On Thursday - August 10, 2017, Chinese handset maker Lenovo officially launched a new Android smartphone in India, marking one of its first moves to regain lost ground in the midrange price bracket.
The fairly affordable Lenovo K8 Note has a number of attractive features that make it a good alternative to other mid-level handsets by other brands from China that have taken over the market.
The biggest selling point of this model would have to be its Dual Real Camera module made up of a 13 MegaPixel PDAF optic with f/1.7 aperture and Dual Tone LED flash plus another 5 MegaPixel lens that work together to deliver shots with interesting bokeh or depth of field effects. This is largely similar to what Huawei's GR line currently offers.
Users who love to take selfies will also surely appreciate the 13 MegaPixel f/2.0 front camera with Soft LED flash that allows the user to snap clear and crisp self-portraits even in low to zero lighting conditions. Of course, this shooter also benefits from Lenovo's very own beautification software.
Another notable feature is the phone's Mediatek Helio X23 chipset, which has a whopping ten physical cores! The four ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.4GHz, four ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.85GHz, and two ARM Cortex-A72 cores clocked at 2.3GHz combine to make Lenovo K8 Note one of the most powerful handsets in its price echelon. This chip likewise incorporates a Mali-T880 MP4 GPU for decent 3D gaming experience and is complemented by either 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of internal storage that's expandable via a dedicated microSD card slot.
For those who hate always charging their handsets via powerbank or electrical outlet just so it won't run out of juice on the way home in the evening, you'll be glad to know that Lenovo K8 Note is powered by a non-removable 4,000 mAh battery pack, which - I think - is just right for a handset with a large 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display. Expect a whole day of uptime - and a bit more - from this phablet with regular use.
And finally, here's a feature that puts this model ahead of its competition: Lenovo K8 Note has a splash-resistant build and finish!
Apart from being crafted from aluminum making it look and feel both durable and elegant, the shell is also closely sealed to protect against accidental splashes of water. It's not particularly water-proof so you can't dive with it -- but such level of protection, made possible in part by water-repellent nano-coating - is definitely welcome in a midrange handset.
So how much will it be? As I've noted, Lenovo K8 Note will be available in two variants when it hits store shelves in India come August 18. The 3GB RAM with 32GB ROM variant is priced at INR 12,999 ($203 USD or Php 10,300) and the 4GB RAM with 64GB ROM version goes for INR 13,999 ($219 USD or Php 11,100). This handset will be out in two colors, Venom Black and Fine Gold.
The Philippines usually also gets Lenovo Android smartphones that are launched in India -- albeit a bit later. Here's to hoping that this one would get released here real soon. I mean, Lenovo K8 Note sure looks promising.
The fairly affordable Lenovo K8 Note has a number of attractive features that make it a good alternative to other mid-level handsets by other brands from China that have taken over the market.
The biggest selling point of this model would have to be its Dual Real Camera module made up of a 13 MegaPixel PDAF optic with f/1.7 aperture and Dual Tone LED flash plus another 5 MegaPixel lens that work together to deliver shots with interesting bokeh or depth of field effects. This is largely similar to what Huawei's GR line currently offers.
Users who love to take selfies will also surely appreciate the 13 MegaPixel f/2.0 front camera with Soft LED flash that allows the user to snap clear and crisp self-portraits even in low to zero lighting conditions. Of course, this shooter also benefits from Lenovo's very own beautification software.
Another notable feature is the phone's Mediatek Helio X23 chipset, which has a whopping ten physical cores! The four ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.4GHz, four ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.85GHz, and two ARM Cortex-A72 cores clocked at 2.3GHz combine to make Lenovo K8 Note one of the most powerful handsets in its price echelon. This chip likewise incorporates a Mali-T880 MP4 GPU for decent 3D gaming experience and is complemented by either 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of internal storage that's expandable via a dedicated microSD card slot.
For those who hate always charging their handsets via powerbank or electrical outlet just so it won't run out of juice on the way home in the evening, you'll be glad to know that Lenovo K8 Note is powered by a non-removable 4,000 mAh battery pack, which - I think - is just right for a handset with a large 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display. Expect a whole day of uptime - and a bit more - from this phablet with regular use.
Unlike other K-series models from Lenovo in the past, Lenovo K8 Note will no longer have the Vibe user interface as serving as skin for the operating system. This one will run the stock version of Android 7.1.1 Nougat right out of the box.
And finally, here's a feature that puts this model ahead of its competition: Lenovo K8 Note has a splash-resistant build and finish!
Apart from being crafted from aluminum making it look and feel both durable and elegant, the shell is also closely sealed to protect against accidental splashes of water. It's not particularly water-proof so you can't dive with it -- but such level of protection, made possible in part by water-repellent nano-coating - is definitely welcome in a midrange handset.
So how much will it be? As I've noted, Lenovo K8 Note will be available in two variants when it hits store shelves in India come August 18. The 3GB RAM with 32GB ROM variant is priced at INR 12,999 ($203 USD or Php 10,300) and the 4GB RAM with 64GB ROM version goes for INR 13,999 ($219 USD or Php 11,100). This handset will be out in two colors, Venom Black and Fine Gold.
The Philippines usually also gets Lenovo Android smartphones that are launched in India -- albeit a bit later. Here's to hoping that this one would get released here real soon. I mean, Lenovo K8 Note sure looks promising.
