Gionee has today launched its new flagship phone, Elife E8 with a 24 MP camera that can stitch a 120 MP image, granting all the needed hype and eligibility to grab headlines across the globe. We were present on the ground and got to spend some time with the new Elife E8, here are our first impressions.
Gionee Elife E8 Quick Specs
- Display Size: 6 Inch Quad HD 2K AMOLED Display
- Processor: 2.0 GHz MediaTek Helio X10 (MT6795) Octa-Core 64-bit (Cortex A53) processor with PowerVR G6200 GPU
- RAM: 3 GB
- Software Version: Android 5.1Lollipop with Amigo 3.0 UI
- Camera: 24MP rear camera, 4K video recording
- Secondary Camera: 8MP Selfie camera
- Internal Storage: 64GB
- External Storage: MicroSD support up to 128 GB
- Battery: 3500 mAh
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, Fingerprint sensor
Gionee E8 Hands on Review [Video]
Design, Build and Display
Gionee Elife E8 is neither slim nor light, but it is premium and built from metal. The handset has a decent heft to it and the best part is the gorgeous Quad HD Amoled panel with high contrast, deep blacks and colors that pop just right. If 6 Inch Display devices aren’t too big for you, you won’t have any reason to complain with Elife E8.
On the rear surface, there is a fingerprint sensor right below the camera sensor. On the top of the camera you can see four holes and there is secondary mic for noise cancelation below one of these. The speaker grill is still housed on the rear surface. Notably, Gionee managed to house a large 24 MP sensor without any noticeable camera bump.
Processor and RAM
Gionee has used MediaTek’s high end Helio X10 or MT6795 octa core clocked at 2 GHz to power Elife E8. This is the same chip which we experienced in HTC One M9 Plus. It is a very powerful chip which makes more sense in a world where all Qualcomm high end SoCs are doubling as induction hotplate coils. The chipset is further aided by 3 GB RAM which assures us of smooth performance even with QHD display and amigo UI layered on Lollipop.
Camera and Internal Storage
Camera is the main highlight here. The 24 MP rear camera uses Phase differential auto focus to assist prompt focus and capturing. Gionee says in fast mode, you can click images in just 0.3 seconds and in general it takes 0.08 to 0.20 seconds to focus, which is exceptionally fast! We tried to test the camera with some initial low light shots and confirmed Gionee’s fast focus claims.
Internal storage is 64 GB and if even that’s not enough, you can always plug-in a MicroSD card for additional storage space. This should keep even the most demanding users happy.
User Interface and Battery
Gionee is using Andrid 5.1 lollipop draped in Amigo UI 3.1. we are happy that it’s not Android 5.0 Lollipop, which can complicate things sometimes. The Amigo UI 3.1 looks similar to version 3.1 which is running on Elife S7. This new skin is lighter and much better than Amigo UI 2.0, which we didn’t like much. We will have to spend more time with the device to like or hate the new Amigo UI 3.1.
Battery capacity is 3500 mAh. With almost same chipset and similar display resolution HTC One M9 Plus manages very well with its 2840 mAh battery and that makes us optimistic about backup you can get from the new Elife E8.
Gionee Elife E8 Photo Gallery
Conclusion
Gionee Elife E8 evolves over Elife E7 and makes a compelling case for itself. Of course its main highlight, the 24 MP camera remains to be thoroughly tested. If the camera performs as advertised in all lighting conditions and if Gionee manages to keep the price in check, Gionee Elife E8 should be an easy recommendation.
