Cubot A30 Review: Dual Screens, 90Hz Display, and More for Just $124.98!

The Cubot A30 is a budget Android smartphone that interested me because of its unique features and the affordable price tag of just $124.98. Cubot isn’t exactly a household name, but they’ve been quietly putting out some interesting devices, especially in the rugged phone category. This time, they’re stepping into the mainstream with the A30, a sleek and stylish phone that ditches the bulky, rugged design for something a little more fashionable.

The A30 is packed with some pretty cool features for its price, like a 48MP rear camera, a secondary display on the back, and a 6.75-inch HD+ screen with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. It’s clear that Cubot is trying to stand out in the crowded budget smartphone market, and they’ve thrown in a few surprises to make this phone feel a bit more premium than your average $125 device.

Design and Build Quality

At first glance, this phone looks way more expensive than its $124.98 price tag suggests. Cubot has made some effort to make the A30 stand out in the sea of boring budget phones. It’s sleek, slim, and surprisingly lightweight, especially considering it packs a massive 5,100mAh battery inside. You’d expect a phone with that kind of battery to be a bit chunky, but the A30 feels comfortable to hold and use with one hand.

The body is made of polycarbonate plastic, which is pretty standard for budget phones, but don’t let that fool you—it doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy. The plastic has a nice density to it, and there’s no creaking or rattling when you handle the phone. It feels solid and well-built, which is always a good sign, especially at this price point. The back has a smooth finish, and while it’s not glass, it gives off a premium vibe.

The phone comes in a few color options, including pink, gray, black, blue, and purple, so there’s something for everyone. The pink version I’ve got here is definitely eye-catching, but if you prefer something more understated, the gray or black options might be more your style.

Now, let’s talk about the star of the show: that secondary display on the back. It’s a 1.43-inch round screen that sits right next to the camera module. At first, you might think it’s just a gimmick, but it’s actually pretty useful. You can use it to check the time, see notifications, control your music, and even use it as a viewfinder for the rear camera when taking selfies. It’s like having a tiny smartwatch built into your phone. You can even customize the clock style or upload your own photo as the background, which is a neat touch. Sure, it’s not the first time we’ve seen a secondary screen on a phone, but it’s definitely one of the more affordable devices to offer this feature.

On the right side of the phone, you’ve got the power button and volume rocker, both of which are easy to reach and have a nice clicky feel. Unfortunately, there’s no fingerprint scanner here, which is a bit of a bummer in 2025. Instead, you’ll have to rely on face unlock or a good old-fashioned PIN or password. It’s not the most secure option, but it gets the job done.

At the bottom, you’ll find a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, along with a single mono speaker. The speaker gets reasonably loud, but don’t expect any deep bass or high-fidelity sound—it’s fine for calls and casual video watching, but audiophiles might want to stick with headphones. Speaking of headphones, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, so you’ll need to use a USB-C adapter or go wireless if you want to listen to music privately.

Display Quality

For a budget phone, the screen here is actually pretty impressive, and it’s one of the standout features of this device. The Cubot A30 sports a 6.75-inch HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. Now, I know what you’re thinking—720p on a screen this big? But honestly, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Sure, it’s not the sharpest display out there, with a pixel density of around 260 PPI, but for everyday use, it’s perfectly fine. Text is readable, images look decent, and unless you’re holding the phone right up to your face, you’re not going to notice the pixels too much.

One of the best things about this display is the 90Hz refresh rate. For a phone in this price range, that’s a pretty big deal. It makes scrolling through social media, browsing the web, or just navigating the UI feel much smoother compared to the standard 60Hz displays you’ll find on most budget phones. It’s not quite as buttery smooth as the 120Hz screens on more expensive devices, but it’s a noticeable upgrade and definitely adds to the overall experience.

The screen is also fully laminated, which means there’s no annoying gap between the glass and the LCD panel. This gives the display a more premium look and feel, and it helps with visibility, especially when you’re using the phone outdoors. Speaking of visibility, the brightness here is decent, but not amazing. Indoors or in shaded areas, the screen looks great, but under direct sunlight, it can be a bit hard to see. The A30 claims a peak brightness of 700 nits, which is pretty good for a budget phone, but it still struggles a bit in bright outdoor conditions.

Colors on the IPS panel are vibrant and natural, though they’re not as punchy as what you’d get from an AMOLED display. That said, the A30 does offer some customization options in the settings, so you can tweak the color temperature to make it warmer or cooler depending on your preference. There’s also a video enhancement mode that boosts contrast and saturation when you’re watching videos, which is a nice touch for YouTube or Netflix binges.

The display has a teardrop notch at the top for the front-facing camera, which is pretty minimal and doesn’t get in the way too much. The bezels around the screen are also reasonably thin for a budget phone, though there’s a slightly larger chin at the bottom. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something you’ll notice if you’re coming from a more expensive device.

