The Motorola acquisition gave Lenovo an even bigger boost, but blockbuster smartphones that carry its own brand name are just as necessary in China and abroad. The QHD Vibe Z2 Pro was undoubtedly the company's best product in 2014, but what about the mid-range price range? Its worthy representative is the Lenovo Vibe X2, a review of which is offered below.
Brief description of the model
The Vibe X2 looks stunning - the multi-layer magnesium alloy body gives exactly the impression Lenovo wanted to achieve. It's hard to get noticed in this market segment, but this model has nothing to worry about. The layered design is similar to the Jolla phone, but it also has a third layer and they complement each other. Beneath the ostentatious outfit lies an equally impressive interior. We are talking about a MediaTek True8core chip with 4 Cortex-A17 cores with a frequency of 2 GHz. There's also a solid 5-inch 1080p IPS display. Complete with a 13-megapixel camera, the smartphone comes very close to the premium class. But charm alone won't win the market, and Lenovo certainly knows that. At least on paper, the phone has plenty of features, including Cat. 4 LTE and 2 GB RAM.
Package
Lenovo knows how to make a first impression and it starts right from the packaging. Users were pleasantly surprised not only by the appearance of the box, but also by its contents. The smartphone came complete with a regular micro-USB cable, as well as headphones. But that's not all, as the manufacturer is trying to charm the customer by offering him a protective film as well as a transparent plastic case for the Lenovo Vibe X2. There was also a SIM card ejector. This is not much, but more than what other manufacturers offer.
Build quality
To say that the Lenovo Vibe X2 is a bright phone is not enough. It is divided into four layers of different shades that complement the neighboring ones. It looks great and doesn't make him look fat at all. The Lenovo Vibe X2 smartphone weighs 120 g and has dimensions of 140.2 x 68.6 x 7.3 mm. It's slightly larger than the iPhone 6, but lighter with a 5" display instead of a 4.7" one.
Lightness is achieved through the use of magnesium alloy. This also makes the phone quite durable - if it accidentally falls, it will remain intact and unharmed. To prevent this from happening, its sides are completely flat and provide excellent grip. The edges on the back seem a little sharp and may be uncomfortable for some as the smartphone doesn't feel quite natural in the hand. But this is a purely personal impression, since many people like this design. In reality, the sides of the Vibe X2 are not completely flat. The rounded top and bottom edges contrast positively with the sides. Overall, the Vibe X2 feels pleasant to the touch and its build quality is impeccable. This is to be expected since the phone uses a unibody chassis. Lenovo also put a lot of work into every detail to ensure the build and materials are of the highest quality.
Control
On the front panel below the screen there are the usual three capacitive keys for Lenovo: calling up the menu, going to the home panel and returning. Above the display there is a speaker and a 5-megapixel camera on the right. Proximity and light sensors are also found in this part of the phone. On the left is a tray for two micro-SIM cards. To remove them, you need the ejector included in the kit. Unfortunately, there is no micro-SD card slot. If its presence is necessary, then the Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro model has it. On the right are the metal power/lock button and volume rocker. The 3.5mm jack is located at the top left, while at the bottom there is a microUSB charging port and a microphone hole. The rear panel is quite stylish and neat - the 13-megapixel camera is placed in the top left corner next to the LED flash. An additional noise-canceling microphone is on the right. Below them is the Lenovo logo and holes for the speakers. An interesting addition on the back are three spring terminals used to connect accessories such as an external JBL stand speaker and battery.
Screen
Performance
The heart of the Lenovo Vibe X2 is the MT6595 processor with four high-performance 2 GHz Cortex-A17 cores and the same number of economical 1.7 GHz Cortex-A7 cores. The chip is also used in the Meizu MX4 smartphone, but at a 2.2 GHz frequency. 2 GB of RAM and a PowerVR G600 graphics microprocessor provide a solid hardware configuration.
Testing processor performance in Geekbench 3 gives 3647 points, which is higher than its main competitors and is even 100 points ahead of the Meizu MX4. In AnTuTu 5, the Vibe X2 is marginally slower than the Galaxy Alpha and MX4. The PowerVR G600 performs only mediocre in the Manhattan and T-Rex tests. Unsurprisingly, they are close to the Meizu MX4, but since the latter has a higher clock speed, it looks better. The Basemark X gaming test gives the Vibe X2 a score lower than the Motorolla Moto X and Samsung Galaxy Alpha. There are no problems with games. In terms of web surfing, the Lenovo Vibe X2 smartphone shows an excellent result in the Kraken 1.1 test, where it beats the Galaxy Alpha and Xiaomi Mi4, despite the outdated OS. The phone also tops the BrowserMark 2.1 test, which is likely a result of installing the latest version of Chrome.
