In the second quarter of 2013, Lenovo among the five world leaders in sales of smartphones (source: IDC), relegating ZTE and settled immediately after LG, having sold 12 million smartphones. For a company that just recently came out to the world market, achieving excellent. Of course, most of the sales come from the low-cost model, implemented in the Chinese market.
Lenovo provides a very attractive price of smart phones. For example, the flagship 5.5-inch Full HD smartphone in full metal body, with a 13 megapixel camera, an Intel Atom processor was launched with only $395 a network of “The Messenger”. Naturally, the model is not without drawbacks ( detailed review of the device you may have read), but the price is really bad.
The hero of this review – Lenovo P780, the latest new product line Professional (with large battery), the main feature of which – the battery to 4000 mAh in a fairly slim metal body. Other options are not so interesting: 5 inch HD-screen, budget processor MediaTek (4-core), 8 megapixel camera. Noteworthy and good design with metal back. With a relatively affordable price from Lenovo received an interesting novelty: the record time for Android-based smartphones, with absolutely no fat and no heavy-metal body, a good IPS-display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, Android 4.2, and two SIM-cards.
Key Features Lenovo P780
- Operating System: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, own shell ideaDesktop
- Processor: 4-core MTK6589, 1,2 GHz, PowerVR SGX 544 graphics
- Memory: 1 GB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory (2 GB per user), a slot for microSD up to 32 GB
- Screen: touch screen IPS, 5”, 1280 x 720
- Camera: 8 MP, 1.3 MP front facing
- Networking: support for two SIM-cards, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- Battery: Li-ion 4000 mAh
- Dimensions: 143 x 73 x 9,9 mm, weight 176 g
- Price: $395.
Design, usability
Lenovo P780, unlike their predecessors P720 and P770 (with battery 3500 mAh), we got a much thinner and more interesting design. The glossy plastic with a texture similar to the texture of the smartphone Samsung – in the past, in the hand of P780 felt no bar, a rather familiar blade, thanks to a 5-inch screen. That means the phone has become wider, while there was more space for the flat battery.
Part of the housing is made of plastic (polycarbonate with matt uniform dark color), cover – metal with rough grinding and metal texture, the combination looks pretty expensive, especially against the background of glossy plastic predecessors, as well as Korean smartphones.
At the ends of runs with a chrome border inscribed in it the same metal buttons – volume control and lock. At the top end is a microUSB connector plug, 3.5mm mini-jack. All slots are hidden under a cover, she made removable (the battery itself – can not be removed). Then – 2 slots for SIM-cards of standard size, microSD.
Screen
In the Lenovo P780 uses a 5-inch IPS-matrix with HD-resolution (1280 x 720 pixels). Full HD company has decided not to apply, it would have affected the operating time, which is intended to make the maximum by any means.
For more information on the screen will tell the expert editorial Mikhail Kuznetsov.
Screen Smartphone Lenovo P780 – one more representative of LCD technology, IPS. Features are pretty standard: 1280 x 720 (HD), the pixel density 294 ppi. For a 5-inch diagonal is not a record, but complain about the sharpness of the image is not necessary – a good detailing, small fonts are read normally.
The maximum brightness is 354 cd / m 2, is sufficient for most conditions, but special stock on a sunny day there. Contrast is good by the standards of IPS – about 950:1. Anti-glare screen properties are moderate, he is not afraid of ambient light in a reasonable range. But the viewing angles clearly show that «IPS IPS’u – discord.” The colors are shifted slightly at an angle: the deviation in any direction image becomes bluish or yellowish. That is, the viewing angles are not so wide, if you take into account the distortion of the image. Apparently, there used type of budget IPS.
Gamma exhibited commendable stability. The indicator is very linear over the entire range, and the average value of 2.25 is close to the optimum. Although there may be fluctuations in the index depending on the nature of the image. In any case, the real image brightness halftone problems have been identified.
The average color temperature – about 6800K, but the shade of “walks” from warm to cold tones. White balance shows that only the blue component is unstable, but quite significant differences.
The average error on the gray scale, expressed DeltaE – 11,31 units. Deviations shades are big, setting coarse enough. However, visually the most critical differences are only visible in the shadows and bright colors.
The color gamut is close to the standard sRGB, only slightly offset green in hue. Also a bit distorted shades of secondary colors. But overall, the picture on the screen Lenovo P780 exhibit natural colors, thanks to the optimal saturation. The average error color DeltaE – 4,43 units. Good accuracy for factory settings, color deviations within reason.
In general, the main claim to the screen Lenovo P780 due to the fact that here we use the budget form of IPS, which has not so wide viewing angles, as we are used to seeing. The white balance swings in dark and light colors, but not everyone sees it. Color reproduction is quite adequate, it’s a plus. Many such a screen should like, if only not to raise expectations for the IPS.
The hardware platform, the battery
The hardware platform of Lenovo P780 is traditional for Chinese smartphones: MediaTek MTK6589W with a frequency of 1.2 GHz. 4 cores, 1 GB of RAM makes the interface a smooth, trouble-free use but the most demanding applications should not rely, MTK on the part of the graphics behind Qualcomm, for example. Benchmarks is, however, show.
