A couple of years ago, Gionee was a relevant Chinese smartphone maker thanks to its competitive smartphones targeting young people. Curiously, it was one of the first Chinese brands to invest in the Indian market before Xiaomi’s domain. The years have passed and the company failed to keep up with the competition and consequently, it has lost its former relevance. This year, however, Gionee is back with a set of mid-range smartphones aiming at budget customers. After releasing some interesting devices like the 10,000mAh battery Behemoth, the company has a new device for the market dubbed Gionee M12.
Gionee M12 specifications
In fact, the company is rolling out two versions of the Gionee M12 in Nigeria. Both devices are running Android 10 and have similar specifications, except for the chipset. The higher variant boasts the MediaTek Helio P22 SoC, a capable Octa-core chipset with eight Cortex-A53 chipsets. The other variant has an Helio A25 chipset that runs at a lower clock rate. Both devices come in two memory configurations, one has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and the other has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of Storage. Both versions come with support for further memory expansion thanks to a microSD card slot.
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The Gionee M12 flaunts a 6.55-inch LCD IPS panel with 1,600 x 720 pixels of resolution. Unfortunately, this panel does not bring any kind of protective coating so you will need careful with this panel. It also brings a punch-hole solution for housing the 16MP selfie snapper. The back of the phone houses a Quad-Camera setup comprising a 48MP main shooter with an f/1.79 aperture. This module is capped at 1080 at 30fps video recording due to the chipset limitations. The module also brings a 5MP ultrawide angle camera and two 2MP modules whose function hasn’t been disclosed.
As you may expect, this is a dual SIM handset with LTE connectivity. Surprisingly it also brings Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 which is a plus in a budget device. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0 and GPS. The phone also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, FM radio, and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Last but not least, we have a 5,000mAh battery. The phone brings a USB-C port which is amazing to see in a cost-effective device. We’re in 2020 and some companies still insist in the micro USB standard. Despite the modern standard, the charging is capped at 10W which is pretty slow for a battery of this size.
Pricing and Availability
The device is available in Nigeria via Jumia online retailer and through partner stores. The Helio P22 variant costs NGN 75,000 (~$196) for the 4GB / 64GB variant while the A25 powered version starts on NGN 69,400 (~$181).
We just find it a little odd to have two distinct devices with the same moniker. In the less creative scenario, the brand could have called the A22 version Gionee M12 Lite and the P22 Gionee M12. Now, customers will have to research before purchasing to have sure they are buying the right one.
