The Gimbal F7 Plus: A "Super Large Cup" Experience for 699 Yuan, Is It a Surprise or a Fright?

The Gimbal F7 Plus: A "Super Large Cup" Experience for 699 Yuan, Is It a Surprise or a Fright?Three days ago, a colleague's remark left me puzzled: "Wow, Gimbal released a new phone." At that time, the name Gimbal had almost become a relic in the smartphone industry, yet the product page in my colleague's hand clearly stated "Gimbal F7 Plus

The Gimbal F7 Plus: A "Super Large Cup" Experience for 699 Yuan, Is It a Surprise or a Fright?

Three days ago, a colleague's remark left me puzzled: "Wow, Gimbal released a new phone." At that time, the name Gimbal had almost become a relic in the smartphone industry, yet the product page in my colleague's hand clearly stated "Gimbal F7 Plus." Even more surprising was the claim of 256GB storage, a high-refresh curved screen, and a price tag of only 699 yuan. Driven by curiosity, I pressed the "Buy Now" button without hesitation, determined to find out what kind of "secret" this phone held.

Is Looks Everything? "Borrowing" and "Plasticity" in Appearance

The appearance of the Gimbal F7 Plus is indeed eye-catching at first glance. The black, white, and blue color options, combined with the silver circular decoration on the black camera module, closely resemble the design style of current mainstream flagship phones. One could even say that it "borrows" design concepts from Blue Factory and Black Factory. It's worth mentioning that its camera module also comes equipped with a small-sized display screen, similar to the secondary screen on the back of Xiaomi 11 Ultra, capable of displaying information like time, date, and battery level. This "amalgamation of the best" design does catch the eye.

However, once we remove the "filter," we discover the true "face" of the Gimbal F7 Plus is not so beautiful. It adopts the all-plastic material often used by counterfeit phone manufacturers. The back cover can be depressed with just a light press, and the material of the frame appears rough and cheap.

Screen and Camera: More Style Than Substance, Unable to Hide Weaknesses

When the screen is turned on, the F7 Plus' "waterdrop screen" and large chin design are exposed. While it looks like a curved screen, it's actually an LCD screen covered in a curved glass, with a 720P resolution that's hard to bear. Let's not even mention the claimed 92Hz refresh rate, coupled with the "better than nothing" system animations; it's pure torture for the eyes.

The rear camera module is even more "absurd." It appears to be a triple-camera system, but two of the lenses are fake, which is blatant deception. The actual photography experience is even more disappointing. Even in daylight, its imaging capabilities are "inadequate," with color deviation, insufficient exposure, blurry pictures under magnification, and slow focusing speed. The 13MP main camera can only be said to barely meet daily use.

Processor and System: "Poor" Performance, "Overwhelming" Ads

The Gimbal F7 Plus adopts the domestically produced Tiger T616 for its processor. This is a chip released in 2021, yet it boasts the "beauty" of the Snapdragon 660. 12nm manufacturing process, [email protected] cores + [email protected] cores, ARM G571 CocreGPU, maximum support for 720P 90Hz screen and FHD+ photography these specs appear incredibly "lackluster."

The advertised 8+256GB storage capacity is actually 4+4+256GB, including 4GB of virtual memory, which has become a "standard practice" for third-tier manufacturers.

In terms of the system, the Gimbal F7 Plus uses the FreemeOS system, a favorite of counterfeit phone manufacturers. Overall, the UI design is similar to Xiaomi's system. It seems to be a custom ROM based on AOSP, with operating methods and functions built upon Android 13, but it lacks features commonly found in counterfeit phones, such as "App Clone." Ads, however, are a "standard feature" of this system, popping up even when clicking on settings.

What is even more mind-boggling is that the Gimbal F7 Plus has even stricter control over third-party apps and developer options than legitimate large manufacturers. Every time you install or modify settings, you need to enter a verification code, which is undoubtedly a major inconvenience for users.

The Struggle Behind a Rebranded Phone: Gimbal's "Last Stand"

One can't help but wonder where this Gimbal F7 Plus came from. Gimbal, once a giant in the Chinese smartphone industry, with its slogan "Gimbal Quality, Stand Out," once enjoyed great success. Endorsements by Andy Lau and Feng Xiaogang, along with the "GMB-Voice King" series known for its intelligent Chinese voice input, propelled Gimbal to hold the top spot in domestic phone sales multiple times between 2006 and 2008.

However, in the transition to the smartphone era, Gimbal clearly "fell behind." Despite surpassing 10 million in overseas sales within three years under the leadership of Lu Weibing, this still couldn't reverse the declining trend of its market share. The domestic market was already occupied by other phone brands.

Ultimately, Gimbal's owner, Liu Lirong, invested the company's liquid assets in casinos, becoming the final straw that broke Gimbal's back. Gimbal executives left one after another, each continuing their careers independently. Lu Weibing joined Xiaomi Group, leading the development of Redmi. In 2022, former Gimbal vice president Yu Lei founded a new company, FreeYond, with several former Gimbal executives, focusing on smartphones, smart wearables, and AIoT products.

Today's Gimbal, like countless other niche brands that have vanished, such as Little Pepper, Duo Wei, and Skyworth, has become the target of rebranding by small factories in Shenzhen. The Gimbal F7 Plus is produced by an unknown small factory in Long Hua District, Shenzhen. Lacking a manufacturer, after-sales support, with parameters that are inconsistent and a system filled with ads, it's not an exaggeration to call it the "Nanjiren" of the smartphone industry.

Conclusion: Is the 699 Yuan "Super Large Cup" Really Worth It?

While the Gimbal F7 Plus boasts a deceptively "flagship" appearance, its actual performance has nothing to do with a "super large cup" experience. It's just a counterfeit phone masquerading as a "flagship," with poor performance, a terrible experience, and riddled with "pitfalls." It's utterly disappointing.

I would not recommend anyone buy this phone, even if it looks like a "super large cup," even if its basic use is "passable," even if it only costs 699 yuan. I would recommend buying a genuine phone for a hundred yuan, such as the Redmi 12C or Redmi 13C 5G. Let us "big suckers" be the "testers" of these counterfeit phones for everyone else!