Walton is taking the entry and mid range Android market in Bangladesh by storm and is reflecting Samsung’s strategy of providing a device for each price point. They are also providing variety by offering different skins on their smartphones and seeing which appeals the most to the consumers.
Without wasting much time, let’s get right into the review of the Walton Primo G5.
[divider]Design & Hardware [/divider]
The design of the Primo G5 is similar to some of Walton’s other entry level phones, it is subtle and made up of good grade plastic. It feels nice in the hand and does not bother about being the thinnest or lightest, it’s primary goal is to be attractive and easily usable. Like some other entry level devices, the Pimo G5 has a plastic band going all round the device mimicking metal. This is more apparent on the white model as the trim is silvery whereas in the black model it is closer to a very dark blue. This coupled with the rounded out bottom lends a pleasant aesthetic factor to the G5. The band going along the sides also provides a nice place to easily grip the phone.
The Primo G5 has a stereo speaker configuration with two speakers on the back of the device. Finding a stereo setup with two speakers on an entry level device is difficult and we could not recall any other smartphone that offers this at the price range so this is a definite bonus.
The Primo G5 also has another rare hardware addition, USB On The Go (OTG). Basically you can connect pendrives, keyboards etc to the G5 using the micro USB port. Walton claims the G5 is the first dual core smartphone in Bangladesh with the OTG function.
[divider]Display [/divider]
The 5 inch FWVGA IPS display has a resolution of 854×480, a common resolution seen in most entry level smartphones. The brightness can be cranked up to a high enough level to see content outdoors and can also be lowered down to allow comfortable reading in low light or in the dark. Viewing angles too are nice.
The main advantage of the G5’s display is its size. The 5 inch display size has become very popular among buyers due to the fact that consuming media on a 5 inch display is much more enjoyable than smaller screen sizes. This in my opinion is the sweetspot for non-phablets as the display is large enough but does not compromise on one handed usability or become too cumbersome to carry comfortably.
[divider]Software [/divider]
Android 4.4.2 KitKat comes out of the box with the Primo G5 but like many other Walton devices, it is not pure stock Android. Walton usually does not do a complete overhaul of the software but generally changes up the icons and adds a few extra touches here and there.
For the most part, the experience is like stock Android. Aside from the changes to the icon pack and the ability to choose one of three pre installed themes, Walton made slight modifications to the notifications shade and the settings menu. The addition that is very different from other Android skins is the Rainbow toggle. It is like a floating white nub that expands to give you quick access to tools, media control and some apps that you get to choose.
Walton added a feature that they call air shuffle which essentially uses the proximity sensor to track movement and therefore execute an action without needing to touch the display. This feature however, is limited to only the gallery, FM radio, camera and music applications.
[divider]Performance [/divider]
The G5 packs a dual core 1.3 GHz processor and a Mali-400 GPU. The GPU is more than adequate to handle the G5’s resolution. The 1GB RAM is a standard for devices in this particular price bracket and for the most part gets the job done. The device comes with 4GB ROM and is fortunately expandable via microSD to 32GB.
The G5 handles tasks like app switching and games nicely. It can take on simple games no problem Going through the user interface is a quick process with stutters showing only when multiple apps are running in the background.
Battery life of the G5 is as expected. The 2200mAh battery will get you through a full day of moderate use but intense use will require a recharge somewhere around sunset.
[divider]Camera [/divider]
Walton again does a pretty good job with their camera interface. The viewfinder is not cluttered and you can access your desired settings and toggles without fuss. The 5 megapixel rear unit features HDR and is accompanied by a two tone dual LED flash which by the way is something seldom seen in entry level smartphones.
Taking pictures is a speedy process and going to and from the gallery directly from the camera viewfinder is also quick and smooth.
What caught our attention was the addition of a QR code scanner which to our surprise worked really fast.
[divider]Final Thoughts [/divider]
The Walton Primo G5 is like the rest of its kin, reliable and priced modestly. It gets the job done without too much fuss and also offers you some rare gems at the price range like the dual stereo speakers. The 5 inch form factor caters to those who want better media consumption but don’t want to pay for the higher price tier. All in all, the Primo G5 is a great phone at a great price with enough to keep buyers satisfied.
Price: 8,990 BDT
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Price | Dual core processor |
| Dual Stereo Speakers | 5 megapixel camera |
| 5 inch screen | Laggy sometimes |
| Good build quality | |
| Two-tone dual LED flash |
Nice review…
One question… Does it have notification light?