There was a time when big-screen phones, also known as phablets, scared people. But going by the recent trend, consumers have taken to them. Xiaomi is the latest smartphone manufacturer to offer an ultra-affordable phablet. Gionee, meanwhile, seems to have found slimness superiority, something phone makers have been seeking for a while.
Xiaomi Redmi Note
Rs.8,999
The 5.5-inch screen has a 1,280x720-pixel resolution. Since this is an in-plane switching panel, the colours are vibrant. There is enough native sharpness, making text comfortable to read. The screen glass is reflective, making it slightly uncomfortable outdoors in sunlight—push brightness above 70%, and the visibility improves considerably. The big-screen experience is impressive overall.
The battery cover is plain, only the 13-megapixel camera, with its flash, breaks the monotony. The finish is slippery, and the phone is slightly top-heavy—a perfect candidate for a tumble down if you aren’t careful.
The camera does a fairly good job overall, and the low-light shots in particular capture a good amount of detailing. We took a shot of an iPad’s back cover in low light, yet the text (model details, etc.) was easily readable. This is, most definitely, among the better cameras at that price point.
The 3,200 mAh battery is user-accessible and removable. In terms of backup times, it does a rather acceptable job, lasting a day and a half on a single charge. It is powering a big screen, and that is the biggest battery guzzler.
It is hard not to recommend the Redmi Note to anyone comfortable with a big-screen phone. Yes, it is not the perfect phone. But its price and powerful specifications relegate its foibles to the background.
Gionee Elife S5.1
Rs.19,899
The 4.8-inch AMOLED screen (1,280x720 pixels) has a compact footprint—something that is easily pocketable. It ticks all the boxes too—consistent response, vivid colours, sharp text, and enough brightness for comfortable viewing in sunlight. The glass layer over the screen isn’t very reflective—keep the brightness levels down to retain visibility.
The default keyboard is TouchPal X (free download on the Google Play Store). The layout is cramped and the keys are small—you’d be better off going into Settings -> Language and input -> Untick TouchPal X. With the default Android keyboard, things are better.
The MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor (1.7 GHz) is paired with just 1 GB of RAM, which is perplexing. The test unit we received does well with four-five apps open simultaneously, but the load does show after that. All in all, despite the price and the positioning, this phone will not be perfect for power users. It’s interesting, however, that the processor didn’t heat up despite being housed in a very slim chassis.
The Elife S5.1’s Amigo interface is similar to Xiaomi’s MIUI and Lenovo’s Vibe UI. Between the three, Amigo looks the best—clean layout, beautiful widgets, and a fluidity that gives the perception of better performance.
The 8-MP camera does well in good light—it has sharp photographs and the colours look bright. But this isn’t true of night-time shots because the small sensor cannot capture enough light.
The 2,050 mAh battery lasts a day on a single charge because the limited amount of RAM actually means the processor has to work that much harder to compensate.
The Elife S5.1 is designed well, feels great in the hand, and the display is good. But the specifications are just not enough. We would not really recommend this over the Lenovo Vibe X2.