Overall, reviews call the performance of the Lenovo Vibe X2 excellent. It's a fast device that easily handles UI operations and even the most demanding games and applications. MediaTek has come a long way and the MT6595 octa-core chipset is one of the best.
Telephone communications
The quality of communication of the Lenovo Vibe X2 is described by user reviews as satisfactory. The voice is transmitted clearly and distinctly. The proximity sensor ensures that the screen does not glow when the smartphone is near your face. If you turn the phone over during a call, the call signal will not be heard. You can use 3D gestures to handle calls, but users say they were never able to take advantage of this feature.
A second noise-canceling microphone provides a quieter voice background during calls.
The dialer and call log are located on one screen. The communicator offers smart dialing that works with both names and numbers.
Testing the phone's speaker yielded an average score. This means that you will always have to be on alert so as not to miss a single call.
Audio disappointment
Judging by the test results, the Lenovo Vibe X2 32GB smartphone can hardly be called musically gifted. The device performs excellently when driven with an active external amplifier, but even then its volume level is very low. After connecting a pair of headphones to the Lenovo Vibe X2, the frequency response and dynamic range become monstrous. Distortion occurs and stereo crosstalk occurs, resulting in a rather disastrous result.
Camera
Lenovo Vibe X2 is equipped with a 13-megapixel camera with a maximum resolution of 4160 x 3120 pixels in 4:3 mode. It also allows you to shoot in 16:9, but photos are cropped to 4096 x 2304 pixels. The phone also boasts a 5-megapixel front camera, the shutter of which can be controlled by gestures. She automatically takes a photo when she sees two fingers forming a V or a wink, which helps reduce her shaking. While the first one works flawlessly, the blinking does not always work.
The user interface is friendly and logical. At the top left there are four icons for switching to the front camera, turning on the flash, HDR and the shutter trigger. The settings menu can be accessed through a special shortcut in the lower left corner. This gives you access to HDR mode, Auto mode, geolocation and resolution settings, among other things. The manufacturer has provided the availability of basic shooting modes - standard, panoramic and using various special effects. The camera captures a lot of detail. Despite the not entirely favorable shooting conditions, the image quality is surprising. Colors are reproduced accurately. Most of the time you get good detailed and clear results. Sometimes spots appear on photographs. The image noise level is also a little high, but tolerable. The Vibe X2 focuses instantly and shoots with minimal delay between shots.
Manufacturers implement HDR photography in their own ways. High dynamic range is designed to correctly convey the bright and dark areas of the frame. The phone takes multiple photos at different exposures and combines them into one HDR frame. It's a shame, but Lenovo failed. The results are quite minor and photos taken without this feature are often preferred.
Lenovo Vibe X2: video specifications
The smartphone allows you to shoot 1080p video at 30 fps, but it does not have fast or slow motion options. There aren't many settings. You can set the focus to infinity or proactive AF mode, and also turn on digital stabilization. That's probably all.
1080p video looks good, but isn't impressive. The level of detail is normal, white balance and color are also good. The video appears smooth at around 29-30 fps. Sharpness is uniform across the entire frame. Video is recorded at an impressive 34 Mbps and stereo encoded at 128 kbps. For some reason, the autofocus system constantly jumps back and forth, even though most of the frames are focused accurately.
Verdict
The multi-color Lenovo Vibe X2 Gold adds variety to monochrome mid-range phones while remaining within the bounds of decency. Manufacturers strive to attract customers with beautiful designs, but few succeed. Paired with the Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro, the company has emerged as a strong contender in the mid-range phone market. The phone is built solidly, although without additional protection.
The key features of the model are:
- Rugged magnesium alloy body with stunning design;
- 5" IPS display with full HD resolution;
- battery with mediocre battery life with a capacity of 2300 mAh;
- good performance and an excellent central processor, but the graphics chip is not powerful enough;
- mediocre sound quality;
- great detail and richness of photos, but insufficient dynamic range.
Lenovo did not skimp on the 5" display with a resolution of 1080p - it has bright colors, satisfactory contrast and brightness, excellent viewing angles. The only thing that causes complaints is the frame around the display. The manufacturer could make the phone a little more compact by making the button on-screen, and the frame is thinner.
