Zopo Color F3 review
The Zopo Color F3 suits nobody in 2024 or beyond. Even enthusiasts hunting for nostalgic budget-phone experiences will find the 1GB RAM and 2100mAh battery too crippling to be fun. Anyone who inherited one should recycle it.
This review is written with AI assistance from Zopo’s published specifications and public benchmark data for the Zopo Color F3, and the rating is spec-based. GoSolo does not physically test devices; where we estimate real-world behaviour such as battery life or charge time, we say so. How we rate phones.
Overview
The Color F3 is a 2017 budget phone that arrived obsolete: 1GB RAM, a 4-core MediaTek chip, and 2100mAh battery make it unsuitable for even basic modern use. It is not worth buying in any context today.
Design & Build
The Color F3 is small and light—at 144×72×8.5mm and 157g, it sits comfortably in one hand. The 5-inch screen fills a decent chunk of a 66% screen-to-body ratio that was normal for 2017. Nothing about the physical package is offensive. The real problem begins the moment you power it on.
Display
A 5-inch 720×1280 IPS LCD is a reasonable spec for a budget handset of that era. The 294 ppi density is fine; text is legible and the colour accuracy is typical for the price tier. This is genuinely one of the device's least embarrassing aspects, though the screen cannot elevate a phone that cannot run anything smoothly.
Performance
Here is where the Color F3 falls apart. The MediaTek MT6580 is a quad-core chip from the budget grave, and it was already dated when this phone launched in early 2017. Paired with 1GB of RAM, the system is simply not viable. Android 6.0 Marshmallow itself consumes most of that memory, leaving almost nothing for apps. Expect stuttering, freezing, and app crashes within minutes of normal use. Web browsing is a slideshow. Taking photos or switching between apps is an exercise in frustration. Even in 2017, this was a phone designed to fail.
Battery & Charging
The 2100mAh battery is shockingly small even by 2017 standards. A mid-range phone that year carried 3500–4000mAh; this is entry-level even for budget tiers. In realistic use—light messaging, a few calls, minimal browsing—you are looking at 4 to 5 hours before the phone dies. Charging details are missing from the spec sheet, but with such a small capacity, plugging in frequently becomes the routine. This is not a phone you take on a trip.
Software & Updates
The phone shipped with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which was current in early 2017. By now it is ancient and unsupported. Zopo, a minor manufacturer, offers no realistic upgrade path. Security patches stopped years ago. Running this device online exposes you to known vulnerabilities. Even offline, the OS and apps are too old to be trusted.
Value & Verdict Context
In 2017, the Color F3 was a bottom-shelf option aimed at buyers with almost no budget. It cost very little, which was its only honest selling point. Today it is e-waste. The hardware was inadequate on arrival, and it has only become more incompatible with the modern web and app ecosystem. There is no price point at which this phone is worth reconsidering, no niche where it remains viable. A used phone from 2019 with double the RAM and a larger battery costs the same or less and will work without rage.
Camera
The spec sheet omits camera details entirely, which tells you what Zopo thought of the imaging system. On a 2017 budget phone with 1GB RAM and this weak a processor, the camera was almost certainly a basic sensor with rudimentary autofocus. It would produce soft, noisy images in anything but bright daylight. This is not a phone for photos.
Verdict
The Zopo Color F3 suits nobody in 2024 or beyond. Even enthusiasts hunting for nostalgic budget-phone experiences will find the 1GB RAM and 2100mAh battery too crippling to be fun. Anyone who inherited one should recycle it.
- 5-inch display is reasonable for the era and body size
- microSD slot allows storage expansion beyond the meager 16GB
- Relatively light at 157g
- 1GB of RAM is crippling—the phone will stutter under Android 6.0 itself, let alone any app demands
- 2100mAh battery is a joke by any standard; expect 4–5 hours of light use at best
- MediaTek MT6580 is a low-end chip even for 2017; it cannot handle modern web browsing or video
Zopo Color F3 Key Specifications
The essentials at a glance. See the full spec sheet.
| Released | 1Q 2017 |
|---|---|
| Display | 5.00 inches, Color / IPS TFT16,7M colors720 x 1280 px (5.00") 294 ppi∼66.2% screen-to-body ratio |
| Resolution | 720 x 1280 pixels |
| Chipset | MediaTek MT6580Number of cores: 4GPU: ARM Mali-400 MP2 500 MHz |
| RAM & storage | 16 GBBuy memory card RAM: 1 GB |
| Battery | 2100 mAh |
| Software | Android6.0 Marshmallow |
| Dimensions | 144.00 x 72.30 x 8.50 mm |
| Weight | 157.00 g |
Zopo Color F3 FAQ
Common questions, answered from the spec sheet.
What chipset does the Zopo Color F3 use?
The Zopo Color F3 runs on the MediaTek MT6580Number of cores: 4GPU: ARM Mali-400 MP2 500 MHz.
What display does the Zopo Color F3 have?
A 5.00 inches Color / IPS TFT16,7M colors720 x 1280 px (5.00") 294 ppi∼66.2% screen-to-body ratio, 720 x 1280 pixels.
How big is the Zopo Color F3 battery?
The Zopo Color F3 has a 2100 mAh battery.
Does the Zopo Color F3 support a microSD card?
Yes, the Zopo Color F3 supports expandable storage (microSD, microSDHC (up to 32 GB)).
Alternatives to consider
If the Zopo Color F3 isn’t quite right, these are the closest calls.
Zopo Color X5.5i
Zopo Color C5i
Zopo Flash X Plus
Zopo Flash X2
Z4
