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Lenovo Vibe Z review: Fast phone, good build quality, price Rs 34,999

Lenovo Vibe Z is just the right choice for people, who want best of everything, be it work or play.

Laptops, tablets or mobile phones?devices from the $34-billion Chinese IT and communications major Lenovo are widely known for their sturdy build and good performance. I can vouch for these traits from close quarters. I have owned the company?s Y500 laptop, which I purchased almost nine years back; the notebook is definitely heavy like a piece of rock, but is a fantastic mix of hardware and software that offers a good work and entertainment experience. Believe me, the aging laptop still rocks!

You?ll get the power vibe with the Beijing-headquartered company?s Vibe Z phone too. This is the latest addition to the Lenovo Vibe series of smartphones and is an ideal combination of striking looks, good design, captivating performance and latest technology to help you to do more in lesser time. We?ll talk about its performance later, first it is pertinent to throw some light on the broad trends emerging from the country?s mobile landscape.

The overall India phone market stood at close to 257 million units in CY 2013?an 18% increase from 218 million units in CY2012. India was one of the fastest growing countries worldwide in terms of smartphone adoption in 2013. According to IDC, in 2013 the smartphone market surpassed 44 million units shipped, up from 16.2 million in 2012. While this surge has been mainly powered by home grown vendors which have shown a tremendous and consistent growth over the past four quarters of 2013, the established MNC handset makers such as Samsung, Nokia, Lenovo, BlackBerry and LG have understood the importance of creating a diverse portfolio of devices at varied price points. Especially Lenovo, which has secured its leadership in the laptop market and has now set sights on the fast-growing smart devices sector.

Back to the Vibe Z, a 5.5 inch screen phone with full high definition display and a whole lot of interesting features. For instance, it is equipped with high-speed LTE (4G) connectivity (the first LTE enabled smartphone from Lenovo, if my memory serves me right) and a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor that helps you run all your apps and multitask at a flashing-speed of 2.2 GHz. The processor brings to this device a much stronger performance and better battery life than the previous generations of the same make.

Once in hand, the device feels a lot less clunky than its predecessors. It measures 7.9 mm in thickness and weighs just 147 grams despite a large 5.5 inch display. A solid metal frame and a laser-itched polycarbonate back enhance the premium feel of this R34,999-a-piece phone.

Switched on, the 5.5 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen shows bright colours and provides a great video experience. Vibe Z is powered by the latest Android 4.3 operating system which the company has

reworked with flat design in mind resulting in a less stuffy and more organised interface. The phone also comes packed with advanced optics; it sports a 13 mega pixel rear camera with BSI sensor and dual LED flash. Let me elaborate a little bit here. Lenovo has fitted the Vibe Z camera with a large f/1.8 aperture lens. With the largest aperture lens available on a smartphone, the Vibe Z promises an enhanced exposure to low light for better imagery when the conditions are not optimal. It

also sports a 5 mega pixel front camera with 84 degree wide viewing angle allowing you to capture all your memories in crisp clarity and in vivid colours. In my opinion, the 5 MP wide-angle front camera is over-average compared to smartphones of the same category; it is an obvious effort

to tap the growing number of selfie enthusiasts.

To handle all these functions and to ensure that

you easily get by your day, the Vibe Z is powered by an integrated 3000 mAh battery. The smartphone also sports USB OTG that enables you to access data from the pen drive while on the go or even charge other smartphones. This exceptionally thin, blazing-fast device complete with gesture controls, photo enhancement software and a plethora of relevant apps, is sure to steal the limelight in the premium smartphone category.

In terms of performance, Vibe Z is a smooth and fast phone with no observable screen lagging. Movies and video can be played in good quality with its sharp high definition display. Lenovo has introduced a cool smart touch cover worth R2,039 for Vibe Z that helps you to accept or reject calls easily and access time and weather related notifications even without even having to open the case.

In short, Vibe Z is just the right choice for people, who want the best of everything; be it work or play.

Specifications

* Dimensions: 149 x 77 x 7.9 mm

* Display: 5.5 inches IPS multi-touch display

* CPU: Qualcomm 8974 quad-core 2.2 GHz

* Operating system: Android 4.3

* Camera: CMOS 13 MP (back); 5 MP (front)

* Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0/ WLAN/ LTE, WCDMA, GSM

* Weight: 147g

* Estimated street price of Lenovo Vibe Z: Rs 34,999

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First published on: 13-03-2014 at 03:28 IST
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