In a press conference in Bangalore, Gionee announced the Marathon M5 in India. The smartphone debuted in China earlier this year for CNY 2,299 ($360).
Gionee Marathon M5’s claim to fame is its long battery life. The smartphone packs two 3,010mAh batteries, taking the total to a whopping 6,020mAh. Gionee claims that the batteries should last up to 4 days on a single charge on light to moderate usage. Also, an extreme mode can boost standby time — when the battery is down to 5 percent —to 62 hours. The phone supports reverse charging as well, which allows users to use the Marathon M5 as a power bank to charge other devices.
Powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM, the 5.5-inch HD device sports 16GB of inbuilt storage, expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card. The dual SIM smartphone runs on on Android 5.1 Lollipop and packs in a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera.
Gionee Marathon M5 Specifications
| Operating system | Android 5.1 Lollipop | Amigo UI |
| Display | 5.5 inches HD (1280 x 720) |
| Processor | 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6735 quad-core processor |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB, expandable up to 128GB using a microSD card |
| Primary Camera | 13MP with LED flash |
| Secondary Camera | 5MP |
| Dimensions | 152 x 76 x 8.55mm |
| Weight | 214 grams |
The Gionee Marathon M5 is available in three colors – white, gray, and gold – at a price of ₹17,999 ($271). The smartphone will be available exclusively on Flipkart. While the specs are sub-standard for a device in its price segment, as HTC has several Desire models that offer better hardware, the Marathon M5’s standout feature is the massive battery.
What do you guys think of the smartphone?