A sudden wave of anorexia is sweeping the smartphone space. In 2014, Chinese handset manufacturer Gionee unveiled the S5.5, a 5.5mm thin Android device which was then the world’s slimmest phone. Since then at least three devices have come fresh off the treadmill with slimmer frames and at 4.75 mm the Vivo X5 Max is now the thinnest mobile device you can buy in India. Gionee’s slim phone mantle has now passed to the S5.1 and just like its predecessor it sparks the same question: is slim necessarily better?Smartphones are always about first impressions; the S5.1 clearly wins that round with a groovy form factor – clean lines and a minimalist design. It feels incredibly light in your hands – you can be forgiven for thinking that the battery is missing! It’s one of the only devices in its class that is under the 100g threshold (just 97g) and as you might have guessed is 5.1mm thin. The front and rear are reinforced with Corning Glass 3 while a metallic rim hugs the corners – the white variant with a gold rim is clearly the pick. The volume rocker and power button sit on the left spine while the headphone socket and standard micro USB are placed at the base. The device manages to make room for a 3.5mm headphone socket despite its ultra-slim frame, you don’t have to leave your favourite headphones at home. At a time when handset manufacturers barely throw any goodies into the box, Christmas is a year-round affair with Gionee – two sets of front and rear protective films, two cases (A flip case and a silicon back case), a USB OTG cable, as well as the customary headset and charger.The S5.1 features a 720p (306 PPI), 4.8-inch screen, it’s not just marginally smaller but also a scaled down version from the 1080p (441 PPI) Super AMOLED version on the S5.5. It’s clearly not a deal breaker for a 4.8-inch device at this price point. Our bigger gripes are with the Mediatek Octa-Core (1.7 GHz) processor and the 1GB of RAM. Push it even slightly over the limit and the device huffs and puffs. And not just intensive gaming but even multi-tasking, the 1GB clearly doesn’t cut it. Also, there’s no room for a Micro SD slot, so you have to live with the 16GB Memory onboard; the USB OTG offers little solace.The S5.5 was one of the first devices to sport a 95-degree ultra-wide angle for its front facing cam around the same time as the legendary Ellen DeGeneres Oscars 2014 selfie. The S5.1 also features a capable 5MP front shooter – cool selfies guaranteed. The 8MP primary shooter produces mixed results; daylight shots on the HDR mode are impressive while low-light photography is disappointing. Battery life is one of the redeeming features; Gionee manages to pack in a 2050 mAh battery under the hood. While it’s no Energizer bunny, it is good enough for a normal day at the office.The device is powered by Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) but it is the Custom Amigo UI that is invariably the talking point. When it first debuted, Amigo offered an interesting spin on Android, an alternative user experience which brings all installed apps to the home screen instead of the ‘App drawer’ approach of Stock Android. It’s not for all; a clear case of love or loathe. Amigo’s heavy skins and zillion icons are a complete contrast to the minimalist design of the phone. While you can use a third party launcher with better aesthetic appeal like Nova or Buzz it still doesn’t completely mask the Amigo experience. The S5.1 also comes with heaps of bloatware that further slow things down; thankfully quite a few of these apps can be uninstalled.If you like to announce your arrival at the nightclub or at a meeting by flaunting your phone, the Gionee S5.1 actually does that at a price much lower than some premium handsets. There’s little doubt that this device will get you more than the attention you seek. It’s not just the appearance, the S5.1 feels unbelievably light in your hands and your pocket – it’s actually slim enough for your shirt pocket. It’s the user experience that is clearly a mixed bag with a hardware spec sheet that does not compare very favourably with other players in this value-conscious price segment 

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What we liked:Great form factorIncredibly lightDecent battery life and front facing cameraWhat we didn’t like:User experience courtesy Amigo Custom UILow-light photographysluggish when pushed even slightlySpecifications:Display: 4.8-inch AMOLED, 720 x 1280 pixels (306 ppi)Memory: 1GB RAM, 16GB storage (No external storage)Camera: 8MP main with LED, 5MP front facing Processor: Mediatek MT6592. Octa-core 1.7GHz Cortex A-7 Price: Rs 18,999