Another ‘size zero’ offering from Gionee, the Elife S7 is looking at customers who are particular about premium features, but are not necessarily brand conscious. The company wants to drive home the point about size, or the lack of it, and at 5.5 mm, it sure does feel wafer thing to hold. Mind you, it is still not the slimmest phone on the market.

Design

When you build a slim phone, it is bound to be light and at 127 grams, the S7 almost feels malnourished. The U-shaped design of the aluminum frame around the phone makes it feel sturdy though. It is difficult to differentiate the front from the rear as both sides are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. However, it does become a bit of a fingerprint magnet.

The phone is powered by the Android 5.0-based Amigo 3.0 and has a 1.7GHz octa core Media Tek processor. Onboard RAM is pegged at 2GB. The 5.2-inch screen has a resolution of 1080x1920pixels and the pixel density is 424 PPI. The front snapper is an impressive 8 MP and the rear camera is a 13MP shooter. Battery is a bit small at 2700 mAH, obviously stifled by the thin body. The phone has 16GB of internal storage as default, but no external storage slots due to the unibody structure.

Performance

The 13MP shooter at the rear captures good light and colours. Details are pretty good, but for 13MP, it could have been better. With the front camera’s resolution high quality video calling will not be a problem. The audio reproduction is loud and the in-box earphones provided good bass support.

Basic tasks such as browsing the web, checking mail, streaming videos on YouTube and playing the odd game were trouble-free, even with multiple apps opened simultaneously.

Bottomline

Gionee has thrown its hat in the ‘slim phone ring’ with its flagship offering, the Elife S7. And it is packed to the hilt with features you would find in a more premium phone.

Users will like the build quality and while the phone has rounded corners to offer comfortable handling, the aluminum frame is a bit sharp, which might cause discomfort during extensive use. And with the brand yet to establish itself as a big player in the market, the ₹25,999 box price seems a bit too steep.

Price: ₹25,999

Love: Fast processor, good cameras

Hate: Weak battery, pricey

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