NEW DELHI: For Lenovo, 2013 has been a big year in the Indian smartphone market. The company is known for its desktops and laptops but with the sale of traditional computers slowing down,
Lenovo is turning its focus to the smartphone industry. In China, its home country, it is already one of the biggest phone makers.
In India, 2013 was a sort of beginning for Lenovo and with the phones like P780 and K900, it managed to make a mark for itself. It promised good features, decent quality and fast performance at a relatively affordable price, and with some of the handsets delivered on these promises.
For the company, 2014 is all about working on the inroads made in 2013. And in this endeavor, Lenovo is counting heavily on Vibe X, its new flagship phone.
On paper, the price of Vibe X sure looks good. With an MRP of Rs 25,999 it is one of the more affordable phones with a FullHD screen, promise of good aftersales service and a quad-core processor. But this is also a segment of the market where competition is very strong.
Does Vibe X manage to compete with the likes of Google Nexus 5, which sells for just Rs 3,000 more, and Sony Xperia ZR?
After spending some time with the handset, we can tell you the answer is a no. Lenovo seems to have missed a trick or two with Vibe X. And that is disappointing because this phone does have a few things going for it. Read on to know why we reached this conclusion...
Sleek, lightweight and with a terrific screenVibe X is a good-looking device. In fact, it is more than good looking. It is incredibly thin and very light, especially for a phone that has a five-inch screen.
At 6.9mm, Vibe X is as thin as Lenovo K900 but feels thinner because unlike the boxy shape of K900, this phone has gently curved sides and rounded edges. This gives it a pebble like shape and makes it easier to hold it in hand. The back cover, which is non-removable, is made of plastic but has faux metal finish and a pattern of very fine dots.
The frame around the screen is also made of tough plastic but has faux chrome finish. It is shiny and adds to the style of the device, though we are not sure how well the shine will hold up with the use. The volume rocker on the right and the power button on the left have chamfered edges. These buttons fit in their sockets snuggly and feel perfect.
The speaker grill on Vibe X is on the top of the screen. Below the screen there are three touch-sensitive and backlit buttons. The screen is topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass 3, which is very tough and adds to the premium feel of the device.
Overall, we like the design and build quality of Vibe X. The design is especially nice. But we can't help feeling a bit disappointing that the phone lacks a metal body. K900, the flagship Lenovo phone of 2013, was sturdier and tougher because of its steel body.
Before we detail the hardware in Vibe X, let's talk about two components - screen and speakers.
The 5-inch screen in Vibe X is
incredible! It has FullHD resolution. Text and images look clear and sharp on it. For an IPS screen, it also dazzles by the way it shows colours. They look punchy and pleasantly saturated. The brightness and contrast in Vibe X could have been better, though. In our use, we found screen to be bright enough in most conditions. But in direct sunlight we wished it was a bit less reflective.
Speaker is the other highlight of Vibe X. It is very loud. If you play songs on Vibe X, it can easily fill a small silent room with sound.
On paper, Vibe X seems to have decent hardware. But relying on specifications to judge a phone can be misleading.
Let down by performance issuesGiven its ambitions, Vibe X is a shockingly slow phone. It is not as slow as a Rs 10,000 or a Rs 15,000
Android phones. But compared to the performance on phones like Nexus 5, Xperia ZR or even last year's phones like Galaxy S3 and Nexus 4, which now sell for less than Rs 25,000, the Vibe X is slow.
In fact, it feels slower than Lenovo K900!
The lag on the phone was visible when we swiped between the home screens, opened apps, browsed the web and opened gallery app to view photos. It lagged while we played games like Asphalt 8. This is a very demanding game but a phone that costs Rs 25,000 should be able to run it well, with smooth frame rates. We didn't see the smooth performance on Vibe X.
One reason why Vibe X feels slower is probably due to the software it runs. On top of Android 4.2.2, Lenovo has put a modified user interface. This interface, which is partly inspired by the user interface of iOS operating system, is a sort of oddity. It introduces a number of changes in the Android interface just for the sake of change. For example, there is no app drawer. The method to multitask has been changed. On Vibe X, the multitasking tray doesn't show the thumbnail of running apps. Instead, it is more like the multitasking in iOS 6. Long pressing on the menu button shows the icons of all the active apps at the bottom of the screen.
Similarly, the settings panel has been changed. The quick access panel on the notification shade has been changed. The icons are different - they are more colourful and cartoonish. In our opinion, none of these changes are helpful to a consumer.
It is also clear this unique interface makes the phone slow. We replaced the default launcher with third-party launcher - Nova - and that improved the performance slightly. But we could not get rid of a security app that runs all the time on the phone, whether you need it or not. Also we could not reverse some of the deeper changes, such as the new way to multitask, that Lenovo has made.
In fact, Lenovo K900, which has a different - and more Android like - user interface, did not suffer from the performance issues. It provided a mostly lag-free user interface.
Vibe X packs in a 13MP camera. But the performance of the camera is average. In most of the conditions, Vibe X shoots images that lack adequate contrast. In low-light, the phone attempts over smoothening to keep the level of colour noise down. It succeeds but that also results in low amount of details. The phone can shoot FullHD videos. For shooting videos, performance is slightly better. If you hold the phone steady, it is possible to shoot decent quality footage with Vibe X. But if you are shooting from a moving car, the videos have some focus issues. The front camera in Vibe X captures clear footage during video chats.
The voice quality and cell reception during calls was very good on Vibe X.
The battery in the phone lasts around 11 hours when used with a 3G connection. This is slightly below average.
Should you buy it or not?As we said earlier, our recommendation is a no. The competition around Rs 25,000 mark is strong in the phone market. At this price point, not only a phone has to offer a good screen and usable camera but also
fantastic performance. Performance is particular crucial. If you can't play the latest game with a Rs 25,000 phone or if it lags while you are sorting your holiday photos, what is the point of spending so much money?
There are handsets that offer better experience with the same price. Nexus 5 is one choice if you are willing to spend around Rs 3,000 more. Xperia ZR is another decent option and it costs less than Vibe X. Slightly older devices like Galaxy S3, Lenovo K900, Nexus 4 and Galaxy Note II are also better devices than Vibe X.
Vibe X has a great screen and a good design but the performance is a real downer. May be Lenovo will fix it with a software update in future. May be the device will get a price cut that will make it more appealing. But currently, Vibe X is not a phone that we can recommend.
Specs
* 5-inch IPS touchscreen (1920 x 1080 pixels resolution)
* MediaTek MT 6589T quad-core processor with 1.5GHz speed
* PowerVR 544MP2 graphics chip
*2GB RAM
*16GB memory
*13-megapixel camera, 1080P video recording
*5MP front-facing camera
*3G, Wi-Fi
*Bluetooth, GPS
*2000 mAh battery that lasts around 11 hours
*Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
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