I have bought my Cubot Quest back in 2019, more than 2 and a half years ago. It was my first sports phone and I’ve fallen in love with it. Sure, the phone is not perfect and it has it’s shortcomings, but since it’s the first sports phone invented, that is to be expected. I was so eager to see what the next version of Quest will look like, but then covid-19 came and there was no next version.
Covid-19 is still here, but even after three years after the initial release of Cubot Quest there is no new version of the phone. Cubot is still active and is still releasing new phones, even the rugged King Kong, but there is no new version of Quest. I have written to Cubot and asked about their plans to release the sequel, but they didn’t send any timeline or information whether the next version will be released at all.
Since I really miss a new, refreshed Cubot Quest, or Cubot Quest 5G, or maybe Cubot Quest 2022, I have written a list of improvements over the Cubot Quest from 2018. I call it positive and advance thinking, you might call it my letter to Santa Claus. In any case, let’s dig in and see how the new Quest should look like in 2022 when it’s hopefully released.
5G support
Of course, if I want to keep the phone for the next 2 or 3 years, it should have the support for 5G networks. I “think” I don’t need it yet, but I want to have it – and I’m sure I’m gonna need it sooner than in two years.
CPU
The new phone should have a faster CPU. All the updated apps (yes, I have more than 120 installed) the phone is lately becoming sluggish and slow. With the current Quest, the Antutu benchmark is at 75.400, but the new cheap phones easily reach over 200.000 or 300.000. So Antutu benchmark over 300.000 would be good enough for me.
RAM
4 GB of RAM was enough and nice to feel three years ago. Now the old Cubot Quest struggles with tasks ans is slowly needing more memory. I think 8 GB would be just the right balance between power and price.
Memory
64 GB of memory in my current Cubot Quest is not too bad. Sure, I have to delete all the photos each year, but that’s okay. Since the new updated Quest should have a better camera, 128 GB of space would be enough. I wouldn’t mind 256 GB either, but let’s not get greedy here.
Camera
I think Cubot Quest has a good camera for the perfect conditions. The photos it makes underwater are unbelievable. But in low light the photos aren’t so nice any more because they soon get dark and grainy. Also, the selfie cam is not doing the phone a favour. And when I receive a photo from some other phone it does look more beautiful. So, in order to keep up with the competition, a better camera hardware and software would be needed. I don’t mind how many pixels it has as long as they’re used well.
The Camera app is pretty basic. I could use a better software for the camera. And I just remembered, recording in slow motion would be a nice addition, too! In 4K maybe? With image stabilization? And zoom? Just stop me if you feel I’m asking too much.
Screen
Again, the screen in the current model is not bad. But just to keep in line with competition, the screen should be updated too. I wouldn’t ask for OLED, but a little more brightness would be welcome. And since this is a post full of wishes, why not also smaller bezel.
Battery
Battery easily lasts a day. So to keep that with all the new tech, let’s put in a battery that can cope with 5G, the new CPU, new screen and the new camera and still keep the phone up for a whole day.
Charging
I can charge the phone in 2 hours, which is okay (because I’m used to it). But since I’m not charging the phone overnight any more it would be nice to get the power in it faster. Let’s say from 20% to 80% in less than one hour, maybe in 30 minutes?
Android version
I’m so happy that Cubot didn’t dress up Android and has shipped it pure. I would definitely want that for the Cubot Quest 5G. I would expect the phone to ship with the latest Android 12 without a custom skin. If it came with a Google Camera that would be a big plus.
System updates
Cubot Quest had received two firmware updates in three years. Not the most updated phone for sure! The first update needed to be flashed to the phone (yes, with losing all the data) and the second one didn’t even update the security patches. In order not to be laughed at by my friends (and phone hackers) regular system and security updates would be very, very welcome.
Other little things
Apart from the things described, Cubot can keep the rest as it is with the three years old Quest. I like the size and the weight of the phone, the colours, even the silly sport glyphs on the back of the phone. I’ve got used to USB-C, even got me some extra cables and adapter for audio jack. I can’t imagine not having NFC, so that’s a must for the new model too.
Here and there some bugs pop up so I need to restart the phone every now and then to fix them temporarily. In this regard, it would be nice if there was some formal system to report bugs to Cubot, see progress on them and receive over the air updates that would fix them. I think that’s just wishful thinking, but not unheard of. I’ve seen companies who listen to their users and appreciate their help while making their product better.
How will the new Cubot Quest be called?
It should have a name like Cubot Quest 5G or Cubot Quest 2022. The sweetest thing about this is that I don’t really care. A long as Cubot makes it and sells it, I don’t care about the name.
How much will it cost?
I think the price should be similar to the original Cubot Quest. Somewhere between $150 and $250 feels like a good price for such phone (or between 150 and 200 EUR with taxes included).
What about competition?
Good question. Other companies are not sleeping and have released many phones that try to compete with Cubot Quest 2022, but none of them are really good for me. For example, Umidigi Bison comes close, but it doesn’t have 5G yet and it’s overweight and thick. Even Cubot itself competes Quest with King Kong, but again, King Kong is overweight and thick. Even if it’s water-resistant, it’s definitely not a sports phone.
Help Cubot make the best sports phone again!
If there’s a thing you miss with your Quest, let me know in the comments. If we can make a good “Quest 2022” specification, I’d be glad to send it to Cubot as a proposal.
