It So happens that my girlfriend knows something about smartphones, that is the high end gadgets used by socialites who take selfies in front of the mirror and the flashy devices used in music videos. That implies that she’s only familiar with the iPhone logo and the phone’s slim design. So the other day I was flaunting my Gionee P5w – my girlfriend suddenly brightened up and fumbled from her seat to get a glimpse of my phone.
Essentially, the phone’s slim design and the smiley emblem at the back of the smartphone made her think it’s an iPhone. But the name Gionee turned her off since she thought it’s a Kenyan made gadget and the Kiswahili word gionee is misspelt.
The Gionee P5w is not very popular in Kenya and the few people that know it tend to compare it with other fake gadgets that have crowded the market.
“The company erected a huge billboard of the device in town but people still find it hard to buy the phone because it’s unknown…I don’t even have the phone in my shop but I have its poster and leaflets hanging everywhere.” Lucy Musau, a shop owner in town commented.
“Most of our clients tend to buy Wiko, Infinix and other smartphones that were released two years ago because the brands have built a name…then the phone looks like an iPhone or HTC spin-off which is an added advantage because people can have the iPhone touch.” She added.
The smartphone has a relatively good price and the functionality can be placed on the same lane with other high end smartphones produced by the likes of Samsung and Tecno. For example, the Samsung Galaxy J1 can cost you more than 8, but it cannot be compared with the Gionee P5w in terms of performance and other deliverables.
On a general scale, the phone packs amazing features for just 8k and anyone who is new to smartphones, can enjoy using this gadget as a primary phone and not a sidekick.
Below is a rundown of the phone’s specs and brief review.
Specs
Memory: 1 GB RAM, 16 GB storage
Card slot: Micro SD, up to 32 GB
CPU: Quad Core 1.3 GHz
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 2G/3G
OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop, Amigo 3.1
Battery: 2000mAh
Camera: 5 megapixel rear, 2 megapixel front
SIM: Dual SIM
Display: 5.0 inch HD (720 x 1280) IPS
Display and design
Girls love colors and boys like something classy; or anything that looks expensive. The Gionee P5w guarantees all of that because it comes in different colors and the design is kind of modern. When you unbox the phone, you will find two extra battery covers that have different colors. Personally, I went for the black variant, but if you are the guy who likes throwing in different colors every day, then Gionee will help you switch up your wardrobe.
The phone has rounded edges providing it with an easy grip. It allows users to do stuff on it with a single hand…you can chat and play games on the go. From a distance, the phone looks featureless; one might think that it doesn’t have buttons and speakers on the sides – but if you take a closer look, it has well attached camera lens and flash on the curved edge and a hidden speaker.
It also comes with a 5.0 inch display which is quite good because it gives you wider Viewing angles and sunlight legibility are good. I am sure gamers would love this gadget because one is able to see everything on a wider screen that has perfect resolution. Although, the screen is not as responsive as other budget smartphones like the Infinix Hot 2 which has relatively the same specs as the P5w.
Performance
The phone is a good performer and ideal for people who like relatively faster budget smartphones. However, I would urge the company to crank it up with another gigabyte because its 1GB RAM does not allow the phone to optimize its full potential since when you try to play games like Gunship Battle and Invasion, the phone becomes a litle unresponsive or sometimes the games quits on you in the middle of a mission. However, it’s probably a second slower than the now famous high end Samsung Galaxy J7 which has a 1.5GB RAM.
Besides the RAM, the phone is powered by a MediaTek processor clocking at 1.3 GHz and is quad-core. The platform makes it easy for the user to have a smooth ride when downloading and opens apps on the phone. Currently, my phone has more than ten games thanks to the 16gb storage.
Battery
I expected the phone to have a higher battery capacity because of its specs generosity. I had to buy a power bank just keep myself connected the whole day. Ideally, the phone has a 5 inch screen, many Android background processes, a million notifications, music and phone calls, you’ll struggle to eke out a full day’s use from a2000mAh battery .
Pros
- 1 GB RAM just fair for budget smartphone
- Primary Camera shoots Decent pics in proper lightning conditions
- 5.0-inch HD on-cell IPS display
- Dual SIM Support
- 3G Support
- Perfect unibody design
- Good music with DTS Sound
- Decent quad-core processor for Multitasking
- Good price – 8,999 on Kilimall
Cons
- Lacks 4G LTE Support
- Battery capacity – not good