MediaTek platforms plus is its energy efficiency, it is more economical Qualcomm, in the end with a little sacrifice in performance is obtained to improve the already record levels of battery life.
Battery – the main chip smartphone. It has a capacity of 4000 mAh, our tests have shown the corresponding results of 1218 points in AnTuTu – that is 2-3 times higher than that of most other devices. When playing HD video device has shown itself as well, almost 11 hours maximum brightness. With daily use of the smartphone easily keeps about 3 days than usual Android-smartphones can not boast. A couple of hours checking social networking sites every day, always-on Wi-Fi, listening to music, checking e-mail, an hour of calls and so on – a typical scenario that is given P780 with ease.
As far as wireless interfaces, everything is standard: there are the usual Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/nc support for Wi-Fi Direct and the image displayed on the TV screen, Bluetooth 3.0, FM-radio. But no LTE and NFC, MediaTek platform does not support them yet.
Camera
In the Lenovo P780 uses a standard middle-class 8 megapixel unit, although some of the new line of smartphones the company have over 13 megapixel modules. So the image quality is decent, but the average level, there are no surprises. Camera pleases a huge number of settings, chip Lenovo are dozens of effects (as once – in cameras Olympus), so it can be removed very interesting shots.
The second feature of Chinese smartphones (not just Lenovo, but ZTE, Huawei, Alcatel and others) becomes a function of the choice of the exposure on the touch screen. Do you want a darker picture – focus on the bright object, and vice versa. In the same way as the iPhone. It is strange that the market leaders cameras – Samsung, Nokia, Sony – before this is still not reached.
Interface, applications
The interface here is similar to other smart phones Lenovo, S720, P770 and so on: the button context menu in standby mode is similar to the Go Launcher panel, which contains 8 icons, allowing to quickly change the wallpaper, theme, add desktops, and so on. The latter, by the way, can be up to 9 pieces. The menu includes animated transitions between screens – both desktops and in the menu. You can customize just about anything – the shape of icons to represent font customization in their own shell Lenovo is very large.
There are all inherent to Android 4.2 chip. Thus, the new lock screen widget allows you to set and run the camera by sliding the cover to the left or right. On the lock screen is also a special widget fast start – moving one of his pieces, you can quickly start the camera, bell service, or open the message menu.
Interface pleases a good feature set of widgets, the weather is with effects in the style of HTC, widget icons rapid adjustment of brightness, enable wireless connections, task manager. There is a firm “clover” from Lenovo: a large widget with 4 quick launch icons, widget with information about the battery and energy saving.
The smartphone has multiple additional applications in addition to the standard features for any Android-smartphone. You can select a file browser, weather, Evernote, flashlight application for synchronization clients of social networking, navigation on Route 66.
Particular attention should be paid to the application of energy-saving, showing what processes are spending the most energy, which can be translated into the background, and what – to exclude. The program includes four settings: maximum performance, average performance, maximum uptime and user, which seemed to me the most useful. You manually select the brightness level, the inclusion of synchronization, wireless connections, sounds and so on, and the program shows the remaining time in hours. There is also a handy widget that allows you to switch between modes from the main screen.
Available gesture controls, adjust the volume of interesting options, such as the ability to set the volume to maximum, when the device is in your pocket (adjustable light sensor), lock the device by shaking, double tap on the screen to unlock and access to any application from the list. There is also a manager right when you can specify which application can send notifications to work in the background and so on. The settings are really very rich.
Player is an application Play Music from Google, a separate program for not listening. He is not an abundance of different settings, for example, there is no known by many modern smartphones, Dolby Mobile, so that the sound of Lenovo P780 – the most common, is not comparable even with inexpensive brother in the line of Lenovo S720.
Verdict
Lenovo P780 – modern smartphone with the larger battery of officially sold in Russia, 4000 mA * h There are a couple of other models: Highscreen Boost and Huawei Ascend Mate with batteries at 4150 mAh, but the first – this is a budget machine with a modest functionality and a thickness of 1.5 cm, the second – planshetofon with a 6.1-inch screen. Model, let’s say, is not for everyone. P780 in their background – a smartphone usual size, with good design, metal housing, affordable price, and the new version of Android.
Pros of the device – a good IPS-display with a diagonal of 5 inches, a good 8 megapixel camera with the ability to select a point of exposure to the touch, metal housing, 2 SIM-card. Traditionally used in the products of Chinese companies MediaTek processor with an average capacity – the main limitation of the smartphone, with such a capacious battery you can count on more productive stuffing. No characteristic other smartphones sound settings Dolby Mobile, as a result multimedia capabilities P780 averages. Software platform and a set of pre-installed applications are typical, say something special about them is impossible.
Lenovo P780 worth $ 395 at the start, the price is interesting, because other smartphones (including Chinese companies – ZTE, Huawei, Alcatel) are no less, and the work they have significantly shorter. If the majority lives about a day, the P780 easy to hold about 3 days with heavy loads. So the model is suitable for many at the expense of universal design and dimensions, as well as a record of the time, with two SIM-cards and frequent conversations is especially important.
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