In 2018, you can get a relatively powerful device even if you are looking to spend less than 150 bucks! In my personal opinion, Xiaomi Redmi 5 and the new Lenovo K5 Note (2018) are among the best alternatives you can get in the price range just above $100. Today, we will compare Xiaomi Redmi 5 vs Lenovo K5 Note (2018) as the K5 Note has just been announced and it may cannibalize the sales of the Redmi 5 which is currently one of the best-selling devices under $150.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 vs Lenovo K5 Note (2018)

Design

Their designs are pretty good for $150. Both feature a full metal unibody design which is not the most original one, but grants a solid build quality and a sleek body. Xiaomi Redmi 5 is the more compact device, while the K5 Note is the one with a wider display which is more suitable for productivity. Aesthetically, the K5 Note reminds of the latest Honor mid-rangers due to its dual camera setup positioned near the top right corner, while Redmi 5 is a bit more original because of its design and the available color variants.

Display

Both the devices come with a tall 18:9 display, but as said above, Lenovo K5 Note has a bigger panel. The resolution is the same (HD+), so you will get a slightly higher detail on the Redmi 5 due to its higher pixel density. The HD+ resolution is not the max on a 6-inch display, but the wider panel makes it more comfortable to use with complex apps. We will not choose a winner on the display side, it is up to you to decide if you want a bigger but less detailed display or a smaller but more detailed one.

Hardware/Software

We got exactly the same SoC on these devices: the Snapdragon 450. It is an octa-core chipset for the low-end sector, but it is not the most entry-level Qualcomm’s chipset. Indeed, it is the best one from the 4xx series, so you will get a pretty decent performance if you choose one of these devices. Further, you can get up to 4 GB of RAM and up to 64 GB on the K5 Note (4/32 GB for the Redmi 5), that is a high-end memory configuration which is very good in multi-tasking. In my opinion, the MIUI found on the Redmi 5 is definitely a better user interface than the one of K5 Note. It has tons of additional features and stunning performance, so I would pick the Redmi 5 for the software. Note that K5 Note has a micro SD dedicated slot (you can use the dual SIM slot and the micro SD one at the same time).

Camera

Photos shot from the Xiaomi Redmi 5 did not surprise us too much and we believe that Lenovo K5 Note will be able to do better. Xiaomi Redmi 5 shoots detailed photos in good light conditions, but not impressive ones, and a lot of digital noise starts appearing with low light. Lenovo K5 Note has an interesting dual camera with a 16MP resolution capable of calculating depth for an excellent bokeh effect. We are yet to see the first camera samples, but it seems better on the paper.

Battery

The battery side is another victory for Lenovo K5 Note. It features a massive 3760 mAh unit. Paired with very efficient components such as the Snapdragon 450 SoC and the HD+ display, we believe it will provide a full day of battery life even with a stressed use. Xiaomi Redmi 5 still has a satisfying battery life, but it isn’t as good as its opponent.

Price

The best thing is that both Xiaomi Redmi 5 and Lenovo K5 Note are sold at the same and very affordable price tag. In their 3/32 GB variant, both start from 799 Yuan in China (roughly $124/€106). Xiaomi is always the king of quality-price ratio, but this time it has a very good competition. According to us, Lenovo K5 Note wins the comparison thanks to its bigger battery and potentially better camera department.

What’s your pick?

Xiaomi Redmi 5 vs Lenovo K5 Note (2018): PRO and CONS

Xiaomi Redmi 5

PRO

• Compact size
• Low price
• Good hardware
• Advanced software

CONS

• Average camera

Lenovo K5 Note 2018

PRO

• Big battery
• Wide display
• Nice hardware
• Interesting cameras

CONS

• Limited availability

The post Xiaomi Redmi 5 vs Lenovo K5 Note (2018): Who’s the Low-End Segment King? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Lenovo has been known for producing some high-quality phones at affordable prices. Although the K6 Note has been already announced at IFA 2016, I wanted to take a look at the K5 Note. It is a phone that costs just $150 but it brings quite a lot to the table. Learn more in our full review.

Thanks to Gearbest for sending Lenovo K5 Note for a review.

Lenovo K5 Note Review: VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umGDiKW9rO0[/embedyt]

Lenovo K5 Note Review: UNBOXING

The phone comes with all the usual stuff you would expect to come with any smartphone and there are no extras included.

Lenovo K5 Note Review: SPECS

Lenovo K5 Note Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

When it comes to the design of the phone, the K5 Note does not sport any exceptional looks that would differentiate it from other phones.

The device is well-built and it uses a metal backplate. However, the top and bottom parts, the buttons and the entire chassis are made of plastic, which is kind of a letdown considering the fact that even some super cheap phones use metal.

On the other hand, the Lenovo K5 Note comes with the LED notification light and backlit capacitive buttons that some of the cheaper phones lack.

We have a 5.5” 1080p display, which is great. The panel is sharp, bright and you can adjust the color temperature to your liking in the settings menu.

As for optics, we have a 13MP shooter with f/2.2 aperture and a single LED flash.

