Two phones which take photography seriously have to be Gionee’s Elife E7 and Sony’s Xperia Z1. Both devices were launched not long back, with the Elife E7 being the more recent out of the two. While the Xperia Z1 pretty much burns a hole in your pocket, the Elife E7 is very competitively priced.
Hardware
| Model | Gionee Elife E7 | Sony Xperia Z1 |
| Display | 5.5 inches, 1920 x 1080p | 5 inches, 1920 x 1080p |
| Processor | 2.2GHz/2.5GHz quad core | 2.2GHz quad core |
| RAM | 2GB/3GB | 2GB |
| Internal Storage | 16GB/32GB | 16GB |
| OS | Android v4.2 | Android v4.2 |
| Cameras | 16MP/8MP | 20.7MP/2MP |
| Battery | 2500mAh | 3000mAh |
| Price | Starts 26,999 INR | About 41,000 INR |
Display
There’s a difference of 0.5 inches in display size of the devices. The newer of the lot, the E7, comes with the larger, 5.5 inch screen while the Xperia Z1 comes with a standard 5 inch screen. Both devices feature a 1080p resolution, making then great devices for multimedia usage. Choosing one between a 5 inch and a 5.5 inch device is totally up to you to decide, however.
Camera and Storage
This is probably the one segment where both these devices set themselves apart from the other crop of flagships. The Gionee Elife E7 boasts a 16MP camera which according to them is the ‘most sensitive camera’, while the Sony Xperia Z1 comes with a a 20.7MP shooter which promises DSLR-like picture quality. To choose between either you really will have to test both devices yourself, and the E7 will be tough to get hold of before you choose to buy one.
The E7 comes in 16GB/32GB variants, but neither comes with a microSD slot for further expansion. On the other hand, the Xperia Z1 does feature one, making it more flexible than the E7.
Processor and Battery
As mentioned previously, the E7 comes in two variants. The 16GB variant comes with the standard 2.2GHz quad core Snapdragon 800, while the 32GB one comes with 2.5GHz variant of the Snapdragon 800, along with an extra gig of RAM thrown in. In totality, the 2.5GHz variant of the E7 should quite easily outperform the Xperia Z1, with its powerful processor and extra RAM.
Battery is where the E7 bows down to the Z1; it comes with only a 2500mAh unit to feed the large 5.5 inch screen, whereas the Z1 comes with not only a smaller screen but a larger, 3000mAh battery as well.
Conclusion
If there’s no constraints of budget, the Xperia Z1 does sound like the more safer option at the moment.However, if you feel adventurous and want to save a few grand Rupees as the same time, going for the Elife E7 will be exciting. A tip, if you do decide to go for the E7, make sure it is the 2.5GHz 3GB RAM edition.
