Update: 31/3/2013 Gionee Elife S5.5 has been priced at Rs. 22,999 and will be available from April 21 in India.
Micromax has just launched its first octa core offering in the country, the Canvas Knight for Rs 19,999 and it is about to get more competition in the form of the Gionee Elife S5.5, the world’s slimmest smartphone. It is expected to be priced around Rs 20,000-22,000. Let us compare the two of them to find out which one’s better.
Display and Processor
The Canvas Knight gets a 5 inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and this is pretty much the same set of specifications as the Elife S5.5. But the Gionee offering gets Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top of it for added protection and that helps the Elife S5.5 come across as a better one in the display department.
Both of them gets a Mediatek MT6592 Octa Core chipset coupled with a 2GB RAM. The Canvas Knight has been clocked at 2GHz whereas the Elife S5.5 gets clocked at 1.7GHz. Canvas Knight is equipped with a more powerful processor but we dont expect it to translate into huge performance difference.
Camera and Internal Storage
The Canvas Knight gets a pretty high quality camera unit for a budget device. It has a 16MP rear camera with M8 Largan Lens for better image quality and a 8MP front camera for video calling and self-portrait shots. The Elife S5.5 on the other hand has a slightly less capable imaging unit as compared to the Canvas Knight in the form of a 13MP primary camera and a 5MP secondary camera unit.
Both the devices do not feature expandable storage. The Canvas Knight gets an internal storage capacity of 32GB and the Elife S5.5 gets an internal storage of 16GB. The Canvas Knight surges ahead of its counterpart in this regard.
Battery and Operating System
Micromax has bestowed the Canvas Knight with a 2,350 mAh battery unit and the Elife S5.5 comes shod with a 2,300 mAh battery. Seeing that they are specced almost at par with each other, expect a similar battery backup from both the devices.
Gionee Elife S5.5 runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and this is pretty much what you get in the Canvas Knight as well. The Elife S5.5 will however have Amigo UI on top, unlike Canvas Knight which is mostly stock android.
Key Specs
| Model | Micromax Canvas Knight A350 | Gionee Elife S5.5 |
| Display | 5 Inch, 1080p full HD | 5 Inch, 1080p full HD |
| Processor | 2 GHz Octa Core, Mali 450 MP4 GPU | 1.7 GHz Octa Core, Mali 450 MP4 GPU |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Internal Storage | 32 GB, Not Expandable | 16GB, Not Expandable |
| OS | Android 4.2 | Android 4.2 |
| Cameras | 16 MP/ 8 MP | 13 MP/ 5 MP |
| Battery | 2350 mAh | 2300 mAh |
| Price | Rs. 19,999 | To be announced |
Conclusion
Micromax Canvas Knight and Gionee Elife S5.5 are pretty closely specced and have similar features on offer. The Canvas Knight gets its processor clocked at a slightly higher speed and a better imaging unit along with higher internal storage. On the other hand, the Gionee Elife S5.5 has a 5.5mm thickness which makes it the slimmest smartphone in the world and has a better build quality than Micromax Canvas Knight. Gionee will launch it in India on March 30-31 and pricing will be the key. If it comes with a sub Rs 20,000 price tag, the buyers will surely be spoilt for choice.
