Hisense A10: a Carta phone with a trapdoor

The A9 taught a generation that a phone can be a Carta panel and still make calls. A10 is the grown-up version: Carta 1300, a denser pixel grid, a modern SoC, and a rear accessory that is either a gimmick or the whole point, depending on how often you hail a car.

We used the base A10 — no LCD module — for ten days. Maps are readable if you accept the cartography of a 1940s atlas. Messaging is better than OLED because the screen never punches you. Photography is a preview in gray and a prayer. The optional LCD is the honest admission that some tasks are not paper tasks.

Importing into India, the EU, or the US is the real review. Bands, warranty, and Play Store hygiene are on you. Bigme’s Hibreak line is easier to find and worse to live with as a radio. If you want color icons all the time, Hibreak Pro. If you want to read, A10.