Now, let’s not forget about that secondary display on the back. It’s a 1.43-inch round screen, and while it’s not the main attraction, it’s a fun and functional addition. You can use it to check the time, see notifications, control your music, or even frame your selfies using the rear camera. It’s not the most essential feature, but it’s definitely a cool party trick that sets the A30 apart from other budget phones.

Performance & Benchmarks Scores

Performance is where things get interesting because, for a budget phone, the Cubot A30 actually holds its own pretty well. It’s powered by the Unisoc T616 processor, which is an octa-core chip built on a 12nm process. Now, this isn’t a flagship-level or even mid-range processor by any means, but it’s more than capable of handling everyday tasks without breaking a sweat.

The A30 comes with 6GB of RAM, which is pretty generous for a phone in this price range. But wait, there’s more! Cubot has included a virtual RAM expansion feature that lets you borrow up to 10GB of storage to act as additional RAM. That means you can technically have up to 16GB of RAM for multitasking, which is pretty wild for a $124.98 phone. In practice, this helps keep apps running smoothly in the background so you can switch between them without too much reloading. It’s not as fast as having actual physical RAM, but it’s a nice bonus that gives the A30 a bit of an edge over its competitors.

In day-to-day use, the A30 feels snappy and responsive. Apps open quickly, scrolling through social media is smooth thanks to that 90Hz display, and even multitasking is handled pretty well. I didn’t experience any major lag or stuttering during my time with the phone, which is always a good sign. For basic tasks like web browsing, messaging, and streaming videos, the A30 performs like a champ.

Now, let’s talk about gaming. If you’re into casual games like Crossy Road, Candy Crush, or Among Us, the A30 handles them without any issues. The Mali-G57 GPU paired with the Unisoc T616 is decent enough for light gaming, and the 90Hz display makes everything feel a bit smoother. However, if you’re planning to play more demanding games like PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact, you’ll need to dial down the graphics settings to get a playable frame rate. The A30 can run these games, but don’t expect buttery-smooth performance at high settings. It’s a budget phone, after all, so you’ll have to make some compromises if you’re a mobile gamer.

One area where the A30 really shines is storage. It comes with 128GB of internal storage, which is a lot for a phone in this price range. If that’s not enough, you can expand it further with a microSD card, supporting up to a whopping 1TB of additional storage.

Benchmarks Scores

In the AnTuTu benchmark, which tests overall performance including CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage, the Cubot A30 scored around 282,000 points. This is a respectable score for a budget phone and puts it in the same ballpark as devices powered by the MediaTek Helio G80 or older Snapdragon 600-series chips. While it’s not going to compete with mid-range or flagship devices, this score shows that the A30 is more than capable of handling everyday tasks like web browsing, social media, and light gaming without breaking a sweat.

The PCMark Work 3.0 benchmark simulates real-world tasks like web browsing, photo editing, and video editing. The A30 scored around 7,500 points in this test, which is solid for a budget device.

Moving on to Geekbench 6, which focuses on CPU performance, the Cubot A30 scored 463 points in single-core and 1,544 points in multi-core. The single-core score is decent for basic tasks like app launches and web browsing, while the multi-core score indicates that the phone can handle multitasking reasonably well. These scores are typical for a budget device and show that the Unisoc T616 chip, while not a powerhouse, is perfectly adequate for the price.

I also ran a CPU throttling test to see how well the A30 handles sustained performance under heavy load. After 30 minutes of continuous stress, the phone maintained around 85-90% of its peak performance. This is a great result for a budget device and shows that the A30 doesn’t overheat or slow down too much during extended gaming or multitasking sessions.

Connectivity

Regarding connectivity, the A30 supports 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0. It’s not 5G-ready, but that’s not surprising at this price point. Call quality is solid, and the phone’s antenna reception is strong, so you shouldn’t have any issues with dropped calls or weak signals. The only thing missing here is NFC, which means you won’t be able to use the A30 for contactless payments. It’s not a dealbreaker for everyone, but it’s something to keep in mind if you rely on Google Pay or similar services.

Operating System

The Cubot A30 runs on Android 14, which is the latest version of Android at the time of this review. That’s a big deal because many budget phones, even some mid-range ones, are still stuck on older versions of Android. Getting Android 14 out of the box is a huge win for the A30, and it’s one of the reasons this phone feels so modern and up-to-date.

One of the best things about the A30’s software is how clean it is. Cubot hasn’t loaded the phone down with a ton of bloatware or heavy custom skins like some other brands do. Instead, you get a near-stock Android experience, which means the interface is simple, intuitive, and easy to navigate. There are a few pre-installed apps, like a voice recorder and a pedometer, but they’re actually useful and don’t feel like unnecessary clutter. The rest of the software is pretty much what you’d expect from stock Android, with all the usual Google apps like Gmail, Maps, and the Play Store.

Customization Options

While the Cubot A30 software is mostly stock Android, Cubot has added a few customization options to make the phone feel a bit more personal. For example, you can choose between two different home screen styles: the standard Android app drawer or an iOS-style layout with virtual pages that expand as you install more apps.

