Lenovo Vibe K4 Note review: Affordable yet loaded with features

Lenovo

VERDICT

A decent budget offering for multimedia junkies 

PROS:

• Good display Great package for multimedia lovers

CONS:

• Sub-par camera

Lenovo has been quite aggressive about expanding its portfolio of smartphones in the Indian market since its acquisition of Motorola. It has released a number of handsets in budget and mid-range segment in the last one year, which proved to be successful with Indian consumers. The Lenovo K3 Note, unveiled last year was a stupendous success with budget users. The device woos users with its combination of powerful hardware at an entry level price. With the Vibe K4 Note, Lenovo wants to up the ante.

Design

From the name, you would assume the K4 Note is the successor to K3 Note. However, on closer analysis, this does not quite hold true. The Vibe Moniker denotes this is actually not a budget smartphone, to begin with. The price tag is slightly more than the K3 Note, too.

Compared to the rather uninspiring boxy design of K3 Note, Vibe K4 Note looks enticing. The influence of Motorola is evident in its design. While the K4 Note is somewhat thicker than the K3 Note, the curved design looks better. It is also a slightly heavier than the K3 Note but it also houses a larger battery. There are several design departures, including twin speakers on the front, a fingerprint sensor at the rear side and a backlit capacitive button beneath the display. The build quality, while not great is pretty good for its price and segment.



From the recent crop of Lenovo phones it is clear that the company has cracked the code as far as the design of the smartphone is concerned. The Vibe K4 Note will not make your heart skip a beat but it is a decent looking smartphone and has a decent build.

Hardware

The K3 Note broke a few grounds in terms of hardware given its price range. The Vibe K4 Note continues the trend, despite its increased price tag. There are certain changes and most of them are actually good for the users. Lenovo has used a MediaTek MT6753 chipset with an octa-core processor running at 1.3 GHz speed. It is a direct rival of Qualcomm's popular Snapdragon 615 CPU. The Vibe K4 Note also packs in a 3 GB of RAM, which complements the CPU well. Apart from inbuilt 16GB space, there is a microSD card slot.



The Vibe K4 Note has NFC capability. It also has most connectivity options out of the box. It is a 4G LTE capable device and support for Wi-Fi, A-GPS and Bluetooth. This device also has Dolby Atmos technology on speakers- which makes it kind of category best in the audio department.

Display

There is no denying that one of the reasons why the K3 Note scored above its rivals was because of the display it boasts. In the Vibe K4 Note, Lenovo has retained the same more or less the same elements of the display, which is not a bad thing after all!



Lenovo Vibe K4 Note comes with a 5.5 inch FullHD display. The 403 PPI pixel density makes things nice for movie buffs and gamers (not to forget the Dolby speakers, which we shall be coming back to a little later in the review). If you set the brightness level to the maximum level, sunlight legibility will not be a problem. It also has good viewing angles.

One area where the Vibe K4 Note does improve on its predecessor is the department of screen protection. It is covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Despite this, you w still might want to use a protective layer on the top of the screen. Reason, it is a fingerprint magnet and tends to gathers smudges rather fast.

Performance

Like we already shared with that the phone comes with an Octa-core processor coupled with a 3GB of RAM. The combination of these two ensured that we could do multitasking with ease. Playing some of the popular games such as Asphalt 8 is a breeze. Another thing worth pointing out is that we did not face any heating issues on the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note even when playing heavy games or while we were trying to juggle between plenty of apps. There were no noticeable lags that we faced in the short time we spent with the phone and the call quality and network reception is also pretty good.

As for the synthetic benchmarks, the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note scores quite well.



2016 is said to be the year of VR and Lenovo with this offering seems to have that covered as well. You can choose to buy ANT VR headset (at an additional cost of Rs 1,299) which along with theater max technology will enhance your viewing experience. The construction of the ANT VR headset is better than the other VR headsets that we have seen at this price point and the experience of watching a movie clip via Vibe K4 Note was average.

Lenovo Vibe K4 Note comes with Dolby Atmos speakers, which offer a great experience. They are quite loud and yet you don't feel that the quality of the sound is being compromised at any level.

One of major highlight for the K3 Note was the fingerprint scanner, which has been included in the successor too. Along with unlocking the device, the sensor can also be used to take selfies on the Vibe K4 Note. The sensor is responsive and reliable.

