With the addition of the A7000, Lenovo has completed the triplet of affordable Android phones that includes the A6000 (Rs.6,999) and the A6000 Plus (Rs.7,499). While A6000 and A6000 Plus have a 5-inch screen size, the A7000 (Rs.8,999) is 5.5 inches. The phone is currently sold only on Flipkart.com.
Design: run of the mill
Smartphones with big screens are generally not very comfortable to hold—you need to hold them with one hand, and operate with the other. At 7.9mm, the A7000 is slimmer than the Redmi Note 4G (Rs.9,999), which has a thickness of 9.5mm, and weighs just 140g, which makes it easier to handle. Most phones with similar length and breadth easily weigh over 160-170g—the Redmi Note 4G weighs 185g and the YU Yureka, 155g.
The A7000 has a plastic body, but the materials used don’t feel cheap or flimsy. The back panel, which comes off easily, has a soft matte finish. This has dual benefit—the phone remains smudge-free and makes it easier to grip on sweaty summer days.
Display: meant for reading and media
The A7000 has a screen resolution of 1,280x720 pixels.This resolution is standard across phones under Rs.11,000.
It’s a close fight between the A7000 and YU Yureka. Colours look richer on the Yureka. But the text is much easier to read on the A7000. If you are using the phone for reading e-books, Web browsing and writing mails, this phone might be a better option, though the screen is quite reflective.
Audio: Dolby Atmos makes a difference
The A7000 is the first phone in the world to pack in Dolby’s Atmos surround sound technology. The audio quality is loud, and the clarity of vocals is better than other phones in its category.
The Dolby Atmos app allows finer control of certain settings, such as dialogue enhancement, volume leveller and offers preset modes for music, movies, games and voice content. Not all benefits of this sound boost will be clearly available on the phone’s speaker itself. You will need a good set of Bluetooth speakers or headphones to appreciate the finer details.
Software: bright and cheerful interface
The A7000 runs Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and has Lenovo’s Vibe user interface (UI). The interface is colourful, and the big app icons can’t be missed. All the installed apps are stacked on the multiple home screen, very similar to what Xioami and Gionee do.
Apart from this visual plus, there are a few Lenovo apps such as SHAREit and SYNCit, that improve usability. The former can transfer files wirelessly from one device to another faster than Bluetooth, while the latter provides instant backup for contacts and messages.
Performance: powerful and smooth
The A7000 is powered by MediaTek octa-core 1.5 GHz processor which, on paper, is more powerful than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor, which powers the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G. The A7000 handled games like Ultimate Fighting Championship and HD movies with ease. No heating was observed, even though the phone was used for gaming for 20 minutes.
There is 8 GB internal storage, which is somewhat limited if you want to install a lot of apps and games—Android limitations do not allow you to install all apps and games on microSD cards. The YU Yureka provides 16 GB internal storage and up to 32 GB expandable storage.
Camera: basic, struggles indoors
The A7000 has an 8-megapixel camera with basic modes and filter options. It is a little sluggish when clicking photographs—image processing takes time, and you need to hold the camera still for that duration. Indoor photograph tests showed up some surprisingly blurry results with distortion. In our tests, the camera failed to get the colours right too.
In the first image, we can see the flower has lost its intensity and the dark pink shade looks quite washed out, and the neon-looking flowers next to the pink flower are yellow in reality.
In the second image, the lack of detail is apparent in shadow areas.
It has a very ordinary 5-megapixel front-facing camera for taking selfies. Indoor shots looked grainy and washed out.
Battery: reliable and long lasting
The A7000 has a large 2,900 mAh battery, which easily provides more than a day’s backup. The usage included heavy Facebook use, transferring HD videos to the phone’s memory, reading news on apps such as Flipboard and a bit of time kicking the door down with the Ultimate Fighting Championship game. The battery life is on a par with the Redmi Note 4G, which has a 3,100 mAh battery.
Verdict
If you are looking for a good working smartphone with a big display, 4G support and reliable battery life for less than Rs.10,000, the A7000 is a good option. Just don’t expect to be swept off your feet, in terms of performance. It is lighter, more powerful and runs a newer Android version than the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G and hence is a better bet than the latter.
