Gionee S11 Lite: Review
Launch and naming
Gionee announced the S11 Lite in China in November 2017, alongside the more expensive S11. Gizchina reported that the same phone also came out as the Gionee F6. GSMArena lists its release as February 2018, and Indian sales began in April 2018, together with the Gionee F205. GSMArena now marks the model as discontinued.
Body and design
The design was average: not cheap-looking, not elegant either.
The bezels above and below the screen are thick, and the ones on the left and right are medium-thin.
That lowers the screen-to-body ratio to about 75%.
The S11 Lite measures 153.8 mm tall, 72.6 mm wide and 7.9 mm thick. That is quite slim, so the phone is easy to hold and use with one hand.
It weighs 141 g. The standard S11 weighs about 165 g, though one listing gives a heavier figure.
Screen and resolution
The screen was a highlight at this price.
It is 5.7 inches with an 18:9 ratio, which gives you plenty of room for films and games. It is still smaller than the iTel P33 plus, which has a 6.0-inch screen and came out later.
The panel is an IPS LCD.
That is normal for a mid-range phone at this price.
LCD is not the best screen technology, but it does the job here.
The resolution is 720 x 1440 (HD+), which works out to about 282 pixels per inch.
That was the minimum to expect from a mid-range phone in 2018. If moderate sharpness does not bother you, the screen is fine. The S11 Lite also used a lower resolution than the standard S11, which has a 5.99-inch 1080 x 2160 panel.
Operating system (OS)
The S11 Lite came with Android 7.1 Nougat, with Gionee’s own Amigo 5.0 interface on top.
Nougat added useful features such as split-screen multitasking.
Security is the real problem today. Nougat was already ageing when the phone came out, and it has not received Google security patches for years. Gionee’s bankruptcy also ended any hope of further updates. If you care about privacy, banking apps or security, this software is too old to rely on.
Opinions on Amigo were divided. Some buyers liked its features, and others found it heavy compared with stock Android.
System on chip (SoC)
The chip is the heart of the phone.
The S11 Lite uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937), a low-level chipset in Qualcomm’s range.
It is built on a 28 nm process, and it feels slow if you use your phone moderately or heavily.
It is fine for light use: calls, messaging and social media.
The CPU has eight Cortex-A53 cores running at up to 1.4 GHz.
All eight are power-efficient cores, with no fast cores for demanding tasks.
Graphics come from an Adreno 505 GPU. By comparison, the standard S11 used a faster MediaTek Helio P23.
Storage
Memory was one of the phone’s strengths.
The S11 Lite has 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage.
4 GB of RAM was a good amount for multitasking in 2018.
It lets you switch between open apps without many reloads.
32 GB of storage was a moderate amount, and you can add up to 256 GB with a microSD card. The card uses the second SIM slot, so you can have two SIMs or extra storage, not both.
This was a clear pass for the S11 Lite at the time. By 2026 standards, 32 GB fills up quickly.
Camera
The cameras were solid for the price.
On the back, there is a 13 MP main camera with an f/2.2 aperture and autofocus, plus a 2 MP depth sensor for background blur.
On the front, there is a 16 MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture.
Photo quality was acceptable for a mid-range phone of its time.
Battery
The 3,030 mAh battery is small.
That is a low capacity for a 5.7-inch LCD phone.
Thanks to the low-power chip and HD+ screen, it gets you through a light day. The phone does not support fast charging.
It is still below what this kind of phone should have had. Today, budget phones commonly ship with 5,000 to 6,000 mAh.
Gionee S11 Lite: Verdict
Pros
At launch, the S11 Lite offered good specs in these areas:
- Screen size
- RAM
- Storage, with microSD support
- Cameras
- Battery (only just)
In 2018, those strengths made it worth buying if they mattered most to you.
Cons
The software is the biggest problem. Android 7.1 has gone years without security patches, so the phone is a poor choice for anything private.
The HD+ screen and the Snapdragon 430 are slow by today’s standards. The old version of this page said the phone lacked 4G. That was wrong: the S11 Lite supports 4G LTE and VoLTE. However, its 4G bands may not match your network, so check them before you buy a used unit.
