[Device Reviews and Information] Alberto96:
Introduction

This is the GRETEL A9.

Hardware

This is the first device ever released by GRETEL, which was a OEM company making smartphones for other brands. Powered by a Mediatek MT6737, with 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM and 8MP Back Camera, it is clear that this is a device targeted for the low-end market.

Unboxing

Packaging comes with some accessories: 1x Micro-USB Cable, 1x 5V/1A USB Charger, 1x Quick Start Guide, 1x TPU Cover, 1x Plastic Screen Protector and the Smartphone (of course). Another screen protector is already applied.

Talking about the dimensions, it is 14.66x7.27x0.89cm, not the smallest 5 inches device you can find. It weights 165g, acceptable considering the metal back cover.

Similar to most unibody devices, also this one features two plastic bands at the top and at the bottom of the back cover, with metal in the center. As regards the materials quality, the plastic parts seems to be a bit too much cheap. (compared to the premium looking metal)

On the front side there is the standard 2.5D Curved Display and the upper front side of the device features a Front-Facing Camera, an Earpiece, and the Sensors hole that includes Light, Proximity and Gesture Sensors. No Notification LED is here.

On the lower front side there is the Touch Keys area, with Menu, and Back buttons, together with the Fingerprint Scanner in the center.

On the back side there is the unibody back cover.

The upper rear side of the device features the small rounded Camera Sensor supported by a single Flashlight.

On the lower rear side there are some certification logos together with the Speaker hole.

Device

Screen

Compared to other budget devices, the screen used here seems to be surprisingly good (expect for the Brightness), even though i notice a small purple halo on the left side, probably an issue of my review unit.

The Light Sensor supports almost smooth light changes, with a proper auto-brightness management. This is its maximum brightness. Not the best to be used under direct-sunlight.

Viewing Angles matches IPS screen capabilities, with no major issues.

Maximum 5 points are supported here.

Camera

Something that surprises me even more is the Back Camera, GRETEL choose to use a Samsung 8MP sensor that, considering the price target, seems to behave pretty good. The Front Camera though...is rubbish unfortunately. (well you can't get everything).

"HDR off" on the left and "HDR on" on the right.

Macro Photos are discrete, not the best neither the worst.

Photos taken in medium and standard light conditions seem to be pretty good too.

Considering the single flashlight, the result isn't too bad.

As regards Video Recording, 720p videos are decent, with stable 25fps.

Even though the front camera has a dedicated flashlight that should be provide better image quality, the sensor itself is really crappy. (OmniVision 2MP, not Wide-Angle)

Audio

Speaker Quality is decent, nothing to complain about, just the standard speaker with almost inexistent low-frequencies and medium-high volume.

As regards the Microphone, it works decently well in any case (in-call, VOIP, etc...), and the earpiece is surprisingly clear and loud.

GPS

GPS Signal is good, not the best, but on a MT6737 this is probably one of the best results.

Indoors on the left, outdoors on the right.

Telephony, Mobile Network & WiFi

Thanks to the 4G Band 20 support, i'm almost everywhere connected to the 4G Network of my Operator, with a good signal reception.

3G Signal Reception is accurate too, actually I never managed to get connected to the 2G Network of my Mobile Operator because there was always some 3G Signal available. (luckily there are no coverage issues here)

4G Network Speed is average, even though it highly depends on your Mobile Operator and mine isn’t pretty good.

WiFi 5GHz isn't supported here. With my 2.4GHz network, i was able to reach almost 42mbps, connected at 65mbps, with the same ping that i get on my Desktop PC.

Battery Life

As always, i have measured the real battery capacity using my USB Tester, and it seems that the real battery capacity much lower compared to the declared value (declared 2300mAh, real ~2030mAh).

This is the PCMark Battery Test. Minimum Brightness and WiFi On. Considering the battery capacity, this is decent.

As regards battery charging times, the 5V/1A charger is enough for a normal charging runtime, but you can't expect super-fast times.

Software

GRETEL choose to use a partially customized Android OS, based on Android 6.0, named FreemeOS (probably familiar to some users). The level of customization is luckily pretty low, so everything can be removed and replaced with Google Apps. Luckily Android Security Patches are updated, and an Android 7.0 OTA is coming soon.

Just like other last-gen Mediatek Devices, there are some typical features such as Gestures, Scheduled Power On/Off, etc…

The Fingerprint Scanner is sufficiently fast, not lightning fast like some other devices, but it is pretty reliable and fast to configure.

[YOUTUBE]S08tLkMADCs[/YOUTUBE]​