General Mobile GM5 Plus
Android One was supposed to be pure
Android for the masses (since the Nexus 6 and 9 went premium). However, it was
got the cold shoulder from consumers, which caused Google to rethink its
strategy (both one One and Nexus).
So, now we have the General Mobile GM5
Plus - an Android One handset with (the equivalent of) a US$300 price tag and
mid-range phablet specs. A far cry from the entry-level, sub-US$ 100 phones that
the platform originally targetted.
If you shake the pre-conception of
"Android One = entry level," you'll find the GM5 Plus is actually a
very appealing device.
The phone has a metal frame and a
textured plastic back. It has a 5.5" screen with 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4, the
screen has 1080p resolution. Above the screen is a 13 MP selfie camera
with autofocus and dedicated flash. There's a similar 13 MP camera on the back
(with dual-flash). The camera has been tuned with DxO.
As any Android One, the phone runs a
very fresh 6.0.1 Marshmallow software. The chipset is a Snapdragon 617 with 3 GB
of RAM and 32 GB storage if you need more there's a microSD slot. Connectivity includes USB Type-C with
Quick Charge 3.0 (60% battery in half an hour). The battery is 3,100 mAh by the
way. Anyway, the Qualcomm chipset supplies LTE Cat. 7 - 300 Mbps down, 100 Mbps
up - and Wi-Fi ac.
The General Mobile GM5 Plus will be
available internationally. GM is targeting 15 markets after it launches in
Turkey. The price will be equivalent to US$ 300.
