Did you know that one of the world's slimmest smartphones, the Gionee Elife S5.5, is available in the US (under a different name)?
Back in March, Chinese handset maker Gionee released the world’s slimmest smartphone at the time: the Elife S5.5 (which, as its name suggests, is 5.5mm thin). Since then, Gionee introduced an even thinner phone - the Elife S5.1, which, at only 5.1mm, was recently recognized by Guinness World Records as the new king of ultrathin handsets. Even so, the slightly older Elife S5.5 remains one of the slimmest smartphones ever made.
Probably to the surprise of many, the Elife S5.5 is available to buy in the US - though it’s commercialized under a totally different name: BLU Vivo IV.
As you may, or may not know, BLU is a Florida-based company that makes affordable smartphones. However, it’s not the real maker of the Vivo IV, which is simply a rebranded Gionee Elife S5.5. The BLU Vivo IV looks just like Gionee's device. Moreover, as you’ll notice in the specs comparison below, it offers exactly the same features, including a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 pixels, octa-core 1.7 GHz MediaTek processor, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of non-expandable storage space. The Vivo IV was released running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, but it seems that it's been updated to KitKat last month.
The Blu Vivo IV is available to buy via Amazon (check the source link below), coming in three color versions: black, white, and gold. The handset costs $299.99, and is offered unlocked. Mind you, the smartphone does not have LTE, but it seems to work on the HSPA+ networks of AT&T, T-Mobile, MetroPCS, Tracfone, Cricket, and other regional carriers. Anyone interested in buying this super-thin device?
source: Amazon
As you may, or may not know, BLU is a Florida-based company that makes affordable smartphones. However, it’s not the real maker of the Vivo IV, which is simply a rebranded Gionee Elife S5.5. The BLU Vivo IV looks just like Gionee's device. Moreover, as you’ll notice in the specs comparison below, it offers exactly the same features, including a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 pixels, octa-core 1.7 GHz MediaTek processor, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of non-expandable storage space. The Vivo IV was released running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, but it seems that it's been updated to KitKat last month.
|
|
| Gionee Elife S5.5 | BLU Vivo IV |
Design
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 5.71 x 2.76 x 0.22 inches 145.1 x 70.2 x 5.55 mm |
5.71 x 2.76 x 0.22 inches 145.1 x 70.2 x 5.5 mm |
| Weight | |
| 4.69 oz (133.0 g) | |
| Materials | |
| Back: Glass | |
| Keys | |
| Left: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key | |
| Colors | |
| Black, Purple, Pink, Blue, White | Black, White, Gold |
Display
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 5.0-inch, 67.78% screen-to-body | 5.0-inch, 67.78% screen-to-body |
| Type | |
| Super AMOLED Plus | Super AMOLED |
| Resolution | |
| 1920x1080px, 441 PPI | 1920x1080px, 441 PPI |
| Colors | |
| 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 |
| Protection | |
| Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
Hardware
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| MediaTek MT6592 | MediaTek MT6592 |
| Processor | |
| Octa-core 1700 MHz | Octa-core 1700 MHz ARM Cortex-A7 |
| GPU | |
| Mali-450 | Mali-450 |
| Memory | |
| 2GB (LPDDR3)/16GB | 2GB/16GB |
| OS | |
| Android (4.2) | Android (4.2) |
Battery
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 2300 mAh, Li - Polymer | 2300 mAh, Li - Polymer |
Camera
| Rear | |
|---|---|
| Single camera | Single camera |
| Main camera | |
| 13 MP (Autofocus) | 13 MP |
| Flash | |
| LED | LED |
| Video recording | |
| 1080p (30 fps) | 1080p (30 fps) |
| Front | |
| 5 MP | 5 MP |
Connectivity & Features
| Bluetooth | |
|---|---|
| 4.0 | 4.0 |
| WLAN | |
| b,g,n Wi-Fi Direct 802.11 b, g, n | a,b,g,n,dual-band,ac Hotspot 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac |
| USB | |
| microUSB, USB 2.0 | microUSB, USB 2.0 |
| Sensors | |
| Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor | Accelerometer, Compass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor |
| Location | |
| GPS, A-GPS | GPS, A-GPS |
| Other | |
| Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync |
Multimedia
| Headphones | |
|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack |
| Speakers | |
| Earpiece, Loudspeaker | Earpiece, Loudspeaker |
| Features | |
| Album art cover, Background playback | Album art cover, Background playback |
| Screen mirroring | |
| Wireless screen share | |
| Radio | |
| FM | FM |
| Additional microphone(s) | |
| Noise cancellation | |
Cellular
| 3G Bands | |
|---|---|
| 8, 1 | 5, 2, 1 |
| Data Speed | |
| HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s |
| SIM type | |
| Micro SIM | |
Phone Features
| Notifications | |
|---|---|
| Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone | Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone |
| Other features | |
| Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording | Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording |
Availability
| Officially announced | |
|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2014 | |
| Scheduled release | |
| Q2 2014 | |
See the full
Gionee Elife S5.5 vs BLU Vivo IV specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
source: Amazon
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