If you thought Android One smartphones were compromise-heavy, think again. General Mobile just announced the GM 5 Plus, and it’s quite possibly one of the best-looking Android One device around.
Android One smartphones are a push from Google that began in 2014. They’re meant to be low-cost devices, sporting stock Android with the capability to receive quick, Nexus-like updates directly from Google. They’re usually tacked with lower-end CPUs, and compromise on many features you’d see in flagship devices. Anne Laurenson Hollander, director of Android partnerships in the southern Europe-Russia-Turkey-Middle East market, says since its initial push into India, Android One has grown to 22 countries to date.
The best part about this device though, is that it supports USB Type C, and Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0.
The GM 5 Plus isn’t General Mobile’s first tango with Android One. In fact we’ve said that the previous GM 4G was also one of the prettiest devices among its competition. The latest GM 5 Plus improves upon the GM 4G, both internally and through it’s sleek design.
You’ll find a Snapdragon 617 powering this 5.5-inch device, which will also have a 1080p resolution, 3GB RAM, and a big 3,100mAh battery. The rear and front-facing cameras have the same 13-megapixel camera, and both have flash as well. The GM 5 Plus will have 32GB of internal storage, with a MicroSD slot offering up to 128GB of additional storage capacity. The best part about this device, though, is that it has a USB Type-C port — it’s the only current Android One device with a USB Type-C port that we know of — and supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0, which can allegedly charge the device up to 60 percent in 30 minutes.
The GM 5 Plus has a plastic-textured back, which didn’t make it slippery to hold, and it was fairly light. It felt as though I was holding a flagship device, rather than a budget phone. The power and volume buttons on the right side of the device stuck out well enough, and they were satisfying to click. The 1080p display actually looked pretty good, given that it was stretched to a 5.5-inch screen.
Since it’s an Android One device, you’ll get a sweet taste of stock Android 6.0.1, with guaranteed updates from Google up to two years. The device was really fast, and I didn’t notice any lag or stutters when opening or moving between apps.
The GM 5 Plus has rounded corners and a metal frame around the edges, of which you can choose the color from four different options: gray, rose gold, gold, and silver. The front and back will be available in white and black.
Berkay Kilić, marketing manager for General Mobile, didn’t have a definite price for the device, but said the GM 5 Plus would cost under $300, which is still significantly higher than most Android One devices. Sadly, it won’t make its way to the U.S., but it will be first available in Turkey by the end of March. After that, the GM 5 Plus will make its way to 15 other countries.
