Gionee A1 Hands On Review [With Video]

Gionee launched its selfie-oriented smartphone- Gionee A1, in India recently. To recall, the A1 was unveiled at MWC 2017 alongside A1 Plus smartphone. We spent some a few days with the phone and here’s what we think of it. Read on to find out Gionee A1 hands on review (with video) with details on design, build quality, display, camera, performance, battery and more.

Design

The Gionee A1 flaunts its premium glass and metal body. The edges of the phone are rounded, thereby offering a comfortable grip. Aesthetically, the phone looks very stylish and elegant.

On the front, it features a 5.5-inch display. Above the display, it packs front camera, selfie flash, sensors and earpiece.

Below the display, it gets a home button sandwiched between two touch capacitive buttons. The home button also doubles up as a fingerprint sensor for additional security.

Top edge houses 3.5mm audio jack.

Charging port, speakers and microphone are located on the bottom edge.

Right edge houses volume rockers and power button.

Hybrid SIM card tray is placed on the left edge.

On the back, it houses the rear camera, LED flash and Gionee branding. It measures 154.5×76.5×8.5 mm, weighs 182 grams and comes in Gray, Black and Gold color options. The fingerprint sensor is pretty fast and accurate in unlocking the phone. Overall design and build quality of the phone are excellent and it feels great to hold in hand.

Display

It features a 5.5-inch full HD 2.5D curved display with 1920×1080 pixels resolution. The screen is protected against scratches by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The display is bright and vivid and has good viewing angles. Sunlight legibility of the screen is also impressive.

Camera

The USP of the Gionee A1 is its selfie camera. It sports a 16 mega pixel front facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, 1/3.06″ sensor and 5P lens. The front camera comes with a selfie flash that lets users capture bright selfies even in poor lighting conditions. It also supports face beauty mode for enhanced selfies. The front camera performs really well in outdoors as well as indoors.

There is also a 13 mega pixel camera on the rear accompanied by LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.0+” sensor and 5P lens. Though the main highlight of the phone remains its selfie camera, the rear camera also doesn’t fail to impress us. Both front and rear cameras produce great images with good amount of detailing and clarity.

Hardware, Software & Performance

Under the hood, the A1 packs a 1.8GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 processor paired with Mali-T860 GPU. The phone houses 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory and supports expandable storage up to 128GB via microSD card.

It runs Android 7.0 Nougat wrapped under Amigo OS. The interface is simple and intuitive. It comes with IR sensor that lets users control compatible devices.

As for performance, apps launch quickly, videos play smoothly and multitasking is also flawless. We played a few games on the phone, which it handled smoothly, without showing any signs of lag or stutter. Overall performance is swift, with not even the slightest sign of lag.

Battery & Connectivity

Armed with a 4010mAh battery, the handset supports 18W Ultrafast charging. It easily survives for more than a day on moderate usage. Connectivity options which the dual SIM phone offers, include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS.

Price & Availability

Priced at Rs. 19,999, it will be up for pre-order in India starting March 31, 2017.

Gionee A1: Key Features

Processor: 1.8GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P10
GPU: Mali-T860
Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat with Amigo OS
Display: 5.5-inch (1920×1080 pixels resolution, 2.5D curved glass)
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB (expandable up to 128GB via microSD card)
Rear Camera: 13 mega pixel with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.0+” sensor, 5P lens
Front Camera: 16 mega pixel with selfie flash, f/2.0 aperture, 1/3.06″ sensor, 5P lens
Battery: 4010mAh with fast charging
Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS
Dimensions: 154.5×76.5×8.5 mm
Weight: 182 grams
Color Options: Gray, Black and Gold
Dual SIM
Fingerprint sensor

Verdict

Although the Gionee A1 is targeted at selfie lovers, it impresses us in other departments as well. It is a gorgeous looking mid-ranged phone with excellent selfie camera, powerful performance, intuitive UI and long lasting battery life.