The world’s first premium Android One phone is coming courtesy of a little known company from Turkey called General Mobile. It’s called the GM 5 Plus, and it’s packing some pretty impressive specs for what is no doubt meant to be a high value-for-money kind of smartphone.
The GM 5 Plus was first outed earlier this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. It features an unmistakably premium design plus a list of specs that would give many so-called high-end smartphone models a run for their money. First up, the GM 5 Plus boasts a 5.5-inch Full HD screen with Gorilla Glass 4. It also comes with a 13MP selfie auto-focus camera with flash, as well as a 13MP rear camera with auto-focus, dual-LED flash, and DxO camera technology. And yes, it will run Marshmallow as standard.
The GM5 Plus also offers some “next-gen” items on its spec sheet, such as 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, up to 128GB microSD card support, and a 3,100mAh battery. Not to mention, it has a USB 3-Type C connector that supports Qualcomm Quick Charge right out of the box. For connectivity, the GM 5 Plus features 4.5G/LTE-A network support, on top of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless. It runs on a Snapdragon 617 processor which should be good for middling performance.
All of this is housed in a body that’s made out of a sturdy metal frame. The GM 5 Plus lacks any hardware buttons apart from the on/off switch, so like all Android One and Google-branded phones, it will rely heavily on virtual menu keys. It’s scheduled to come out some time around Q2 2016 in four colors, priced below $300 or about Php 14,200. Although doubtful, here’s hoping that it makes its way here into the Philippines.