Wileyfox Swift 2X review: X marks the spot with this middling Swift 2 upgrade

Wileyfox Swift 2X review: Performance

Last year’s Swift 2 was hardly an avid performer. Outclassed by its rivals, the Swift 2’s sluggish Snapdragon 430 chip clocked in at 1.4GHz and was outperformed by its chief rival, the third-generation Moto G. Alas, that same processor can still be found in the 2X and it’s looking more dated than ever.

As you might expect, the Swift 2X’s Geekbench 4 scores were near identical to 2016’s Swift 2 (629 for single-core and 2,072 for multi). And this is something very much reflected in the feel of the phone; even swiping between homescreens was a painfully slow ordeal at times. Google Maps was horrendously sluggish, with the Swift 2X clearly struggling to keep up with frenetic multi-touch gestures.

Gaming performance isn’t brilliant, either, with a 7fps average in the GFXBench off-screen Manhattan test. That’s no better than the Swift 2, and only marginally better than the G4’s 6.6fps average. Simple games such as Threes posed little risk, while Sky Force: Reloaded suffered a little slowdown during those frantic screen-filled encounters.

Wileyfox Swift 2X review: Battery life

Wileyfox handsets have hardly been pioneers when it comes to lengthy battery life, and the Swift 2X is no different, squeezing out a mere 9hrs 18mins from its 3,010mAh battery. Obviously, that’s not a patch on the Moto G4’s 13hrs 39mins lifespan and is hardly an improvement on the Swift 2’s 9hrs 32mins.

That’s not great, but we’ve got USB Type-C charging with Quick Charge support this time around. Expect to achieve roughly 75% charge after just under an hour plugged into the wall.

Wileyfox Swift 2X review: Verdict

Wileyfox’s Swift 2X isn’t a bad phone, but there’s hardly anything about it worth recommending, especially considering it’s £220, which is verging on the mid-range when it comes to smartphones these days.

Sure, it’s an improvement over the Swift it supersedes, with a proper Full HD screen, but it pales in comparison with the cheaper and far more impressive, Moto G4.

For around £160 you still get best-in-class performances with the Moto G4. Its camera is still the best for the price, performance is miles better than the Swift 2X and its 13-hour battery life still makes an appearance in our best battery-life leaderboards. I wouldn’t waste your time with the Wileyfox Swift 2X. Get the Moto G4 instead.