Lenovo Vibe X2 mobile review: A value for money

Lenovo’s Vibe X2 is the Chinese electronics giant’s latest move to get a foothold in the smart phone market. The brand doesn’t enjoy users’ confidence compared to its competitors and badly needs a product to become a mainstream hit. Comes with an affordable price (US $ 400), Lenovo’s Vibe X2 has impressive features. The model has its own UI skin offering enhanced features and customisation options.

Look and feel

First thing first! The phone looks dam smart and slim. The 'multi-layered' design gives the exterior an impression of stacking different coloured layers together, which is unique. The phone is 7.27mm think and weighs 120 grams, which make it ideal for one hand use.

With its flat edges and subtly rounded corners, Vibe X2 looks stunning and sharp. Available in red, white, dark grey and gold colours,   the capacitive touch navigation keys are arranged next to the display offering good touch sensitivity. The super-thin phablet with a brushed metal unibody sports a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920p) display.  

Software updates

Having customized Android 4.4 KitKat with Lenovo's Vibe UI running on top of it, Vibe X2 is powered by a MediaTek MT6595 octa-core processor with 2GB RAM inner space. 

The phone has built-in six themes each of which has different set of icons, font style, wallpapers, lock screen styles and sounds. The problem is that one can’t download and install new themes but has to customise the existing ones.

The software does not include any available Android apps and everything from Gallery, Calendar, Calculator to Email apps are supplied by Lenovo's software team. Though there is no doubt that the apps look stunningly beautiful with additional value added features, for users, it will take some time to get used to it.

Other smart gestures Lenovo offers include: Double tap the home button to shoot a picture, double tap to unlock, automatic answer call, among others. With the float menu option, one can programme the display to detect thumb impression and launch the menu, a unique functionality provided by Lenavo.

Vibe X2 comes with several built-in apps, which include Security app, Guvera music streaming app, UC Browser, SyncIt, CloneIt and ShareIt apps, Txtr eBooks app, WPS Office, Route 66 navigation and a number of Gameloft games. However, all these can be uninstalled to free storage space.

Cameras

To make it more attractive Lenovo has cameras on both sides. While the rear end has 13MP, front side has 5MP wide angle camera for enhanced selfies. The phone comes with Lenovo's own camera app, which offers settings for all optical attributes, Timer modes, Panorama, HDR, among others. Capable of recording 1080p videos, the phone, however, lacks optical image stabilization resulting in apparent shakes.

Other features

The phone has powerful 2300mAh battery, 4G LTE support compatibility, FM radio, Bluetooth and GPS.  The phone offers good signal reception and call quality apart from locking to GPS without any hiccups. The external speaker outlet on the phone, located at the back, offers good sound output but without stereo effect.

Conclusion

Lenovo Vibe X2 makes for a good buy at this price. On the positive side, the phone looks stunningly good, has quality display and performs decently if you can do with a mediocre camera. 

What is good about Samsung Galaxy Note 4?

The hype created by iPhone’s new 6 and 6 Plus is hardly died down, here comes its competitor Samsung launching its latest big screen phablet ‘Galaxy Note 4’, which is all set to hit the markets across the globe by this month end. Will it overshadow the equally impressive iPhone 6?

Priced at £629, which is just above iPhone’s new series, Note 4 comes in three variants - Frost white, Charcoal Black and Bronze Gold.  The greatest catch for Galaxy Note 4 lies in its striking 5.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED display along with more sensitive S Pen stylus, powerful processor and metallic design, which would kick most of its rivals to the edge.

With 1440 x 2550 Quad HD resolution having 515 per inch pixel density, Note 4 runs close to LG G3 and leaves far behind iPhone 6 Plus.

Appearance

Discarding its chrome-covered plastic edges as witnessed in previous Galaxy series, Note 4 has shimmering and sturdy metal chassis with bevelled edges. But the metal frame is prone to scratches and Note 4 did not change its cheap leather cover at its back as in the case of Note 3. The company should have used quality leather like Motorola’s Moto X or just could have used soft plastic cover to match the colour and texture.

