Design and Build: A Premium Feel Without the Premium Price Tag
Crafted from a single block of 6000-series aluminum alloy, the Lenovo S5 Pro GT exudes a solidity and premium feel that belies its mid-range positioning. The unibody construction provides a seamless, robust handfeel, free from the creaks or flex often associated with plastic builds. Its dimensions are carefully considered, striking a balance between a substantial screen presence and manageable one-handed use. The device features a sleek, minimalist aesthetic with gracefully curved edges that meld seamlessly into the 2.5D curved glass of the display. This contouring ensures the phone sits comfortably in the palm, avoiding the sharp edges that can make prolonged use a chore.
Available in a selection of sophisticated colorways, such as a deep Nebula Blue or a sleek Phantom Black, the finish is achieved through a meticulous process of sandblasting and anodizing. This results in a smooth, matte texture that is both visually appealing and remarkably resistant to fingerprint smudges—a common annoyance on glossy-backed phones. The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is conveniently positioned for natural index finger placement, and it is flanked by the vertically aligned dual cameras, a design cue that was trendy at the time of its release. The overall design language is clean, modern, and confident, proving that a budget-conscious device doesn’t need to compromise on style or build quality.
Display: An Immersive Viewing Experience
The front of the Lenovo S5 Pro GT is dominated by a 6.2-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2246 x 1080 pixels. This 18.7:9 aspect ratio screen offers an expansive canvas for everything from web browsing and social media scrolling to video consumption and gaming. The use of an IPS panel guarantees excellent color reproduction and wide viewing angles, ensuring content looks vibrant and consistent even when viewed from the side. While it may not offer the inky blacks of an AMOLED counterpart, the display compensates with strong brightness levels and solid contrast, making it usable even under direct sunlight.
A defining characteristic of this display is its “All-Screen” design, which Lenovo achieved through a unique mechanical solution. Instead of a notch or a punch-hole, the S5 Pro GT houses its dual front-facing cameras within a motorized pop-up module that elegantly rises from the top frame when needed. This mechanism allows for a truly uninterrupted viewing experience, maximizing screen real estate and providing a clean, bezel-minimized look that was a significant standout feature in its segment. The mechanism itself is engineered for durability, tested for tens of thousands of cycles to ensure long-term reliability.
Performance and Hardware: The ‘GT’ Designation Delivers
The “GT” in its name is the cornerstone of the S5 Pro GT’s identity, signifying a notable performance upgrade over the standard S5 Pro. At its heart lies the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE processor, a highly respected mid-range chipset built on a 14nm process. This octa-core CPU, comprising four performance Kryo 260 cores clocked at 2.2GHz and four efficiency cores at 1.8GHz, is paired with an Adreno 512 GPU. This combination delivers a robust and efficient performance profile that handles daily tasks with effortless ease. Apps launch quickly, multitasking is fluid, and there is no noticeable lag in the user interface.
The device was offered in multiple RAM and storage configurations, with the top-tier model boasting a substantial 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM. This ample memory ensures that apps stay resident in the background, allowing for quick switching between games, social media, and productivity tools without reloading. Storage options went up to 128GB of internal space (eMMC 5.1), providing plentiful room for apps, photos, music, and videos. For those requiring even more, a dedicated hybrid microSD card slot allows for expansion, though it shares a tray with the second SIM card. For connectivity, it covers all the essentials: dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer.
Gaming Prowess and Thermal Management
The Adreno 512 GPU, when combined with the capable Snapdragon 660, positions the Lenovo S5 Pro GT as a competent gaming device for its class. It can handle popular titles like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile at medium to high graphics settings, delivering a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience without debilitating frame drops. The expansive, notch-free screen further enhances gaming immersion, providing an unobstructed view of the action.
To sustain performance during extended gaming sessions, Lenovo implemented a multi-level cooling system. This typically involves a combination of heat-dissipating graphite sheets and a copper tube that draws heat away from the core SOC towards other areas of the phone’s chassis for more effective dissipation. This proactive thermal management prevents aggressive throttling, ensuring consistent performance over time and keeping the external temperature of the device within comfortable limits.
Camera System: AI-Powered Quad Camera Setup
The Lenovo S5 Pro GT’s camera system was a major marketing point, featuring a total of four cameras—two on the front and two on the rear. The rear camera setup consists of a primary 20-megapixel Sony sensor paired with a secondary 12-megapixel sensor. This dual-pixel arrangement enables features like depth sensing for portrait mode with accurate bokeh effects, and enhanced low-light photography through pixel binning, which combines data from multiple pixels to create a brighter, clearer image.
The star of the show, however, was arguably the motorized pop-up dual selfie camera. This module contained a primary 20-megapixel sensor and an auxiliary 8-megapixel infrared camera. This IR camera was the key to Lenovo’s “Face Unlock” feature, which used structured light to map the user’s face in 3D with over 1000 unique identifiers. This method was significantly more secure than standard 2D facial recognition, making it a viable and fast alternative to the fingerprint scanner. For selfies, the dual cameras allowed for background blur and portrait effects even on front-facing shots.
The camera software was infused with AI (Artificial Intelligence) capabilities, which could automatically identify scenes (e.g., food, blue sky, greenery, document) and optimize settings like saturation, contrast, and exposure to produce the best possible shot for that specific scenario. Features like AR stickers, beauty mode, and panorama were also present, offering a versatile and fun photography experience.
Battery Life and Software
Powering the entire package is a 3500mAh battery, a capacity that was standard and sufficient for the hardware. For the average user, the combination of the efficient Snapdragon 660 and the 3500mAh cell easily provides a full day of use on a single charge, encompassing a mix of browsing, messaging, calls, media playback, and some photography. Under heavier loads, like prolonged GPS navigation or gaming, a mid-day top-up might be necessary. The device supports standard charging via its USB-C port.
On the software front, the Lenovo S5 Pro GT launched with ZUI, Lenovo’s custom Android skin, layered over Android 8.1 (Oreo). ZUI is known for its focus on smooth performance and added features rather than drastic visual overhaul. It includes useful additions like app twin functionality for running dual instances of social media apps, U-Touch for navigation gestures, and various system optimization tools to keep the phone running smoothly. The interface is generally clean and intuitive, avoiding the bloatware that plagues some other manufacturer skins.
Audio and Additional Features
The audio experience on the Lenovo S5 Pro GT is handled by a single bottom-firing speaker. While it gets adequately loud for alarms and media playback in a quiet room, it lacks the richness and stereo separation found on devices with dual speakers. The inclusion of a standard 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome feature for many users, allowing them to use their favorite wired headphones without the need for an adapter. Call quality and microphone performance are solid, providing clear voice transmission.
The pop-up camera mechanism, beyond its functional purpose, also incorporated a layer of software-driven security and personality. The module often featured customizable lighting effects that would activate when the cameras were deployed, adding a touch of flair. Furthermore, the mechanism was designed to retract automatically if the phone’s sensors detected a fall, helping to protect the fragile camera components from damage—a thoughtful engineering touch that demonstrated Lenovo’s attention to detail.