AGM A2 Rio is a rugged 4-inch smartphone under budget price. This smartphone was released in February 2017 in the global market. On the first appearance, AGM A2 Rio looks like a compact sized rugged smartphone. For those who are new to the rugged smartphone category, the main things about rugged smartphone are the toughness and safety to the device. Mostly, the rugged smartphones come with the waterproof and dustproof. The display would have a strong glass for extra protection. The design of the rugged smartphone would look rough in most cases. You can also see tightened screws across the sides and over the back panel of the rugged smartphone.
All such rugged elements are found in this AGM A2 Rio. Other than the toughness features, AGM A2 Rio has an entry level specifications. Let’s have a look into AGM A2 Rio.
AGM A2 Rio Review: Design and Build
AGM A2 Rio looks handy and sturdy. The back panel is made of hardened plastic material. A part of the back panel is removable which is tightened with two screws. After removing the two screws, inside the panel, a removable battery, SIM Slots, and SD card slot are found. Above this panel, the rear camera is located in the middle along with the LED flash light.
On the right side, we have found the volume rockers, and on the left side, there are the power and camera control buttons. On the top side, a 3.5mm audio jack is found. On the bottom, there is a USB port. The three capacitive buttons are present below the screen. The front camera is located as usual above the screen.
AGM A2 Rio is certified as an IP68 device, which is mainly for the waterproof and dustproof. To ensure this, we checked throughout the surface of this smartphone for any way that allows water or dust. Except for the USB port and 3.5mm Audio Jack, there is no way found. The speakers are also made with proofing features. The USB port and Audio jack port can also be closed correctly with the given lid, when not in use. There is no fingerprint scanner in this device.
Another thing to be noted is the weight. AGM A2 Rio weighs around 220grams. This is higher than the many regular smartphones in the market. But when compared to the rugged smartphones, this is an acceptable level of weight.
AGM A2 Rio Review: Display
AGM A2 Rio sports a 4-inch TFT touchscreen. The screen resolution of this 4-inch screen is 480 x 800 pixels, and the pixel density is 233ppi. This level of pixel density is average for smartphones. The display is just good in user experience. The screen is clearly visible. The clarity is good but not like the full HD displays. The border of the screen is very thick and black. This is the one small issue we found in the display. But in a rugged smartphone, we can never expect a fancy design.
Hardware and Software Performance
AGM A2 Rio packs a Snapdragon 210 Quad-core processor. It is paired with the Adreno 304 graphical processing unit. The RAM comes with 2GB memory. The internal storage has 16GB memory. Overall, this is an entry to mid-level specifications. On the benchmark performance tests, AGM A2 Rio crossed the scores of MediaTek’s mid-level processors like MT6580 easily. That is the advantage of Snapdragon processors.
The software that runs on AGM A2 Rio is Android 5.1 Lollipop. The Lollipop OS is what many low price smartphones are running. It helps in adopting low price hardware configuration. Overall, the user experience is good with AGM A2 Rio. The multitasking is quite good as the 2GB RAM is a good memory level.
AGM A2 Rio Review: Camera
The rear camera has an 8MP CMOS sensor. It is supported with LED flash, autofocus, HDR and many other camera app features. The video resolution is 720p at 30 frames per second. The front camera has a 2MP sensor.
Coming to the results, the rear camera is overall acceptable in the final result. But the front camera is average in the final image. But for causal selfies, this is helpful. Also helpful for making video calls and messenger chats.
Battery
AGM A2 Rio is powered by a 2600mAh battery. This is a removable type battery. The 3G talk time goes up to 15 hours, and on casual use, it powers up to 10 hours according to the manufacturer. There is no fast charging feature.
Price
AGM A2 Rio is available for around $100 in various stores. For this rugged smartphone with a 4-inch display, this price seems good. It is also affordable and can be easily purchased by any class of people.
Verdict
The final opinion on AGM A2 Rio is, this device is a normal budget smartphone with rugged features. This rugged Android smartphone will be suitable for aged persons, kids and those who works in industrial environments, etc. Mainly, if there are chances of dropping the smartphone, or possibility of water and dust damage in any particular environment, then the AGM A2 Rio will be a right choice to use in such situations. The price is reasonable for the features it gives back.
If you want more performance in a rugged smartphone, the price may go up to $300-$400. Considering that price, for just $100, AGM A2 Rio gives all the basic uses of a mid-level smartphone.