The fingerprint sensor works fine. It is fast, accurate and you can unlock the phone from the standby mode. Also, there are some other ways to use the fingerprint scanner, e.g. long press it and it works as a home button.

The loudspeaker quality is one of the best you can find on a $150 phone.

The quality of sound via the headset jack is one of the best in class and that is thanks to the built-in Hi-Fi audio chip.

Lenovo K5 Note Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

Lenovo K5 Note ships with an octa-core Mediatek MT6755 Helio P10 chip with the max. clock speeds of 1.8GHz, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

I’ve never been impressed with the Helio P10 chips when it comes to the 3D gaming and the K5 Note is no exception.

You can only play Asphalt 8 on medium graphics to avoid stutter and lag. On the other hand, games like Nova 3 and Modern Combat 5 run quite well.

Lenovo K5 Note Review: BENCHMARKS

Lenovo K5 Note Review: USER INTERFACE

Speaking of the day-to-day user interface performance, the phone is fast, fluid and I didn’t have any issues with it. I’m quite disappointed that the phone ships with the outdated Android 5.1 with the Lenovo’s skin on top of it. It’s is not a deal-breaker for a budget phone but there are plenty of cheap phones that already have the Android 6.0.

On the other hand, I like the Lenovo’s skin as there are quite a few features and customization options to play with. Just to name a few, you can quickly launch the camera straight from the standby mode, draw a letter C to trigger one-handed operation mode or use a few gesture controls that work great. You can also select from a variety of themes, change transition effects and so on.

Lenovo K5 Note Review: CAMERA

The pictures taken with the 13MP camera look quite nice. There is a good amount of detail and the colors look natural. However, the camera is inconsistent with the dynamic range adjustment and I got a few shots that were out of focus.

As for low-light image quality, $150 phones have never impressed me and the K5 Note is no exception. Well, the phone has one of the better cameras in its class but all the low-light images will look grainy and noisy.

The 1080p footage does not look horrible but it could be definitely better and look sharper. See a video review for a video sample.

An 8MP front-facing camera is actually pretty good and you can take some decent-looking selfies with it.

Download full resolution camera samples

Lenovo K5 Note Review: CONNECTIVITY

The K5 Note comes with a hybrid dual-SIM card tray, which can take either 2 SIMs or 1 SIM and the microSD card.

The call quality, signal reception, GPS, Wifi and all other connectivity options work just fine.

Lenovo K5 Note Review: BATTERY LIFE

The phone ships with the 3500mAh battery that performs well. It will definitely get you through the day or even 2 days, depending on the usage.

On my usage, I could get over 5 hours of screen-on time, which is a good result.

Lenovo K5 Note Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, a $150 Lenovo K5 Note. It is one of the best phones in this price range but it is definitely not perfect.

The phone sports a good build quality, nice and sharp display, user interface that has a lot of features, pretty good cameras, and Hi-Fi audio via the headset jack. Also, the K5 Note has an accurate fingerprint sensor, a good loudspeaker and some little features that some of the cheap phones lack – a notification LED light and backlit capacitive buttons.

On the other hand, the phone does not have a metal trim as it used plastic instead. It is a letdown considering the fact that even the cheapest phones use metal frames in its construction.

Although I enjoyed the user interface performance, the phone runs on the outdated Android 5.1. Finally, the Helio P10 chip is not the best option for you if you enjoy playing the latest 3D games.

At the end of the day, the Lenovo K5 Note is still a solid phone for the price and it definitely has more pros than cons.  However, you have to consider if the previously mentioned shortcomings are important to you or not.

Use a Coupon code: K5GM for a discount! 

The post Lenovo Vibe K5 Note Review After 1 Month! – A Lot of Value for $150 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Just yesterday, we reported that the Helio P10 octa-core chip will end up in more than 100 different smartphones. Since then, we have seen a couple of phones with this chip inside, first being the Gionee W909. Now, it looks like another smartphone with Helio P10 has just been spotted as Lenovo K52t38 aka Lenovo K5 Note has just passed through TENAA.

The Lenovo K5 Note will feature an octa-core chip clocked at 1.8GHz. It’s most likely the new Helio P10 processor. Along with this chip, the phone comes with 2GB of RAM onboard and 16GB of internal storage. The storage is further expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD card slot.

As for the display, the Lenovo K5 Note features a 5.5-inch FHD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution screen. The camera at the back will be of 13MP while, up front, you will find an 8MP shooter. The battery is pretty large, with a capacity of 3500mAh. It should easily last you a day with these specifications. Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Dual SIM dual standby and 4G LTE connectivity.

With a 3500mAh battery on board, the Lenovo K52t38 isn’t the thinnest phone around with an 8.49mm thick metal body. As for the weight, it weighs around 165 grams. You will also find a fingerprint sensor at the back of the device. Finally, for software, the phone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS, most likely with Lenovo’s own skin on top.

At the moment, this is all the information we have about the Lenovo K5 Note aka Lenovo K52t38. The phone looks like an upper mid-range offering. Since it has passed through TENAA, we can expect the company to announce the device sometime soon in China.

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