First Impressions: Gionee 'A1 Plus' with dual camera launched at Rs 26,999

After releasing the generic Gionee A1 smartphone series in May, the Chinese company has launched the top-end model A1 Plus in India on July 25 for Rs 26,999.

It comes with several upgrades over the standard model, particularly in terms of screen size, processor, camera and battery capacity.

Also read: Gionee A1 review: Visually appealing phone with reliable camera and battery

We have received the Gionee A1 Plus for review and here's our initial impression of the new phone.

Gionee A1 Plus-Build quality and display:

The biggest difference between the generic A1 and the A1 Plus is the screen, while the former comes with 5.5-inch screen, the latter sports a mammoth 6.0-inch. Gionee has generously used a huge quantity of metal in making the phone and we can feel the heaviness when held in hand. It makes us feel confident that the A1 Plus can survive an accidental fall without getting the components dislodged inside.

[Note: Yes, metal provides stability to the structure of the phone, but the fall will dent the case thereby making it look less attractive. Hence, we urge the users to have a cover-case even for the metal-clad phone.]

6.0-inch Gionee A1 Plus comes with full HD (1920x1080p) resolution display with Split Screen feature, which helps in fully utilising the big screen for multitasking. It also boasts a 2.5D curved glass shield in addition to a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 cover.

Gionee A1 Plus-Processor, RAM and Storage:

Gionee A1 Plus houses MediaTek Helio P25 octa-core CPU backed by a sumptuous 4GB RAM and 64GB memory. With such configuration, the phone is capable of performing the day-to-day activities involving calls, multimedia messaging, web browsing and a session of gaming in a smooth manner.

Gionee A1 Plus-Camera:

Besides the build quality, camera is another note worthy aspect of Gionee A1 Plus. During our brief time with the phone, it took really good images in bright light conditions and we were particularly impressed with Bokeh effect of the Portrait mode.

It boasts a 13 MP camera with autofocus, f/2.0 aperture, 1/3.06-inch sensor, 5P lens, LED flash on the back. On the front, it houses 20 MP camera with 20 MP camera with fixed focus, f/2.0 aperture, ½.8-inch sensor, 5P lens and selfie flash.

Gionee A1 Plus-Battery:

Gionee A1 Plus comes packed with 4,550mAh battery and its more than enough to last for one full day under mixed usage. Another praise worthy aspect of the device is that it comes with fast charging technology where the phone can get fully charged in around 90 minutes.

Gionee A1 Plus-Initial verdict:

Gionee A1 Plus comes off good in terms of the spec-sheet and we are particularly impressed with the build quality and camera's capability, but we reserve the final judgement to a later date, as we will test other important parameters for the complete review.

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Key specification of Gionee A1 Plus: