Gionee GPad G5 5.5-inch hexa core phablet laucned for Rs 14999

The Gionee GPad G5 phablet may have a hexa core processor, but it’s a downgrade in a manner of speaking when compared to its predecessor and this shows in the price of Rs 14999 attached to it. The GPad G4 is currently pegged at Rs 16999 officially even though it was launched for Rs 18999.



The only advantage the Gionee GPad G5 possesses at present is the fact that the Mi 3 has stepped away from the limelight temporarily. Otherwise, it’d be racking up a lot of criticism considering its price is Rs 1000 heavier than the Xiaomi phone’s tag.

And it’s not like the GPad G5 has anything spectacular to show in comparison. Apart from having a hexa core processor, its specs sheet isn’t too impressive. There’s 1GB of RAM onboard and 8GB of ROM, though it does come with expandability of up to 32GB unlike the Mi 3 and GPad G4.

Also see: Xiaomi Mi 3 handset disappears in 2.4 seconds from Flipkart, sales stopped indefinitely

The new GPad takes some design cues from the Mi 3 although it would have done better to borrow more tips on the internal components. The phone is sharp on all four corners and has an easy way about it on the back with its slightly curvy build which should offer a good grip.



This forthcoming Gionee device embeds dual SIM slots and 3G connectivity, but no 4G LTE. Its 5.5-inch IPS display which is protected with Dragontrail Glass would have been more interesting if it did full HD instead of sticking to 1280 x 720p resolution .

At least there’s Android KitKat inside and a decent capacity 2400mAh battery that will let you squeeze about 12 hours of 3G talk time out of it. You also get two SIM card slots and an 8MP camera with flash on the back. You’ll have to make do with a 2MP lens for video calls.

Gionee GPad G5 key specs at a glance:

- 5.5-inch 1280 x 720p IPS Dragontrail Glass screen
- Android v4.4 KitKat OS
- 8MP main camera w/ LED flash, 2MP front lens
- 1.5GHz hexa core Cortex A7 processor
- 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage
- 32GB memory expandability
- 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
- Dual SIM card slots
- 2400mAh battery, 12 hours 3G talk time
- 157.3 x 77.6 x 7.9 millimeters
- Black and white color options

The Gionee GPad 5 is not up for sale yet, but it will be made available soon enough through the company’s very own store as well as via other retailers.

Gionee Elife E7 Mini Gets Android 4.4.2 KitKat Update in India

 

Gionee, a popular Chinese smartphone maker, has released the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for its Elife E7 Mini handset in India. It is worth noting that the smartphone, when launched in December last year, came with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box.

For now, customers will not be able to update their handsets, and will have to visit a Gionee service centre (full list) to get their Elife E7 Mini updated to Android 4.4.2 KitKat. The company made the announcement via a post on its Facebook page for India. A detailed changelog is also available (via Android OS), with the various changes the update brings with it.

The Android 4.4.2 KitKat update is said to bring a new desktop layout design, updated Amigo paper with redesigned user interface, Du speed booster for faster performance, new gaming user interface giving a better grip over gaming applications, as well as a new TouchPal input method and camcard.

The Gionee Elife E7 Mini also gets several changes to applications with the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update, including updates for GioneeXender for high-speed file transfers, UC browser for much responsive and better page-loading effects, NQ Mobile Security, Kingsoft WPS, and Map for one single entrance into the main menu, come as a part of the OS update.

The Elife E7 Mini comes with a 4.7-inch display with a 720x1280 pixels resolution. It is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core Mediatek MT6592 processor alongside a Mali 450MP4 GPU and 1GB of RAM. The highlight of the Elife E7 mini is its 13-megapixel camera which comes with rotating capabilities; something we already saw on Oppo N1 smartphone. 
 

Key Specs

Display

4.70-inch

Processor

1.7GHz

Front Camera

No

Resolution

720x1280 pixels

RAM

1GB

OS

Android 4.2

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

13-megapixel

Battery capacity

2200mAh

Gionee's 5mm-Thick Next Contender for World's Slimmest Smartphone Spotted

While Gionee's current contender for the world's slimmest smartphone crown, the Gionee Elife S5.5 (Review | Pictures), does certainly make an impression with its 5.5mm thickness - it looks like the company is looking to make an even slimmer phone before anyone challenges its claimed record. A 5mm-thick handset has been spotted at the China-equivalent of the FCC, called the Gionee GN9005.

Notably, with the launch of Gionee Elife S5.5, the firm managed to beat the record previously held by Vivo X3 by 0.25mm. To give a better idea of the yet-to-be-announced Gionee GN9005's 5mm thickness, the Apple iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5 measure 7.6mm and 8.1mm respectively in thickness. However, with the slimness, Gionee seems to be shedding some of the high-end specifications on the GN9005 that were found on the Elife S5.5.

The Gionee GN9005, which appears not to be the final name of the smartphone, was spotted listed Tenaa with specifications.

According to the Tenaa listing, the Gionee GN9005 sports a 4.8-inch HD (720x1280 pixel) AMOLED display. The smartphone is also seen running on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box and powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor (unspecified) paired with 1GB of RAM. While the handset comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage, it also features an 8-megapixel rear and 5-megapixle front-facing camera. A 2050mAh battery backs the handset.

With the listing smartphone seems to be headed first for China Mobile, and is expected to be 4G LTE network compatible. As expected, the Gionee GN9005 is yet to be allotted a price tag. Also, there is no word on its launch time frame.

To recall, the Gionee Elife S5.5 is a single-SIM smartphone that runs the company's Amigo 2.0 UI on top of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. However, earlier this month the smartphone was said to have been receiving the Android 4.4.2 update.

Some of the other key specifications are 5-inch Super AMOLED (1080x1920 pixels) Plus display, 1.7GHz octa-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera, 16GB of internal storage with no expandability options, and 2300mAh battery. The handset was first unveiled in February, ahead of the Mobile World Congress 2014 event.

Xiaomi Mi3 vs Gionee Elife E7 Mini: Playing the Mid-Range Segment, The Chinese Way

The Indian smartphone market, which has already taken the size of a juggernaut, keeps rolling on. And while it rolls its way down the smartphone hill, it seems like the juggernaut keeps boasting more and more new phones from a host of different makers on the way.

There are a host of smartphones in the market to choose from in recent times. These smartphones are not only made by primary makers such as Samsung, Apple or Sony, but also vi a number of Indian makers such as Micromax, Karbonn and others.

However, keeping both the Indian and rest of the world smartphone makers out of the context for the moment, it seems like Chinese handset makers are doing quite the job of releasing phones at regular intervals. Needless to say, they have found a safe haven for that in the native smartphone market. 

When we talk about Chinese phones, you will notice that a lot of different names are already present in the market in recent times. And two such devices looking to make a mark for themselves are the new Xiaomi Mi3 and the previously released Gionee Elife E7 Mini. 

While Gionee is already becoming a household name in the market with its regular pushout of devices, the Xiaomi Mi3 will look to test the market even more, while creating more problems for other makers in the race. 

So if we are to keep all others out of the contention and take both these Chinese handsets and pit them against each other in a comparison, who do you think will have the upper hand? We take closer look.

Xiaomi Mi3 vs Gionee Elife E7 Mini: Operating System 
There's much to choose from in this respect since both the devices run on the Google-based Android operating system. In fact, both the devices offer Android Jelly Bean out of the box.

Xiaomi Mi3 vs Gionee Elife E7 Mini: Display and Dimensions 
The Xiaomi Mi3 sports a 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touch screen, while rendering 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution. Also, the device's overall dimensions measure up to 144 x 73.6 x 8.1 mm. 

The device weighs in at 145 grams. The Elife E7 Mini, comparatively, comes with a slightly greater 4.7-inch display with an IGZO capacitive touch screen, while also rendering 720 x 1280 pixels resolution. The device's overall dimensions measure up to 139.8 x 66.2 x 8.6 mm.

Xiaomi Mi3 vs Gionee Elife E7 Mini: Camera 
The Xiaomi Mi3, in the camera department, offers a 13-megapixel primary camera, sporting a pixel resolution of 4128 x 3096 pixels, with autofocus and dual LED flash. The device also has a 2-megapixel fron shooter. 

The Elife E7 Mini, on the other hand, sports a similar 13-megapixel primary camera, sporting a pixel resolution of 4160 x 3120 pixels. The device, however, doesn't offer a front facing snapper. 

Xiaomi Mi3 vs Gionee Elife E7 Mini: Processors 
While the Xiaomi Mi3 is equipped with a quad core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 processor, the Gionee Elife E7 Mini comes equipped with a greater octa core 1.7 GHz processor. 

Xiaomi Mi3 vs Gionee Elife E7 Mini: Storage and RAM 
The Xiaomi Mi3 offers 2GB of RAM to users while offering the device in a 16GB internal memory variant. However, an external microSD slot for further memory expansion is missing. 

The Gionee Elife E7 Mini smartphone, however, offers 1GB of RAM while offering the device in 16 GB internal memory variant. Again, there's no option to expand the device's memory as a microSD slot is absent. 

Xiaomi Mi3 vs Gionee Elife E7 Mini: Battery 
While the Xiaomi Mi3 juices up the device via a massive 3050 mAh battery, the Gionee Elife E7 Mini comes fitted with a lesser yet potent 2200 mAh battery. 

Xiaomi Mi3 vs Gionee Elife E7 Mini: Price 
While the Xiaomi Mi3 is set to be available at a price tag of Rs. 14,999, the Gionee Elife E7 Mini is listed with a price tag of Rs. 17,599. 

Xiaomi Mi3 vs Gionee Elife E7 Mini: Verdict 
Both these phone, more or less, offer the similar kind of specs and features. Both have a problem when it comes to external microSD support, while both enjoy massive camera offerings at the same time. So it is quite the rivalry with both more or less mirroring each other. 

However, if we are to pick a winner among both, it has to be said that the Gionee Elife E7 Mini takes the cake with its far superior octa core processor. Surely, the power of eight will be enough to push the phone across the finish line, when compared to its Xiaomi rival.