Camera

The camera setup in the Vibe K4 Note is not much different from that of the predecessor. What we do get is a 13MP rear sensor, which is aided by Dual LED CCT Flash. On the rear we have the 5MP camera sans flash and it also lacks auto focus. The rear camera is equipped with features like Phase Detection Auto-Focus technology. However, it is not really fast and rivals like Asus Zenfone 2 Laser. LeEco Le1S manage to do a better job here.

The camera performance is honestly- middle of the road. In good lighting conditions, it captures images with details and sharpness. However, in dark places, the noise level shoots up. The rear camera can also be used to record 1080p video. Lenovo has packed in software based Image Stabilization, which helps in reducing shakes.
The front camera manages to an average job of clicking selfies and during video calls.

Camera sample shots.

Battery

Battery life continues to be a major worry for most people who use smartphone these days. The Vibe K4 Note has a 3300mAh Li-Polymer battery, which is a small improvement over the K3 Note. It can last for a day and a little more with general usage. However, its battery performance is no match for the humongous batteries used in rivals like Asus Zenfone Max and even Lenovo P1M for that matter.
However, when pitted against Moto G 3rd Gen and LeEco 1S it does manage to give almost similar results.

Like

In the budget smartphone list, the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note makes a strong mark thanks to its solid build and great performance. It is an awesome multimedia device which boasts of great display and awesome sound quality.

Dislikes

While we think that the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note is blessed with decent looks but there are now smartphones that are much stylish than this at the same price point.
The main drawback the Lenovo K4 Note has is the camera. The rear camera falls short when pitted against competition.

Verdict

Overall, the Vibe K4 Note is an interesting and promising contender for the budget and mid-range smartphone segment. For its modest price tag, it does pack in lots of features and good hardware. Improvements in RAM, screen protection and inclusion of Fingerprint sensor are things that are worth pointing out but we should not forget that some of the competitors like LeEco Le 1S and Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 also offer the same.
Also both Le1S and Redmi Note 3 offer a better design that the Vibe K4 Note. In camera segment too, Lenovo Vibe K4 Note gets overshadowed by quite a few rivals including the Le 1S. If you think you can live with such minor hiccups, there is no reason not to buy this device.

LG G5 release date, news and features

LG G5 release date, news and features

Update: The LG G5 release date is closer than ever, as pre-orders begin tomorrow, at least in the US. Here's everything we know about this new Android phone.

The LG G5 is the first modular smartphone from the South Korean company, and it has an all-metal design. This means you can upgrade it with accessories, but still appreciate its premium look and feel.

That's good news for anyone looking to buy a new smartphone in 2016. Even though the LG G4 got a lot right, its design kept it from properly challenging the more ornate Samsung Galaxy S6.



The LG G5 is an entirely different phone this year. Its a 5.3-inch Android phone with a QHD display and metal body. It feels smooth in the hand with seams only for its modular bottom chin.

It's still a bit plain compared to the glass-and-metal Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. But that's okay, because its internals and modular expansion idea are anything but ordinary.

Watch our special LG G5 preview walkthrough below

LG G5 display

You're never going to have to turn on the LG G5 display to check the time because it features an always-on display that shows dimly lit critical information, even when it's off.



Touting it as the screen that never sleeps, it shows the time, date and up to four notifications icons. It reminds us of the much-loved Moto Display on the Moto X Style.

The 5.3-inch LG G5 is smaller than last year's phone, so if you're upgrading, you won't have to stretch your grip quite as much. Almost every corner of the screen is in reach.



It's still a beautiful quad HD display that uses an IPS LCD, not an AMOLED. LG says this eliminate the chance of burn-in from the always-on display.

KnockOn is unchanged just like the screen resolution. The functionality in which you can double tap the display to wake the device.

LG G5 camera and battery

There's more than one LG G5 camera on the back of the phone, and that's exciting news if you ever had to back up in order to properly snap a wide photo.



It includes both normal angle and wide angle lenses, reaching as far as 135 degrees, wider than the human eye.

Yes, the wider camera is just 8 megapixels (MP), but the 16MP is meant for high quality photos at a camera angle.





The front-facing camera is also 8MP but has a normal angle. The groundbreaking idea behind the LG V10 and its wide selfie camera didn't make this cut here.

