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The Wileyfox Storm, on paper, represents considerable value for money. With great specifications and lots of customisation potential, at £199 it ought to be a real steal.
Yet with a complicated operating system that may not be ideal for every user, and only average battery life, the Wileyfox Storm doesn't deliver across the board. So, as the competition heats up, is being good value for money enough?
We liked
The Wileyfox Storm is a very pleasant device to hold and use, even one-handed. With a decent balance and weight, and being made from good quality, grippy materials, it feels robust and polished.
The 5.5-inch Full HD screen is also excellent, delivering great colour reproduction, good viewing angles and more than enough resolution for enjoying movies and games. Performance is also a strong suit, with the Snapdragon 615 keeping everything moving along comfortably.
While many handsets have promised a brilliant camera experience at an unbelievably low price, the Storm is one of the few that actually comes close to delivering, offering a great overall shooting experience.
Cyanogen is also something of a refreshing experience, with strong options for customisation and privacy guards keeping the interests of the end user front and centre.
We disliked
Battery life could be a little better. Although performance was generally adequate, as other manufacturers continue to up their game in this regard it would have been nice to see either a larger unit, or the ability to replace the existing pack easily.
Although Cyanogen is generally fine in everyday usage, a little more could have been done to tailor the experience for users new to the OS. With a cluttered settings menu offering so many different options, some clearer organisation and division between simple and advanced options would be welcome.
The supplied power cable is also a little on the short side, while it took a little effort to get my existing microUSB cables into the charging port.
Final verdict
With the Swift and the Storm, newcomer Wileyfox has caused quite a stir this year, producing two handsets that are more accomplished than many of their competitors in a number of areas.
The Wileyfox Storm is a good choice for those looking for any or all of good value, plenty of user control and a great camera, although as the lines between the mid and low ranges continue to blur, and with devices like the OnePlus X appearing, it remains to be seen for how long the Storm will be able to stand out from the crowd.
Moreover, Cyanogen OS still has a lot of growing to do. Although the company behind the software has made deals with a number of manufacturers to support their devices, in some cases these relationships have proven to be somewhat fractious (such as with OnePlus), which is to the detriment to the end user, certainly when it comes to long-term support.
For the moment, however, the Wileyfox Storm is close to the pinnacle of what can be achieved at the £199 price point without carrier subsidies, with only the average battery life really letting the device down.
Keep an eye on Wileyfox – the future will certainly be interesting.
First reviewed: October 2015
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