However, right out of the gate, it's obvious that the eight-core MediaTek chipset means business. The phone is fast, comfortable and runs on the Vibe 2.0 user interface. In a significant part of the tests, the smartphone was ahead of its competitors. Speed is one thing, but endurance can be much more important - 2300 mAh lasts only 50 hours. Firmware for Lenovo Vibe X2 with a new version of the OS could possibly improve this indicator. Overall it's a decent phone, but it has too many competitors, such as the equally priced Samsung Galaxy S5, Xiaomi Mi4, Meizu MX4, Huawei Honor 6, LG G3 and Lumia 930.
Powerful, stylish, modern - this is how you can characterize one of the flagships of 2014, the Lenovo Vibe X2 smartphone. Since its presentation, the device has won the hearts of many connoisseurs of stylish gadgets and to this day remains one of the desired smartphones, although it is not without its shortcomings. But first things first...
Equipment
Despite the premium segment, the contents of the box are quite ordinary: the smartphone itself, headphones, charger, microUSB cable, a clip for removing the SIM card slot and a set of documentation. Depending on the store, the package may be expanded with a protective film and a protective cover.
Specifications
The European version of the smartphone is equipped with a powerful 8-core MediaTek 6595M processor with a clock frequency of 2.0 GHz. The device has 2 GB of RAM and, depending on the modification, 16 or 32 GB of internal memory.
The Lenovo Vibe X2 screen has a high-quality 5-inch IPS matrix with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. As for the cameras, the device has two: the front one is 5 MP, and the main one is 13 MP.
The phone has one SIM card and supports GSM, WCDMA and LTE networks:
- 2G (850/900/1800/1900)
- 3G (2100/900/850)
- 4G (LTE FDD Band 1/3/7, TDD B40, LTE FDD Band 1/3/7/30)
The dimensions of the device are: 140.2 x 68.6 x 7.27 mm, and weight - 120 grams.
The battery capacity is 2300 mAh. If you actively use your smartphone, its charge will last for 1-1.5 days of battery life. The device has an energy saving mode, which will increase the operating time of the device without the need to recharge.
In the AnTuTu test, the device produces 49219.
By default, Lenovo Vibe X2 runs on the Android 4.4 operating system, but will receive an update to Android 5.0 in the second quarter of 2015. You can find out what other devices will be updated to Lollipop from the article:
Appearance
The smartphone has a thin body, narrow frames and a multi-layered metal design in various colors, which gives the device an unusual appearance.
On the front side of the device there are: a voice speaker, a front camera, light and proximity sensors, a high-quality 5-inch screen and navigation buttons.
On the back there is the main camera, flash, microphone, Lenovo logo, main speaker and special contacts for connecting additional accessories.
Headphones are connected through a special connector located on the top edge of the device.
The SIM card slot is on the left side,
and on the right are the power button and volume rocker.
The microUSB port is located on the bottom edge of the smartphone.
Video review
pros
- stylish design
- the most powerful filling
- high quality screen
- great cameras
- OTG support.
minuses
- lack of memory card slot
- relatively weak battery.
Lenovo Vibe X2 is an excellent choice for those who do not plan to keep an entire archive of films and many “heavy” toys on the device, although any of them can easily start and work well on this device.
The Chinese manufacturer, which has managed to gain a fairly high reputation in the mobile device market, has launched an attack on the middle price segment. To attract the attention of buyers, you need to be better than competitors in performance, price or design.
Lenovo developers decided to strike in all three directions and created VIBE X2: a bright, unusual case containing a powerful hardware platform, and a smartphone price starting from 15,000 rubles. Of course, no one will work at a loss, so we had to sacrifice the battery, cameras, an additional memory card and some other capabilities that the MT6595M chipset offers.
Design and communications Lenovo VIBE X2
In developing the design of the new smartphone, Lenovo's mobile division has turned a new page: a multi-colored edging of the case. A flat, almost rectangular smartphone without pleasant curves could be called strict or even boring, but a colored sandwich saves the day. Lenovo VIBE X2 looks like a slice of three-colored marmalade, attracting the buyer's eyes tired of monotony.
The case is made in the form of a monoblock made of matte plastic, which almost does not collect fingerprints. Models in white, red, dark gray and golden colors are available on the Russian market. The back panel is painted in the main color, the two-tone edging is in its shades. The front panel is covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass 3. Despite the sharp edges, the thin and light smartphone fits comfortably in the hand without slipping.