For bright and clear images

With any smart phone coming in the market there comes an anticipation of its camera specification and Galaxy Note 4 will clearly outwit other phones in the market with its brighter and clearer images using 16MP Smart OIS rear and 3.7MP front-facing cameras. Samsung claims that the lenses can capture perfect images even in dark background.

Advanced S Pen

The latest S Pen in Galaxy S4 provides users an improvised digital writing experience thanks to its plastic nib which has 2,048 levels of enhanced pressure sensitivity. Compared to Note 2 and 3, S Pen in Note 4 makes drawing, taking screenshots, annotating and jotting down notes, a pleasurable experience.

Software and Performance

Not long ago, Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface was in total mess, but with the launch of Galaxy S5 the company has almost fixed this issue. With Note 4, the software has become simple yet powerful. Compared to Galaxy S5 and Alpha, S Health feature is more powerful with added feature in Note 4. Apart from recording walking, cycling, running, sleep, heart rate and more, the new Note 4 has an added oxygen saturation level monitor to record oxygen level in your blood and UV sensor to read on how harmful the sun is to your body. Both these facilities are placed on the back of the phone adjacent to the camera flash.

Packed with a mammoth 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor having 3GB RAM, the performance is the best among the best. Also, users will be delighted to see apps opening quickly, games super smooth and HD videos run flawlessly. However, fingerprint scanner needs improvement as sometimes it requires repeated swipes to work properly.

More work less charge

Note 4 has long battery life even after long hours of usage. One can charge up to 50 per cent in just 30 minutes. Even after 30 hours, Note 4 would consume only 15% battery charge, so with full charge one can see one through the whole day with average to heavy usage, or can be stretched to even two days of lighter usage. For emergency situation where charging is not possible, users can opt for Ultra Power Saving Mode, which not only turns the screen to grey it will also limit the users to texts, calls and email. With this mode even 10% of charge can see through a full day of light to medium usage.

Coming with the latest multi window functions offering more flexibility, one can use multiple applications at a time on a single screen.  

    

Other features

Note 4 is water proof, light in weight (176g) and thin (8.5mm). With its more added features and facilities compared to its previous three Note phones, Note 4 justifies the steep £629 price tag.

Conclusion

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 is one of the best phablets available in the market. Note 4 is far superior than other equivalent brands in the market for its high resolution screen, better OS and design and most importantly the S Pen stylus.

Though iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have undoubtedly swept the mobile markets across the globe, but for people who are particular about good and reliable operating systems with whole of apps and user-friendly software, Galaxy Note 4 will be the best bet.

Is Xperia Z3 the best from Sony? A review

Sony's latest Z-series smartphone Xperia Z3 reached the market only few months after Z2’s release. 

With refined design and few improvements in software, Xperia Z3, which was released along with the Z3 Tablet Compact and smaller Z3 Compact, promises integration with Sony's PlayStation 4 games console. Recently Sony also announced Xperia Z3v, another version of Z3, with similar specs but with remote charging facility, to be sold exclusively by Verizon.

With Z3, Sony has finally unified its various platforms into one that can give run for money for Microsoft or Apple. Xperia Z3 is available in the UK with SIM-free option from around £500 and on monthly contracts from around £35. 

Design

Having glass-covered front and rear sides with aluminium band, Xperia Z3 is smaller, slimmer and lighter than Z2. The rounded edges of Z3 helps to give better grip compared to sharper edges of Z2. The disadvantage of the glass top and bottom is that it can be prone to fingerprints smudges.

Having highest waterproof and dust proof ratings, Sony claims that Z3 can survive in underwater upto 1.5 meters for 30 minutes provided all covers and ports are tightly shut. Users can use the phone to listen to music even in a downpour or take pictures underwater. Combined with aluminium frame and super-slim body, the Android smartphone is the combination of beauty and durability.

