Lenovo has updated its line-up of big battery smartphones with the P2, the successor to the P1 and P1m. It looks and feels almost as good as some of the flagship phones. Priced at Rs16,999 for the 3GB+32GB variant and Rs17,999 for the 4GB+32GB model, the P2 is available only on Flipkart.com for the moment.
Design: Big but not unwieldy
For a big battery smartphone, the P2 looks well-designed and doesn’t feel unmanageable with one hand. At 8.3mm and 177g, the P2 is as thin and weighs close to smartphones with relatively smaller battery capacities such as the Redmi Note 4, which has a 4,100mAh battery (as compared to the P2’s 5,100mAh battery) and measures 8.4mm and weighs 175g. The flat side panel, the metal body and the matte finish on the P2 adds solidity and improves grip over it.
The square shaped home button also functions as the fingerprint sensor, which is accurate and unlocks the phone almost instantly.
The volume and power buttons are placed on the right panel and the battery saver button on the left. The battery saver button is a rarity in smartphones, but is a very handy tool. It showed up first in the P1 and P1m smartphones.
Display: Big and at par with rivals
The P2 has a 5.5-inch display with resolution of P1,920x1,080p. It is a good looking display with balanced brightness levels. It doesn’t feel too bright or too dull.Colours look rich which makes watching movies and gaming an enjoyable experience. The screen is quite comfortable to use from wide angle and despite its reflective nature it is legible in bright outdoor environment. The Colour mode in the display allows one to switch between Normal colour mode and the Vibrant mode.
Software: Dual interface is clever
Like most of the recent Lenovo smartphones, it runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS with Vibe UI over it. It is a neat looking user interface with lots of options to keep the users busy. The dual interface makes the phone likeable to both geeks who like plain Android and mainstream users who prefer an interface they can fiddle with. The interface is fun to use but feels a bit sluggish at times. We noticed a slight lag at times, especially while switching from one app to another.
Performance: Handles heavy tasks well
The P2 is driven by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor which combines well with 4GB RAM to take care of most heavy tasks and games with ease. We didn’t notice any heating up on the back or side panel with games and movies. The phone offers 32GB of internal storage and can take microSD cards up to 1TB. It is adequate but not at par with what some of the rivals are offering. The Redmi Note 4 offers 64GB storage.
The Lenovo P2’s big highlight is the 5,100mAh battery which lasts almost two days on a single charge. In case you want to get more out of the battery, you can switch on the battery saver mode. It restricts access to basic tasks such as calling, messaging, music playback, calculator and improves battery backup quite considerably.
Camera: Handles colours well
The phone’s 13-megapixel camera impresses more with its colour reproduction than detailing. Most colours, even those taken in low light or with multiple lights, look rich yet close to natural. In close-ups, it struggles a bit when it comes to getting the focus right, but balances the subject and the objects in the background very well. Low-light shots look good, but even with slight zoom, the image begins to look blurry.
Verdict
The Lenovo P2 is a solid addition to the budget segment. It has a premium design, a rich display, a powerful processor and a battery backup that many users dream of. But it is not the only phone in the segment that offers these. The Redmi Note 4 ties with it in terms of display, performance, build quality and design and software customisations. Yet it has a slight edge over it when it comes to storage and price. It offers 64GB internal storage and is priced at Rs12,999.
