That’s not a secret anyone can find a dual-camera smartphone at any price nowadays. If you think it’s too complicated, get acquainted with the Dual-Camera Chinese Smartphones: Buyer’s Guide 2017 . But we didn’t include all phones into that list. But we don’t regret. The only phone with two lenses on the back that we鈥檇 like to put into the guide is the Elephone P8 Mini. So we are going to fix that shortcoming and review one of the most affordable mid-rangers with two lenses on the back.

Elephone P8 Mini Specs List

• OS: Android 7.0
• CPU: MediaTek MT6750T
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB
• Display: 5 inches (1,920 x 1,080)
• SIM: nanoSIM x 2 (one of which is exclusively used with microSD)
• Communication band: LTE B1 / B3 / B5 / B7 / B20
• Wireless connectivity: 802.11 a / b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0 I
• Camera: 16MP / 13MP + 2MP
• Battery: 2,680mAh
• Dimensions and weight: 143.6 x 71.8 x 8.1mm / 133 g

The first thing caught our eyes is the latest version of Android. Though the 7^th version of Google’s OS has been out for a long time, there are still manufacturers contrived to come in with phones running on Android 6.0. Fortunately, this is not the case. Moreover, the Elephone P8 Mini is the first device to run on company’s new UI dubbed as the EleUI 1.0 . We understand there are too much to be done, but it’s already commendable to design your own UI. This shows the long-term goals of the company.

The chip belongs to MediaTek’s mid-range category. So, it’s reasonable not to expect much from it. But I am sure it will be sufficient for daily tasks. We have seen this chip on many devices including the Oukitel U11 Plus , Oukitel K10000 Pro , Blackview P2 and many other handsets. That’s why we are so confident on its performance.

The rest of features such as a 5-inch screen and 4+64GB memory combination fully correspond to association of mid-range devices. Thanks to large camera lens the Elephone P8 Mini users will face no problems when taking selphies as well as regular photos. On the other hand, many high-end handsets still may come with such specs. So let’s see what else the P8 Mini can offer but a dual-camera experience. Although even if there is nothing more, $100 is a great pricing for a dual-camera phone.

Elephone P8 Mini Design

As usual, let’s see what’s in the box. Besides the phone there are also a transparent protective case made of PVC, AC adapter, USB cable, SIM tray, and instructions.

As for the appearance, the front panel of the phone is plain. There are no curvatures we used to see on many current devices. But we don’t know why many sources claim it uses 2.5D arc glass technology. A simple look at the edge of the phone shows it’s quite flat. The very edges of the Elephone P8 Mini are slightly rounded, but I don’t think we can say it’s 2.5D. Just compare it with the same Elephone S7 .

The company still uses standard Android buttons placed below the screen, though they are designed differently. A speaker, front camera and a proximity sensor are above the display. Thus the front side of this handset looks ordinary. But the company bets on the rear side. So do not hurry to make assumptions.

Unlike many smartphones the company has decided to launch the Elephone P8 Mini only in red and blue . No one can say why there is no black or gold variants, but we have what we have. The phone uses a three-stage antenna design. Many may say this is outdated, but it’s only matter of taste. The dual-camera lens are located on the upper antenna ribbon. Such a design trick has been used on the Meizu E2 . But the latter sports only a single camera. A flash light is on the right side of the camera. Finally, the fingerprint sensor is on the middle upper side.

The power button as well as the volume rocker are on the right hand side.

The SIM card slot is on the left. It uses a Nano SIM + Nano SIM/microSD combination that means the second slot can be used to expand the memory.

The top is blank.

The all interfaces and holes are put here: 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB port, mono speaker, and a microphone hole.

At last, the Elephone P8 Mini comes with a plastic housing, though the coating looks like a metal. Anyway, thanks to it the phone weighs only 133 grams. General, the Elephone P8 Mini is great in terms of ergonomics, because it comes with a 5-inch screen, which is known as a gold size for single-hand operations.

Elephone P8 Mini Software and Hardware

As expected, the EleUI 1.0 looks like other Android-based UIs. But unlike them, it is 鈥榬aw’ However, there is still a home screen with the most used/pinned app icons. Besides standard app and game icons you can also find an Elephone Service app that allows users to feed back to Elephone, access forums and Elephone’s website.

EleUI allows many options to customize your phone as you wish. Say, you can customize the home screen and lock screen backgrounds or use the phone management app to free the cache and so on.

As for hardware, the Elephone P8 Mini comes with a MT6750T. This is a classic mid-range SoC designed for handsets at low prices. So do not think you will be able to play heavy games on this phone. On the other hand, this chip is capable of implementing almost all regular tasks and provide a smooth performance. The AnTuTu score proves my words.

Recently, too many Chinese smartphone makers launched devices with powerful front camera and dual-camera lens on the back. We can even state almost all slefie-phones are made of Chinese manufacturers. It’s their monopoly. So if you have been looking for a cheap selfie-focused smartphone, the Elephone P8 Mini can be a great alternative to the Meitu M8 , Vivo X9S , Oppo R11 , Huawei Nova 2 , etc.

Well, the rear camera of the Elephone P8 Mini is the selling point of this device. But let’s be fair ’a 13+2MP camera can’t compete with top-end smartphones packed with larger lenses. Say, this device can’t take photos at quality close to the ones taken by the Xiaomi Mi 6. The second sensors on the P8 Mini and other dual-camera phones is put there to provide the 鈥榖okeh’effect. In such photos the focused object is separated from the blurred background. Take a look at the photos below, and you’ll get what I am talking about.

Generally, the Elephone P8 Mini can shot good photos outdoor and enlightened conditions, but due to a lack of dual-LED light flash it is not good when shooting at poor light conditions.

Pros

• Full HD screen
• Selfie-centric front camera
• Dual-camera on back
• Good memory combination
• Affordable price

Cons

• Mid-range chip
• Small capacity battery

Wrap Up

All features of the Elephone P8 Mini prove we are dealing with a regular mid-ranger. But you have to remember, not all handsets from this category come with a dual-camera. So, if your budget is tight, but you want to acquire a smartphone with trendy features, probably the P8 Mini is one the best choices. Moreover, it’s now available for only $135.99 that means you can get your hands on this amazing device for a song.