Chinese mobile devices have managed to fill the electronics market around the world. Already even in the USA, one can find many cheap and, admittedly, fairly high-quality phones and tablets presented by Chinese brands, not to mention less wealthy countries. Yes, many of these phones are made in a case that copies the design of other models released by Samsung, HTC, Sony or Apple. Despite this, the quality of the devices can be called good, despite the fact that their cost is really much lower.
Today's material will be devoted to one of these phones - Elephone G7. Customer reviews, as well as the official characteristics of the device will be given in this article in order to learn more about it.
Elephone Company
We will begin our small review, perhaps, with the general characteristics of the manufacturer, which introduced this model. Most of us probably have not even heard about a brand like Elephone. Although if you take a little time searching for information on the Internet, you can find a lot of sites that respond to these devices in Chinese. On this basis, we can conclude that in their homeland, these gadgets are quite famous.
Guesses are confirmed when we go to the page of some major online auction from the Middle Kingdom, for example, on Aliexpress. Here you can really find offers from several hundred suppliers from which you can buy one of the Elephone models. What is noteworthy is the really close similarity between the appearance of the phone and some of the flagship models of previous generations from Samsung and other "top" companies. For example, the device to which this review is devoted is similar to the Galaxy Note 4. Obviously, the company's designers did not bother too much about developing something original.
Smartphone Elephone G7
The model we are talking about today is a typical budget Chinese device, made in the style copied from another flagship device. Like many similar devices, G7 has a fairly serious declared technical equipment, which, however, is not so noticeable in the direct operation of the device. The phone is presented, like many of its "colleagues", smartphones-copies from China - on the Android operating system. To ensure multifunctionality, the model is equipped with support for two SIM cards.
Housing
We will start our description with the main one - the external shell of the phone, its body. As many customers testify about the Elephone G7, the device is made in an elegant style, which is provided by a thin case consisting of metal and plastic inserts. Due to this, the phone looks quite stylish, and sits securely in the hand. Although this elegance effect collapses very quickly after the device falls into the hands, very noticeable fingerprints still remain on its plastic back panel. On the Elephone G7 model, owner reviews indicate that having bought such a smartphone, you will need to take care either to cover it with a protective film, or to be able to erase ugly marks with a napkin.
Although, as for the film, it is in the base kit and glues to the screen of the Elephone G7. Reviews report that its quality is such that the first thing most buyers are forced to get rid of it.
The metal plate is used around the circumference of the phone - it will reliably protect against vertical drops.
Display
The Elephone G7 phone, reviews of which we will give a little further in the text, has a 5.5-inch display that operates on IPS technology. As noted in professional reviews devoted to the model, taking into account the resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels, in the overall picture on the screen, you can consider the graininess of each pixel only after a long peering.
For more practical use, the Elephone G7 black (user reviews confirm this) has a protective glass. Therefore, we can say that the phone display justifies the cost of the entire device.
In general, the screen size of the phone Elephone G7 (5.5) reviews are called ideal. This is not too big and bulky “tablet”, but not a 4-inch “baby”, working with a sensor which would be a problem for most owners.
Camera
Typical of this class of devices is a rear camera with a resolution of 13 megapixels and a front camera with a resolution of 8. At the software level, the phone has an automatic focus on objects, as well as the ability to partially recognize faces. For photographing in low light conditions, an LED flash is installed on the device’s camera. In addition, the device supports various photo and video options, in particular, panorama mode, the ability to use special visual effects, electronic stabilization, and the like.
In general, based on what reviews are written about the Elephone G7 (Gold), the quality of the pictures is average. With the color rendering of the Chinese smartphone, everything is surprisingly good, but the detail and rendering of lines in the pictures are somewhat distorted. If we also take into account the price of the device, you can easily put a solid “four”.
CPU
In the name of the phone that we are considering today, you can also find an indication of the processor model - Elephone G7 MTK6592 Octa. The reviews show that its speed can be called satisfactory - not the most powerful on the market, but strong enough to run even “heavy” applications on the schedule. It is worth emphasizing that when working with complex programs, the temperature of the phone starts to rise, but even in this case you can easily hold your hands on the device.
All 8 smartphone cores interact seamlessly. As various tests show, as well as on the Elephone G7 MTK6592, reviews from ordinary users, frame refresh delays, freezes and any other visual distortions due to a lack of power on the phone are not noticed.
operating system
As noted above, the device has a classic version - Android 4.4.2. At the same time, having the ability to change the initial configuration of the applications that the phone comes with, the manufacturer removed the programs from Google for some reason. Due to this, the original Elephone G7 MTK6592 Octa (reviews can confirm this) seems empty (in terms of programs).
Elephone may also please its customer with new icons for standard programs. In all other respects, the graphical interface of the platform on which the G7 model operates is no different from other androids.
Additional functions
Budget Chinese smartphone model is able to please a set of additional features. In addition to those that we are already used to (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, various light sensors, bringing the device closer to the face), there is also the option of voice dialing and gesture control. The last section in the main settings of the model is devoted to a whole section.
Also Elephone G7 Gold, reviews mention this, has an A-GPS module and good multimedia tools. The manufacturer has its own audio and video players. Of course, their work can hardly be called excellent - the most popular players with Google Play today will certainly seem more convenient to the simple user. However, if you compare these products with what Google offers, such an initiative can be noted on the positive side.
In the same paragraph of the article, we recall about such an advantage of the model as a powerful battery. Despite its size, the G7 has a 2650 mAh battery. With it, the device confidently keeps in working condition for a day and a half with active use.
Reviews
You can find a ton of information about how the Elephone G7 behaves in practice immediately after purchase. Reviews about the phone are mostly positive - users praise the price of the device, its appearance, powerful processor, camera and overall performance. They also mention the battery, colorful display, the ability to expand memory through microSD.
True, not without negative characteristics. Many buyers complain about the poor quality of the "native" charger. As the phone is put on recharge, its screen begins to carry out some independent actions - these or other areas of the display are pressed in random order, applications are opened, and text is printed. This causes serious inconvenience and eliminates the possibility of working with the phone while it is in a state connected to the network. The solution to the problem is elementary - you need to replace the cord and adapter for charging with any other, universal kit. However, the mere fact of having such a problem does not please.
The second point is the assembly. On some models, the display glass is not tightly glued to the case - so that there is a small gap between it and the phone itself. Since this can cause a fatal ingress of moisture or dust, for such a flaw obviously a serious minus should be set.
The third thing buyers of the model most often complained about is the sound. Neither a standard headset nor an external speaker can provide high-quality sound transmission. This fact must simply be accepted as is.
Cost
The price of the phone varies depending on where to make its purchase. For some reason, on the vaunted Chinese sites, where, in theory, the phone should be cheaper, it costs all 10-12 thousand rubles (depending on which seller to buy). The advantage of working with Chinese stores is, firstly, free delivery by mail, and secondly, the ability to order accessories for the phone at a lower price from the same seller. True, the main minus of delivery from such stores is the term. About 3-4 weeks will have to wait until the G7 is in your hands.
In Moscow, the device can be found cheaper - for 8,200 rubles. True, the largest retail chains of the Elephone G7 smartphone (reviews also emphasize this) do not offer - you can order them in online electronics stores. Delivery in this case is carried out by courier or mail. In rare cases, such outlets have offices in which you can pick up the phone in person.