The battery dropped two hundreds mAh. It's a 2,800mAh capacity, instead of the LG G4's 3,000mAh size. That makes sense because the screen size and shrunk and the always-on display is supposed to stop you from checking your phone 150 times a day.

LG G5 Quick Cover

As you can see, there are going to several third-party LG5 cases to protect your new phone, but the South Korean company is also touting its own first-party LG G5 Quick Cover case.



This form-fitting metallic case not only gives us a better idea of what the phone will look like, it features a window to see the always-on display notifications and touch controls it answer incoming calls.

Its see-through mesh lets you answer (or dismiss) calls without ever having to flip open the top part of the case. LG made sure the metallic finish matches the more luxurious, metal-based LG G5.

LG G5 OS and power

The LG G5 contains a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM, which is the same specs configuration we're expecting to see in other flagship phones like the Samsung Galaxy S7.



It'll only come in one internal storage size, 32GB, but don't worry, you can upgrade that with a microSD card slot, up to a supposed 2TB of storage - whenever such a capacity comes out, of course.

LG G5 runs Android Marshmallow although, as expected, it's heavily heavily skinned by LG. The operating system tweak has gotten a splash of paint.

LG G5 'magic slot'

Although LG doesn't call it the "Magic Slot", its phone does indeed contain a way to add accessories such as a camera upgrade, new audio technology and extra battery power. It seems to take inspiration from Google's Project Ara with a modular design at the bottom of the phone.



To pull off Hi-Fi audio, LG partnered with B&O Play for "an enhanced high-quality audio experience" on the LG G5. Their direct-to-analog audio converter module plugs into the bottom modular slot and allows for 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC upsampling technology for crystal clear tunes.



The LG G5 takes cues from the Nexus 5X design, as it has a fingerprint scanner on the back, along with a new USB-C port on the bottom, moving it away from the standard micro USB data and charging port.

LG G5 rivals

The LG G5's biggest rival is likely to be the Samsung Galaxy S7. This phone will arrive at the same time as the G5, with an announcement a few hours after the LG's MWC press conference.

Not only does it have a huge name behind it, but rumors point to a sleek, premium design, a QHD screen, an improved camera and a whole lot of power, so LG could have its work cut out to compete.

The HTC One M10 will also probably be launching soon and while not much is yet known about that it's sure to have a stylish look and flagship specs.

LG G5 price

There's no word yet on what the LG G5 will cost, but it's a flagship phone, so it won't come cheap. If it's as packed full of tech and features as rumors suggest it could easily come in at over £500/$600/AU$1000.

However, the great thing about LG's phones is the cost will plummet quickly over the course of the year, so it could be well worth waiting.

WhatsApp's new document-sharing feature is another shot at Slack

WhatsApp will now let users share documents with one another, another move to take on business-focused apps like Slack.

Right now documents are limited to PDFs, but you'll be able to pull them from cloud services such as Dropbox and iCloud. The update is available right now for both Android and iOS users. Once you've got it, you'll just need to hit the attachment button where you'll now see an option for 'Share Document'.

WhatsApp passed the 1 billion users mark in February, and now it seems all efforts are focused on providing those users with functionality beyond just messaging and voice calls. Many small businesses use WhatsApp, and the ability to share documents will no doubt be a welcomed feature.

WhatsApp's expansion of numbers of users in groups was the last hint that it's moving in Slack's direction, but it still has a way to go. Slack has grown at a phenomenal rate and it will take some serious work from WhatsApp if it ever wants to be the big player in the business domain.

Xiaomi Mi 5 launching in India in a month's time

On the day of the Redmi Note 3 launch, Xiaomi also had some other good news in store for us. Hugo Barra at the launch also shared that they are working very hard to get the Mi 5 to India soon and it will be coming in a months time. Mi India also announced on its Twitter page that it will launch the Xiaomi Mi 5 flagship in India next month.

The smartphone is currently limited to China where it is said to be breaking new records in terms of sales figures. This was to be expected given that the market has waited a long time for the Mi 5, which is the company's successor to the late 2014 flagship, the Mi 4.

As of now, Xiaomi hasn't given out a precise release date of the smartphone but has merely mentioned that the handset will be up for grabs in April. Considering that the starting price of the Mi 5 in China is somewhere around Rs 20,000 (1999 CNY), we expect the Mi 5 to cost the same when it reaches Indian shores. As for the availability, we expect the likes of Amazon India to be favorites to carry the smartphone, as we saw with the Redmi Note 3 earlier today.

