This is my first online phone review and as opposed of doing what everyone else does I will try and change things up. This review is geared toward readers in the UK so please do your research and due diligence before purchasing from the region you are at….as always feedback is greatly appreciated.
I was in no way paid by gearbest or ulephone for the review.
I have been using the Ulephone Gemini Pro for over a month now. It was purchased from Gearbest as a part of the flash sale round £170 but it now sells on the site for £192.30.
Having been a consumer of Chinese for phones for well over a year now and having upgraded regularly due to nice to haves such as “Quick Charge” and USB-C becoming standard in the mid range. I saw this phone for £170 and thought about giving it a try.
The Gemini Pro is a sleek no-nonsense device very similar in appearance to the iphone in shape and design but this is where the similarities end.
Running Android 7.1.1 out of the box this phone has a Decacore X25 CPU with 4GB of memory to run the OS and your applications
The X25 chipset is a Deca-core CPU (2.6 GHZ) this doesn’t have 10 cores all running at 2.6 ghz but it has the following
ARM® Cortex®-A72™ 2.6GHz x2
ARM® Cortex®-A53™ 2.0GHz x4
ARM® Cortex®-A53™1.6GHz x4
Judging by the load on the phone and the battery power the heavy-duty CPUs can be fired up when needed.
A big want for me is Disc Space and this phone doesn’t disappoint with 64GB in the phone and the ability to plug in a TF-CARD (256GB max) I have filled up the phone with music, podcasts and tutorials this leaves oodles of space left for movies and pictures for the camera.
The camera is a decent dual 13MP RGB + 13MP Monochrome with decent results more than capable for catching that quick picture when you are out and about but for anything serious call me a purist I like to use my pocket camera for more control on moments I don’t want to miss.
This was a picture I took with my Gemini Pro of Manchester from my office.
Here is a shot from inside the office
The pictures I have taken with cameras from this price range are good but not as sharp as the iPhones and Samsung phones I have seen.
So what do I use the phone for to make this is review relevant…
Phone Calls: 4.5/5
Very clear sounding phone and loud phone for phone calls. I have used this device in a loud stadium with a finger covering my open ear and could hear the other side fairly well.
Not once been disappointed with call quality and the reception on the phone is very good.
I have been asked to speak louder on one occasion when making a call in a noisy environment no idea if this could be improved or if it was the environment but I had to mention it.
Surfing: 4.5/5
With the Brave Browser, Chrome, Facebook, sending e-mails or watching Youtube this device is fast. I will use this device instead of my tablet and can easily read articles in bed.
The 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels ) 5.5 inch screen doesn’t disappoint, text reading but if there is one criticism I can make is that in direct bright sunlight the max screen brightness is not as bright as the Maze Alpha and other phones on the market.
Multimedia 4.5/5
I have used this phone for listening to Podcasts in Doggcatcher, Youtube Videos, Netflix, Kodi. I have had video chats on Whatsapp and this phone is a solid workhorse and it just does everything that you throw at it.
The screen quality is very good and I have frequently watched many TV-shows on the train.
Do not expect bassy mind blowing sound from such a small device or complete audio separation with the speakers being so close and but for me If I can share a video moment with some friends in a public café’ and everyone can hear it clearly that is good enough for me.
For listening to podcasts and music on the go the Headphones and Bluetooth connectivity works and sounds great.
Battery 4/5
Battery power is a massive thing for me as I come across so many phones that promise to do everything but in actual reality with a bit of use the phone battery is almost dead.
The Gemini pro can eat through 3680mah battery if you have many apps and the camera running in the background and with heavy movie watching sessions on Kodi and browsing I can take the battery from 90% down to 55% in a couple of hours which is good but not perfect as my dream phone would be one I could watch the same thing and lose 10-20%.
With moderate use I can easily get over a day of use out of the phone with energy to spare and that is watching short youtube videos, emails websurfing and phone calls.
Quick charge is amazing as within 30 minutes I can have about 30-40% charge from dead phone giving me a couple of solid hours of use in case i forget to charge it the night before.
Also, it is worth saying that with heavy use the phone gets a bit warm but not worrying hot.
Design : 4/5
The phone metal unibody is solid, smooth and slim. It is a well manufactured device which comes with a case and screen protector.
With a decent grip on the case It is easy to hold in the hand and fits well in a fitted suit or a fitted pair of jeans.
The fingerprint sensor is ok but personally they are all very hit and miss with me as I my hands do get messy from time to time.
Conclusion: 21.5/25
For £170-£200 this a decent, reliable, strong phone with a great price and If you are looking for a solid built phone that will do the job this is a great choice!
Phone call quality is clear and loud. Having long phone conversations did not become uncomfortably hot on the ear and face.
The multimedia functions of the phone did not dissapoint everything that was thrown at it worked and nothing slowed down in me using many different apps.
The camera is above average but not amazing when it comes to zooming in shots but with normal shots these are great for Instagram or Facebook.
The battery is of a decent size and with normal use you will easily get over a 1 day use out of it. Quick charge is fantastic and helps if you forget to charge your phone the night before.