Above the Lenovo VIBE X2 screen there is a speaker, light and proximity sensors, an event indicator and a front camera. Below the display there are 3 standard touch buttons: in the center “Home”, on the left “Menu”, on the right “Back”. The buttons are illuminated with white light. There is also a speaker here.
On the right side are the power and volume keys. On the left side there is a tray for a SIM card, which can be removed by pressing a recessed button using a special paper clip. At the bottom end of the Lenovo VIBE X2 smartphone there is a microUSB slot and a microphone, at the top there is a jack for an audio headset with a diameter of 3.5 mm.
The rear panel has a contact pad for attaching accessories, as well as a main camera with LED flash and a ring speaker grille. The sound from the VIBE X2 2015 speaker is quite loud and spacious, but is completely blocked if the device is lying on a surface with the screen facing up.
The smartphone operates on 2G/3G/4G LTE networks. The wireless communication module supports Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac in the 2.4/5 GHz bands, as well as Bluetooth 3.0 + 4.1 LE Lenovo VIBE X2 can be used as an Internet access point. However, there is no support for NFC (near field wireless data exchange) and OTG. The navigation unit easily finds GPS and GLONASS satellites.
Performance of Lenovo Vibe X2
The smartphone is powered by a powerful modern SoC Mediatek MT6595m. Its feature is the ability to operate 4 powerful energy-intensive cores with 4 weaker and more economical ones in any configuration, depending on the complexity of the task. The graphics are handled by a 2-core GPU PowerVR G6200 video processor with a clock frequency of up to 450 MHz. The Lenovo VIBE X2 has 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory. There is no possibility to increase the permanent memory, because... There is no memory card slot or OTG support.
The operating system is Android 4.4.2, the interface is Lenovo Vibe UI. Many pre-installed programs eat up the device's permanent and RAM memory, leaving users with about 23 GB and 560 MB, respectively. There are enough resources for smooth operation of all applications, even heavy 3D games run freely at maximum graphics resolutions. The developers announced optimized power consumption as one of the advantages of the MT6595 chipset. Under moderate load, the Lenovo VIBE X2 smartphone hardly heats up; during heavy games it heats up moderately, without causing any inconvenience to users.
VIBE X2 smartphone display and cameras
The 5-inch display of the smartphone with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 px and a density of 440 ppi is made on the basis of an IPS matrix. Brightness can be adjusted manually or automatically. Its supply is quite enough for the screen to be readable on a sunny day outside. Viewing angles are excellent, color rendition is natural. Multi-touch supports up to 10 touches. The Lenovo Vibe X2 display can be turned on by double tapping. During a phone call, the screen is locked using a proximity sensor.
The main 13-megapixel camera is equipped with an LED flash that can be used as a flashlight. The weak performance of the stabilization unit causes numerous complaints from buyers about blurry pictures. There is a very ascetic set of settings: panoramic shooting, HDR mode, white balance, special effects. The camera can shoot video in 1080 resolution at 30 fps.
The front 5-megapixel camera, equipped with a fixed focus, can shoot with a resolution of 2560×1920. Shooting is initiated by gestures, voice commands and winks. It is possible to edit pictures in real time.
Lenovo VIBE X2 battery leaves much to be desired
The smartphone has a 2300 mAh non-removable battery. This is clearly not enough for a powerful chipset - with active use of the smartphone, the charge lasts for 6–8 hours, with normal use - less than a day. The situation can be saved by an attached plastic case with a battery, which is sold separately. You can also use a power-saving mode with the screen brightness reduced and data transfer disabled.
Lenovo Vibe X2 with case
Screen
The Vibe X2 has a 5-inch screen on an IPS matrix with Full HD resolution (1080x1920 pixels). There are no problems with the saturation and naturalness of colors. The range of brightness levels is also good, but the automatic backlight adjustment is too aggressive. It tries to increase dynamic contrast, but does a disservice: even not too dark images become almost unreadable under bright sunlight. You can turn on high brightness mode in the settings menu, but this noticeably affects battery life.
There is no air gap between the matrix and the protective glass - this design reduces reflections and increases brightness. But this solution has one big drawback: non-repairability. The larger the screen, the easier it is to break or at least scratch it. In the case of a conventional “air” design, the device can simply replace the protective glass with a touch layer. If you accidentally drop the Vibe X2, you will have to replace the entire display module along with the matrix, and this is several times more expensive.
