Going beyond the specifications we saw during the unboxing of the Gretel A9 phone, we were able to dedicate some amount of time to have a hands-on experience of the device. The performance of a phone doesn’t always depend on the specifications listed on the box, it’s more often about the user’s first experience and impression with the device. In that case, it is safe to say that the new A9 device was impressive beyond what its spec-sheet listed.

A well customized user interface based on Android 6.0 (Nougat update coming on April) plus the new front-mounted fingerprint sensor, which is now part of the multi-functional Home key, add that to the new design and the variety of paint jobs and finishes, and you get a device that is surely worth checking out.



With all the great features, the Gretel A9 still has some short coming in few aspect (as always with every device out there). At the course of this review, we will point out the low and high sides of this device, before we go into that in details, let’s glance through is its specifications.

Gretel A9 specs Highlight:

Body: Metal unibody, 2.5D curved screen
Screen: 5.0″ IPS LCD with 1,280 x 720 px resolution (320ppi)
Camera: 8Mp (13MP interpolated) Autofocus back camera with flash
Selfie cam: 2MP (5MP interpolated) front camera with flash
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Chipset: MediaTek MT6737; 1.3 Ghz Quad-Core processor
Memory: 2GB of RAM; 16GB storage with microSD slot
Battery: 2,300mAh Li-Po (sealed)
Connectivity: Dual-SIM; LTE-A (Cat. 12 600/150Mbps); USB 2.0; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; GPS/GLONASS/Beidou/Galileo; Bluetooth 4.0
Misc: Fingerprint reader

Box and Components:

Gretel A9 comes in a compact paper retail box with no wrap and no seal. Our dazzling new Matte-Black Gretel A9 awaits inside, but there is more.



The retail box contains a charger plug and a proprietary USB 2.0 cable. This cable is compatible with regular USB 2.0 ports, so it’s not exclusive to the A9 only, There is a spare screen guide and a transparent case. The case is made of rubber, and it snaps fitted onto the A9 device. You will also find an ejector pin and the user guide in the box but sadly, no earphones.



Body and design:

The Gretel A9 is encased in a metal body with perfect curved angles to improve your handling of the device, Gretel offers the A9 in Matte-Black and Pink colors. The device weighs approximately 164 grams.



With a body dimension of 146.6 * 72.8 * 7 mm, the borders are slimmed down but still has enough room for the volume adjustment buttons that can be found on the left side border and the power button which is placed on the right side, just below the SIM/Memory card slot.



The top border is dominated by the USB port and audio jack while the bottom border is left with only the primary microphone hole.



The A9’s front is entirely covered by a fancy 2.5D shaped glass, making it look gorgeous and more premium, the top bezel of the screen is occupied by the 2MP (5MP interpolated) camera, soft flash, call speaker and the proximity sensor. The lower bezel of the screen makes room for the navigation keys, the home button is embedded with a fingerprint scanner that can be used for advanced security purposes.

See full review with pictures here: https://www.naijaandroidarena.com/gretel-a9-full-review/

How much?