Slim Jims: meet 10 of the world's thinnest smartphones

Gather around, low-carb proponents, as we are rounding up the world's thinnest smartphones - the summer maybe almost over, but it's still summer somewhere, and these ones have shed the pounds for beach bodies to marvel at. While Gionee is hinting at yet another shot at smartphone glory, after the 5.5" thin Elife flagship, we are listing some the world's thinnest smartphones at this very moment, to put things in perspective, and gauge just how thin a sub-6mm phone is.

It all started with the original Moto RAZR craze, and the anorexia pandemic spread fast as a bush fire, engulfing the smartphone universe as well. Now, one can argue that too slim of a handset is of a dubious ergonomic, and pick-up-from-the-desk value, but slim handsets can't be denied their gorgeous looks, plus they are usually a tribute to a company's manufacturing prowess. 

That's why we are showing you ten of the handsets that belong to the 7mm and below gang, which have been introduced in the last year or so. The iPhone 6 is also rumored to join this exclusive club, but we'll know for sure when Apple introduces it come September 9th, and update accordingly, while the archrival Samsung already secured a place here with the Galaxy Alpha. Are you a fan of thin smartphones, and how thin is too thin for you?

1. Gionee Elife S5.5

The Gionee (by the way it’s pronounced JinLee in China and JoNee in the rest of the world) Elife S5.5 is a truly stunning piece of design. It’s so thin we actually dropped it twice just trying to get used to that slimness! The exact thickness measure is 5.5mm (0.22 inches), while the Galaxy S5 for instance is nearly 50% thicker. It’s made out of glass and the sides are made of metal - it looks extremely sleek, really a looker. As for specs, it doesn't disappoint, with a 5" 1080p display, octa-core processor, and a 13 MP camera on the back.

2. BLU Vivo IV

BLU's Vivo IV is essentially a rebranded Elife S5.5, but sold under the BLU brand from the great state of Florida, and you can order it on Amazon for $300 as we speak, while the Gionee edition will run you more. It shares the same fine specs, like a 5" 1080p screen, octa-core CPU, and a 13 MP camera on the back, but, most importantly, the same astonishing 5.5mm thinness, making it a great value for the money.

3. Vivo X3

Vivo, the high-end brand of BBK, which is also behind the Oppo, and, ehm, OnePlus handsets, has never ceased to amaze us with intriguing smartphones, which are, unfortunately, priced as such. Take the Vivo X3, for instance - announced last summer, it still commands a flagship price, even in China, and for a good reason. The phone sports a gorgeous, 0.26" (5.75mm) thin body, still fitting a 5" HD display in there, and a top-notch Hi-Fi audio system, that Vivo is renowned for - a combo of quality sound processor, expensive headphones, and great speakers.

4. Huawei Ascend P6

The power is strong with this one, as last year's Huawei flagship struts its 0.24" (6.18mm) physique with the aplomb of Alessandra Ambrosio on the catwalk. You can get it on Amazon for less than $300 now, though its specs are in the midrange category now, at a 4.7" HD panel, and an 8 MP camera.

5. Sony Xperia Z Ultra

While we can only tongue-in-cheek call Sony's Xperia Z Ultra a phone, the 6.4-incher was the thinnest watertight smartphone upon introduction last summer, which speaks volumes about Sony's engineering prowess. It features a 0.26 inches (6.5mm) chassis, 1080p display, and a speedy Snapdragon 800 processor, too.

6. Huawei Ascend P7

At 0.26 inches (6.5mm), the Ascend P7 might be thicker than the P6, and a full millimeter thicker than the Elife S5.5, or the Vivo IV, yet in smartphone terms it is one of the most anorexic handsets out there, beautifully clad in glass and steel to boot, and with a 5" 1080p display. As for the references to the iPhone design, well, it's not only Huawei that is milking that cow, plus the iPhone 5s is a full millimeter and change thicker than the Ascend P7.

7. Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Going with the flow, Samsung outed its long-awaited "metal-clad" handset, under the title Galaxy Alpha, indicating there might be more to come in this line. It turned out that the Alpha is not exactly made out of the premium material, rather only the frame and side rim, but nevertheless it clocks at only 0.26" (6.7mm), making it the thinnest handset of the world's largest smartphone maker, and one of its lightest.

8. Alcatel OneTouch Idol X

Last year's Alcatel flagship, the OneTouch Idol X, really made the rounds, as it featured one of the slimmest chassis out there, at 0.27" (6.9mm, and at the same time offered a 5" 1080p display and a 13 MP camera for half the price of the flagships at the time. It is still one of the thinnest and lightest well-spec'd and affordable smartphones out there.

9. Lenovo Vibe X

The Lenovo Vibe X, introduced late last year, is a 6.9mm and 121g slim and sleek device with fine internals. Under the hood, you'll find a 5-inch 1920x1080 IPS display, quad-core 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6589T SoC, 2GB of RAM, , a 13MP rear camera with an auto-focus BSI sensor and LED flash, and a 5MP front camera with a wide-angle lens.

10. Sony Xperia T3

Last but not least here is another Sony handset, the 5.3" T3 that got introduced last month with the whopping for this ranking 0.28" (7mm) thickness. Any way you slice it, though (and you can do some slicing with this one), the Xperia T3 is still one of the thinnest smartphones out there, and looks pretty with its stainless steel frame.