Aldi have released their specials for the next week and there are a couple of Android goodies to tempt us. Starting Wednesday morning you’ll be able to grab a Bauhn Sphere 5.5″ dual-SIM smartphone or a Cocoon branded Android streaming media player Kodi from the discount supermarket chain.
Bauhn Sphere 5.5
Bauhn have been a mainstay of the Aldi Smartphone range, with a 5.0″ phone under their belt last time, they’ve upped their screensize to 5.5″ to try their luck in the phablet market. So lets have a look at the updated Bauhn Sphere smartphone.
The full list of specs include:
- 5.5″ IPS LCD Display (540 x 960)
- 1.3GHz Quad Core MT6582 CPU
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB Memory, expandable to 32GB via MicroSD
- 8MP rear camera, 2MP front facing
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS
- 3000mAh Battery
- Network Connectivity:
- 2G: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- 3G: 850/2100 MHz
- Android 4.4 (Kit-Kat)
Whilst it is a little disappointing to see that the Bauhn Sphere won’t include 4G, which seems to be a new standard when it comes to devices now-a-days at least, it’s a decentish enough spec especially with the 3,000mAh battery onboard. It is disappointing to see that the Sphere will come with Android 4.4 (Kit-Kat) instead of Android 5.0 (Lollipop) especially considering an update to lollipop is probably not likely.
The Bauhn Sphere 5.5′ Dual Sim Smartphone will go on sale for $229 from next Wednesday at your local Aldi Store and it is worthwhile to mention that like previous smartphone sold through Aldi, they tend to run out very quickly.
Cocoon/Kodi Android Media Player
Next up, we have the Cocoon/Kodi Android media player, it’s not Aldi’s first run at a streaming media player, with some people having success installing XBMC(Kodi as it’s now called) on the last one. It’s no Nexus Player (or even Shield Console) with a fairly low-end spec list, but for the price it looks like a decent option.
The limited list of specs from Aldi include:
- Preloaded software (Kodi Entertainment suite)
- Android 4.2.2
- 8GB internal memory expandable via USB or microSD to 32GB
- Built-in WiFi
- Ethernet port
- 2 x USB ports
- HDMI output
If you are interested in the Cocoon/Kodi Android Media Player, it will be available from your local Aldi Store next Wednesday 25 March for $79.99 and just like the Bauhn Sphere smartphone, the Cocoon/Kodi Android Media Player may run out quite fast.
i bought one of these cocoon media players and im a total novice when it comes to how to use it. can you use it like an apple tv to stream what youre watching on your ipad onto the tv? (eg the NRL LIVE app?)
I don’t know about this media box but their last offering left much to be desired in terms of performance.
Cocoon’s implementation of Android on this box was terrible too. They didn’t even allow me the option to access the accounts settings page to log out of my google account when I wanted to return it. I had to use a 3rd part app to boot to the recovery screen to factory reset the box so I knew my details wouldn’t be on the box when I handed it back over for a refund.
That sounds stupid… just do a factory reset as per the instructions. Not sure why you wanted to, I have one, it works great, has more features than I realized. Anyone else, If you’re looking for a good media player to turn your TV into a smart TV at a good price, the Cocoon AMP 4K Media Player is it!!
That streaming media player also comes with Kodi, AKA XBMC – one of the best media player options out there
Kodi is magic. I have an Andriod media player with it, and it does everything we need.
$229 for a phone with only 8GB or storage, no 4G and no updates? The Moto G 4G can be had for that price.