Gigaset GX6 smartphone review - Stable, fast and with replaceable battery
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82.6 % v7 (old) | 12 / 2022 | Gigaset GX6 Dimensity 900, Mali-G68 MP4 | 278 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.60" | 2412x1080 | |
| 81.9 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2022 | Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro SD 778G 5G, Adreno 642L | 235 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.60" | 2408x1080 | |
| 81.1 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2021 | Nokia XR20 SD 480, Adreno 619 | 248 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
| 79.7 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2022 | AGM Glory G1S SD 480, Adreno 619 | 315 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.53" | 2340x1080 |
Case and equipment - Robust and a lot inside
Ruggedized phones are very popular with athletes, but also with companies that can use them to send their employees into inhospitable environments without the work phone breaking right away. And so Gigaset expands its range of ruggedized phones: The GX6 is supposed to convince fresh air lovers as well as corporate bosses.
Gigaset therefore relies on understatement on the outside: The back of the phone, which is available in black or gray, is made of textured plastic, and the camera bezel in gold or silver make the outdoor phone look elegant. In addition, there is an opening for a lanyard at the bottom corner, which is also included with the device. Conveniently, you can even replace the battery; a replacement battery costs 35 Euros (~$37) at Gigaset.
The metal frame slightly protrudes over the display so that it is protected in case of a drop. Additionally, it is shielded by Gorilla Glass 5, a quite resistant display glass. Due to the sturdy construction the phone cannot be twisted or dented. The case is dust and water resistant according to IP68 and also certified according to MIL-STD-810H. At 278 grams (~9.8 oz), the phone is a bit heavier than the competitors from Nokia or Samsung.
The smartphone is actually assembled in Germany, although the components naturally come from all over the world. The manufacturer keeps the packaging plastic-free.
Gigaset gives the phone a programmable side button that can be used to execute shortcuts or open apps. The USB-C port is also designed according to the USB 3.0 standard, so data can be transferred at up to 5 GBit/s.
A notification LED on the front and an FM radio when using wired headphones are also on board. NFC is also provided so that mobile payment services can be used.
The microSD reader does its job quite quickly in the tests with the reference card Angelbird V60. It is separate from the two SIM slots.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (7.7 - 77, n=75, last 2 years) | |
| Gigaset GX6 (Angelbird V60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro (Angelbird V60) | |
| AGM Glory G1S (Angelbird V60) | |
| Nokia XR20 (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Communication, software and operation - WiFi 6 and old patches
The Gigaset GX6 comes to users with support for WiFi 6 and thus achieves good transfer rates between 712 and 918 Mbps. However, as you can see, there are relatively large fluctuations.
5G is on board, and Voice-over-5G is also possible. However, the variety of bands is quite low, especially in the 4G range, so the phone might not be used for mobile Internet on further trips abroad. The signal strength is quite reliable and on a high level in our sample test.
Gigaset installs pretty pure Android 12 without third-party apps. The security patches are from September 2022 and thus not up-to-date at the time of testing. There are flat rates for many repairs outside the 2-year warranty, which can be checked in advance on Gigaset's website.
The 120 Hz touch display can be operated very immediately and also displays scrolling very smoothly. Many gestures are supported by the phone.
Gigaset's smartphone can be biometrically protected from access via fingerprint or face recognition. The fingerprint reader is integrated into the standby button on the right side. It reacts very reliably to fingerprints that have been learned once, but it takes a second until the phone is actually unlocked. Face recognition also works reliably, but it runs via the front-facing camera and a software solution, so it is not as secure.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Nokia XR20 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Nokia XR20 | |
| AGM Glory G1S | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| AGM Glory G1S | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro | |
| Gigaset GX6 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro | |
| Gigaset GX6 | |
Cameras - Even with optical image stabilization
The Gigaset GX6 can boast with its 50-megapixel camera from OmniVision and even an optical image stabilizer. However, the user has to do without a wide-angle lens; there is only a fairly low-resolution macro camera.
