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Lenovo Vibe Z Quick Review, Price and Comparison

Update: 11-2-14 Lenovo Vibe Z has been officially launched in India for Rs. 35,999.

Lenovo, the popular computer peripheral manufacturer from China, seems to have upped its game and has been rolling out smartphones thick and fast. After the quad core Vibe X (Quick Review), the biggie announced the Vibe Z. This device is essentially a K900 with a Snapdragon 800 heart instead of the Intel. We witnessed many other manufacturers going for the Snapdragon 800 in the past few weeks, and Lenovo, with the Vibe Z, is the latest to join the party.

 

Camera and Internal Storage

As seems to be a rule for this year’s flagship phones, the Vibe Z too features a 13MP main unit at the rear, along with LED flash and the regular assistive features. On the front, the Vibe Z packs an impressive 5MP unit, which should prove more than a handful for video calls as well as self portraits.

You can expect both units to churn out better pictures than their Indian branded counterparts from manufacturers like Karbonn and Micromax. This is because of the quality of the components, which is bound to be better on the Vibe Z when compared to other phones with similar specs sheets.

On the storage front, the Vibe Z will feature 16GB of on-board ROM which can not be extended any further and this is quite disappointing considering the price range.

Processor and Battery

The processor is the USP of the device, as many of you might have already decided in your mind. The Snapdragon 800 with its 4×2.26 GHz cores is one of the most powerful mobile computing platforms. So much so, that you might not even be able to use the device at its full potential. But yes, it is always a wise idea to be future proof; who knows there might be apps and games that might make the Snapdragon 800 look small!

Practically speaking, the phone should blaze through tasks. Games, movies (remember the device has a 5.5 inch screen), productivity apps, etc. will all be smooth and fluid, given that Lenovo don’t try to experiment too much with the Android UI.

The battery capacity is 3000 mAh which will provide you with 33 hours of talk time and 27 days of standby time which, if true, is impressive.

Display and Features

If you might remember, the K900 offered a 5.5 inch display with a full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. The Vibe Z comes with exactly the same specifications, and the device should be a treat for movie buffs and gameheads alike. However, due to the large screen and the high number of pixels, the device might return a poor battery life if not managed properly.

As many of our readers might know, the Snapdragon 800 comes with an Adreno 330 GPU, which will make graphics and UI transitions fluid and enjoyable on the device.

Looks and Connectivity

Lenovo go with the same tried-and-tested rectangular slab design which no one hates but many like. However, not everyone will like the back panel colour tone on the device; initial images show a light brown back which simply doesn’t go well with the no-nonsense design.

The device features the regular connectivity set, including WiFi, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, etc.

Comparison

As mentioned previously, we saw a handful of devices with the same chipset, i.e., Snapdragon 800. however, phones with other powerful chipsets like the Exynos 5410 might give the Vibe Z a run for its money too.

Devices which are expected to give the Vibe  Z some competition are – LG G2, Sony Xperia Z1, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, etc.

Key Specs

Model Lenovo Vibe Z
Display 5.5 inches, full HD
Processor 2.26GHz quad core
RAM 2GB
Internal Storage 16GB, expandable
OS Android v4.3 (upgradeable to v4.4)
Cameras 13MP rear, 5MP front
Battery 3000 mAh
Price Rs. 35,999

Conclusion

The device does look impressive with the powerful Snapdragon 800 chipset and the whole of 2GB RAM. However, keeping in mind the LG G2, Lenovo will have to price the device well. Anything above 35k INR will put off prospective buyers, and the LG G2 (with the number of LG service centers in India) will be the obvious choice. Lenovo will gain a major share of the high-end market if they are able to price the device anywhere around 30k INR. Also, the back panel colours need to be given a second look by the company.

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Abhishek Bhatnagar

Abhishek Bhatnagar, a known technology blogger & YouTuber from India. A Software Engineer by qualification, now he works as the editor-In-Chief, Webmaster, & Managing Director at Gadgets To Use. He runs a number of other technology websites as well.