In the dark, an unpleasant effect appears when the bottom of the screen is illuminated by LEDs under the touch keys - an obvious mistake by the designers.
Lenovo managed to become the first computer manufacturer in the world, and is now actively expanding into the smartphone market. The manufacturer places its special hopes on Vibe X2. Here, a high-resolution screen, a powerful processor, a flashy design - in general, the bet is justified. Let's take a closer look at what this smartphone can offer us.
Equipment
The box from the device is a separate matter. It is small, multi-layered and somewhat reminiscent of a box. You can find a protruding ribbon on the side. He pulled it and took out the first drawer with the apparatus beautifully laid out there. He pulled the second one and took out the accessories.
By the way, in addition to the usual MicroUSB cable and a 5V and 1.5A power supply, there is a protective film, as well as a transparent glossy case ala Crystal Case. In general, the manufacturer thought about the user.
Design
It’s not for nothing that I called the Vibe X2 a sandwich smartphone. It is based on a multi-layer design and looks really interesting, I would even say stylish. For some this may be a disappointment, but the smartphone is made entirely of plastic. There is no metal here at all. However, when you take the device in your hand, you forget about this moment. The plastic here does not scream about savings, as is often the case with other manufacturers. One Korean electronics giant is especially guilty of this. Well you know what I mean.
The colors here are bright and the surface is pleasant to the touch. In addition, the use of polymer materials has led to weight reduction. In fact, for a five-inch smartphone, 120 grams is very little. The device is light, but the lack of weight does not spoil the impression.
From the end you can see that three components are used, which are connected into one. They are all flush-mounted. However, the glass panel on the front side is slightly smaller in area and, accordingly, looks special.
Above the screen there is a speaker grid, a front camera, proximity and light sensors. Where would we be without them?
At the bottom are the device control buttons. They are touch sensitive and illuminated in the dark with moonlight. The advantage is that they do not take up display space. The downside lies in their strange shape. There is no usual house or other markings here. People who are accustomed to some other Android will have to get used to it for the first few days, determining at random what each of the keys means.
The right side features beautifully polished power and volume buttons.
The left side is occupied only by the SIM card tray. By the way, it is made of metal and looks quite massive.
At the top there is a 3.5mm audio output for headphones, and at the bottom there is a tiny microphone hole and a MicroUSB port. There is no infrared sensor, no NFC module, support for memory cards and the OTG protocol is also missing. Not rich equipment, but could be better.
The back cover shimmers slightly with a pearlescent color. Looks very elegant. There is a branding in the center, and closer to the top edge there is a camera, a single-section flash and a hole for the rear microphone.
At the bottom is the speaker grid. The design is not the best, since the sound is fairly muffled on a flat surface when the smartphone is face down. Nearby there is a contact area for connecting a special case with a built-in battery.
Now about ergonomics. You can type messages, scroll through browser pages - in most cases, one hand is enough for this. Dimensions allow.
By the way, it will be interesting to compare the smartphone with its main competitors in these parameters:
| Length | Width | Thickness | Weight | |
| Lenovo Vibe X2 | 140,2 | 68,6 | 7,27 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Alpha | 132,4 | 65,5 | ||
| Sony Xperia Z3 Compact | 64,9 | |||
| Huawei Ascend P7 | ||||
| Apple iPhone 5S | 123,8 | 58,6 |
Regarding design and convenience, we can draw the following conclusion. Lenovo Vibe X2 is very convenient for everyday use, has a high-quality body, even if made of plastic, and a nice design. In our area with long winters, such bright colors will look very appropriate. By the way, the following colors are available for sale:
Smartphone display
On the front side there is a Gorilla Glass panel (the generation is not specified) with an oleophobic coating.
A 5-inch screen plays a decisive role in ease of use, and Full HD resolution is perfectly suited for such a diagonal.
The pixel density per square inch is 441 ppi. This is more than enough.
Installing QuadHD for such dimensions is not justified. You will not be able to see individual pixels with the naked eye.
In the photo below you can compare the displays of the Vibe X2 (top) with the iPhone 5S:
Color rendition is good, fortunately the IPS matrix is used. When tilted, the situation remains the same - no fading occurs, however, in comparison with the Apple device, a slight change in greenish tints is visible.
Those who are dissatisfied with the standard gamma can choose other display parameters from the preset profiles or play with the slider, moving it from warm to cool tones.
