Gionee launches world's slimmest phone in India at Rs 22,999

Targeting the youth as well as the professionals segment, Chinese handset maker Gionee unveiled its flagship offering in style category ELIFE S5.5 in India.

The firm had first shown the handset, which Gionee claims to be the world's slimmest smartphone, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (Spain) last month.

Priced at Rs 22,999, it will be available in the Indian market from April 27.

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"We are launching this smartphone in 40 markets across the globe and India is the second market after China, which itself speaks about the importance of this country for us," Gionee President William Lu said here.

ELIFE S5.5 is crafted with a distinct metallic frame and Corning Gorillas Glass Uni-Body, he added.

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"The device uses the world’s thinnest AMOLED Screen, thinnest PCB board with a 0.6 mm and 0.4mm glass rear cover. We are proud to bring in this unique innovation first time in the world and it will be our constant endeavour to continue bringing in the best always," Lu said.

Gionee India Head Arvind Vohra said the firm has seen a rise in popularity within a year of operations in India and has experienced an unprecedented success with ELIFE series.

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Equipped with a 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED plus screen, ELIFE S5.5 sports a Octa-core 1.7GHz processor, 13 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera.

The Android 4.2 powered-phone has a 2300 mAH battery, which the company said will reach up to 2450 mAH with the next upgrade.

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The phone supports HSPA+42 Mbps with up to six different band sets, which allows it to function in most 3G WCDMA coverage areas.

Gionee India started our operations in March 2013 and has done business of over Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion). It targets a turnover of Rs 2,500 crore (Rs 25 billion) by the end of financial year 2014-15.

It has launched 14 devices in the country, of which 11 are smartphones.

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"We will increase the service centres to 750 (from 400 now) by 2015 fiscal end and have earmarked Rs 150 crore budget for brand building and marketing for the year," Vohra said.

The company considers Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Punjab as its leading markets and now plans to strengthen its position in the metros.

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Gionee, which closed last year with revenues of $2.5 billion globally, sold about 24 million handsets globally and about a million in India.

This year, the company plans to sell 35 million handsets worldwide and 6 million in India, Lu said.

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Gionee is ranked number 10 in the world in smartphone market share and aims to break into the top 5 within 5 years.

The company launched its own brand in India in Q1 of 2013. Previously, it was an original device manufacturer (ODM) for many Indian brands.