The mid-range Redmi Note 3 is set to hit the markets on the 9th of March via mi.com and Amazon India, while other e-commerce retailers and brick-and-mortar outlets will follow suit subsequently.

10 best smartphones in India (2016)

HTC One M9





OS: Android 5 | Screen size: 5-inch | Resolution: 1920x1080 | Memory: 3GB | Storage: 32GB | Battery: 2840mAh | Rear camera: 20.7MP | Front camera: 4MP

The HTC One M9 isn't a huge jump forward from the One M8, but it is a tremendously well made device. The smartphone’s rounded back makes it sit nicely in the palm, and the weight and depth both seem to dovetail nicely with the premium feel. None of the old favourites are missing, so BoomSound enhancement still really turbocharges the audio and the Sense overlay remains one of our favourites, thanks to being sophisticated and really powerful.
The camera has been boosted to 20.7MP, the resolution of 1920 x 1080 on a 5-inch display looks bright, colourful and rich and the design language still means this is one of our favourite phones to stick in the pocket. The smartphone sells at Rs 30,000 and is a decent buy.
Full review: HTC One M9


LG G4




OS: Android 5.1 | Screen size: 5.7-inch | Resolution: 1440x2560 | RAM: 4GB | Storage:32GB/64GB | Battery: 3000mAh | Rear camera: 16MP | Front camera: 5MP

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is one of our favourite phones around at the moment, so when we got our hands on the supersized version we were almost giddy. And we had good reason to be: the S6 Edge+ is a phone that takes all the great camera prowess, amazing screen and beautiful lines and adds another 20% into the mix.
If you're after a phablet that looks different from the rest (and still lets you do everything you want to on the go) then this is a winner - it's almost perfect.
Full review: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Buy it now


Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge +





OS: Android 5.1 | Screen size: 5.7-inch | Resolution: 1440x2560 | RAM: 4GB | Storage:32GB/64GB | Battery: 3000mAh | Rear camera: 16MP | Front camera: 5MP

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is one of our favourite phones around at the moment, so when we got our hands on the supersized version we were almost giddy. And we had good reason to be: the S6 Edge+ is a phone that takes all the great camera prowess, amazing screen and beautiful lines and adds another 20% into the mix.
If you're after a phablet that looks different from the rest (and still lets you do everything you want to on the go) then this is a winner - it's almost perfect.
Full review: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Buy it now


Nexus 5X





OS: Android 6.0 | Screen size: 5.2-inch | Resolution: 1920x1080 | Memory: 2GB | Storage: 16/32GB | Battery: 2700mAh | Rear camera: 12.3MP | Front camera: 5MP
Launched at a price of Rs 31,900 for 16GB variant and Rs 35,990 for the 32GB variant, Nexus 5X seemed a bit overpriced at that time, however with the recent price-cuts, the smartphone is one of the best Android device you can buy in the market today.
Nexus 5X is now selling approximately for Rs 23,999 for 16GB variant (on some online portals you might find it for even lesser) and offers a great combination of hardware and software features. The camera has a wide angle lens and offers great shots; the full HD display is crisp and the stock Android 6.0 is brilliantly fluid. Moreover the smartphone also has a fingerprint sensor at the back, which is one of the most accurate in day-to-day usage.
Read full review: Nexus 5X


OnePlus 2





OS: Oxygen OS| Screen size: 5.5-inch| Resolution: 1920x1080p|Memory: 3/4GB|Storage: 16/64GB|Battery: 3300mAh|Rear camera: 13MP|Front camera: 5MP

How could OnePlus possibly improve the OnePlus 2 to be recognized as the apt OnePlus One successor? The Sandstone finishing of the original phone was retained but more focus has been given on making sure the phone has nous to be categorised in the good-looking department. It borrows the same size and resolution as on the OnePlus One but with use of metallic finishing on the edges, it feels more refined and polished in terms of design and finishing.
The smartphone is lightning quick thanks to a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip. With up to 64GB of storage and eMMC 5.0 flash memory paired with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, the smartphone easily takes care of all your multitasking, storage and connectivity needs. The smartphone also gets dual-SIM support with 4G connectivity.
Review of the OnePlus 2
Buy the OnePlus 2

