Gionee Elife S5.5 Specs, Features, Initial Review and Impressions : The Thinnest Smartphone in the World Today
Measuring just 5.75 millimeters at its thickest point (the slightly protruding camera module) and 5.5 millimeters in all other parts, Gionee Elife S5.5 is inarguably the thinnest or slimmest full-fledged smartphone ever released.
I got the chance to play with this landmark handset during one of my meetings with Belexis Corporation - the official and exclusive distributor of Gionee smartphones in the Philippines - last month and, off hand, I can tell you that its ultra-slim form factor is just one of the many, many things to love about this stellar release.
On the outside, Gionee Elife S5.5 flaunts dual scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 panels on both front and back, sandwiching a real metal aluminum frame. Not only is this design language very visually appealing but it also makes the device highly durable and it really gives the user a solid, reassuring feel in the hand when holding the phone. Simply put, Gionee Elife S5.5 is slim but it's not flimsy.
Gionee Elife S5.5 features a beautiful 5-inch Full HD SuperAMOLED display, which looks almost the same as that of Samsung Galaxy S4 -- having similar pixel density and overall visual impact. Details look crisp and brilliant, and colors really pop regardless of the viewing angle. Also, there's little to no gap between the display panel and thin glass touchscreen, which contributes to the phone's sleek form factor and makes navigating the interface more enjoyable.
At the back, we'll find the 13 MegaPixel autofocus camera with LED flash complemented by the 5 MegaPixel front cam for selfies. I've played with both shooters and I think they deliver a decent performance even indoors -- thanks to their BSI sensors. I will post sample photos - and even videos taken using the Full HD 30fps video camera - in my full review.
Under the hood, Gionee Elife S5.5 runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system - heavily skinned by the latest version of the Chinese company's Amigo user interface - with the industry leading Octa Core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex A7 and Mali-450MP4 GPU based MediaTek MT6592 chipset. Aside from that, the device handles multitasking with 2 GB of RAM and has 16 GB of internal storage. In terms of connectivity, S5.5 supports WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G HSPA+.
As of writing, Belexis Corporation hasn't disclosed the official suggested retail price and exact release date of Gionee Elife S5.5 in the Philippines. I believe, though, that the world's slimmest smartphone will land here within July 2014 with an understandably premium price tag. Trust that I'll keep you posted as soon as I get updates from Gionee so I hope you keep checking my blog, TP Friends. Update: The official SRP of Gionee Elife S5.5 is Php 21,999. The handset is now available nationwide.
I got the chance to play with this landmark handset during one of my meetings with Belexis Corporation - the official and exclusive distributor of Gionee smartphones in the Philippines - last month and, off hand, I can tell you that its ultra-slim form factor is just one of the many, many things to love about this stellar release.
On the outside, Gionee Elife S5.5 flaunts dual scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 panels on both front and back, sandwiching a real metal aluminum frame. Not only is this design language very visually appealing but it also makes the device highly durable and it really gives the user a solid, reassuring feel in the hand when holding the phone. Simply put, Gionee Elife S5.5 is slim but it's not flimsy.
I've held many, many slim smartphones over the years but S5.5 takes the cake when it comes to absolute thinness. Looking at the device from this angle, you'd really wonder Gionee was able to fit all of the great hardware inside it, including the 2,000 mAh Li-Ion battery pack.
Gionee Elife S5.5 features a beautiful 5-inch Full HD SuperAMOLED display, which looks almost the same as that of Samsung Galaxy S4 -- having similar pixel density and overall visual impact. Details look crisp and brilliant, and colors really pop regardless of the viewing angle. Also, there's little to no gap between the display panel and thin glass touchscreen, which contributes to the phone's sleek form factor and makes navigating the interface more enjoyable.
At the back, we'll find the 13 MegaPixel autofocus camera with LED flash complemented by the 5 MegaPixel front cam for selfies. I've played with both shooters and I think they deliver a decent performance even indoors -- thanks to their BSI sensors. I will post sample photos - and even videos taken using the Full HD 30fps video camera - in my full review.
S5.5's 3.5 audio jack is located at the rear, which I like since the wires won't get in the way when I'm listening to music while checking Facebook or browsing websites on the display.
As I've said, the phone's camera module slightly protrudes at the back. I believe Gionee will be releasing cases and flip covers for this phone to help you protect this bump against the scratches and bumps of regular use.
Under the hood, Gionee Elife S5.5 runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system - heavily skinned by the latest version of the Chinese company's Amigo user interface - with the industry leading Octa Core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex A7 and Mali-450MP4 GPU based MediaTek MT6592 chipset. Aside from that, the device handles multitasking with 2 GB of RAM and has 16 GB of internal storage. In terms of connectivity, S5.5 supports WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G HSPA+.
As of writing, Belexis Corporation hasn't disclosed the official suggested retail price and exact release date of Gionee Elife S5.5 in the Philippines. I believe, though, that the world's slimmest smartphone will land here within July 2014 with an understandably premium price tag. Trust that I'll keep you posted as soon as I get updates from Gionee so I hope you keep checking my blog, TP Friends. Update: The official SRP of Gionee Elife S5.5 is Php 21,999. The handset is now available nationwide.
| Name | Gionee Elife S5.5 |
| Type | Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen) |
| Price Category | High End |
| Dimensions | 144 x 69.8 x 5.75 mm |
| Weight | 133 grams |
| Available Colors | White with Gold Frame, Black |
| Operating System | Android 4.2 Jelly Bean skinned by Amigo UI 2.0 |
| Display | 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density), 1080 x 1920 pixels, 800 x 1280 pixels, Super AMOLED, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Processor | Octa Core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex A7 CPU, Mali-450MP4 GPU, MediaTek MT6592 chipset |
| RAM | 2 GB RAM |
| Internal Storage | 16 GB, non-expandable |
| Camera | Main: 13 MegaPixels, 4160 x 3120 pixels, autofocus, LED flash Front: 5 MegaPixels front camera |
| Video Capture | Main: Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second Front: HD 720p (to be confirmed) |
| Audio and Video Playback | MP4, H.264, H.263, MP3, WAV, eAAC+ player |
| Ports | microUSB v2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0, 3G HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, HSPA+ |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity, Light, Gyroscope |
| Network | 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 |
| SIM Card Type | microSIM |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 2,300 mAh battery |
| Uptime | 490 Hours of Standby 27 Hours of Talk Time |
| Value-Added Features | Thinnest Smartphone in the World as of July 2014, Metal Frame |
| Announcement | Philippines: July 2014 |
| Availability | Philippines: July 2014 |
| Price | Official: Php 21,999 |
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