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Umidigi F2 test / review / specs

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Published on: 04-04-2020 / Modified: 31-01-2026
Umidigi is a small Chinese manufacturer that is moving up the ladder one step at a time to offer smartphones with good battery life at an attractive price. I had already tested the Umidigi F1 and the Umidigi S3 Pro, these two phones were quite interesting but lacked a bit of maturity especially in terms of photo and operating system. Will the Umidigi F2 manage to correct these problems? That's what I propose you to discover in my test.

Manufacturer web site:
https://www.umidigi.com

Structure of my tests

I test the phones according to a pre-established structure (see below) to provide you with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this takes a long time. Some tests like network performance tests take several days and for photo tests I sometimes have to wait until the weather is suitable to take pictures in good conditions. I am therefore obliged to publish the tests step by step, so I invite you to come back if the test is not complete at the time of your visit.

Price Umidigi F2

The list below shows the prices for the Umidigi F2 from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops.

Timeline

15/03/2020: purchase of Umidigi F2 on the official Umidigi website (stock in Europe)
06/04/2020: phone reception and unpacking

Why this phone?

I bought my first Umidigi out of curiosity because I had never heard of the brand and on paper, the Umidigi F1 offered a good price/performance ratio.

I had been a little disappointed by the Umidigi F1 because it lacked a bit of photo maturity and the operating system wasn't quite up to scratch. I then bought the Umidigi S3 Pro a few months later, this model took Umidigi to another level but despite everything, Umidigi was still a bit behind the competition.

Despite these few small flaws, I thought Umidigi had an interesting approach with its community, I had had the opportunity to chat live with the manufacturer, this is quite rare. Now that the Umidigi F2 is available, I had to buy it to see if Umidigi had managed to progress in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Unpacking

The box of the Umidigi F2 is very sober like the other Umidigi I tested, even the brand is quite discreet after all. The box contains the usual accessories such as the pouch with a manual and the opening needle for the SIM drawer, a wall charger and a USB C cable. The phone is well protected by a foam padding and a protective shell directly installed on the phone. Umidigi has dropped the protective shell in crocodile skin texture to provide a fairly rigid and uniform shell, which is a good thing.

First configuration

The set-up procedure for the Umidigi F2 is not unusual and is actually a very good thing. I just finished testing a Huawei phone where they try to sign you up for all kinds of services that nobody needs, so the configuration of Umidigi is much more direct, Umidigi is not going to try to sign you up for anything.

Finish

The level of finish at Umidigi has really improved in a year. I first bought an Umidigi F1 that offered a fairly average level of finish that reminded me of the Redmi Note 5 that had been launched 2 years earlier. I then bought the Umidigi S3 Pro which had a very good level of finish but this smartphone cost twice as much as the Umidigi F1. Today the Umidigi F2 represents a good compromise between these two extremes. For less than 200€ the Umidigi F2 offers a level of finish that is quite comparable to what other brands offer in this price range.

The Umidigi F2 looks a bit more massive than a Redmi Note 7/8, it is slightly larger, thicker and also heavier. Umidigi usually offers phones with a good battery life and this translates into a heavier phone. This doesn't bother me at all in use but when you switch from a light phone like some Samsung phones, you will feel like you have a weight in your pocket. The use of the case that comes in the box will reinforce this impression because the phone will grow a few millimeters but this case protects the whole phone very well.


The top part of the phone is completely smooth, there is absolutely nothing, no jack connector, no infrared or sound sensor. The loudspeaker slot is quite thin and unobtrusive.


The lower part of the phone is quite classic, it has an audio jack connector, a USB type C port, a grid for the external speaker and a small hole that is probably used to capture the sound.


On the left is the SIM drawer and on the right are the usual volume and power buttons. The particularity of the Umidigi F2 is that it offers a fingerprint reader at on the power button. This is the first time I test a phone with this type of fingerprint sensor, I will come back to this point in the biometrics section. The buttons are made of hard plastic, so they are easy to spot when you touch them.


