Hands-on with Gionee Marathon M5 which packs a giant 6,020mAh Battery [FIRST LOOK]

Smartphones are playing a vital role, apart from being a communicator, it is also being used as a camera, a GPS navigator and a portable media player, among other things. But, once the battery dies, smartphones are nothing more just a fancy paperweight.

If you're one of those users with a hankering for a larger battery in your phone, look no further. Gionee has understood the importance of a smartphone battery and has come up with Marathon M5, a smartphone with a massive 6,020mAh battery.

PROS

• Impressive Battery Life
• Crispy Display
• minimalistic form factor

CONS

• Bulky
• Average Camera
• Buggy Software

Back in June, the Chinese smartphone maker, announced Marathon M5 along with its latest flagship - Elife E8. Gionee has used two-cell battery pack, with each rated at 3,010mAh, to give the device a battery power of 6,020mAh.

GizBot got a chance to play with the device for quite a while and we must say that this time Gionee has come up with a tough clad. With the 6,020mAh batter, the Marathon is certainly not a light weight or slicker with the slim handsets that are available in the market, however it isn't much of a porker. Interestingly, Gionee has managed to keep the device at a reasonably thickness of 8.5mm, despite the massive battery.

With the 5.5 inch display, the Marathon M5 falls into the phablet segment. The display features AMOLED technology with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels, means the display offers vivid color and sharp text.

Below the screen, you can see three non-backlit capacitive Android navigation keys, while a 5 megapixel selfie shooter and sensors are on top. The chrome-finished borders around the edges add a flair looks to the device.

It has a dual-tone finish on the back of the device. It holds a 13 megapixel primary camera along with an LED flash and there is also a speaker grille at the bottom.

Around the device you will see, volume rockers and power button on the right-hand side and a SIM tray on the left. The micro-USB port at the bottom, while a headset socket and an infrared transmitter on the top.

The smartphone is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system along with its Amigo 3.1 user interface.

Gionee has added fast charging technology to charge the massive 6,020mAh battery. The handset features a smart power consumption management including a power-saving mode to extent the battery life even further.

With the huge battery packed inside, the M5 is a power bank in its own, thanks to reverse charging. This means you can use the handset to juice up other USB device.

Gionee promises that the Marathon M5 will juice the device up to two days on a single charge for heavy usage, while on normal usage you can expect it to last up to four days. Yes, you read it right; it's a smartphone that just need to be charged twice a week.

The Marathon M5 is a quite powerful device with quad-core processor and a huge battery. The phablet will make its own place in the market with its powerful battery. Overall, it has managed to leave an impression on us; all credit goes to its metal-clad design and giant battery. Other features such as camera, user interface and performance are not the best, but still acceptable.

GizBot will soon review its performance and features in depth. Stay tuned till then!