Gionee Marathon M5 Plus review: An average unit with prodigious battery life
At a time when smartphone companies are expanding rapidly in India, it is becoming rather complicated for manufacturers to craft devices that can stand out amid the horde of options available to customers.
That said, most smartphone manufacturers need to come up with devices that offer a unique proposition; bland devices don’t strike a chord anymore, even if priced judiciously. For smartphones that don’t offer dazzling performance, there need to be some features that grab the buyer’s attention.
While lower-end smartphones miss out on such merits due to the price restriction, they can still play around with the price points to attract customers. Especially device manufacturers trying to make a name for themselves in the smartphone market should be extra cautious about what audience they want to target and how to go about marketing the product.
It should also be noted that price plays a very important role in the success of these devices in markets such as India. Companies such as OnePlus, Xiaomi, Micromax have successfully practised the above 'mantra' by not only offering good devices but doing so at reasonably low prices. However, some companies (especially the newer ones) have struggled immensely to strategise their products ingeniously to stay above the relegation zone.
One such company is Gionee who have a strong grip in the Chinese market but have failed to garner the same attention in the Indian market. Well, I recently got the chance to spend some time the Gionee Marathon M5 Plus and let us find out if it has got what it takes to change that notion.
After unboxing, the first thing that caught my eye was the bulky golden-clad outfit; something which would appeal to users who have an affinity towards large handsets. The 6-inch device looks decent but is definitely not something I prefer due to the size and weight.
The M5 Plus definitely loses out on some points due to its cumbersome design. But as I said, it is perfect for users who like phablets who consume a lot of multimedia content on their devices and don’t mind the extra size.
Leaving aside the mass, the phone sports a worthy design, though the bits of plasticy top and bottom on rear side doesn’t fit well. However, the 2.5D glass upfront is refreshing and adds to the overall design of the handset. On the right hand side, the dedicated volume keys are located along with the power button while the 3.5mm headphone jack and the USB Type-C port take refuge at the bottom. The Gionee logo at the back, however, looks a bit shabby and should have a little smaller.
All-in-all, the design felt decent but there are far better and sleeker 5.5-inch devices in the market. If you really want a large screen minus the bulk, you can go for the recently launched Xiaomi Mi Max, which has a 6.44-inch screen with far better performance specs. I strongly feel that the device could have been a star if it had released in the initial phase of 2015 but it stands little chance to impress, going by the slew of design-heavy smartphones in the market.
While its bulky design is a downer, it does manage to score brownie points for its vibrant AMOLED FHD display. The colour balance is near perfect without any saturation. In fact, the display coped really well under direct sunlight, and reading texts or watching videos panned out perfectly. Additionally, I did not encounter any problem with viewing angles, which is not always the case with big displays. Though there is nothing extravagant about the display, it does enough to give users a good multimedia experience. So if you are a multimedia junkie, the M5 Plus is not a bad choice.
While I am more or less satisfied with the design and display, the real disappointment with this device is the hardware on offer. It features a middling Mediatek MT6753 octa-core chipset clocked at 1.3GHz along with 3GB RAM, and 64GB storage capacity, which can be further expanded by 128GB via external microUSB card.
While storage and RAM is adequate, the chipset used is not commensurate to its Rs 26,999 price tag. What’s worse is the lacks the steam required to run high-definition content or games, killing the purpose of offering a 6-inch screen on the first place. Well, I still played a few games but games such as Asphalt 8 and WWE Immortals are really difficult to play due to frequent stuttering. Also browsing while multi-tasking is really irritating due to the same problem; the company should’ve gone for a Snapdragon 650 at least.
In terms of connectivity, the usual options are available including 4G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Other than that, the phone employs a Type-C USB setup for charging and data transfers. It also accompanies a fingerprint scanner, though it is not close to being as efficient as the ones seen on the OnePlus 3 or Samsung S7. However, the battery is one thing that overshadows most of the issues with the device; the 5020mAh batter is a winner due to its capacity to keep the phone alive for more than a day on average use. It also charges quickly due to dual chips employed. Due to the large battery, this phone can be an able companion for people who stay glued to their phones for long hours or travel a lot. Audio quality is another is reasonably good but you end up hoping for a bit more. However, with headphones on, the audial yield is really good.
Moving on to the 13MP rear camera, it is definitely above average but not exactly something that would satisfy your photographic desires.
Its PDAF autofocus lacks speed and is inefficient, even more in low-light conditions. Also, the HDR mode isn’t that impressive, images appeared hazy and washed out on some occasions; additional flare is also visible while focusing directly on a direct light source. The ISO levels act weirdly at times, especially while focusing manually. Same is the case with the 5MP front-camera clicks comparatively better selfies but still struggles with out the absence of a prominent light source.
The videos I clicked were decent with steady frame rates but still feels incomplete due to the shaky auto-focus feature.
Here are some images clicked with the device:
Moving on to the software, the Marathon M5 Plus runs on Android 5.1 with a heavily customised Amigo UI on top. While the Android version OS is rather old, some of the new additions are bloatware which cannot be uninstalled. There are a LOT of unnecessary apps that come along with the phone but thankfully all of them can be uninstalled. All the apps a listed on the home screen and there is no app drawer. Other than that, there is a control centre which pops up from the button, just like iOS devices.
Swiping from the top reveals a menu that lets you change your screen appearance along with an option to change themes. While the wallpapers on offer are rather dull, you can go to the theme store and select from a list of numerous themes. One app worth mentioning is the Gionee Abroad Service that keeps a tab of all foreign trip details, including tracking flight tickets, weather and much more. Well, that’s about it with the software section and I feel that the company could’ve at least added something unique given the ‘high’ price of the device.
Verdict: If you’re wondering whether you should buy this device, let me give you a quick synopsis of what has been discussed. It has got a 6-inch HD screen which is really good for multimedia content viewing but lacks the required performance to allow smooth operation. It has got an amazing battery but the camera is not really up to the mark. Though I have nothing much to say about the design, the weight of the device is a bit on the heavier side, making it bulky and difficult to carry around. Considering the numerous options in the market such as the OnePlus 3, Meizu Pro 6, Le Eco Le Max 2, and others which offer almost equally big screens with better performance, we feel that this phone does not stand a chance. However, the only thing that’s lucrative on this device is the large battery which will surely steer it through a day on normal usage. However, at Rs 26,999 the phone is definitely asking for more than what it deserves. he company should have introduced the device long ago to have made an impact on the market.