The menu contains the ClearMotion function, the essence of which is that the chipset, while watching a video, increases the frame rate of the video to 60, thereby ensuring its smooth playback. Indeed, videos on the smartphone screen look very lively thanks to this feature!
Lenovo Vibe X2 Specifications:
- MediaTek MT6595M processor: four cores operate at 2.0 GHz, four others at 1.69 GHz
- PowerVR G6200MP4 video chip
- RAM 2 GB LPDDR3 933 MHz (after download 966 MB)
- built-in memory 32 GB (25.68 GB actually available)
- 5" display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (density 441 ppi)
- main camera 13 megapixels
- front camera 5 megapixels
- OS Android 4.4.2
- connectors: 3.5 mm, microUSB, Micro SIM
- Sensors: compass, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor
- battery (non-removable, lithium polymer) 2300 mAh
- SAR indicator: 0.375 - 0.589 W/kg
- 2G, 3G, 4G (FDD bands 1, 3, 7, 20)
- Wi-Fi (b/g/n/ac)
- Bluetooth 3.0 + 4.1 LE
- FM radio
- GPS/GLONASS
The manufacturer decided to install a solution from MediaTek under the symbol MT6595M. Let's take a closer look at this organ.
Firstly, this chip is unique in that all cores can operate simultaneously: 4 of them are ARM Cortex-A7, operating at a frequency of 1.7 GHz, and 4 other ARM Cortex-A17, in this case, operating at 2.0 GHz . The processor's operating pattern varies depending on the task.
Of course, battery power consumption is not forgotten either. If necessary, the system reduces the maximum frequency in favor of reasonable use of battery resources and avoidance of overheating. That is why the Chinese smartphone has a version of the processor with a limited frequency on board. This one is indicated by the letter “M” in the model index.
The PowerVR G6200MP4 video chip is responsible for graphics processes, the frequency of which is again reduced to 400 MHz instead of the maximum possible 600. Again, saving battery resources.
By the way, the same processor, and not a separate chip, is responsible for LTE support. Cat.4 is used, but this is quite sufficient for our current realities.
The only disappointment is the lack of NFC and the ability to connect flash drives in USB-Host mode.
Yes, despite the fact that OTG support was declared on other information resources, this is still not the case here. So, except for some little things Lenovo Vibe X2 specifications impress with their innovation. The product from MediaTek, I am sure, will provide the smartphone with a long life among current devices for the next couple of years.
Performance
Let's look at the test results.
In general, the brains of the phone provide it with very serious performance, on par with the flagships of this year and early next year.
We have already talked about the processor and other components. Their resources are sufficient for the vast majority of tasks, including heavy toys. Now let's talk about the behavior of the system as a whole.
The Lenovo Launcher shell is mostly well-debugged. Desktops and animation flutter spectacularly. However, some glitches occur from time to time. Either the “Back” button will not work right away, then the screen unlock icon will stop responding to presses, and the multitasking mode will, no, no, but think for a couple of seconds - the user will definitely have to deal with this. It's not annoying, but it catches your eye regularly.
As for launching applications, there are no problems here. Everything loads quickly, I didn’t notice any errors or random application crashes.
Front-camera
The front photo module has 5 megapixels, and the frames have a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. The quality of the photographs is very good.
There are various shooting techniques available: shooting with touch, voice, timer, wave of the hand or blink of the eyes. The last two do not work the first time. Maybe I'm just blinking in a non-obvious way. I find it difficult to answer.
Of course, there is no LED flash on the front panel, like in the Sony Xperia C3, but there is a function that fills the viewfinder with pink or yellow. In the dark it's still better than nothing.
Lenovo Vibe X2 camera
The main photo module is capable of creating frames with a resolution of 4096 x 2304 pixels - that’s 13 megapixels. The most interesting thing is that in the settings there is no option to select a specific resolution. The user can only select the aspect ratio of the frame: 16:9, 4:3 or one to one.
Perhaps this is the right approach. Ask yourself, how often do you prefer, for example, a 1280 x 720 pixel photo to a higher resolution one? Personally, I never. I always want the best quality available.
The shots come out good. Color rendition, sharpness, background blur - everything is very decent.
The camera, of course, is not the best possible, but for the price of the device it is very good. Typically, manufacturers save money at this point; Lenovo did not do this.
The only negative point is shooting at night. This is where all the flaws and nuances come out.
