Bush Spira E3X

Tech buyers of a certain age will most likely recoil in revulsion upon hearing the name Bush, a company which is perhaps best known as a purveyor of cheap and often not-so-cheerful electronics during the 1980s, and is now owned by the parent company of Argos.

While this might make the Bush Spira E3X sound like a telephonic disaster waiting to happen, the phone confounded our expectations of what a sub-£200 Android handset can offer.

Not only does it have a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, fast-charging and a 21.5MP camera, it's quite well-made to boot, giving the likes of the Moto G a serious run for their money - at least on paper.

This can be explained by the fact that while it has the (in)famous Bush brand embossed on its rear, in reality the Spira E3X is the handiwork of French firm Archos, and is better described as an "Argos Phone". But does the E3X live up to its surprising specs? Or is it less than meets the eye?

Key features

• Great quality screen
• Lots of storage and RAM
• High-spec but disappointing camera

The days of low-end smartphone owners missing out on new tech are long behind us, and as such we're seeing phones which boast features which were, not long ago, exclusive to top-tier devices.

The Bush Spira E3X is an excellent example of this gradual evolution in the marketplace. Its 1080p 5.5-inch screen is bold, colourful and pin-sharp, and it's also incredibly responsive when it comes to touch interaction.

The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner might not be the best in the business, but it works well enough and offers an additional level of security – it also allows you to unlock the handset with a touch, rather than having to input a passcode or pattern.

Storage is another area where the Spira E3X is particularly noteworthy – it has 64GB of memory, in which you can deposit apps, photos, movies and music. There's also microSD support, so you can augment this already impressive total, should you feel the need.

Space is something you might need if you want to fully exploit the Spira E3X's 21.5MP camera, which can take quality shots when conditions are optimum. Though it’s not as hot in darker locations, and the sluggish focus and lack of image stabilization mean blurry shots are commonplace.

Elsewhere, 4GB of RAM keeps things moving – an uncommonly large amount for a phone in this price bracket.

Design and display

• Large and sharp display
• Premium metal frame
• Unappealing back panel

Unlike other budget Android smartphones with their bland plastic bodies, the Spira E3X has a metal frame, which gives it a premium feel. It possesses a fair degree of heft and feels sturdy in the hand, with no unfortunate creaking noises to be heard when gripped tightly.

Given that the E3X has a 5.5-inch display, it goes without saying that it's a bit of a stretch to use one-handed; unless you have gigantic mitts you’ll really need both hands to fully interact with this device.

The glass on the Spira E3X's screen curves nicely towards the edges – just like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7 – and when it's laid down on a table face-up, this handset is quite a looker.

It's only when you flip the device over that its low-rent background is betrayed; the weird sandpaper-like plastic panel feels and looks rather nasty, and that Bush logo is a one-way ticket to zero street credibility.

Sandwiched in between the 21.5MP camera and the Bush branding is the phone's fingerprint scanner, which appears to be fashioned from plastic.

While it doesn't have the same success rate as the one seen on the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7 – we'd say it unlocks on the first touch 70% of the time – it's better than many of the scanners we've seen on other budget options, which often take many more stabs before recognising your digit.

On the right-hand edge of the phone there's the volume and power buttons, while the opposite side houses the SIM card and microSD tray. On the top, there's a 3.5mm headphone socket – what a novelty – and on the bottom you'll find a fancy new reversible USB Type-C port, which supports fast-charging.

The screen is one of the E3X’s strongest points, as it offers excellent brightness, contrast and rock-solid viewing angles. The 1080 x 1920 resolution also puts it on par (at least in resolution terms) with the much more expensive iPhone 7 Plus, which also has a 5.5-inch screen.

Interface and reliability

• Largely stock Android 6.0 interface with little bloatware
• Average call quality
• No NFC

While a lot of budget Android phones ship with outdated software, Bush's device has Android 6.0 installed.

Granted, that's not the very latest version of Google's mobile operating system – that honour falls to Android 7.0 Nougat – but that's currently only available on a couple of handsets, such as the Google Pixel.

The Spira E3X is also refreshingly free of bloatware and unwanted applications; even the aforementioned Argos app can be removed if you so wish, and the interface stays close to stock Android, making it simple and intuitive to navigate.

As a phone, the Spira E3X performs well enough. Call quality is average, but we could hear the other person clearly, and in turn they could make out our insane gibbering without any trouble.

The phone supports 4G and comes unlocked to any network, but you'll need a microSIM card – a bit of pain if you have a more recent nanoSIM. There's no NFC, so you won't be able to use Android Pay for contactless payments with the Spira E3X.

Movies, music and gaming

• Strong screen for media
• Decent gaming performance
• Weak speaker

The Spira's MediaTek Helio P10 chipset is perfectly up to the task of streaming HD movies, and the large 5.5-inch screen's punchy colours and excellent viewing angles make it ideal for film consumption on your commute home from work. 

The big let-down is the phone's single speaker, which is weak and lacks bass. It's concealed on the bottom-right edge of the handset, and while the presence of two speaker grilles might suggest stereo output, that's sadly not the case.

For any kind of audio playback, we'd highly recommend using the 3.5mm headphone socket.

Unlike many other Android phones, which double-up on music playback by offering their own native player, the Spira E3X opts for Google Play Music out of the box.

This service allows you to upload your own albums to the cloud for free, and offers a well-stocked music library which can be accessed via a monthly subscription.

You can also buy songs and albums individually, which you then own. This is essentially Google's answer to Apple's iTunes and on the whole works very well; you can even download playlists to your device for offline access.

Gaming on the Spira E3X is relatively trouble-free; some demanding 3D games suffer from framerate drops, but overall it's a solid platform for mobile entertainment.

