Review: Gionee Pioneer P4

Gionee Pioneer P4 08

Gionee called me up a few weeks back to advise me that they have a new smartphone for me to review.

It’s called the Pioneer P4 and they are touting as a “gaming smartphone” for the young and young at heart who love to play games on their devices. It would be interesting to know how a gaming smartphone would perform with a mid-range price. Well, let’s go on to my review and find out.

SPECIFICATIONS
OS: Android 4.2.2 Jellybean with AMIGO UI
Processor: 1.3 GHz MTK MT6582 Quad-Core processor | MALI-400 GPU
Display: 480 x 854 pixels, 4.5-inches FWVGA Display
Wireless Connections: HSDPA+, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS w/ A-GPS
Memory: 16GB Internal Storage (expandable up to 32GB MicroSD Card), 1GB RAM
Connectors: Micro USB port
Camera: 5.0MP Rear Camera with LED flash (Main), 2.0MP (Secondary)
SIM Card Slot: 1x Regular SIM Card, 1x Micro SIM Card Required
Battery: 1,800 mAh
SRP: Php 6,990.00

 

THE UNBOXING

Gionee Pioneer P4 09

 

The package includes the Pioneer P4 smartphone, USB cable, USB Charger Head, a pair of headphones, manuals and a screen protector with cleaning cloth.

THE LOOKS

Gionee Pioneer P4 02

The design of the Gionee Pioneer P4 looks kinda plain but its ergonomics makes up for it. It’s comfortable and smooth to hold thanks to its pearl white back cover. The size also feels just right for my hands so I think this may appeal to users who do not want to carry phablets. The Pioneer P4 is easy to slip into my pants pocket and doesn’t create any discomfort.

Gionee Pioneer P4 01

The display of the Pioneer P4 is surprisingly nice. Certainly not AMOLED quality but the colors are lively and attractive for the naked eye to appreciate. However, I do not suggest trying other viewing angles when browsing pictures or watching videos as it is not pleasant to the eyes.

THE PERFORMANCE

Gionee Pioneer P4 03

Gionee’s pretty AMIGO UI makes the user’s experience of the Pioneer P4 a lot more fun. Some prefer the Vanilla version of their smartphone’s OS without the fancy UI overlays to avoid making their phones slow. After playing for days, I can say that the UI is responsive all the time and doesn’t affect the phone’s performance at all. There is a toolbar widget that allows the user to close unused apps and ensure that the phone is functioning well.

Gionee Pioneer P4 04

Since this is a mid-range priced smartphone, I wanted to challenge the capabilities of the Gionee Pioneer P4 as a gaming smartphone. Powering the Pioneer G4 is a 1.3 GHz MTK MT6582 Quad-Core processor. Techies out there are familiar with this processor as this is also being used by other local brands. I installed a few games like my favorites Dead Trigger 2, Real Racing 3, and the other games pre-installed on the Pioneer P4. I waited for any of these games to cause the phone to lag, but no, all of them played smoothly.

I have asked the reps of Gionee if they have an idea how they were able to implement this so well. I still haven’t received a reply yet as of the meantime.

CAMERA

Gionee Pioneer P4 05

The 5.0 Megapixel camera of the Pioneer P4 was able to take decent pictures throughout my testing period. Check out the photos I took:

Gionee P4 E-Com

Gionee P4 MOA

Gionee P4 SM By the Bay

Gionee P4 MOA Flyer

Gionee P4 Toby's Estate

BATTERY

Gionee Pioneer P4 06

Considering the price the Gionee Pioneer P4 has, I know I should not expect for it to have a capacity of at least 2,000 mAh. It only has 1,800 mAh, and that poses a problem for power users for me. With data turned on most of the time for Viber, emails and social networks, as well as some music streaming, the phone only lasted me an average of 6-8 hours a day. There were times that it lasted me longer, around 17 hours but only with light usage.

WORTH IT?

Gionee Pioneer P4 07

Admittedly, there are other brands out there using the same processor as the Pioneer P4 and are being sold at a lower cost. But from what I have gathered, they don’t seem to match the P4’s gaming performance. Gionee’s Amigo UI will make you also feel that you’re buying this smartphone at a premium unlike the usual boring interface of other smartphones in the market. In my opinion, whether you buy the Gionee Pioneer P4 for gaming or not, you will not be disappointed with this decent buy.

YAYS

  • Pretty AMIGO UI
  • Smooth Gaming Experience
  • Decent Camera

NAYS

  • Price could have been lower to be more competitive

 

*Thank you Gionee Philippines for loaning me a review unit

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