Pictures from the main camera look quite vivid, but show unclean contours when looking closer. The pictures have a rather cold white balance and could also be brighter. Details look a bit over-sharpened in the surroundings and larger areas show a clear graininess.
In low light, there is a lack of drawing in dark areas, but the illuminated areas are displayed quite sharply. Overall, the Gigaset GX6 takes good photos for its price range.
Videos can be recorded in 4K with 30 fps. Exposure compensation and autofocus work very reliably here, and the resulting videos are quite usable, even in slightly less light.
There is a selfie camera with 13 megapixels at the front. It takes somewhat low-contrast selfies, but they are usable for social media and not too high magnifications.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main camera FlowerMain camera EnvironmentMain camera Low Light
Display - With 120 Hz and good brightness
Gigaset's GX6 comes with an IPS display that is similar to the display of the Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro, with an expanded Full HD resolution and 120 Hz frame rate. In the Nokia XR20 on the other hand, you only get a 60 Hz display.
The Gigaset GX6 can also keep up with the competition in terms of brightness. Only Nokia's phone offers a bit more luminosity here.
Contrast and color reproduction are quite good, but not perfect. We do not recommend the phone for those who want to judge colors on the display professionally.
We did not notice any PWM, but the response times are quite slow.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 505 cd/m²
Contrast: 1683:1 (Black: 0.3 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.32 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 3 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
99.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.268
| Gigaset GX6 IPS, 2412x1080, 6.6" | Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro PLS, 2408x1080, 6.6" | Nokia XR20 IPS, 2400x1080, 6.7" | AGM Glory G1S IPS, 2340x1080, 6.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | 8% | -7% | -6% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 29 ? | 31 ? -7% | 36 ? -24% | 29 ? -0% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 18 ? | 14 ? 22% | 16 ? 11% | 20 ? -11% |
| PWM Frequency | 1163 ? | |||
| Screen | -62% | -1% | -32% | |
| Brightness middle | 505 | 510 1% | 599 19% | 390 -23% |
| Brightness | 491 | 495 1% | 598 22% | 377 -23% |
| Brightness Distribution | 93 | 92 -1% | 99 6% | 91 -2% |
| Black Level * | 0.3 | 0.46 -53% | 0.33 -10% | 0.43 -43% |
| Contrast | 1683 | 1109 -34% | 1815 8% | 907 -46% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.32 | 7.41 -72% | 4.52 -5% | 5.13 -19% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.22 | 13.26 -84% | 7.6 -5% | 7.96 -10% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3 | 10.6 -253% | 4.2 -40% | 5.7 -90% |
| Gamma | 2.268 97% | 2.518 87% | 2.279 97% | 2.423 91% |
| CCT | 7098 92% | 10050 65% | 7309 89% | 7974 82% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -27% /
-48% | -4% /
-2% | -19% /
-27% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 18 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 10 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 37 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 29 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 15 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 14 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 36 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.5 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8485 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance, emissions and battery life - Lots of power, long runtimes
Thanks to the MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC, the Gigaset GX6 is equipped with good performance for an outdoor phone in this price range. The Galaxy XCover 6 Pro is a bit faster in some benchmarks, but the Gigaset phone is well equipped for everyday use: You can navigate smoothly in the menus, even somewhat more complex apps and games run on the phone, and multitasking is possible. However, you should not overdo it; it is not a high-end phone.
The Gigaset GX6 does not get excessively warm. We measured a maximum of 37.1 °C (~99 °F) on the front. This is slightly noticeable, but not at all problematic.
The speaker on the bottom is averagely loud and offers a rather treble-heavy sound. Music is more fun via headphones or external speakers. These can be connected via a 3.5 mm port or Bluetooth. Apart from aptX HD, however, no HD codecs are supported for wireless audio transmission.
