Yesterday, Lenovo launched the successor to the K3 Note, one of its most popular smartphones. The Lenovo K4 Note is not just an iterative update, it shows of its Vibe series DNA with metallic build, bigger battery and a strong focus on multimedia features.
To bolster its credentials as a multimedia powerhouse the Lenovo K4 Note gets stereo front speakers with support for Dolby Atmos surround sound, a first for smartphone speakers. Then we have a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display onboard and a pretty decent 3300 mAh battery to keep the phone going. There's also a separate microSD Card slot to expand storage upto 128GB, to keep all your movies and TV series.
But that's not all, Lenovo also announced its own VR experience for the K4 Note dubbed TheaterMax. The company has partnered with ANTVR for the Virtual Reality headset which will be sold separately for Rs. 1299 or can be purchased as a bundle with the K4 Note.
Video: Lenovo K4 Note Hands-on Overview, Features
Key Specifications of Lenovo K4 Note
- 5.5-inch 1080p IPS Display, Gorilla Glass 3 Protection
- Octa-core, 64-bit, MediaTek MT6753 Processor
- 3GB RAM, 16GB Expandable Storage
- 13MP Rear, 5MP Front Cameras
- 4G LTE, Dual-SIM, WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, FM Radio
- Android 5.1 Lollipop (Vibe UI Lite)
- 3300 mAh Battery (Non-removable)
Build Quality
The Lenovo K4 Note has an interesting design, to some it may seem a bit polarizing. There's the front-firing dual speakers above and below the display. Then the back is curved to make the phone easier to hold. The speakers are loud, support Dolby Atmos surround sound and have good stereo separation.
Just below the top speaker you have the 5MP front-facing camera, proximity and lights sensors, while below the display there are capacitive buttons which don't light up. Coming to the 5.5-inch display, it is quite bright, has wide viewing angles and good color reproduction. You can also tweak the color balance of the display if you so desire.
A metal band runs on the sides with a removable polycarbonate back. The company also said that there will be several back-covers and cases available for the K4 Note. Coming back to build, the power button and volume rocker are on the right, they offer good feedback and feel solid.
At the top you have the audio jack, while the micro-USB port and second microphone can be found at the bottom. There are actually three microphones on the device for better noise and echo cancellation.
Moving to the back you will find a 13MP rear camera, with dual-tone LED flash, another microphone as well as the fingerprint sensor which is quite swift, although a bit erratic at times. As we said earlier, the back-cover is removable and inside you will find 2 micro-SIM card slots and a separate microSD card slot to expand storage. Then there's the 3300 mAh battery which is non-removable but does support fast charging. You will get the fast charger within the box.
The rear camera captures images quickly and has decent color reproduction. We weren't able to test the camera outside, and the lighting inside was pretty bad, so I would reserve judgement. All I can say at present is there is almost no shutter lag here and the UI is pretty basic. The front-facing camera did a better job at handling low-light than other smartphones in this range but images were still grainy, again something we can't say for sure due to the bad lighting in the event space.
Moreover, performance was pretty slick with the new Note. Apps opened up quickly, transitions were quick and the phone was responsive throughout the time we spent with it. Web browsing was also fluid, pinch to zoom worked well, images as well as text rendered quickly. We didn't test any games though, something which we would reserve for another video. During the time we used the Lenovo K4 Note, it didn't heat-up at all.
Even with that large 5.5-inch display and relatively large 3300 mAh battery, the Lenovo K4 Note doesn't feel that bulky and feels good to hold. It doesn't feel as premium as the Vibe P1 but has far better build when compared to the K3 Note.
Storage and Memory
The K4 Note gets a bump in memory, you now have 3GB RAM onboard and 16GB onboard storage which is expandable. Moreover, USB OTG is supported here.
Wrap-up
The Lenovo K4 Note is not just another smartphone in the race, just like other phones in the Vibe series it focuses on a specific feature. The Vibe P1 and P1m are battery centric smartphones, the Vibe Shot emphasizes on camera while the Vibe S1 focuses on selfies, similarly the Lenovo Vibe K4 Note focuses on multimedia.
Dolby Atmos, Virtual Reality with TheaterMax, Stereo speakers, large display all add to its multimedia credentials. Then there's the new Vibe UI Lite running on top of Android 5.1 Lollipop which is smoother and would probably get faster updates as well. Coming to the question of updates, yes, the Lenovo K4 Note is upgradable to Android Marshmallow.
The K4 Note is surely a smartphone to lookout for in the sub Rs. 15,000 segment. But given that Motorola is already doing pretty well with the now proven Moto G3, it would be a hard task to de-throne the reigning champ.
If you want to pick one up for yourself, the Lenovo K4 Note is exclusively available from Amazon.in starting at Rs. 11,999 for the standalone unit and with the VR bundle for Rs. 12,499. Sadly, it will be available through flash sales at the start.
