Lenovo K3 Note Review: Getting More for Less

Lenovo K3 Note Review: Getting More for Less

When manufacturers get into price wars with each other, it's customers who win the most. Lenovo has fired the latest salvo, bringing full-HD 1080p screens to the sub-Rs. 10,000 market. The Lenovo K3 Note is a 5.5-inch smartphone with specifications that would have been pretty much top tier not more than two years ago.

The company is breaking new ground in terms of value for money, but not so much in terms of strategy. The K3 note is available only in limited numbers and only through flash sales through an exclusive tie-up with a major online retailer. It will be in demand because of the specifications it promises; according to Lenovo nearly 50,000 of them were grabbed in just over five seconds in the first flash sale.

With online-only availability, buyers don't get the chance to try out products unless they know someone who has already taken the chance. They often go by blind faith and brand reputation alone. Luckily, we've been able to spend quite a lot of time with a review unit, and can bring you our detailed observations and test results.

Look

Phones in and around this price range seem to have settled on a uniform look: flat back fronts with white shells covering the rear and sides. Shapes and sizes vary, but we've seen this formula applied dozens of times now and it doesn't help Lenovo stand out. The only difference is that the rear shell has a slightly satiny texture. If you want something more distinct, go with the black or yellow options rather than white.

The front is plain other than a slightly raised lip around the edges. There isn't much space above or below the screen which is a good thing because this is a still a large, wide phone thanks to its screen. However, it's difficult to use the three capacitive Android navigation buttons below the screen - not only are they awkward to reach, but their icons are printed on in very faint grey with no backlighting.

The power and volume buttons are on the right, and both the 3.5mm audio socket and Micro-USB port are on the top. This leaves the left and bottom entirely blank, other than a tiny mic hole. You'll find the camera lens and twin-LED flash in one corner of the rear, along with another mic hole, speaker grille and a large Lenovo logo. The battery is removable and you'll have to take it out when swapping SIM cards. There's also a microSD card slot for storage expansion.

The phone is easy to hold, though we would have liked a bit more curvature to the plastic. You won't always be able to reach all four corners with a thumb, so expect some amount of shuffling around in your palm, or just use it with both hands. 150g isn't too heavy but you'll definitely feel this phone's weight and bulk in any pocket you put it in.

Specification

The power and volume buttons are on the right, and both the 3.5mm audio socket and Micro-USB port are on the top. This leaves the left and bottom entirely blank, other than a tiny mic hole. You'll find the camera lens and twin-LED flash in one corner of the rear, along with another mic hole, speaker grille and a large Lenovo logo. The battery is removable and you'll have to take it out when swapping SIM cards. There's also a microSD card slot for storage expansion.

The phone is easy to hold, though we would have liked a bit more curvature to the plastic. You won't always be able to reach all four corners with a thumb, so expect some amount of shuffling around in your palm, or just use it with both hands. 150g isn't too heavy but you'll definitely feel this phone's weight and bulk in any pocket you put it in.

Software
On the software side, the Lenovo K3 Note comes with Android 5.0 but is also saddled with Lenovo's VibeUI skin. Thankfully, a lot of the underlying Android style and functionality has been left untouched and the enhancements add features and functionality. The main change, which a lot of people will not like, is that all icons for installed apps live on the home pages; there is no dedicated app drawer. This has been a popular approach from Chinese vendors for a long time, but some are beginning to realise that we want the option to turn it back on.

Performance

Lenovo ships a few apps, including its own SYNCit, CLONEit and SHAREit. There's also Guvera Music, Truecaller, UC Browser, Evernote, and Route 66 Navigate. Flipkart, Facebook, WeChat, Twitter and Skype are preloaded, as are a bunch of Ubisoft games that surprisingly didn't have the usual message telling us we'd have to pay after five turns. Even better, nearly all the preloaded apps are removable.

We found the Lenovo K3 Note generally very easy and pleasant to use. Apart from its physical size making single-thumb use difficult, we had no trouble getting used to it. Performance was generally snappy throughout, with zero lag even when multitasking. Heavily encoded HD video files played without a hitch.