Gionee has high regard for the Indian market and recently held a grand event in Hyderabad to unveil the Elife S7. While that was towards the top end of the categories, Gionee has now launched one at the entry-level, pitched against the likes of Moto E (2015), Xiaomi Redmi 2, Lenovo A6000 / A6000 Plus, and such – and they call it the Gionee Pioneer P4S under the ‘Pioneer‘ series. This phone was originally launched in China back in November 2014 and now lands in India. The key highlight of the phone is the ‘Flip‘ case/cover usually seen with the Samsung Galaxy Note series, where the flip case has a window, and when the case itself covers the phone certain information can be viewed thru the window portion of the display. Let’s take a look at the specifications and the price before we call out the initial thoughts:
Specifications –
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Display – 4.5” WVGA display with a resolution of 480×854
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Processor – 1.3GHz Quad Core Mediatek MT6582 chipset
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RAM – 1GB
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Internal Storage – 8GB, expandable up to 32GB via microSD
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OS – Android 4.4 KitKat
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Camera – 5MP rear camera and 2MP front-facing camera
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Battery – 1800mAh battery
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Connectivity – Dual SIM, 2G Network 850/900/1800/1900 MHz 3G Network 900/2100 MHz, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, micro USB 2.0 and HotKnot
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Dimensions – 134.5mm x 67.7mm x 8.7mm
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Price – 7799 INR
Gionee mentions that they’ve developed the phone keeping in mind some of the flagship philosophies and thus bring in the flip case to an entry-level phone. The Pioneer P4S is driven with the tagline ‘Flip. Enjoy.’ The phone allows you to flip the phone to transfer files, get the perfect photo, listen to surround music. As mentioned before, the phone comes in with a window flip cover which makes it easy to see the time, date, weather, and contacts during a phone call. The Pioneer P4S comes in a crystal skin semi-transparent shell with every piece of hardware closely connected to show a tight shape body. The phone comes in with an upgraded HotKnot function enabling the transfer of any file besides photos and videos. The P4S also offers security features packed with NQ Mobile Security, keeping the P4S safe on the go.
Our Thoughts:
We do not know what Gionee was thinking when putting that WVGA display but that is a big letdown and does not compliment the flip case the phone comes with. While it does seem like a whole of features that Gionee is talking about, we cannot stop but wonder how much of a value add will these features weigh over the drawbacks in the specs – yes we are spoiled by the Xiaomi Redmi 2s and the Lenovo A6000s which offer better specs at a price tag of 6999INR and do not go for the stylish gimmicks or the ‘fun’ theme or some very tight security features that Gionee is shooting for here. When it’s an entry-level phone we do not think adding a flip case will help boost sales but yes there is a specific crowd that loves it. But will the flip to move files, flip to view time date and contacts, the less regarded Mediatek Processor entice the users enough to consider the Gionee P4S over the Xiaomi Redmi 2, Lenovo A6000/A6000 Plus, or even the Yu Yureka? – we feel that the P4S has a very tough battle on its hands fighting the entry-level soldiers out there who’ve already been very successful and still flying high.