Specs and benchmark performance

• Mid-range processor leads to middling benchmarks
• Smooth general performance

The Spira E3X is powered by MediaTek’s Helio P10 MT6755, the same octa-core processor as is found inside the Sony Xperia XA and Oppo F1 Plus. Mid-range performance at this kind of price is a given, and benchmarks indicate that Bush's phone is competing in the same ballpark as the Moto G4 Plus and Wileyfox Storm.

On Geekbench 4, the handset clocked a single-core score of 732 and a multi-core score of 2891. While those figures aren't awe-inspiring, general performance is perfectly fine and we didn't notice any sluggishness moving around the interface and switching between apps.

That's partly thanks to the whopping 4GB of RAM included – which is double what many phones at this price offer. There's also a roomy 64GB of storage, and if that's not enough storage space for your liking then you can use the microSD card slot to expand that total further.

Battery life

• Large 3,000mAh battery offers disappointing stamina
• Charges up quickly

With a 3,000mAh power cell on-board, the Spira E3X outguns both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in terms of pure numbers, but capacity doesn't tell the entire story.

During our review period, we found that the phone's stamina varied quite dramatically depending on usage. On standby it lasted well, but in other instances it lost power at an alarming rate.

During the traditional TechRadar battery test – which involves running a 90-minute video with the screen brightness at maximum and the volume turned up – the Spira E3X dropped 25% of its juice, which isn't great (the Moto G4 by comparison lost just 17%), but also isn’t terrible.

However, a day of email checking, moderate web browsing, occasional game playing and the odd Pokémon hunt saw the battery level drop significantly, and the handset was gasping for its charger by bedtime.

The inclusion of fast charging mitigates the inconsistent battery life to a degree, as it allows you to quickly replenish power when you're running low.

From a completely empty battery you can get to around 75% in less than an hour, but you'll have to make sure you use the bundled charger or you'll get much slower recharge speeds.

Even so, we'd expect a 3,000mAh battery to last longer than the one in the Spira E3X.

Camera

• Great shots under ideal conditions
• Struggles in dimly-lit environments
• HDR mode is slow

There's a common trend these days for leading phones to pack camera sensors with fairly low megapixel counts, with the focus being on improving overall image quality instead – Apple, HTC and Samsung have all taken this route with recent flagships.

As such, the Spira E3X outclasses the likes of the iPhone 7 in one sense, by offering a 21.5MP Sony IMX snapper on the back, but that doesn't mean it's better for mobile photography.

If the conditions are right, then the phone is perfectly capable of capturing some amazing shots, with vibrant colour and good contrast. However, we lost count of the number of times we were cursing the slow focus time and lack of image stabilisation.

Blurriness was an issue even in shots where we felt we were holding our hands perfectly still, and when you're in a dimly-lit environment it requires the patience of a saint to get anything even approaching an acceptable image.

We wouldn't recommend using the HDR feature either, as it draws out the already-annoying focus time, which increases the likelihood of blurred images.

According to the settings menu, the camera is aided by a "laser focus" system, which is supposed to make macro shots easier.

While we were able to get some impressively detailed close-quarters photography done, the camera sometimes took an age to focus, and in low-light conditions it often refused to comply altogether.

The Spira E3X can also capture video at 1080p. There's an 8MP front-facing camera for selfies, which records footage at 640 x 480 resolution.

Camera samples

Verdict

The Bush brand name might not inspire confidence, but a few shortcomings aside, the Spira E3X is much better than it has any right to be – especially at £200.

The screen is excellent for a device in this price bracket, offering a 1080p resolution, bold contrast and decent colour replication. 

There's also loads of storage, the processor is perfectly acceptable for day to day usage, and build quality is decent – sandpaper-textured rear panel aside.

Sure, the camera could be better, and the battery drains quickly under heavy use, but we're talking about a £200 phone here, not a £600 one.

Who’s this for?

If you crave cutting-edge smartphone features like a massive screen, fingerprint scanner and fast charging, but can't stretch to a Samsung, Sony or Apple flagship, then the Bush Spira E3X is for you.

If you're not concerned with having the very best camera, sound, and battery life, but simply want excellent value for money, then you're unlikely to be disappointed – just be aware that you'll have to endure the embarrassment of having a phone with "Bush" written on the back.

Should you buy it?

The Spira E3X offers an impressive package for the price, and if cash is a real concern then it comes highly recommended. 

The screen is on a par with phones which cost twice as much, while the premium build and massive storage are almost unheard of in this sector of the market.

Competition

The Bush Spira E3X gives you a lot of phone for your money, but it's not the only high-quality budget phone. Here are three alternatives.

Motorola Moto G4

Motorola's Moto G4 is one of the Spira E3X's biggest rivals in this price bracket, and is blessed with a 1080p screen and plenty of power, but is hamstrung by the lack of a fingerprint scanner and no NFC.

That said, the E3X doesn’t have NFC either, and the G4 is slightly cheaper than Bush’s phone. It also comes from a more recognisable and respected brand, if that matters to you.

• Read our full Moto G4 review

Wileyfox Storm

There's also the Wileyfox Storm, which has an excellent 5.5-inch display of its own, snappy performance and a much better camera than the one found on Bush's budget offering. It costs almost exactly the same amount as the Bush Spira E3X too.

The average battery life and often fiddly open-source Cyanogen OS are downsides though, and there’s no metal on show.

• Read our full Wileyfox Storm review

Vodafone Smart Prime 7

Significantly undercutting the Spira E3X in terms of price is Vodafone’s Smart Prime 7, which retails for just £75 (around $90/AU$120). Incredibly for that price it includes a great screen and decent performance, but cuts corners on internal storage and the camera.

However, it's less than half the price of the Bush Spira E3X, and is a much better option if cash is tight.

• Read our full Vodafone Smart Prime 7 review

First reviewed: October 2016