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Lenovo Vibe Z Hands On Review and First Impression

Today Lenovo introduced its latest flagship device Lenovo Vibe Z in India for Rs 35,999. The phone features Snapdragon 800 quad core chipset which is one of the best out there and will be available by the end of this month. We got to spend some time with the large display phablet and the phone did impress us. Lets take a look at what Chinese giant is offering this time.

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Lenovo Vibe Z Quick Specs

  • Display Size: 5.5 inch IPS LCD, 1920 X 1080 resolution, 401 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
  • Processor: 2.26 GHz Snapdragon 800 Quad Core (with Krait 400 cores) with Adreno 330 GPU
  • RAM: 2 GB
  • Software Version: Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with Vibe ROM on top
  • Camera: 13 MP AF camera, F1.8 aperture, Dual LED flash
  • Secondary Camera: 5 MP Front Facing camera
  • Internal Storage: 16 GB
  • External Storage: No
  • Battery: 3000 mAh battery Lithium Ion
  • Connectivity: 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
  • Others: Dual SIM – No, LED Indicator – Yes
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity

Lenovo Vibe Z Quick Review, Unboxing, Camera, Gaming, Benchmarks, India Price[Video]

Design and Build

The back panel sports a Laser etched patter which provides grip, an important factor while dealing with phablet form factor. In spite of being feature loaded, the phone is only 7.9 mm thick and weighs a modest 143 grams, which further makes it convenient to hold in hand. The power button is on the top and slightly hard to reach owing to the large form factor, but Volume rocker can also be used to unlock the phone. The back cover is not removable, which implies the battery is sealed inside. Even though it is plastic, it looks metallic and is quite sturdy.

The 5.5 inch IPS LCD Panel at the front features 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution which amounts to 401 pixels per inches and the display is quite sharp with Wide viewing angles and good color calibration. With Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protecting the display, you don’t have to worry about rough handling.

Camera and Internal Storage

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Lenovo has tried to provide a Camera capable of standing ground in the premium range. The 13 MP auto focus shooter at the back has a very wide F1.8 aperture which will allow more light to hit the sensor for better low light photography. The major highlight is however the front 5 MP shooter, which also has a wide field of view (84 degrees) and flaunts several filters for providing high quality video chat and Selfies.


The internal storage of 16 GB is slightly disappointing at this price range, especially when there is no MicroSD card slot. Most other manufacturers will offer you non expandable storage in this price range, but will also provide a 32 GB variant along side.

Battery and OS

The 3000 mAh battery is non removable but we don’t expect it to disappoint you with regards to backup. Lenovo claims that you can squeeze out 33 hours of talk time and 27 days of standby time, which amounts to a decent battery backup. We will tell you more about this part after we spend some more time with the device.

The OS is heavily customized Android 4.3 jelly bean. The App drawer is missing, and all your icons will be present on the home screen. The theme center allows you to customize and add themes to various parts of UI. When you tilt the phone the dialer buttons shift towards the tilted side which makes the single handed usage simpler. In our initial time with the device, we didn’t observe any lag, and with Snapdragon 800 aboard, we don’t expect any either.

Lenovo Vibe Z Photo Gallery

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Conclusion and Overview

The phone looks quite impressive as far as build quality and spec sheet is concerned. With phones like Gionee Elife E7 and Nexus 5 offering Snapdragon processor at much lower price points, the phone appears slightly expensive at Rs. 35,999. Another drawback is limited 16 GB of internal storage without MicroSD support, which will be a deal breaker for many.

Deepak Singh

Deepak Singh

The Author spent a significant chunk of his formative years resisting technology. He now keeps an eye on where the world is heading to, and drives a passive pleasure from this indulgence. His passion to write, learn and improve drives him each day. When his day ends, he enjoys the pleasant languor and detoxifies with family. You can connect with him on and TwitterView Author posts