Display

Another best thing about Z3 is its display as the IPS panel is dazzling and colors are bright. However, Sony could have capitalized on the screen size (5.2 inch) and resolution as users are limited to just five rows of huge icons. The current resolution of Z3 has been fixed as 1080x1920.  Thanks to IPS technology, the smartphone offers super sharp images and accurate colours in any angle.

Sound

Z3 is packed with Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE HX) technology that lets listeners upscale the low-res music to high-res quality. It restores and refines compressed MP3 and AAC files, giving powerful and full-range audio output. The High-Res Audio allows less distortion and noise at a wide range of frequency reproducing sound with amazing detail. Xperia Z3 also embedded with built-in Digital Noise Cancelling technology, which reduces exterior sound by up to 98 per cent when combined with the MDR-NC31EM headsets.

Software features

Like Z2, Xperia Z3 too runs in Android KitKat but in 4.4.4 version instead of 4.4.2. Sony has set right some bugs in the earlier version and so software-wise, there is no difference between Z2 and Z3.

Featuring fast web browsing, super fluid UI and impressive multi-tasking, Sony has made Android with the powerful quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with a built-in LTE/4G modem.

Apart from having built-in themes and floating apps, Sony includes Sony Select, an app curator, Lifelog, a health tracker and PlayStation, which allows users to play PS4 games anywhere in the house. Also, Z3 is the first smartphone to make users stream PS4 games into it, which is an added incentive, especially when others in the house take their turn to play on television screen. Other specs are 3GB RAM, 16GB or 32GB internal storage, dual band Wi-Fi, NFC connectivity and Bluetooth 4.0.

Camera

The Xperia Z3 comes with the camera of same 20.7-megapixel found in Z1 and Z2 but with few changes. The ISO sensitivity has been fixed at 12,800 with wider lens for better image stability. Like Z2, Z3 can capture 4K video. But despite having 20.7 MP camera Sony produces pictures around 8 MP, which is quite disappointing.

Battery life 

Claims to have provided ground breaking two-day battery life, Sony says that the battery in Z3 can last for two days for the benefit of people who travel a lot and don’t have charging facility. The extended mode gives users another 14 per cent extra battery life. The Extra Stamina mode extends the battery life to almost a week by keeping only essential functions on while disabling other unwanted functions and apps.

Conclusion

Though Sony Xperia Z3 doesn't have a path-breaking design, some of the good things about the smartphone are its efficient battery, brilliant display, waterproof feature, improved sound quality and PS4 game compatibility. The bad things are limited and big icons, problems in autofocus and low picture output. Sony should have waited and produced more powerful device to outwit its competitors.

Apple brings in SIM enabled iPad Air 2

Buying a SIM for your new mobile phone will become a passe soon and if one goes by the latest news from Apple’s stable, the new ‘iPad Air 2’ has come embedded with SIM, which, according to mobile network analysts, will trigger a price war among mobile operators across the globe.

Apple SIM will give the owners more freedom to choose the network and exit whenever they find a cheaper and reliable option.

The 4G-compatible iPad Air 2 has come with software-based SIM card, which nullifies the need for the multi-numbered plastic cards provided by mobile network operators to take control of their services.

With the new Apple SIM, users in the US and UK can sign up directly from the devices for services from any operators and can use the same number in different nations with different service providers.

“The Apple SIM gives users freedom to select any short-term plans from selected carriers in the UK and US from their iPad,” Apple said on its website.

The SIM provides subscribers’ unique IDs and carry out the encrypted authentication number to the network of that identity.

In the UK and US most of the phones sold are locked to a particular network, hence customers have to stick to a particular service provider even though they want to end their contract early. The software-based SIM by Apple may end the phone locking practice.

Owners with new iPad Air 2 can choose short term data plans with any mobile phone provider and shift to others when needed, which means a long contract is going to go soon.

Presently, a few mobile phone operators have recognised Apple’s new technology, which includes EE from the UK and AT&T, Sprint and T-mobile from the US.

The new SIM technology could give more freedom for customers allowing them to switch networks on-the-go, if they find a network with better service at lower cost.a