In the past 12 months, the entire definition of mid-range Android smartphones has completely changed. A user now expects good build quality, high resolution screen, smooth performance and a fairly capable camera as well. Chinese smartphone maker Gionee’s new smartphone, called the S6 (Rs.19,999), faces competition from the likes of the Lenovo Vibe X3 (Rs. 19,999).
Design: Good looking and compact
The Gionee S6’s all metal exterior, flat back panel and sharp edges gives it the look and feel of a high-end flagship device. Its also feels quite compact for a big screen smartphone. The bezels on the front are pretty sleek, despite the fact that Gionee has kept the navigation keys on them and not integrated them within the display. This means you get to use the entire 5.5-inch screen. The phone weighs 147g and is 6.9mm thick, which is impressive for a big screen device. The Lenovo Vibe X3, which itself has a fairly compact footprint, in comparison, still tips the scales at 175g and is 9.7mm thick. Interestingly enough, the Vibe X3 has a fingerprint sensor, which Gionee has given a miss in the S6.
Display: Big but low resolution
The Gionee S6 comes with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1280x720p. This is genuinely surprising, considering the fact that smartphones such as the YU Yureka Plus (Rs.8,999), Lenovo K4 Note (Rs.11,999) and the LeEco 1S (Rs.10,999) are offering Full HD (1920x1080p) resolution displays at much lower price points. The screen looks a bit oversaturated and colours pop out as being a tad too bright. It does have a very good amount of sharpness though, which makes this very usable. The slightly reflective nature of the screen affects visibility in bright light. Competitors such as the Lenovo Vibe X3 and the Moto X Play (Rs.18,499) have Full HD screens, which pretty much kills any potential comparisons.
Software: Runs old Android but offers features of newer versions
The smartphone runs Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Gionee’s own custom Amigo interface over it. And it is very similar to the kind of layouts you see on Xiaomi, Huawei and Oppo phones. It looks colourful and offers plenty of customisation options. You can restrict apps from accessing certain information such as access to contacts list or the phone’s microphone. There is a display setting that lets the user tweak the warmth of the colours on the screen between warm, cool and natural.
Performance: Smooth but struggles with heavy games
Powered by MediaTek’s MT6753 octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM, the phone can handle most mainstream tasks, multi-tasking and even some games smoothly. But when it comes to handling a graphically demanding game such as the FIFA 16, it is just not at par with phones such as the Lenovo Vibe X3, which runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor. It is not that it can’t run it at all, but the sluggishness makes games pretty unplayable. The Gionee S6 offers 32GB of internal storage which is expandable to another 128GB via micro SD. We didn’t notice any heating on the back even when stressed, which is a good sign for battery life. Speaking of which, the Gionee S6 is powered by a 3,100mAh battery which lasts over a day and a half.
Camera: Fast and great in outdoor conditions
The S6’s 13-megapixel camera can pull out great looking shots in daytime. It is fast and gets the focus right almost instantly. The images look sharp and vivid. In low-light, it struggles when it comes to detail but is pretty good with colour. Some low-light shots look really good until you zoom in, which is very rare in smartphones in general. The 5-megapixel front facing camera is good enough for taking individual selfies.
Verdict
The Gionee S6 has stunning looks, but in terms of the overall package, the low resolution display and the ceiling on the performance sees it fall behind the likes of the Lenovo Vibe X3 which offers a better display, superior performance and a finger print sensor.
