When it comes to the thinnest smartphone in the world, iPhone 5S and Galaxy S4 have been defeated by Gionee's Elife 5.5. It measures 5.5 mm in thickness and will be released to 40 countries outside China.

Elife 5.5 Thinner Than iPhone 5S and Galaxy S4

For those who think Apple's iPhone 5S and Samsung's Galaxy S4 are the thinnest in the smartphone arena, think again! Chinese smartphone brand Gionee made the world's thinnest smartphone ever called Elife 5.5.

In terms of thickness, Elife 5.5 measures an unimaginable 5.5 mm thin which makes other famous smartphones thicker. The table below shows how much thinner the Elife 5.5 is compared to other famous phones:

Smartphone Model

Differences in Thickness (mm)

Apple iPhone 5S

2.1

Google Nexus 5

3.1

HTC One

3.8

LG G2

3.4

Motorola Moto X

4.9

Samsung Galaxy S4

2.4

Sony Xperia Z1

3.0

Even famous and flagship devices from Google, LG and Sony are no matches to the thinnest smartphone design ever. And for those who contend other brands such as Vivo X3 5.75 mm and Ascend P6 6.16 mm, Elife 5.5 still wins the competition.

But does Elife 5.5 only boasts thin measurement or did Gionee put hardware components to flaunt for, too?

Technical Specifications

Gionee didn't just expect to make Elife 5.5 sell like hotcakes because of its ultimately thin size but also because of its powerful hardware components for potential buyers in 40 countries outside China.

Gionee Elife 5.5's display features 1,080p HD resolution, 5.0 inches of screen size, 441 pixel density which is relatively close to most flagship smartphones today and Amigo OS 2.0 powered by Android.

In terms of performance capabilities, Elife 5.5 boasts 1.7 GHz of octa-core processor, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. It also features a 13 MP rear camera shooter with 4,160 x 3,120 resolution, autofocus and LED flash. Selfie users would have to stick with the 5 MP front camera shooter for both photo and video capturing.

Other specs Elife 5.5 boasts are bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, Wi-Fi, Super AMOLED display technology, A-GPS support, several colour designs, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS and 2,300 mAh battery pack.

Gionee is going to release the 3G variant first starting at $370 and to be followed by a 4G/LTE model. For those who are weighing its price and specs and undecided on whether to get the device or not, the following are some things to consider before buying:

1. 2,300 mAh battery powering octa-core CPU and 5.0-inch display may last for 1 day at most.

2. Battery pack is not removable which means users need a power bank for extended use.

3. Android 4.2 is the default OS. Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is the latest minimum OS version on new smartphones.

4. No microSD card slot for expansion of storage capacity.

5. MediaTek is likely the chip versus Adreno 330 or Qualcomm's Snapdragon.

6. No protective features on the glass such as scratch resistance or Gorilla Glass.