Today, most manufacturers hit the creation of frameless (bezel-less) and full-screen (full screen) smartphones. We can say that the flagship phones with the traditional form of the body survive the last days. At the same time, the technology is so cheap and affordable, that many Shenzhen companies master the fashion form of the case. Today we have on the review Ulefone Gemini Pro – perhaps one of the latest top phones Ulefone (Gotron) in the usual case. We talked about the simple Gemini in comparison with Tiger a few months ago, and we assure you that it is very little in common between Gemini and Gemini Pro.
Specifications Ulefone Gemini Pro:
- Network: GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), FDD-LTE (band 1, 3, 7, 8, 20), TDD-LTE (band 38, 39 , 40, 41)
- Platform: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
- Display: 5.5 “, 1920×1080, 401ppi, IPS, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Camera: 13 megapixels (IMX258 RGB) + 13 megapixels (IMX258 MONO), f / 2.0, hybrid autofocus, flash
- Frontal: 8 Mp (interpolation up to 13 Mp), f / 2.2, flash
- Processor: 10 cores (2xCortex-A72 with frequency up to 2.6 GHz + 4xCortex-A53 up to 2.0 GHz + 4xCortex-A53 with frequency up to 1.6 GHz), Mediatek Helio X27, 20 nm, 64 bit
- Graphics chip: Mali-T880MP4 with a frequency of up to 875 MHz
- RAM: 4 GB LPDDR3, 800 MHz
- Internal memory: 64 GB eMMC 5.1 Hynix
- Memory card: microSD (up to 256 GB), OTG
- GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
- Bluetooth 4.1
- Wi-Fi (802.11a / b / g / n / ac)
- USB Type-C 2.0
- SIM: nano-SIM + nano-SIM / microSD (combined slot)
- The fingerprint scanner
- Speaker with amplifier TFA9890
- Battery: 3680 mAh, non-detachable, fast charging PumpExpress + 2.0
- Dimensions: 155 x 76.9 x 8.45 mm
- Weight: 181 g
PROS CONS
Dual Lens Camera Only two color options
256 GB of external Storage No Barometer
Comes with a 3680 mAh Battery Non-removable battery
CONFIGURATION AND DESIGN
Ulefone did not stint on the accessories. Inside the stylish red and black cardboard box are: a Gemini Pro smartphone, a powerful charger, a Type-C USB cable, a SIM-tray ejection needle, a small USB-C micro USB adapter, a protective glass, a cover, a stand ring for covers and documentation. The case is simple plastic, externally trimmed with leatherette and rather pleasant tactile. Longevity is questionable, but who do see the gift horse in the mouth.
Color solutions are two – black and very fashionable lately red. The design is cute, but what about personality? The mobile devices market is increasingly filled with similar and unremarkable gadgets. Looking at Ulefone Gemini Pro immediately remembers UMIDIGI Z Pro / Z1 Pro. Are they going to one factory.
The back of the Gemini Pro is made of aluminum alloy; the dullness is fun to feel. The prints on it are noticeably weak, which undoubtedly pleases. For better reception of a signal from above and from below, there are plastic inserts – are looked organically. But the tray for two SIM / microSD looks alien because the company did not hit the color.
Buttons are located at an adequate height. The volume rocker feels like there are two separate keys for adjustment – the solution is quite rare and even strange, why. Tactically convenient! Also from the features of the case should be noted the presence of a fairly bright flash for the selfie in the dark and the LED next to it. Under the display is a fingerprint scanner integrated into the touch button (there are no additional keys to the right and left of it), which is responsible for two actions: a single touch – “back”; touch with hold – “home.” Call the screen of active applications with it is not possible, so I recommend using virtual keys since they are provided. Dactyloscopy works relatively quickly; there are misses. For the assembly, the model can only be praised, crevices, crocheted elements, and creaks are not noticed.
On the front panel flaunts 5.5 “Full HD IPS-screen without air space, covered with 2.5D-glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The display is clear, with a pleasant color rendition and not very deep black, high viewing angles (diagonal fading is uncritical) and a good margin of brightness. The white balance has a slight bias on the cold side. However, it will not disturb during the use process. Oleophobic coating is available, from the factory on the glass is glued a protective film, a touch of five touches.
OS AND SOFTWARE
Gemini Pro runs on a “clean” Android OS version 7.1.1 with little intervention from the manufacturer. He repainted some icons (why?) And added additional functions to the settings (their translation leaves much to be desired, as well as benefit). The system works smartly, but there are application hangs and sometimes the sound of notifications is lost, which is treated only by rebooting. OTA-updates are released and the extreme slightly increased stability.