The back of the phone is almost perfectly uniform, you can only find the photo sensor that stands out a little at the top and the Umidigi brand at the bottom. This Umidigi looks quite similar to the Redmi Note 8, one could almost confuse them. The back surface is very smooth and pleasant to the touch, fingerprints will however be visible very quickly like most phones using this type of material.


The Umidigi F2 has a large 6.53-inch screen, which is above what one can find in this price range. The screen occupies 82% of the visible space, the borders are not the thinnest but in this price range this is normal. The screen is interrupted at the top left by a discrete front camera inside the screen, notifications are displayed according to the presence of the photo sensor. Umidigi has also glued a screen protector that adapts very well to the presence of the photo sensor in the screen, so you don't have to go through the ordeal of gluing a protective film.

Specifications

The information below comes from the Device Info HW application. The application provides detailed technical information about the tested phone.The standard Umidigi F2 version offers 6Gb of RAM memory in combination with 128Gb of storage memory, which is quite rare in this price range. Umidigi therefore offers an important advantage here because with 128Gb of storage, a memory card is probably no longer necessary.

CPU / GPU Performance

The Umidigi F2 is equipped with a Mediatek Helio P70 processor, Umidigi has re-used the same processor as the Umidigi S3 Pro launched in 2019. This processor was not a reference in terms of performance but should be able to guarantee comfortable daily use. For the GPU, Umidigi has chosen the Mali G72 which can be found in many other phones such as the Samsung Galaxy A50 which costs significantly more than the Umidigi F2. The performance should therefore be interesting.

Benchmark Antutu/3DMark

With Antutu, I get a score of 185910 points and here again it's an overall score higher than what I get with a Xiaomi in the same price range even if for GPU performance the Redmi is still slightly higher. This shouldn't be noticeable for games, the difference is not big enough.



On 3DMark, I get a score of 1399 pointsn this score ranks the Umidigi F2 above the Redmi Note 8.




Gaming

To test the performance in game, I download the mobile PUBG game and evaluate the in-game experience, graphics level and depth of vision. This game is quite demanding and should help you evaluating the performance of a phone.The Umidigi F2 is not a gaming phone but it will allow you to play most games with some concessions such as level of graphics.

PUBG Mobile runs very well on the Umidigi F2 and at the scale of a 6 inch screen the differences in graphics are not always visible.

Network performance

The Umidigi F2 offers very wide frequency coverage and in this price range this is quite rare. Even the B28 frequency (for Free & Bouygues in France) is available.


Signal 4G (before december 2020)

The ability to pick up the network correctly is an essential element for a phone but it is only very rarely measured. To measure a phone's ability to pick up the network, I perform a large number of measurements on the same cells to be able to compare phones under similar conditions. The signal is measured in dBm, a value of -90dBm indicates a worse signal than -70dBm. These measurements are therefore taken under real conditions and not in a laboratory, they are not scientific but give a good indication of performance.


Network performance has never been an asset of the Umidigi brand and this Umidigi F2 is not going to change that. I have measured an average signal of -102 dBm over a few hundred measurements, this is not a good result. If you live in an area where the network coverage is good, you shouldn't be affected by the problem but I prefer to be transparent about it to avoid making a bad choice.

I compared these two phones because they are in a fairly close price zone. The Redmi Note 9s offers below average network performance, the Umidigi F2 offers even lower performance, it is even at the bottom of the table.

Signal 4G (from December 2020)

I decided to change the methodology for measuring the network because I noticed that the configuration of the mobile network changes over time. This makes it more difficult to compare phones because the conditions are no longer exactly the same.

To overcome this problem, I set up a device that captures 24 hours a day about ten parameters from the mobile network (ex: cell id, rssi, rsrq, snr, frequency,...). I then place the phone next to the device for 24 to 48 hours taking the same measurements so that I can compare them.

Overview of the phones tested with this methodology



Download/Upload speed

To test the download speed, I have identified some 4G cells offering good performance where I test all my devices several times to see what download and upload speed they can achieve.

