THL T5000 Philippines Price Php 11,999, Unboxing, Initial Impressions : Has 2 GHz Octa Core MT6592 Processor, 5,000 mAh Battery Pack

Our friends at Novo7Tech - the official distributor of THL smartphones in the Philippines - call this flagship 'THL T5000' instead of just 5000 -- the name by which it is known internationally. They didn't tell me exactly why they added the 'T' but I think it does make the name sound more catchy and it immediately gives you the impression that the handset shares an affinity with the best-selling T100s MonkeyKing2 and T200 Cyborg, which were both introduced in the Philippines via TechPinas several months ago.

THL T5000

Like those two high-end smartphones, THL T5000 was also formally announced by Novo7Tech through TechPinas last May. Obviously, it took a while for the device to reach our shores but the good thing is that it's finally here.

THL T5000

I know many of you are excited about this stellar release -- not just because of its powerhouse innards and affordable price tag but also - and perhaps, even more so - because of its monster 5,000 mAh battery, which is one of the biggest if not the biggest built-in pack powering a smartphone currently.

Before I show you the device's complete technical specifications and Antutu Benchmark Score, let's do a quick unboxing and check out all the items that join the handset inside the retail package.

THL T5000
Just like THL T100s and T200, THL 5000 comes with this simple white box, made completely of carton; Even the tray holding the phone is made of paper. The entire packaging is very eco-friendly and - as a tree-hugger - it's something that I totally appreciate.

THL T5000
At the bottom of the box, THL printed the flagship release's key technical specifications for the buyers to see and know - outright - exactly what they're getting.

THL T5000
Lifting the tray, you'll find the travel charger, microUSB to USB cable, earphones with microphone, and the Quick Start Guide. THL also added a free screen protector aside from the pre-installed one.

THL T5000
THL T5000 is available in just two colors; White and Black.

THL T5000
I'm not sure if you can see it in this photo but the plastic back plate has a soft texture, which helps it become more resistant to fingerprints. Also, the metallic THL logo with brushed swirl finish makes its first appearance on this release.

THL T5000
For a smartphone that has a large 5,000 mAh battery, THL T5000 is rather slim -- measuring only 8.9 millimeters at its thickest point. But weighing 146 grams, the phone's heft will remind you that it has that massive pack powering it.

According to Mr. Adrian Lim - Novo7Tech's IT Director - THL T5000's battery adopts the latest silicon anode li-polymer battery technology, which has a unit density capacity that's 4 times larger than regular Li-Ion packs used in most Android smartphones these days. This innovation is what allowed this handset to be this thin.

THL T5000
Update: For those who are asking, the battery of THL T5000 is non-removable but there's a hard reset button located beside SIM Slot 1, which - when pressed - gives the same effect as a battery pull.

THL T5000
THL T5000 has more metallic accents compared to THL T100s MonkeyKing2 but it's nowhere near as shiny as THL T200 Cyborg, which has really lush chrome-plated embellishments.

THL T5000
You get a 13 MegaPixel autofocus camera with LED flash and Sony sensor at the back, which delivers clear and bright shots even indoors or in low light conditions. The front-cam features a wide-angle lens made by Samsung, which is great for "groufies" -- but struggles a bit when there's little lighting.

THL T5000
There's a free screen protector (made by THL itself) that's included in the box apart from the one that's pre-installed on the device. I think it's a tad unnecessary considering that the phone's 5-inch Full HD IPS display is protected by scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 -- but hey, a freebie is always good and appreciated.

THL T5000
The earphones have tangle-resistant flat wires, a microphone for making calls, and in-ear noise-cancelling silicon buds.

Alright. Now, let's talk about THL T5000's internal specifications.

THL T5000

The handset runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system - sans custom skin but having customized icons - with a 2 GHz Octa Core MediaTek MT6592 "Turbo" chipset that incorporates eight ARM Cortex A7 CPUs and a quad core Mali 450-MP4 GPU. This powerhouse SoC is completed by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of ROM (9.77 GB user available) that can be beefed up using the phone's microSD card slot.

THL T5000
The combination of these innards give the phone an Antutu Benchmark Score in the area of 30,520.

THL T5000
In Antutu's Bar Chart, this mark puts THL T5000 in between Xiaomi Redmi Note and Xiaomi Mi3 - supposedly - in terms of overall performance. Having used the smartphone for a week now, I'd say this score well reflects the smooth 3D gaming experience that the device provides; So far, I've played Asphalt 8 and Riptide GP2 on my THL T5000 and it's been all good.

THL T5000

So am I recommending THL T5000? Definitely! For just Php 11,999, I think this Dual SIM flagship smartphone is an absolute steal. You get top-notch innards, great features and specs, and a really long uptime. I mean, it's been three days now that I'm using the phone to check Facebook, browse the web, and play games and the battery's still at 23%. It's great. THL T5000 is by no means perfect; I think the front cam could be better in terms of low light performance and the display - although visually appealing - is not quite as brilliant as that of THL T100s or T200 -- but given everything that it gives you for that amount, I believe this release is worthy of our TP Badge of Excellence and my utmost recommendation. For me, this handset represents value for money at its finest.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name THL T5000
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen), Phablet
Price Category Upper Midrange, Flagship Release
Dimensions144.2 x 70.4 x 8.9mm
Weight 146 grams
Available Colors White, Black
Operating System Android 4.4.2 KitKat
Display 5 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels pixels, IPS OGS, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, 5-point Multi-touch
Processor 2 GHz Octa Core ARM Cortex A7 CPU, Mali-450 GPU, MediaTek MT6592 chipset
RAM 2 GB RAM
Internal Storage 16 GB, expandable via microSD card slot, supporting up to 64 GB
Camera Main: 13 MegaPixels with Sony IMX135 Blue Lens sensor, autofocus, LED flash, F/2.0 Aperture, 5P lens, IR filter and Close-Loop Motor
Front: 5 MegaPixels camera supports Samsung 4E1 wide-angle of 88°
Video Capture Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second for both cameras (to be confirmed)
Audio and Video Playback / Supported File Formats Audio File Format: MP3, WAV, AMR, AWB
Video File Format: 3GP, MPEG4
Image File Format: JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, GIF
E-book Format: TXT, CHM, DOC, HTML
Ports microUSB v2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack, USB On-The-Go
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, 3G HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, HSPA+, NFC
GPS Yes, with A-GPS and EPO assistance to speed up positioning (TBC)
Sensors Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyroscope
Network 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 2100
SIM Card Type Dual Regular Mini SIM
Battery Non-Removable Li-Ion 5,000 mAh battery
Uptime Standby: 1,000 Hours
Talk Time: 47 Hours
Music Play: 125 Hours
Web Browsing: 11 Hours
Video Play: 11.6 Hours
Value-Added Features New MT6592 "Turbo" chip, Extra Large Battery, Full HD Display, 2 GB of RAM
Announcement August 2014 via TechPinas
Availability Philippines: September 2014
Price Official via Novo7Tech: Php 11,999