When the Elephone P8 Mini first broke into market it became pretty popular. It was one of the first Chinese handsets to pack a dual camera as well as a nice set of specs at a very comfortable price point. Today, it remains one of the market's best sellers and with good reason.
This phone packs a lot of punches but of course, it's not without its own set of faults. With that in mind today we take on the pros and cons of the Elephone P8 Mini to find out everything you need to know before you click "buy".
Elephone P8 Mini Pros and Cons, Advantages and Disadvantages
Cons of the Elephone P8 Mini, Disadvantages
Don't buy it because of the dual cameras
We're gonna start off this listing of the pros and cons with the negatives. In that regard, I must say right off the bat that if you're planning to buy the Elephone P8 Mini for the dual camera that provides a greater sense of depth of field then don't.
Sure enough, the camera on the P8 Mini does indeed manage to produce this effect but as it happens with most phones that don't hit the high-end price points, the effect is mostly artificial, delivering a "ring of clarity and diffusing the rest" and doesn't look quite as natural as the effect seen on a professional camera.
Sure enough, the camera on the P8 Mini does indeed manage to produce this effect but as it happens with most phones that don't hit the high-end price points, the effect is mostly artificial, delivering a "ring of clarity and diffusing the rest" and doesn't look quite as natural as the effect seen on a professional camera.
To be perfectly honest, the cheapest phone that I've seen that manages this effect very well is the Zenfone Zoom S or Zenfone 3 Zoom. It's a more expensive phone but the camera is truly excellent and it packs a potent Qualcomm processor as well as a stellar display. Here are some pics taken by said phone.
No edge to edge screen
While this isn't necessarily a con in and of itself, the trend on new phones is that the majority of their front facing chassis is covered by the display. To this effect, a phone that doesn't have this feature can look slightly outdated.
However, this is just a matter of opinion and "bezzelless" phones also have their own set of disadvantages, specifically the fact that many times we end up pressing against the display even when we don't want to (I speak from experience on this one).
However, this is just a matter of opinion and "bezzelless" phones also have their own set of disadvantages, specifically the fact that many times we end up pressing against the display even when we don't want to (I speak from experience on this one).
No NFC chip = no Mobile payments
As it is the case with most phones that aren't launched by the big international brands, the Elephone P8 Mini does not integrate an NFC chip which basically means that you can't use this phone to make mobile payments, a trend that's setting in pretty fast over the past year and that looks like it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
No Gorilla Glass Protection
Another con of the Elephone P8 Mini is that it doesn't come with any kind of Gorilla Glass coating to protect itself against falls and scratches. This means that you're gonna have to place a protective crystal on the phone as soon as you buy it because otherwise, you might be looking at a disappointment pretty early on.
Personally, with the Maze Alpha I chose to "wing it" and within a week of bearly taking it out of the house the screen had cracks, I truly regret not placing the protective screen before I started using the phone since it didn't boast any kind of Gorilla Glass protection.
A day's worth of battery life
As you might've guessed by now, this phone doesn't have a removable battery as it so happens with all phones that have a unibody design. That means that whatever battery you've got that's it, you can't go on and replace the battery when you're running out of juice.
Fortunately, this phone delivers a day's battery life. Sure enough, having an extra battery day would've been better, perhaps like any of Oukitel's offerings which stand out due to battery life but even so we can't complain all that much as a day's worth of battery life is pretty much standard at this point.
Pros of the Elephone P8 Mini, Advantages, Benefits
A great front facing camera
While we might not particularly care for the back end dual camera in the way we do for higher end models with such a feature, we do appreciate the front facing camera on the Elephone P8 Mini. Specifically, said camera boasts a 16 megapixels sensor with a front facing flash as well as a screen light complement to provide you with the perfect lighting for your fun selfies.
The front-facing flash should be a standard by now, we don't really know why it's not since many front-facing cameras aren't all that good and capture images with a lot of noise specifically because of the lack of proper lighting. In our book, this is definitely a pro of the Elephone P8 Mini.
Overall good internals
We really like the phone's key components. We've already tried out this "mix" of components with several phones and know for a fact that it works fluidly and without any sorts of lag. Specifically, we've got an octa-core MediaTek MTK6750 processor that clocks in at 1.5 GHz, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage that can be increased by the use of an external microSD storage card.
Comfortable size
Of course, size is a subjective matter, especially when talking about smartphones. However, it's pretty much undisputed that 5 inches is the perfect size for a handheld device if you want to use it comfortably with just one hand instead of two. What's more, Elephone packs a Full HD resolution which makes it all the more enticing.
Comfortable grip
Size isn't the only factor when measuring comfort using a smartphone, weight is also a big issue on a device that you're bound to have on your hands for several hours per day. In that regard, another pro of the Elephone P8 Mini is that it packs a lightweight design that only manages 133 grams, making it very comfortable and almost unnoticeable when compared to your typical 5.5 inch phablet (which typically hovers around the 180 grams mark).
An excellent price point
Of course, we can't talk about the advantages of the Elephone P8 Mini and not mention its price point, one of the most vital elements that has surely compelled you to look in its general direction.
In that regard, this phone is on sale at the time being for well below the 150 dollar mark. That's very little money when you consider it packs the latest version of Android, a crisp Full HD display, a top-notch octa-core processor, 4 GB of RAM and an excellent front-facing camera. All in all, a price point that will surely sway you in its general direction as it has done with several others.
Verdict: Do the pros outweigh the cons?
It's time to wrap up this review of the pros and cons of the Elephone P8 Mini and it's clear that this phone has nothing to envy its more recognized competitors.
Sure enough, the lack of an NFC chip takes it back a notch but other than that you've got an excellent phone at a great price point that's pretty hard to beat. The phone has been selling out during the past few months not only due to its excellent value but also because it's a genuinely good phone that doesn't disappoint with a brand like Elephone backing it up. All in all, a great choice.