Gionee F103 Review: Another sub 10K mobile device that aims to play the volume game
The F103 shoots itself in the foot with a sub-par camera and display.
The F103 is a significant device for Chinese handset manufacturer Gionee. It is the company’s first ever ‘Made in India’ 4G smartphone, and has begun rolling out from the Foxconn manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh. ‘Make in India’ might be a frequently buzzed term but even that catchphrase doesn’t get the same buzz as ‘Deal of the day’, given the frenzy created by India’s online marketing platforms. Suddenly Rs 9,999 is a lot of money for a mobile device and, given these multiple deals, the customer is truly king. The F series is billed as Gionee’s Fashion line, just like how devices with the ‘S’ prefix belong to their ‘Slim’ line. Agreed, looks are just as important as hard-core performance, especially in a price-sensitive segment teeming with aspiring buyers. The F103 is a decent looking device, certainly not a standout phone like Gionee’s pricier S7; we like the lightweight form factor (136g) though. The tactile volume rocker and power keys are housed on the top right spine while the camera is located on the top half of the overly shiny plastic back. As always, Gionee bundles a plastic back cover along with a screen protector in the box.The 5-inch HD IPS display (1280x720) at 294 ppi is slightly underwhelming and is clearly not in the same league as other devices in the sub Rs 10,000 price band. The PHICOMM P660 that is priced a tad lower than this device comes with a full HD screen and a 441 ppi pixel density, while the YU Yunique, priced at Rs 4,999, comes with a full HD display. It’s the same with the F103’s primary cam; the 8MP shooter doesn’t quite cut it. We tried the cam in multiple scenarios. Lowlight photography was disappointing while close up shots were quite grainy. The 5MP selfie cam delivers acceptable results though. The device’s speakers don’t add to the F103’s entertainment creds either.
- Decent battery life
- Lightweight build
- Sub-par camera
- Sluggish performance
- Amigo UI
- Mediatek MT 6735 (1.3 GHz) quad-core processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 5-inch IPS Dragontrail display (1280x720 @ 294 ppi)
- 16GB internal memory (expandable up to 32 GB)
- 8MP primary cam with LED Flash and 5MP front facing camera
- Dual SIM
- Android Lollipop 5.0 and Amigo
Price: Rs 9,999
The Gionee F103’s biggest strengths are its lightweight form factor and decent battery life but that doesn’t quite make up for some of the other shortcomings. The camera and the display don’t do the device any favours while the Amigo user interface might turn off users looking for a pure Android experience. Given the plethora of options available at this price point, the F103 has a tough battle ahead.