Lenovo A6000 review
LENOVO A6000 Review
NEW DELHI: Lenovo has finally announced the India pricing and
availability details for its much awaited low-cost 4G smartphone, A6000.
At Rs 6,999, it is the cheapest 4G phone available in the Indian market and packs in a lot of features, giving competition to the likes of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S and Asus ZenFone 4. We spent some time with the phone at Lenovo's launch event in New Delhi and here are our initial thoughts...
Lenovo A6000 doesn't look very different from other Android smartphones available at this price. It essentially sports the same rectangular form factor combined with rounded corners and a plastic shell, which we've seen in phones such as the Redmi 1S.
At Rs 6,999, it is the cheapest 4G phone available in the Indian market and packs in a lot of features, giving competition to the likes of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S and Asus ZenFone 4. We spent some time with the phone at Lenovo's launch event in New Delhi and here are our initial thoughts...
Lenovo A6000 doesn't look very different from other Android smartphones available at this price. It essentially sports the same rectangular form factor combined with rounded corners and a plastic shell, which we've seen in phones such as the Redmi 1S.
If you want your phone to stand out from the rest of the crowd, you can
swap the phone's black back panel and choose a red or white one. The
back panels will be available separately. Other than that, the phone has
a very utilitarian design.
The phone is pleasantly lightweight which makes it easy to lug around.
The front of the phone features a 5-inch IPS HD (720x1920p) display which offers good viewing angles and vibrant colours. We found the touch response to be slightly erratic but we're not sure if it was limited to the demo unit.
The three capacitive touch navigation buttons are placed right below the display and were pretty responsive. A 2MP front-facing camera is placed right above the display next to the earpiece.
The right edge of the phone houses the volume rocker and power keys. Both of the keys offer good tactile feedback and were responsive. The left and bottom edges are barren while the top sports the 3.5mm headset jack as well as the micro-USB port.
The back cover wraps around the front panel and hides the 2300mAh battery (removable), two micro sim card slots and a microSD card slot. The back panel sports a matte finish and offers a good grip. The 8MP camera lens and LED flash are placed towards the upper portion of the back.
The phone is pleasantly lightweight which makes it easy to lug around.
The front of the phone features a 5-inch IPS HD (720x1920p) display which offers good viewing angles and vibrant colours. We found the touch response to be slightly erratic but we're not sure if it was limited to the demo unit.
The three capacitive touch navigation buttons are placed right below the display and were pretty responsive. A 2MP front-facing camera is placed right above the display next to the earpiece.
The right edge of the phone houses the volume rocker and power keys. Both of the keys offer good tactile feedback and were responsive. The left and bottom edges are barren while the top sports the 3.5mm headset jack as well as the micro-USB port.
The back cover wraps around the front panel and hides the 2300mAh battery (removable), two micro sim card slots and a microSD card slot. The back panel sports a matte finish and offers a good grip. The 8MP camera lens and LED flash are placed towards the upper portion of the back.
It's worth pointing out that the phone's second sim card slot does not support 3G or 4G connectivity.
The phone runs Android 4.4 KitKat with Lenovo's Vibe UI 2.0 custom
interface that supports themes and comes with Lenovo's utility apps.
The phone's default UI is devoid of an app drawer and app icons and widgets are spread across the home screens. The unified home screen-app launcher style may come across as user-friendly to people who have not used an Android phone before.
Lenovo A6000 sports an 8MP rear camera (with auto focus and LED flash) and a 2MP front facing camera. We'll have a detailed look at the phone's cameras in my full review.
The phone's default UI is devoid of an app drawer and app icons and widgets are spread across the home screens. The unified home screen-app launcher style may come across as user-friendly to people who have not used an Android phone before.
Lenovo A6000 sports an 8MP rear camera (with auto focus and LED flash) and a 2MP front facing camera. We'll have a detailed look at the phone's cameras in my full review.
With the launch of the A6000, Lenovo has reduced the entry price barrier
for 4G devices, and on first look, it seems you won't need to
compromise with features and performance when you choose this phone.
However, I will need to spend a few days with the phone before giving a
final verdict.