There’s also a selection of custom wallpapers that match the phone’s design aesthetic. The “Red” wallpaper, for example, is a dynamic option that changes as you interact with the screen, adding a bit of flair to the overall experience. You can also tweak the display settings to adjust the color temperature, contrast, and saturation, which is great if you want to fine-tune the screen to your liking.

Of course, we can’t talk about the A30’s software without mentioning the secondary display on the back. Cubot has included a dedicated section in the settings for the mini screen, where you can customize its appearance and functionality. You can change the clock style, upload your own photo as the background, and even add widgets like a battery percentage or step counter.

Camera Performance

For a budget phone, the Cubot A30 actually packs some pretty impressive camera specs, especially when you consider its $124.98 price tag. The main attraction here is the 48MP rear camera, which is a big step up from the 13MP sensors you’ll find on many other budget devices.

The A30 has a dual-camera setup on the back, consisting of:

• A 48MP main sensor (defaults to 12MP through pixel binning)
• A depth sensor for portrait mode and bokeh effects

The 48MP sensor is the star of the show, and it can take some surprisingly good photos in the right conditions. By default, the camera uses pixel binning to combine four pixels into one, resulting in 12MP photos that are sharper and more detailed than you’d expect from a budget phone. If you want to shoot in full 48MP resolution, you can switch to the Ultra Res mode, but keep in mind that you’ll lose access to features like HDR and AI scene detection in this mode.

In daylight conditions, the A30’s camera performs really well. Photos are sharp, colors are vibrant, and there’s a good amount of detail, especially when you zoom in. The AI scene detection helps optimize settings for different scenarios, like food, landscapes, or portraits, and it does a decent job of enhancing colors and contrast. The HDR mode also works well, helping to balance out shadows and highlights in high-contrast scenes.

Regarding portrait mode, the depth sensor does a solid job of blurring the background and creating that bokeh effect. There are even some fun features like studio lighting and contour lighting that let you tweak the lighting effects in your portraits. It’s not perfect—sometimes the edge detection can be a bit off—but for a budget phone, the results are pretty impressive.

In low-light conditions, the Cubot A30 struggles a bit, as you’d expect from a budget device. The night mode helps by increasing exposure time and letting in more light, but you’ll need to hold the phone very still to avoid blurry photos. The results are usable, but don’t expect anything spectacular. Photos taken in low light tend to be noisy, and details can get lost in the shadows. Still, for the price, the A30’s low-light performance is acceptable.

Video Recording

When it comes to video, the Cubot A30 is capable of recording in Full HD (1080p) at 30fps. The video quality is decent for casual use, with good colors and acceptable detail. There’s also Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS), which helps smooth out shaky footage, but it’s not as effective as Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). If you’re recording while walking or moving around, the footage can still look a bit jittery.

Front Camera

The A30 also has a 16MP front-facing camera, which is another standout feature for a budget phone. In good lighting, selfies are sharp and detailed, with accurate colors and decent dynamic range. However, like the rear camera, the front camera struggles in low light. Selfies taken in dim conditions tend to be soft and lack detail, but again, this is pretty typical for a phone in this price range.

One thing to note is that the A30 doesn’t support 4K video recording, which is a bit of a bummer but not surprising at this price point. The front camera is limited to HD (720p) video, which is fine for video calls or quick clips but not much else.

Battery Life and Charging

The 5,100mAh battery is one of the biggest selling points of the Cubot A30, and it doesn’t disappoint. In my testing, the phone easily lasted 2 to 3 days with moderate use. That includes things like web browsing, social media, messaging, and watching a few videos. If you’re a heavy user who’s constantly on your phone, you’ll still get through a full day without needing to recharge, which is impressive for a device in this price range.

Now, let’s talk about charging. The A30 supports 10W charging, which is pretty standard for budget phones, but it feels a bit slow, given the size of the battery. From 0% to 100%, it takes over 2.5 hours to charge the phone fully. That’s not terrible, but it’s slower than other budget devices that offer 18W or even 20W fast charging.

Pros and Cons

Final Verdict

After spending some time with the Cubot A30, it’s clear that this phone is a solid contender in the budget smartphone market and punches above its weight in several areas. Priced at just $124.98, it offers a lot of value for the money, with some standout features that make it a great choice. The dual-screen design, 48MP camera, long battery life, and clean Android 14 experience make it a standout option in the under-$150 price range. Sure, it has some compromises—like the lack of a fingerprint scanner and slow charging—but for the price, it’s hard to complain too much.

If you’re looking for a stylish, functional, and affordable smartphone that doesn’t cut too many corners, the A30 is definitely worth considering. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great example of how far budget phones have come.

So, should you buy it? If you’re on a tight budget and want a phone that looks good, lasts long, and performs well for everyday tasks, the Cubot A30 is a solid choice. But if you need more advanced features or better camera performance, you might want to stretch your budget a bit further.