Design: Simple yet gorgeous
The Zuk Z1 looks a lot like another Lenovo smartphone, the Vibe S1. It has a similar chamfered aluminium frame and curved back design. But unlike Vibe S1, the Zuk Z1 is a bit taller as it comes with a bigger screen and a fingerprint sensor on the front. The only niggle is that the glossy plastic finish on the back smudges a bit. The finger print sensor is built into the home button. It dons both the roles very well. The speaker has been placed at the base. This is Lenovo’s first phone with the USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer.
Overall, the Zuk Z1 is a very good looking phone, without actually doing anything outlandish in terms of design, materials used or the colours. While it tips the scales at 175g, it doesn’t feel ungainly or uncomfortable to use.
Software: Runs the highly customisable Cyanogen software
One of the advantages of the Zuk Z1 smartphone is the Cyanogen 12.1 operating system, which is based on the Android 5.1 (Lollipop). This customized version of Android allows several customisation options and flexibility to users without cluttering the user interface. You can choose and apply new themes, adjust the size of the app icons, add or remove text and change the layout of the app drawer, among other changes. Some other notable features include the option to switch off the physical navigation keys and activate onscreen navigation keys integrated within the display. Doing this allows you to add up to five options which is not possible with keys on the physical panel. Despite all these additions, and more, the software itself remains quite streamlined and nimble in terms of using the processor and RAM.
Display: Rich and colourful
The 5.5-inch display has a resolution of 1920x1080p (Full HD). It is a bright display, and the rich colour reproduction works brilliantly for viewing photos or watching movies. The display mode setting optimises the brightness as well as colour based on the amount of light available and the time of the day. Users can also change the temperature of the colours, which would be very interesting for geeky users. The Zuk Z1 also has the Night viewing mode, similar to Apple’s Night Shift, which warms up the colour tone on the screen for less strain on the eyes when reading something in low light. The purpose of all these is to make the display comfortable to use across all lighting scenarios during the day or night.
Performance: Smooth multi-tasker with long battery
The phone comes with a non-removable 4,100 mAh battery which lasts over a day and half on a single charge, even under very heavy usage.
Camera: Works well in good light
The Zuk Z1’s 13-megapixel camera is powered by Sony’s IMX 214 lens and is equipped with dual LED flash. Though the camera interface is basic with no extra modes or filters, the picture quality is impressive. Colours look accurate even for objects in the background and texts are clearly readable in landscape and macro shots. We are genuinely impressed by the richness of the colour and the detailing that photos taken in good light are able to reproduce. The only shortcoming is that low-light shots don’t always have the sort of sharpness that one would expect in an ideal photo. The 8-megapixel front camera is impressive and is great for group selfies.
Verdict
The Zuk Z1 is perhaps the best Android smartphone in this price range. It is an almost picture perfect device with a solid performance, premium looks, great battery life, rich display and a camera that is better than what rivals offer. What gives it an edge over the likes of Redmi Note 3 (Rs.11,999), despite the price difference, is the clean yet customisable Cyanogen interface, lots of internal storage and cooler looks.