Not yet available / tested

Wifi performance

To test a phone's ability to receive the network properly, I take measurements near my router and then remotely (and always at the same place). This gives me an average in dBm where a value of -90 dBm indicates poorer performance than a value at -30 dBm.


Wifi signal

I measured a signal of -36 dBm near the router, this score is not very good unfortunately. I repeated the test several times and tested other phones at the same time to exclude a problem with my router but each time I got a similar score.

From a distance I got a score of -75 dBm, this score is a bit below the average.





Download/Upload speed

To test the speed in Wifi, I connect to my router in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (if available) and use the Ookla application to measure the speed.With a wifi download speed of 176 Mbps, the Umidigi F2 will meet most users' expectations. Streaming or gaming will not be a problem.

GPS performance

To test the quality of the GPS signal I use the Offline Maps application and I make the same train trip in pedestrian mode. Why? In pedestrian mode, the GPS does not artificially correct the signal to stick to the road, it has no markings, so you can see the actual position. I then use an application to measure the accuracy of the signal.

The Umidigi F2 gets a very good GPS accuracy score, the accuracy stabilizes at 1 meter, I haven't tested many phones that have achieved this level of accuracy. The phone picks up just under 40 satellites and uses about half of them.



The road test shows that the Umidigi F2 is able to maintain a correct position throughout the entire journey. The test on all was done in easy conditions because I had no choice to move further because of the lockdown (covid). My evaluation will therefore be based on this easy scenario.

Battery range

[battery product="umidigi-f2" capa="5150" lg="en"]
The Umidigi F2 is equipped with one of the largest batteries available on the market, so it should offer you in theory the best autonomy.

It took 299 minutes to reach 100% of the battery, the charging speed of the battery is quite stable, only the last percents took longer. The Umidigi F2 ranks below average for charging time.

It took 927 minutes to completely empty the battery, which is a very good score but lower than what I get with a Motorola G8 Power and a slightly smaller battery. The energy efficiency of the Umidigi F2 is good but not the best.

The autonomy is not linear, it decreases much faster from 40%. It takes 700 minutes to empty the first 60 percent but the last 40 percent evaporates in 200 minutes.

The Umidigi F2 offers very good battery performance and it could even have been the best if the fuel efficiency was at the level of the Motorola G8 Power. In normal use, the battery should give you 3 days of autonomy.

Photo camera test

To test the quality of photos produced by a phone, I do a technical test (resolution, sharpness, chromatic aberration,...) in studio (identical conditions) to evaluate the technical part objectively. From the second half of 2020, I built my own laboratory to take completely objective technical measurements. I then take pictures in real conditions to see how the camera performs. I then evaluate these photos according to my criteria but I publish the photos so that you can evaluate the result according to your criteria.

Hardware

According to the information I was able to gather, the Umidigi F2 is equipped with a Samsung S5KGM1 sensor. This sensor is used in many other devices such as the Redmi Note 7, the Redmi Note 8 and the Meizu Note 9.

I tested these devices last year, so I will be able to compare the result with the Umidigi.

I also tested two other Umidigi cameras last year and they both had the same defect in photo processing, the sharpness was too sharp and the color temperature was too low.

I'm curious to see if Umidigi managed to get rid of its flaws by using a good sensor like the one used in the Redmi Note 7 and 8.

Default app


The default photo application used in the Umidigi F2 is an application I hadn't seen before from Umidigi or another manufacturer. The application is overall quite complete, most of the basic features are there, with the possibility to configure each view (photo, video, ...). The photo option allows you to take pictures in wide-angle, macro and zoom mode but these different modes are superimposed on the visible part of the photo. If you are photographing a scene with a lot of light, you will probably not see the different options offered. The icons are also quite small.

It is possible to activate the 48 megapixel mode from normal photo mode, so you don't have to switch from photo mode to 48 mp mode all the time. Most of the options are available for all menus, the settings are quite simple to understand. I find that apart from the position of the photo modes, the application is quite interesting.

I noticed some slowdowns in some modes where when you move the screen, the photo doesn't fit right away as if the phone still needs to process the image.