The Gigaset GX6 can be charged with 30 watts via cable, but a corresponding charger is not included. a full charge takes a maximum of 1:45 hours. The battery can be charged wirelessly with up to 15 watts according to the Qi standard.
The 5,000 mAh battery can be replaced and has a much higher capacity than in the XCover 6 Pro. Thus, it is not surprising that the Gigaset GX6 lasts much longer: Up to 16:42 hours are possible in our WLAN test. That should also be enough for two working days without charging.
| GFXBench | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | |
| Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 144, n=208, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro | |
| Gigaset GX6 | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (15 - 16, n=6) | |
| Nokia XR20 | |
| AGM Glory G1S | |
| 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Average of class Smartphone (1.2 - 129, n=207, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro | |
| Gigaset GX6 | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (9.7 - 11, n=6) | |
| Nokia XR20 | |
| AGM Glory G1S | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5.5 - 166, n=207, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro | |
| Gigaset GX6 | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (22 - 25, n=6) | |
| Nokia XR20 | |
| AGM Glory G1S | |
| 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.4 - 321, n=207, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro | |
| Gigaset GX6 | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (24 - 28, n=6) | |
| Nokia XR20 | |
| AGM Glory G1S | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=212, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (2800 - 30485, n=6) | |
| Gigaset GX6 | |
| Nokia XR20 | |
| Gigaset GX6 | Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro | Nokia XR20 | AGM Glory G1S | Average 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 99% | 52% | 49% | 38% | 286% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 953.5 | 841.6 -12% | 485 -49% | 497.9 -48% | 760 ? -20% | 2040 ? 114% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 454.7 | 484.7 7% | 452 -1% | 484.1 6% | 297 ? -35% | 1655 ? 264% |
| Random Read 4KB | 194.9 | 170.6 -12% | 174.8 -10% | 168 -14% | 152.9 ? -22% | 283 ? 45% |
| Random Write 4KB | 39.9 | 204.2 412% | 146.2 266% | 141 253% | 131.6 ? 230% | 327 ? 720% |
Temperature
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.1 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.8 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
Gigaset GX6 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 45% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 49% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 63% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 31% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
AGM Glory G1S audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 74.5% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(-) | nearly no mids - on average 74.5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(-) | nearly no highs - on average 74.5% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (120.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 88% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 3% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 96% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 1% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery life
| Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
| Average of class Smartphone (476 - 3244, n=208, last 2 years) | |
| Gigaset GX6 | |
| AGM Glory G1S | |
| Nokia XR20 | |
| Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro | |
Pros
Cons
Conclusion - Good alternative from Germany
Gigaset manages to offer a thoroughly convincing alternative to the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro: There is a similar amount of performance, a good camera with image stabilization, a high-capacity and replaceable battery and a stable, albeit somewhat heavy case.
The display is sufficiently bright and displays colors fairly accurately. It also manages without PWM. We did not measure any noticeable heating under load or throttling, and Gigaset's phone can be charged with up to 30 watts.
In addition, you get a phone that is assembled in Germany and also comes with a comprehensive service promise. Especially in the first few months, you are well covered and as a German customer, you can take advantage of an on-site repair in many cities.
The Gigaset GX6 hardly has any weaknesses and proves to be a fast and stable outdoor phone with pure Android and an exchangeable battery.
Apart from the outdated security patches, the squawky speaker and the somewhat heavy casing, we could not find any real weak points in the test.
Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro remains a strong competitor. The phone is now available for quite a low price, for example at amazon.de. With the Nokia XR20 you have to do without performance and camera quality, but the price has also dropped considerably.
Price and availability
The Gigaset GX6 is available for 579 Euros (~$611) directly from the manufacturer.
To the same price the cell phone is at the time of test also with our loaner notebooksbilliger.de or with amazon.de available.
Gigaset GX6
- 12/08/2022 v7 (old)
Florian Schmitt
Price comparison
