Gionee A1 Plus 4G Smartphone Review
Gionee launched the A series earlier this year. At the launch, Gionee said that the devices in this series will focus on better selfies and good battery life. Gionee announced both A1 and A1 Plus at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) in March this year. While the A1 was launched fast, the A1 Plus only arrived last month. As the name suggests, A1 Plus is larger than A1. It has a more powerful battery and sports double cameras in the back.
Design
The first thing that impressed us about the Gionee A1 Plus was its size. This is a big phone and looks bulky too. The 6-inch display means that the A1 Plus is sometimes difficult to hold in one hand. The fingerprint sensor is positioned at the front and is flanked by touch buttons. You can tap the capacitive buttons, they are not lit, which makes them hard to find in the dark. This phone tilts the scale at 226 grams and is heavier than the much larger Xiaomi Mi Max 2. One of the reasons behind the weight is that Gionee was made with a 4550mAh battery. The back panel is made of metal. The back is also a bit slippery and, given most of this phone, you need to be a bit careful when handling the device.
The dual cameras are in the center on the back, and there is a fuzzy LED flash for the front camera as well. At the bottom, the Gionee A1 Plus has two grids, of which only the right houses a speaker. However, you still get stereo output. There is a Micro-USB port for charging and data. In the box, Gionee sends a plastic screen protector and a clear cover to the phone, which will save you some time looking for accessories. You also get headphones and an 18W charger in the box.
The most impressive thing about the Gionee A1 Plus is its 6-inch screen which has a full-HD resolution (1080 × 1920 pixels). It produces a vivid output that you can adjust a bit to suit your preferences. Even with increased brightness, the screen is reflective. The glass picks up some stains here and there, but it’s not a fingerprint magnet.
The dual cameras are in the center on the back, and there is a fuzzy LED flash for the front camera as well. At the bottom, the Gionee A1 Plus has two grids, of which only the right houses a speaker. However, you still get stereo output. There is a Micro-USB port for charging and data. In the box, Gionee sends a plastic screen protector and a clear cover to the phone, which will save you some time looking for accessories. You also get headphones and an 18W charger in the box.
Software and Performance
To drive the A1 Plus, Gionee opted for an octa-core processor with four cores. There is 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, expandable up to 256 GB. The phone also comes with several pre-installed applications including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Amazon, Saavn, Xender, Truecaller and Touchpal Keyboard. In addition to the Google Play Store, Gionee has its own store called G store that recommends downloading apps. Overall, the user interface is different and may take some getting used to. The massive 4550mAh battery powers the phone for more than a day with medium usage.
Camera
Following the trend of dual rear cameras, the Gionee A1 Plus gets a 13 MP camera and a 5 MP camera at the rear. The app has different modes to choose from, including a professional model that gives you some control over the camera settings. There are several filters to choose from as well. The secondary camera comes into play only in portrait mode, where it is used to calculate the depth, after which the blur effect is added artificially. The video recording is 1080p. The front camera features a 20 MP sensor and a diffused selfie flash. Surprisingly, the app has no beautification mode, so if you’re looking for it, you might be disappointed. On the other hand, you get some filters that can be applied before taking a selfie.
Conclusion
Gionee A1 Plus may not be on everybody’s shopping lists because of its size. Holding it is not very easy and you will need large pockets to store it. However, it offers a powerful battery and decent performance at the asking price. It’s quite different from the Android experience, so purists may not like it. If you are specifically looking for a big-screen phone with a powerful battery, then the A1 Plus makes sense.
Buy
You can now buy Gionee A1 Plus from Gearbest.com for a very good price with free shipping.
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