Photo quality

Photo test / studio

First example: ƒ/1.8 1/661 3.8 mm 109 ISO

Exposure: underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: light
Digital noise: none

The main sensor of the Umidigi has a focal length of 3.8mm, this is the shortest focal length I have ever tested on a main sensor. With this kind of focal length, I have a doubt about the technology used because the Samsung sensor that is supposed to be in this phone normally has a longer focal length. A focal length of 3.8 mm allows to capture a larger angle without too much risk of distortion.

The photo is generally underexposed while the lighting is perfectly white and uniform. The colors are also too dark because of this exposure problem. I also see a slight vignetting problem on the corners.

Second example: ƒ/2.8 1/147 3.8 mm 113 ISO

Exposure: slightly underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: slightly too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

To make this picture I clicked on the wide-angle mode and I'm surprised to see that the wide-angle mode uses the same focal length as the normal photo mode. So either the exif is not correct or Umidigi using the main sensor is a zoomed version of the wide angle. Looking at the picture of this second example, I can see that it is clearly a wide angle and it is even quite open. Usually wide angles let in less light and the pictures are always darker than with the main sensor but here it's the opposite and it doesn't make sense unless the main sensor is used. If this is the case, it would mean that it is better to leave the wide angle sensor on all the time. I'll have to check this outside the studio.

Third example: ƒ/1.8 1/661 3.8 mm ISO 109

Exposure: underexposed
Sharpness: good
Colours: too dark
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: light
Digital noise: none

The zoom of the Umidigi F2 is a digital zoom because the focal length has not changed, it is probably a 48 million pixel picture in which the camera has zoomed. The picture has the same characteristics as the first example with a fairly pronounced underexposure. The depth of field looks very good because everyone is in the sharp focus area.

Photo test / sunny

First example: ƒ/1.8 1/2283 3.8 mm 110 ISO

Exposure: ok
Sharpness too strong
Colors: colors a little too warm
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

On this first example, the photo is generally ok, but it has some defects such as a too pronounced contrast and sharpness which leads to a loss of details. We can therefore distinguish very well the different petals of the yellow dandelion on the left but each petal loses detail. The coloration is not quite correct but this is not really a problem in a scene dominated by green, the green seems darker than it really is.

Second example: ƒ/1.8 1/2179 3.8 mm 112 ISO

Exposure: ok
Sharpness too strong
Colors: colors a little too warm
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: none

On this second example, I have isolated a part of the photo to enlarge it to 100%. The artificial accentuation of the contours and contrasts makes the photo less accurate in details, especially when you look at it at 100%. This kind of problem is not really visible on a phone screen because the size of the screen does not allow to see this kind of thing unless you zoom in the picture. When you view your photos on a larger screen, the problem is much more visible. The color temperature is too low (= too warm colors), I will add some comparative pictures below in this section.


Here is an example that illustrates the colour temperature problem of Umidigi quite well. I compared here the Umidigi F2 to the Redmi Note 9s which uses a Samsung sensor almost equivalent to the one used by the Umidigi. The difference is quite striking, the photo taken by the Umidigi is too brownish, the green is not green and the sky is also very noisy.


On this other example, the problem is less visible because the photo was taken at sunset where the colors are naturally warmer, the difference with the Redmi Note 9s is less pronounced. The blue of the sky is also more saturated on the Umidigi, the effect is nice but the Redmi offers a more neutral rendering.

The Samsung sensor of the Umidigi is not a bad sensor, it is used in many other devices that have proven their worth such as the Redmi Note 7. The treatment brought to the photo deteriorates the quality of the sensor and I had noticed exactly the same thing last year with the Umidigi F1 and the Umidigi S3 Pro. For the same sensor, Umidigi uses a lower quality processing than other brands using the same sensor.

The judgement I make on these photos is purely technical, the colors and sharpness are not correct. This doesn't mean that you won't like your photos, artificial treatments can sometimes give the impression that a photo is more beautiful even if technically speaking it's not correct.



Photo test / cloudy

I've posted some pictures taken on cloudy days to give you an idea of what the Umidigi F2 is capable of producing.

