For anyone who operates in the off brand phone universe, there are two issues that I cannot yet address. First, updates. I learned with Blu that the Android you get when you buy the phone is likely the Android you'll have so long as you have the phone. Of course, Android 10 is just rolling out so I don't know yet whether Umidigi will provide this update. That generally doesn't mean much to me as I tend to replace phones approximately every 18 months so I'm never more than one OS behind. Second, the phone's durability. I like the build quality, but with no track record, my ultimate judgment on this phone may very well depend on whether it will continue to work for the lifespan I need.

Despite these reservations, I very much recommend the UMIDIGI F1 for those looking for a budget phone with dual SIM capability. I think this phone delivers strong value