Long Lost Gionee Makes a Comeback with Two Budget Phones in India

Gionee S11 Lite and Gionee F205 launched in India. But what is its USP?

The Gionee S11 Lite comes with a 16-megapixel front camera

(Photo: The Quint)

Remember Gionee? Yes, the same guys who got you the ‘selfiestaan’ jingle, and also a lot of mid-range smartphones for the Indian market. After a long leave of absence, everybody thought that Gionee was done for and would never be able to sell another phone in the country.

Well, looks like Gionee has put all speculations to rest and has made a comeback in the Indian market with the launch of two new budget segment phones – the F205 and the S11 Lite.

Gionee S11 Lite

• Display: 5.5-inch HD+
• Processor: Snapdragon 430
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 32GB (expandable)
• OS: Android 7.1 (Amigo UI)
• Rear camera: 13+2-megapixel
• Front camera: 16-megapixel
• Battery: 3030mAh non-removable
• Price: Rs 13,999

Gionee F205

• Display: 5.7-inchHD+
• Processor: MediaTek6739, quad-core
• RAM: 2GB
• Storage: 16GB(expandable)
• Dual SIM + eMMCslot
• OS: Android 7.1(Amigo UI)
• Rear camera: 8-megapixel
• Front camera: 5-megapixel
• Battery: 2670mAhnon-removable
• Price: Rs 8,999

Where the S11 Lite has been priced at Rs 13,999, it’s sister device, the F205, has been priced in the sub-10k category at Rs 8,999.

No Oreo! That’s a bummer(Photo: The Quint)

Starting with the S11 Lite, it comes with a full view display that sports a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels and a screen aspect ratio of 18:9. The major chunk of the phone is plastic, which is why it is very light.

It packs a snapdragon 430 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM.

The S11 Lite comes with a full view 18:9 ratio display(Photo: The Quint)

Though this is a dual-SIM phone, you can only use one SIM at a time if you plan to expand the phone’s memory beyond the 64GB internal memory capacity.

In terms of optics, it sports a dual 13+2-megapixel rear sensor and a 16-megapixel selfie camera that also supports bokeh mode. To power this setup, there is a 3030mAh non-removable battery inside the S11 Lite.

Gionne F205(Photo: The Quint)

The Gione F205 caters to a much larger segment of smartphone users, especially people looking for options in the sub-Rs 10,000 category. The F205 comes with a 5.5-inch HD screen which is protected by Gorilla Glass.

Gionee F205(Photo: The Quint)

It sports a lightweight design and comes with a smooth metal finish at the back. At first glance it almost looks like a OnePlus 5!

A great feature about the phone is that it supports dual-SIM and also offers a separate memory card slot, which can be used to expand the 16GB internal memory up to 256GB.

Camera setup is pretty low-key as it sports only a 8-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. Don’t expect the battery to last long as it only offers a 267-mAh battery pack.

Both the devices will be available via Gionee’s offline retail platforms.

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