Gionee S11 Lite: Specs
OS: Android 7.1 (Nougat); Amigo 5.0
NETWORK: GSM / HSPA / 4G LTE, with VoLTE
SIM: Hybrid dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
BODY: 153.8 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm (6.06 x 2.86 x 0.31 in)
WEIGHT: 141 g (4.97 oz)
DISPLAY: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours
SIZE: 5.7 inches, 83.8 cm² (~75.1% screen-to-body ratio)
RESOLUTION: 720 x 1440 pixels, 18:9 ratio (~282 ppi density)
RAM: 4 GB
STORAGE: 32 GB
MEMORY CARD: microSD, up to 256 GB (uses the shared SIM slot)
CHIPSET: Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 430 (28 nm)
PROCESSOR: Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Adreno 505
CAMERA:
Rear: 13 MP, f/2.2, autofocus, plus a 2 MP depth sensor
Front: 16 MP, f/2.0
BATTERY: Non-removable Li-Ion, 3,030 mAh
SENSORS: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, proximity, compass
RELEASED: Announced November 2017; on sale February 2018 (India: April 2018)
STATUS: Discontinued
What to buy instead in 2026
The best replacement is a current budget phone that comes with a written software-support promise. That matters more than any single spec. Samsung’s Galaxy A07 launched in August 2025 with Android 15 and a promise of six OS upgrades and six years of security updates. In Indonesia it started at about $86 for 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The later Galaxy A07 5G adds a 120 Hz screen and a 6,000 mAh battery, and it launched in India at ₹15,999. Phones like these double the S11 Lite’s storage, offer far bigger batteries, and will still get patches for years.
FAQ
Is the Gionee S11 Lite still sold?
No. GSMArena lists the model as discontinued. Any unit you find is old stock or used, and its software has not been updated in years.
Does the Gionee S11 Lite support 4G?
Yes. It supports 4G LTE and VoLTE on both nano-SIM slots, despite older listings that called it a 3G phone. Before you buy a used unit, check that its LTE bands match your carrier.
Can the Gionee S11 Lite be updated to a newer Android version?
It shipped with Android 7.1 Nougat and Amigo 5.0, and that is the software it is known for. Gionee went into bankruptcy proceedings in December 2018, so no updates are coming. Nougat itself stopped receiving Google security patches years ago.
What is the difference between the Gionee S11 and the S11 Lite?
The S11 has a sharper 5.99-inch 1080 x 2160 screen, a MediaTek Helio P23 chip, 64 GB of storage and a 3,410 mAh battery. The S11 Lite cut costs with a 5.7-inch HD+ screen, a Snapdragon 430, 32 GB of storage and a 3,030 mAh battery. It is also lighter, at 141 g against about 165 g.
Is Gionee still in business?
The original Shenzhen company collapsed after a court accepted a bankruptcy liquidation application on 10 December 2018. Around that time, its Indian business went to the promoters of Karbonn Mobiles, who kept selling budget phones under the Gionee name in India.
What should you buy instead of the S11 Lite today?
Choose a current budget phone with a long, written update promise, such as Samsung’s Galaxy A07 or A07 5G. Both promise six OS upgrades and six years of security updates. You also get at least 64 GB of storage and a much larger battery.
Sources
- GSMArena: Gionee S11 lite full specifications
- GSMArena: Gionee S11 full specifications
- 91mobiles: Gionee S11 Lite specifications
- Gizchina: Gionee S11 Lite officially launched as Gionee F6
- TelecomTalk: Gionee S11 Lite launched in India at Rs 13,999
- Fonearena: Gionee S11 Lite and F205 India launch
- Business Today: Gionee goes officially bankrupt
- Caixin Global: Suppliers sue for bankruptcy reorganization of Gionee
- Wikipedia: Gionee
- Naija Tech Guide: itel P33 Plus specs and price
- Samsung South Africa: Galaxy A07 product page
- PhoneArena: What you need to know about the Galaxy A07
- Smartprix: Samsung Galaxy A07 5G India launch, price and updates
About this article
- Fact-checked before publication.
- Published · Updated