Autofocus often misses and pictures are blurry. In general, night photography is the weak point of the phone.
As an example, I've included a composite shot below with different ISO settings. The conditions were as follows: a dark room, a smartphone mounted on a tripod, the subject standing motionless and smiling.
Videos can be recorded in Full HD resolution. The recording is smooth, without jerking. However, if there is not enough ambient lighting, the video will look sad. Let's look at an example.
Battery
The smartphone has a 2300 mAh lithium polymer battery. With moderate use of all the functions of the device: two hours of surfing via Wi-Fi and LTE, half an hour of using other programs, taking a dozen photos - the device is not able to survive until the night.
With a fully charged battery in the morning, most likely no more than 10 percent will remain in the evening. Runtime for the X2 is a sore subject.
The problem lies in the high-resolution display and powerful processor. The battery capacity (there were no records) is not enough to operate these main energy hogs for more than a day. Of course, if you don’t touch the device at all, it can live for 4 days, or maybe more, but that’s not what you usually buy such a smartphone for.
If you actively play modern 3D games, the device will sit down in a matter of hours. Obviously, you shouldn't go far from the outlet if you like to play.
In the settings you can activate the energy saving profile. In this case, the device turns into a dialer with an alarm function. The battery savings are not colossal, but still.
Sound
The included headset is only useful for answering calls. The sound quality through it will suit only inexperienced users. For everyone else, it makes sense to use your usual headphones.
There is no proprietary program for playing audio files. You can download something of your choice from the app store or stick to Play Music from Google.
I tested the quality of audio playback through this utility and using my good old Koss Porta Pro. The sound quality is comparable to the Apple iPhone 5S, both in frequency and volume.
Software Features Overview
All applications are located directly on desktops. They are installed and uninstalled directly from here. Of course, you can use the software manager, but for most cases it is not needed.
Desktops are fully customizable. You can choose different design themes, set your wallpaper, create folders - everything is as always.
I would like to express special thanks to the developers for the themes. The ability to install the skin you like right out of the box is not an unnecessary way to customize the appearance for the user. The advantage is that all these actions are safe than installing and launching third-party themes that may be incompatible with the system. It's a pity that the choice is limited to only six skins available by default.
I sincerely don’t like it when a manufacturer tries to force the user to use some programs. This used to be a problem with almost all laptops, but now the trend is spreading to mobile devices.
So, by default, an “extremely necessary” antivirus called Security is installed and running.
It successfully cuts down suspicious activity, including various notifications from Viber and other necessary applications. It is impossible to remove this program using standard means. I stopped all processes associated with this antivirus and stopped fighting the utility.
Usually Google is guilty of this behavior, which requires manufacturers to place their branded store in the most visible place. I am convinced that developers also do not need to join these games! There's a fine line here, where going overboard means losing the loyalty of your fans.
Let's return to our topic. There are additional features that simplify communication with the phone. So, you can wake up the screen or send it to sleep mode by double tapping. It's comfortable!
In addition, you can take a photo directly from sleep mode by double tapping on the “Home” icon. A useful feature when you need to take a photo very quickly and don’t have time to normally launch a photo application.
But the gesture of launching a photo application, when you just need to lift the phone in landscape orientation, did not work for me. Maybe I was doing something wrong.c
In addition, sound profiles are adjusted depending on the time of day. For example, from 9 am the vibration is activated, and from 19:00 the call volume is at full volume. Turning on Wi-Fi can be tied to a location and so on. These are, of course, not breakthrough settings, but it’s good that the manufacturer cares so much about its consumers.
Should I buy Lenovo Vibe X2?
Currently asking for a smartphone price at 16,990 19,990 rubles. This is a very interesting offer! And here's what a potential buyer can get for this money:
- great bright design
- powerful and modern filling
- high-quality Full HD display
- good camera
However, you will have to come to terms with the low level of autonomy of the smartphone and the system that sometimes lags.
Regarding the latter, I'm most likely nitpicking. Minor interface lags are not a serious drawback. There are few of them, and the frequency of firmware updates gives hope for complete optimization of the software in the near future. But a weak battery is really a nuance that must be taken into account when purchasing.
However, I think the Lenovo Vibe X2 is a good buy. Few competitors can offer so many high-quality components in one device, and even for such money. Against the backdrop of all the advantages of the device, one day of battery life is something you can live with. Just hurry up, the price of a smartphone may change very soon.