Back in February, Huawei unveiled a new mid-range smartphone in the Kenyan market, the Huawei GR5 (2017). The device is a remake of last year’s gadget going by the same name with updated internals, design elements and software.
The launch of the 2017 edition of the GR5 got me asking some questions. Like whether we will get to see a 2017 version of the GR3 smartphone that accompanied the GR5 last year.
I have an answer. The Huawei GR3 (2017) does indeed exist. The device was unveiled in early April in Algeria, the only place it seems to be available on the planet at the moment, at least on an official basis. Some resellers already have the device in stock in Kenya and it costs just a little over Kshs 21,000.
The device’s whereabouts so far have been hush-hush with its existence only being confirmed by a listing on Huawei’s consumer tech products site. Like most other budget devices, the GR3 (2017) never had the honour of being formally introduced to the world by its maker at a glitzy launch ceremony attended by the world’s tech media or a hot-off-the-press release hitting the inboxes of every news editor. It just slipped into place.
Like other members of Huawei’s GR series, the Huawei GR3 (2017) is simply the company’s repackaging of another device from its Honor sub-brand that is meant for the markets outside Asia and Europe where the Honor brand is not active. In the case of the GR3 (2017), it is based on the Honor 8 Lite, a delightful mid-range device.
The Huawei GR5 (2017) is based on the Honor 6X while last year’s model was based on the Honor 5X.
The Huawei GR3 (2017) is one of the first budget devices from Huawei to ship with its new version of Emotion UI, 5.0, which is based on Android 7.0, Nougat. The GR5 (2017), which is larger and heavier, shipped with the dated EMUI 4.1 which is based on Android 6.0, Marshmallow.
Specifications of the device are as follows:
| Dimensions and weight | 147.20 mm x 72.94 mm x 7.60 mm, 147 g (including the battery) |
| Display | 5.2-inch Full HD display |
| Camera | Main camera: 12 MP Secondary camera: 8 MP |
| Processor | Octa-core Kirin 655 |
| Memory | 3GB RAM, 16GB onboard storage |
| Operating System | Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 5.0 |
| Battery | 3,000mAh |
| Network | 3G, 4G |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Others | Fingerprint sensor (at the back) |
| Colour options | Black, White and Gold |
