Now Lenovo has decided to introduce two more variants of the K5 series. One is the premium K5 Note and the other is the budget Vibe K5. As the name of K5 Note makes it clear that it will be a handset with slightly premium features and looks. On the other hand, Vibe K5 is a cheaper phone for those users who have less money to spend.
Look and design
The new Lenovo Vibe K5 looks very similar to the Vibe K5 Plus. Its styling is also completely similar and it is available in silver, gold and grey colour variants like the Vibe K5 Plus. We have no complaints as we like its design. It is not a very slim phone but it does not feel cheap at all.
Most of the body is plastic, except for a thin metal plate in the middle of the rear. This helps the phone feel sturdy and in a way justifies its price. We are a little worried that the golden chrome on the edges of the phone will peel off, but it can be protected by using a cover.
The grip is very good and it is easy to use with one hand. The back edges of the Vibe K5 are slightly curved. Unfortunately, the Android navigation buttons below the screen are not backlit. The micro-USB and 3.5mm port are on the top. The power and volume buttons are on the right. A status LED light is present above the screen on the top right. It blinks when a notification comes.
Apart from the camera and flash, you will see two speaker grills and the Dolby logo on the rear panel of the phone. Vibe K5 has stereo speakers, which is something new for this price segment. Its battery can be removed. On removing the rear cover, you will be able to see two micro SIM card slots and a microSD card slot.
Specifications and software
The use of Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 chipset in this phone is a huge reduction compared to the Snapdragon 616 processor of Vibe K5 Plus. The screen resolution is now 720 pixels. However, Vibe K5 also comes with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage. You will be able to use 4G SIM cards in both SIM slots. Apart from this, Wi-Fi b / g / n and Bluetooth 4.1 features have been provided. There is a 13 megapixel sensor at the rear and the front camera is 5 megapixels.
The battery capacity is 2750 mAh. Due to the less powerful processor and HD resolution display, it is expected to last a little longer. We told you in the review of Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus that it did not have flagship features like fingerprint sensor or infrared emitter. These features are not provided in this model as well.
It uses Lenovo’s Vibe UI based on Android 5.1.1 which is not much different from stock Android. You will not have any problem in finding most of the functions and features. A separate app drawer is also provided in this phone. It is possible that Lenovo has added this feature after receiving feedback.
Performance
For a normal user, this smartphone will do its job well, but we found the Vibe K5 to be a bit slow. At times, there was a lag in launching some apps and opening menus. The viewing angles of the display are poor. Brightness and color are adequate. You will not have any complaints with the 720×1280 pixel resolution at this screen size. The rear speakers are capable of delivering quite loud sound.
This is the first phone in a long time that didn’t play our HD video sample files smoothly. We found its performance satisfactory when playing some 3D games. The good thing is that the Vibe K5 didn’t heat up too much during use.
We wouldn’t expect to use this phone for anything more than a little bit of social networking and web surfing. It’s clear that this model is aimed at entry-level users for whom the Vibe K5 Plus is a bit expensive. This could be one of the main reasons to buy this phone.
The benchmark scores of the phone are not very encouraging. Don’t expect to play games or run apps that require a lot of resources on it.
The rear camera isn’t bad at all if you’re willing to stop and take photos. Focus doesn’t lock instantly, but it’s reliable. Trees and metallic objects came out with plenty of detail, even in overcast outdoor conditions. We were able to get some decent depth-of-field. The difficulty lies in capturing moving objects like cars. Night shots rely heavily on artificial lighting.
Its camera is not expected to give the performance of a more expensive phone, but it should be able to take passable photos in streetlight. Video output was decent and selfies taken with the front camera won’t disappoint either.
The battery life surprised us. In the video loop test, it lasted 8 hours and 33 minutes. This is not great, but it points to the less powerful processor and HD resolution screen. In normal use, we were able to use this phone for about a day and a half without needing to charge it.
Our verdict
The low price of this phone comes at the cost of performance. If you are willing to spend a little more, you will get a better product. But it is clear that Lenovo has identified its customers. If you are on a budget, then Vibe K5 is the right choice.
The good thing is that there are a lot of things to like about the Lenovo Vibe K5. Even though it is a little slow, it covers all the right departments and is very usable. The software is easy to use. Battery life is good and the same goes for the camera quality. There are no major issues that will disappoint you. It looks great and you will never feel like you are using a cheap phone.
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