And again about the onscreen keys. In the settings, you can swap “back” and “active programs”, and also activate the ability to hide the navibar. In this case, disable the touch-button in general, to leave the scanner working only, it is impossible. And I will remind you that it does not allow you to enter the task manager and switch between applications in multitasking mode. That is, virtual keys on Gemini Pro are mandatory. Well, infuriates too narrow a strip of virtual buttons, some disproportionate it.
CAMERA
The camera here is dual: one color sensor and the other – monochrome. And deception, as sometimes happens with Chinese smartphones, no. We found out this one by one, then one lens, then another.
The camera application is replete with settings and various modes, including Super Night modes, 2x and 3x digital zoom, Pro Photo (allows you to adjust the white balance, exposure, brightness, saturation, contrast, ISO level). But as the camera phone, Gemini Pro came out so himself, so something tells me that you will shoot only in Auto mode.
In the HDR, the frames turn out to be excessively bright; the dynamic range does not increase a bit. Long-range plans often turn into watercolor porridge even on a sunny day, and if automation passes even in such scenes, then no tambourines can help.
The additional module is used not only to get black-and-white frames (they are, by the way, pretty good) but also for shooting with background blur. And from the side, too, everything is honest, unlike Doogee Mix, which stupidly made vignetting around the perimeter of the frame. Of course, the portraits are not the level of the iPhone and not even the budget Xiaomi, but this is the best that we saw from the company from Shenzhen.
Frontal Camera at 8 mega pixels in the afternoon takes a good photo (do not forget to use HDR). At night – it’s bad. But flash can help. The main camera shoots video in 4K resolution, as well as in Full HD and HD. The quality leaves much to be desired and confused the minimal difference in the video sequence between 4K and 1080p. Whether 4K is bad, or whether it is obtained simply by banal interpolation.
In the camera settings, I noticed one software bug: periodically the resolution of the photo was reset from 16 megapixels to 1 megapixel, so every time before shooting, you had to go to the settings and check that the resolution was normal. It seems the last update is fixed.
PERFORMANCE AND TEST
The hardware of the Ulefone Gemini Pro is the 10-core Mediatek Helio X27 processor (MT6797X), where the most powerful unit includes two powerful Cortex-A72 cores with a frequency of up to 2.6 GHz, and eight Cortex-A53 with different frequencies are responsible for battery safety and the work of all components at medium loads. Also in the smartphone is a graphics accelerator Mali-T880, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of built-in (after the first user is available 2.5 GB and 52.95 GB, respectively). It sounds all intriguing, but how is it in practice? To begin with, the results in benchmarks:
Points are typical for Helio X27 and typical for Helio X27 processor trottle. Already on the third run of AnTuTu, 3D computations sink 17.5%, and under the load the metal case gets very hot. This means that long games in the games will give you discomfort, if you do not use the case, and fps in the demanding titles will leave more to desire. However, we must praise the stuffing and optimization for the fact that in everyday scenarios (social networks, browsing, calls) the phone does not brake, it works smoothly.
BATTERY LIFE
The battery capacity is 3680 mAh, which is non-replaceable battery will let you use the phone for the entire day or more, it acually depending on the usage. I could achieve a pretty standard screen-on time of about 5.5 hours, which is a decent result “this is not the smallest volume to date. The device holds confidently during the whole working day, but with active use and included communication modules it will have to be put on charging after 4-5 hours of the screen. In our classic test for video playback with the maximum brightness of the display, the full digit took only 6.5 hours, and in 60 minutes of the game in Asphalt Extreme, the battery lost an impressive 24% charge, i.e. you can count on 4 hours of racing without an outlet. For the claimed battery capacity, such figures are not encouraging. Fortunately, there is support for fast charging Pump Express + 2.0, thanks to which the device is charged from 0 to 100% in literally an hour and a half.
CONCLUSION
Ulefone Gemini Pro is yet another budget phone from China that has great specs, excellent build quality and it’s pretty fast and responsive.
But still Ulefone Gemini Pro is woven of minuses and pluses. The first is the lack of autonomy for the claimed nutrient element, heating and throttling, not very impressive cameras and the need for software development. The second can be considered smart work smartphone in everyday life, a good bokeh and a quality stylish body. In principle, the shortcomings of Gemini Pro are not so critical that they can not be closed by eyes at the appropriate price. However, keep in mind that the camera is lacking in some areas and gaming performance could be better considering an impressive spec sheet.
All in all, the Ulefone Gemini Pro offers quite a lot value but as always, make sure to consider a few shortcomings before buying it.
Where to Buy Ulefone Gemini Pro Phones
You can buy Ulefone Gemini Pro at low rates and subject to availability.
Gearbest – See Offers | Jumia – See Offers
