There's no denying it: the Konka R8A looks incredibly slick for a budget smartphone. Not only does the 5-inch IPS screen stretch from edge to edge with no wasted space given over to bezels, the phone itself is just a svelte 7.7mm thick and weighs only 135g. This makes it considerably lighter and slimmer than your average budget handset. Smooth corners and a metallic finish round out the design, producing a look typically reserved for handsets of a much higher price range.
Beyond the sleek design, the R8A delivers on all the standard features expected of a modern budget smartphone. Screen resolution measures in at 1280 x 720 pixels which, although not Full HD, is adequate for a phone at this price point. There is 16GB of internal storage to play with, and you can expand this by as much as 128GB with a microSD card.
If you like to use your phone as a portable media device, the Konka R8A defies current trends by continuing to include a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as support for wireless headphones via Bluetooth 4.0. It also has an FM radio tuner built in for users who prefer the airwaves to the World Wide Web. For those who don't, support for 4G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n networks should provide sufficient entertainment.
Konka's decision to ship the R8A with the Android 7.0 "Nougat" operating system ensures that the phone has plenty of software features. In addition to supporting millions of apps available from the Google Play store, Android 7.0 introduces key features such as the ability to open two apps on the same screen and run them side-by-side, as well as the means to interact with notifications without having to open up their associated apps. The only downside is that Konka has yet to release any updates to later versions of Android for the R8A, so you'll have to stick with Android 7.0 for the time being.