The pictures are overall too dark, the Umidigi F2 seems to want to avoid overexposure and the whole picture is too dark. HDR can improve the situation a bit but the overall picture remains underexposed.

The problem of color temperature is also quite visible, I also noticed digital noise on photos taken at ISO 110.

The Umidigi F2 is not at the level of some competitors like the Redmi Note 8 for taking pictures in bad weather.



Test photo / night

First example: ƒ/1.8 1/10 3.8 mm 3962 ISO


Exposure: good
Sharpness: medium
Colours: slightly too cold
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: very important

The Umidigi F2 offers a night mode that combines several photos, this night mode unfortunately does not produce good results. Digital noise is very pronounced, sharpness is medium, colours are yellowed, halos of light become large spots of light. Exposure is quite good, however, the picture is neither too bright nor too dark.

Second example: ƒ/1.8 1/10 3.8 mm ISO 4875


Exposure: good
Sharpness: medium
Colours: slightly too cold
Depth of field: good
Distortion: none
Chromatic aberration: none
Vignetting: none
Digital noise: very important

On this second example, we find all the qualities and defects of the first example. However, it should be noted that the Umidigi F2 does well in terms of exposure because the house on the left, which is in a dark area, is still visible. With other phones tested at the same time, I didn't always see the house so clearly.

Here are some more pictures taken from the same place. The Umidigi F2 is clearly not a champion of night photography.

Video quality

Stabilisation


The Umidigi F2 is capable of absorbing light shocks but it cannot eliminate the jolts caused by walking. The result is not bad but it is not the best device in its class. I also did a test in more difficult conditions, the result is much worse, the Umidigi can't compensate the movements.



Video normale conditions
Daylight videos produced by the Umidigi F2 have the same characteristics as photos (it is the same sensor). The color temperature is too high, the sharpness is a bit forced but the camera manages to recover the focus quite quickly.

Video low light



The nightly videos produced by the Umidigi F2 are not good at all. The phone can't keep up with the motion, it can't handle the focus and the whole video is blurry.

Audio quality

To test the quality of the phone's audio output, I connect the device's audio output to a measuring tool, then play sounds on all frequencies and measure the differences between the original sound and the sound produced by the phone. In this way I measure the phone's ability to correctly reproduce all sounds.
I didn't expect anything special in terms of sound quality from Umidigi F2. In this price range, I have rarely encountered phones that offer exceptional sound quality. At the first subjective listening, I found the sound of the Umidigi F2 to be quite average with not enough accurate treble and not enough powerful bass. The Umidigi F2 is capable of producing a high volume but this translates into high saturation. I had to do the technical test 2 or 3 notches below the maximum volume in order to get reliable measurements.

I compared the Umidigi F2 to the Redmi Note 8, the latter produces a correct sound without reaching the level of a Samsung Galaxy A70, the comparison should therefore be fair.

Frequency Response

This test is intended to test the device's ability to correctly reproduce all frequencies. The white line in the middle of the graph is the ideal situation and the other colors come from tests on different phones. A deviation from the reference line indicates a deviation from the ideal situation. To see good sound at all frequencies, it is therefore necessary to get as close as possible to the reference line.
What I perceived in my ear is also verified with the technical test. The Umidigi F2 has an above-average deficit in low frequencies and a smaller deficit in higher frequencies compared to a phone like the Redmi Note 8. The Umidigi F2 is therefore not a phone for music lovers, but it is suitable for those who do not have special requirements in this area.

Dynamic Range

This test is designed to test a phone's ability to play sounds at different volume levels. Here too, the phones must be as close as possible to the reference.
As I explained above, I had to do this technical test at a lower volume level and it can be seen in this test where we can see that Umidigi is one notch below the Redmi Note 8 but this is normal. I also notice a weakness in the bass and another one in the treble as I had already noticed with the previous test.

Noise Level

This test aims to identify if the device under test is able to reproduce sounds without too much noise. A high score indicates a low parasite rate, a lower score indicates a higher presence of parasites.
For this last test, the result is a little closer to the Redmi Note 8 but I have again an anomaly in the bass and treble.

Screen quality

To test the screen, I use a colorimetric probe that measures the color accuracy of a screen, as well as other parameters to see if a screen is able to correctly reproduce an image. I also test the brightness level to determine if the screen will be able to display an image in full sunlight.

Colorimetry



I had had a discussion with Umidigi after testing the F1 more than a year ago, I told them that the F1 screen was turning too much towards blue and they argued that this was not possible and that their screen was as good as what Xiaomi was doing. I didn't have a probe to measure the colour difference at the time but I have one now and I can see that what I reported last year is still there today. The colorimetry is not accurate, I'm getting a dE of 7, which is above average. Of course this is not a problem when using the phone because it won't prevent you from using it, but you will probably notice a difference between the photos displayed on the Umidigi and the same photos displayed on a computer screen.

This kind of problem is quite common and normally Android offers a possibility to adjust the color temperature in the settings, I didn't find this possibility with the Umidigi F2, so I don't have any trick to propose to alleviate the problem.



Brightness / Contrast

I measured a brightness of 504 cd/m² with the lighting at maximum, it is an excellent score which will allow you to use the Umidigi F2 in full sunlight.

I measured a contrast ratio well above average as well, with 2769:1, it's one of the best scores obtained but I must specify that I obtained this score by flooding the light sensor to push the screen all the way. The natural contrast will probably be lower in reality but will remain in the high average.

Biometry

The Umidigi F2 can be unlocked by facial recognition or by the fingerprint sensor on the side.

Facial recognition works correctly and is quite fast. The fingerprint sensor on the side is less effective than a sensor on the back of the phone, but it works better than the Realme 6 sensor located in the same place.

Operating system

The Umidigi F2 runs on Android 10 without any Umidigi overlay. This choice has the advantage of offering a very similar experience to other devices running without an overlay and Umidigi has not added unwanted applications like what is available on many other brands.

When I tested the Umidigi F1 just over a year ago, I encountered many bugs that made using the phone sometimes painful. The Umidigi F2 is a much more advanced phone than the F1, I didn't encounter any bugs like on the F1 and overall this sleek version of Android works pretty well.

What I miss is a possibility to adjust the color temperature to get a more correct colorimetry, I also lack a native photo gallery application. There are of course differences with overlayers like Xiaomi or Samsung's but this shouldn't handicap you.

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

Accessories Umidigi F2

Compare Umidigi F2 with the others

Test / Review conclusion

I tested 2 Umidigi phones before buying this Umidigi F2 and I must say that I am positively surprised by the evolution of the brand. The level of finish has reached the level of the competition, the stability problems have disappeared and in the price range where it is sold, this Umidigi will undoubtedly suit a wider audience than the previous models. The strength of the Umidigi is the battery and this F2 has a good battery that will allow you to use this phone for several days without having to recharge it. This advantage was quite unique a year ago but other manufacturers (such as Xiaomi for example) have also entered the race for battery life, fortunately for Umidigi these other phones are more expensive.

The Umidigi F2 has many qualities for a phone for less than 200€. I got very good results with the GPS, it also offers a wide compatibility with 3G/4G frequencies. Its two biggest weaknesses are photo quality and network performance.

Strengths

Autonomy
GPS
3G/4G frequencies

Weaknesses

Photo quality
Network performance

Alternatives to this product

With its price of around 180€ at the time I bought it, the Umidigi F2 competes with the Redmi Note 8.

The Redmi Note 8 outperforms the Umidigi F2 in many areas, it outperforms most phones in this price category. The Umidigi F2 isn't ridiculous though, I even think it can be a credible alternative to those who don't want to hear anything from Xiaomi. The Umidigi F2 will offer everything you need for normal smartphone use.

For 180€ you get a phone that works overall very well with an exemplary autonomy and enough performance to run all common applications without any problems. Its biggest shortcoming in my opinion is the photo part where the processing is not good. The sensor is good, so I dare to hope that the processing will be corrected in a future update.

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