The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

The last year or so has seen the stock of Huawei smartphones rise exponentially in Egypt, filling in a void that its competitors seem unwilling to fill. The release of several handsets in recent months has cemented that, but with the release of the GR5, Huawei has produced what could be one of its most successful handsets yet.

We at Cairo 360 have come to rely on our smartphones for our day-to-day exploration of Cairo and so we were more than happy to give the GR5 a spin…

Camera Features

As has become common for newer Huawei device lines, the GR5 is packed with features. Boasting a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera, the former with a 27mm wide angle lens, the results are crisp and clear. Away from the hardware side of things, the GR5 is packed with customisation options, including Huawei’s trademark Good Food mode, which elevates colours selectively to bring the best out of food, as well as the ten-level Beauty mode, which does likewise – but to your face.

In addition, a number of filters are at your disposal as is an excellent time-lapse feature. If selfies are your thing, , the GR5 allows you take them in a panoramic view, opening up the scope of what you can fit into a selfie. One of the most impressive features, however, is used post-picture taking; the Refocus Mode allows you to adjust and fiddle with the focus of a photo after it has been taken – useful for when you want to improve otherwise blurry photos, or for when you’re just feeling a little artistic.

Sexy Design

If there’s one thing that Huawei devices have had in common over the last two years or so, it’s that they’ve all won plaudits for the design – and the GR5 is no different. Available in gold, silver and grey, the sleek metal body is made out of aluminium magnesium alloy – in layman’s terms, it just feels good to the touch.

One of the biggest approaches to the design is that less is more and this reflected in the button-layout which makes it easier and more intuitive to use, while the second generation Fingerprint sensor makes taking photos,  answering a call and unlocking the phone and other functions much easier – the latter can even be done in wet conditions.

Balance of Performance & Efficiency

Performance vs. efficiency is often the difference between a decent smartphone with a great one – all the features in the world won’t matter unless the device can handle it and the GR5 strikes a perfect balance.

First of all, the 3000mAh battery will stick with you through heavy usage and the recharge time has been drastically reduced. Throw in 2GB RAM, Android 5.1 (aka Lollipop) and a Qualcomm CPU and you have an impressive piece of machinery that lives up to its billing and backs up all the fanfare.

Conclusion

Having gotten the chance to play around with the Huawei GR5 at Cairo 360 Headquarters, there’s a distinctive feel about the device that sets it apart. From the design, to the performance everything is sleek, intuitive and easy, which has become a calling card, of sorts, for the GR line.

Communications about the GR5 has been wrapped up in the notion that the device is for the adventurous among us; this might not be a new sentiment when it comes to consumer electronics, but what Huawei seems to have done is approach the GR5 with the notion of using innovations to fill needs. And it works.

For more information on Huawei, click here.