General Mobile landed Nepal few days back with it’s bestseller, GM 5 plus d. We got hands on this American phone for test purpose and used it for several days as our daily driver. We explored the device features and used it to its fullest potential. There are some drawbacks which we will tell you later in our review. But first, We want to tell you about General Mobile. General Mobile is US based company which is also one of the top-selling smartphone brand in Turkey. It made its debut in the smartphone industry with launch of Discovery Model. And now it made its debut in Nepal with the launch of GM 5 plus d. The company has priced this Android One device for NPR 24,999. They are targeting the mid – range smartphone Market, which is huge in Nepal.
Design: The device has a 5.5” IPS FHD display which is crisp which is very good for a smartphone of this price range. It boast an Unibody Aluminium body with a Rubber back with Kevlar like feel. It also has Gorilla Glass 4 which company claims is scratch resistant. The device has a slim form factor and still boasts 3100mAh battery which is enough to squeeze an entire day of usage (an average user usage). The phone also supports usb Type-C and quick charging. We are disappointed as the device didn’t have a fingerprint sensor.
Specs & Performance: Under the hood, we get Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 SoC. It holds an Octa-core processor, 3 GB RAM and 32 GB Internal Memory. The Processor consists of two Quad-core chips. One is a high performance chip, and other is a low energy consumption chip. What this allows the device to do is it uses the high performance chip only when it is required which in turn saves battery. Coming to the battery department, even after having an average size battery, we were able to get around 6 hours of screen on time. Which is good for a device like this.
It would be better if the device had a dual sim-card slot instead of a hybrid sim slot. But the company claims that the Network technology which the device provide is CAT7 and is 4.5G. In simple words, it mean that It is fast. Very Fast.
Camera: The device packs 13MP camera on both front and back. The aperture on the front one is f2.2 and on the back, its f1.12. The device is not that great during low lights. But, one can always shoot selfie even in pitch black as the device has a forward flash. One can only record FHD with the rear shooter with this device which is enough as there is less demand of UHD content in the market. Though the camera is average, the software makes it even worse. It is an Android One device. So we get a stock Camera App which is terrible and lacks on functionality.
Features: The device is filled with features. It has a front flash, and a dual tone LED flash at the back. It also boasts the reversible USB Type-C and Quick Charge. It also comes with Android out of the Box. Thanks to Android One. The device has a pre installed software called GM Assistant. What this app allows us to do is manage the device. It helps us clear clutter and unwanted stuff from phone and also helps us get a refined and lag free experience. It also has a service centre page on the app which allows you to contact the nearest service centre.
Summary
This could easily be one of the best device at this price range. But the device lacks a Fingerprint sensor. But if it doesn’t matter you much, this is the device for you. The device is well built and gives refined experience. And it is Priced reasonably good too. The camera is pretty decent and the efficient chipset helps in more efficient battery consumption. And the company is opening service centres around the country and is also damage protection. Overall, we are satisfied with this device and give it a Pick.