Moto X Force





OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop |Screen size: 5.4-inch|Resolution: 2560x1440p|Memory: 3GB|Storage:32/64GB |Battery: 3760mAh|Rear camera: 21MP|Front camera: 5MP

The most recent entrant to the flagship smartphone category is the Moto X Force, which brings the first actual shatterproof display to the consumers. Motorola has adopted what is being dubbed as the "Moto ShatterShield technology that uses five layer construction to protect the display not only from those accidental drops but even if you deliberately try to scratch the display. Besides, the smartphone is stuffed with top-notch hardware including a 3,740mAh battery unit that can last for two days on a single charge.
Moto X Force review
Buy Moto X Force

Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 Edge





OS: Android 5.1|Screen size: 5.1-inch|Resolution: 2560x1440p|Memory: 3GB|Storage: 32/64/128GB|Battery: 2550mAh|Rear camera: 16MP|Front camera: 5MP

Galaxy S6 is the perfect marriage between metal and glass elements on both the sides of the device. It’s sleek, lightweight and the 5.1-inch size ensures you get the best experience while using it. It’s got powerful and capable set of hardware with a top notch camera and more than average life expectancy. Having said that, Galaxy S6 misses out on expandable storage option, gets a non-removable battery owing to its overall construction and the software can become lot better than how it is right now.
Talking about the Galaxy S6 with an Edge, this phone is mostly seen as a product delivering on the innovation promise that Samsung harps about. The dual-side Edge screen is mostly gimmicky in nature as well which may or may not catch everyone’s fancy. It borrows the Galaxy S6 hardware, camera but loaded with smaller size battery.
Reviews: Samsung Galaxy S6 | Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge


Samsung Galaxy Note 5





OS: Android 5.1 | Screen size: 5.7-inch | Resolution: 2560x1440p|Memory: 4GB |Storage: 32/64GB| Battery: 3000mAh | Rear camera: 16MP| Front camera: 5MP
If you crave smartphones with big displays and the added functionality of a stylus, then Galaxy note 5 is what you need to buy. The phablet has top-of-the-line specs, a 5.7-inch display, super-fast processor, improved camera and S Pen stylus are joined by a new, glass-and-metal design that reflects the solid construction of the Samsung Galaxy S6. Galaxy Note 5 efficiently takes care of all your productivity requirements.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 5


Nexus 6P





OS: Android 6 | Screen size: 5.7-inch | Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | RAM: 3GB |Storage: 32GB/64GB/128GB | Battery: 3,450mAh | Rear camera: 12.3MP |Front camera: 8MP

Rivaling the Apple’s iPhones is the Google’s Nexus 6P, which is designed by Huawei and is a phone that can entice you in many ways. The smartphone has a vivid QHD display, which is more compact this year to offer a sharper resolution when watching movies or browsing the web.
Nexus 6P has the latest version of Android - Android 6.0Marshmallow) and a fingerprint scanner at the back - which is both quick and accurate. The smartphone is very well made, and thanks to the improved camera and battery capabilities, this is one of the best Android smartphone in the market.
Full review: Nexus 6P

Apple iPhone 6S/ 6S Plus





OS: iOS 9 | Screen size: 4.7-inch (6S) 5.5-inch (6S Plus) | Resolution: 1334x750 (6S), 1920 x 1080 (6S Plus) | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16GB/64GB/128GB | Battery: 1,715mAh (6S), 2750mAh (6S Plus) | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 5MP
iPhone 6S
iPhone 6S sits at the top with the features and performance it delivers to users. While, the design is pretty much same as the previous iPhone, Apple's thrown in an upgraded chipset in the shape of the A9 and 2GB of RAM making games and apps run much more smoothly at the same time.
The new 12MP snapper offers crisp and detailed images and it is the first phone with the 3D Touch interface, which is useful in a number of ways and will only continue to get better as time goes on.
Full review: iPhone 6S
iPhone 6S Plus
Talking about the iPhone 6S Plus, the screen is Full HD and delivers stunning colour reproduction. The rear shooter integrates optical image stabilisation to offer low light video and photography. The iPhone 6S Plus once again has something that's eluded iPhone fans for years: a really good battery, with Apple using that extra space to cram in a few more mAh units.
It's one of the most expensive phones around, and is bettered on spec by a few other phablets - but if you're an Apple fan looking for a 'bigger' experience, this is the phone for you.