Gionee Elife S5.1 review: Johnny Slim

Unboxing the Gionee Elife S5.1

The Gionee Elife S5.1's retail package is virtually identical to that of the Gionee Elife S5.5. The box is generously filled with extra accessories - well above the average smartphone bundle.

So, the retail box of the Gionee Elife S5.1 contains the mandatory charger and a microUSB cable, as well as a nice-looking in-ear headset. A SIM ejector is provided as well.

But you also get a microUSB to USB adapter enabling USB OTG and USB Host, and four screen protectors - two pairs for the front and rear.

The rich retail package of the Gionee Elife S5.1

Finally, our retail package also surprised us with a nice leather-like flip case. The downside is it gets attached using a strip of double-sided adhesive so it's not something you'd be putting on and off your phone that frequently.

Oh, beside that we also found a nice custom-fit rubber back case - true, with the case on, the phone isn't as slim but that all-glass body is worth looking after.

Gionee Elife S5.1 with the case

The contents of the retail package may vary by market, but even so, this is one of the most generous bundles we've seen.

Gionee Elife S5.1 360-degree view

The 4.8" Gionee Elife S5.1 is incredibly good looking with dual white glass design, a gold-painted metal frame around a super slim and lightweight shell. It stands at 139.8 x 67.4 x 5.1mm and weighs a mere 97g. That's an amazing 35g lighter than the preceding Elife S5.5, which featured a 5" screen.

Design and build quality

The two do look very much alike with dual sheets of glass, each covered by Gorilla Glass 3, front and rear, a metal frame holding the whole thing together.

Gionee Elife S5.1 sized up next to the Gionee Elife S5.5

The gold and white color combination works great for the Gionee Elife S5.1, but it's not just the successful mixture that's making it a memorable, beautiful phone. Certainly an attention grabber, the Gionee Elife S5.1 has a near unique feel in hand too.

Gionee Elife S5.1

The phone is of solid build and its golden frame successfully hides all signs of the assembly process. Of course, the glass design means you'll have to handle the Elife S5.1 with extra care - just one drop may cost you a lot and we don't mean just money.

The Gionee Elife S5.1 is a pleasure to handle, perfectly fitting in both hand and pocket. The glass panels may become slippery and compromise the handling, but the sturdy metal frame with tapered edges will compensate for this inconvenience. Solid, light, and beautiful - it's a design that stands out.

Handling the Gionee Elife S5.1

Controls

Above the 4.8" Super AMOLED screen we find the usual combination of an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor and a wide-angle 5MP front-facing camera, either side of the earpiece.

A peek above and below the display

The control deck of three capacitive keys is below the display using the old-school layout - Menu, Home, Back.

As for the hardware controls, they are all on the right side of the phone - you get a Power/Lock key and a volume rocker - both made out of metal.

The hardware controls on the right

The microSIM compartment is the only thing of interest on the left and you'll need the pin to eject it.

The microSIM compartment

The top of the Gionee Elife S5.1 is completely bare. The microUSB port, the 3.5mm audio jack and the primary microphone are all at the bottom of the Elife S5.1.

The top and the bottom of the Elife S5.1

The connectivity port supports USB On-the-go and USB Host, which means you will be able to connect various peripherals such as keyboards and mice, as well as USB memory sticks. Gionee even provides a proper USB OTG adapter in the retail box.

The 8 megapixel camera lens and the single LED flash are placed in the top left corner of the phone's back. This time around they are not bulging out as on the Elife S5.5. The secondary microphone is also around, carved out of the rear Gorilla Glass 3 near the top, the loudspeaker grille near the bottom.

The 8MP camera on the back • the loudspeaker is around too