Lenovo has emerged as a serious force in the last few months when it comes to budget smartphones. The likes of K3 Note, Vibe S1 and Vibe P1m have impressed with their performance, looks and battery life, respectively. With the new K4 Note (Rs.11,999 on Amazon India), Lenovo has tried to combine the elements of all three under one umbrella. It faces stiff competition from the Moto G Turbo, now at Rs.12,499, after a price cut from Rs.14,499.
Design: sturdy and good-looking
The K4 Note has a few similarities with the Moto range of devices, such as a curved back and speakers placed in the front. However, it looks much better with its fine matte back panel and brushed metal frame, which also offers a firm grip over the device. The phone weighs 158g and is 9.2mm thick, which isn’t bad for a 5.5-inch phone. The Moto G Turbo weighs 155g and is 11.5mm thick even though it has a smaller (5-inch) display. The K4 Note comes with a fingerprint scanner which is quite responsive. You can use it as a short cut button too. A single tap, for example, can open multitasking. If you prefer a rugged phone because it allows for some rough use, the Moto G Turbo could prove more enticing with dust-resistant capabilities and can also survive dips in water up to 1.5m.
Display: sharp and vivid
The K4 Note’s 5.5-inch display offers a Full HD screen resolution of 1,920x1,080p. The text looks crisp, while videos and games look rich and colourful. The display, however, is a bit warm (in the default mode) instead of plain white. There is a way around this. Change the colour balance manually in the custom mode (settings>display>display colour balance) and get rid of the yellow tint. This gives the display a more natural look in terms of how the colours are reproduced. The Moto G Turbo offers a rich display with a screen resolution of 1,280x720p, but it also suffers from the issue of a slight yellow tint, except that there is no customization option in the display settings.
If you are into reading and watching movies on phone, the K4 with its bigger display is the better of the two.
Software: old Android but plenty of options
The phone runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Lenovo’s own custom user interface called Vibe UI. It is one of the most thematic and colourful interfaces we have seen so far in affordable Android smartphones, but the presentation can be a bit confusing initially. Lenovo has added an optional second interface called Android UI based on stock Android interface seen in the Moto range of devices, allowing users to switch to it if they want. Both interfaces are smooth and work without the slightest of niggles that often creep into custom interfaces or phones with multiple interfaces.
The Moto G Turbo runs Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). You will miss out on the ‘Now on Tap’ contextual search if you go for the K4 Note, but you can decide which apps see how much as it allows app permissions.
Performance: smooth and problem-free
Powered by a MediaTek MT6753 Octa-core processor and 3GB RAM, the K4 Note can handle multitasking and most of the games and apps without any signs of slowing down or heating up on the back. The Moto Turbo, which runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-core processor with 2GB RAM, can run most apps and games with ease. The K4 Note has an edge over the Moto G Turbo when it comes to battery back-up. Its 3,300mAh battery delivers a day and half comfortably compared to the Moto Turbo’s 2,450mAh battery that lasts just about a day at most. Both phones offer 16 GB internal storage, which is expandable to another 128 GB via microSD.
The front-facing speakers are big and powered by Dolby Atmos technology. The sound quality was distinctly better than any of the budget smartphones we know, but feels a lot better with headphones on.
Camera: good daylight camera
The K4 Note’s key highlight is its 13 megapixel camera. It is fast and handles colours brilliantly if the ambient light is good. It can pick detail well even in non-focus areas and doesn’t darken them as most budget phone cameras tend to do. Low-light results were disappointing though, and looked blurry or washed out. The Moto G Turbo’s 13 MP camera captures colours well in daylight shots but suffers from focus issues. The auto-focus feature leaves little option for users to adjust focus in the photo they want to capture.
Verdict
The Lenovo K4 Note is a reliable budget smartphone which offers a brilliant daylight camera, rich display, consistent performance and a funky user interface. The only limitation is the old Android software, but Lenovo has tried to make up for it with features such as customizable app premissions and the option to use either of the two interfaces.
