Lenovo K8 Plus and Lenovo K8 first look
At the start of the launch event, Sudhin Mehta, head of Lenovo India Mobile Business, drew everyone’s attention to the important contribution of batteries in the company’s popular smartphones in 2015 and 2016. Years have changed but the company’s strategy has not changed completely. The Lenovo K8 Plus is a true upgrade to the Lenovo K6 Power. But this time the important feature was not just the battery. Customers will now also get two rear cameras. By the way, you get both the features in the slightly more expensive Lenovo K8 Note. But the company understands the importance of every thousand rupees for the customers while shopping, that is why these features have been made a part of a slightly cheaper avatar. Has Lenovo K8 Plus made any major compromise due to the low price? To know the answer to this question, we spent some time with Lenovo K8 Plus and Lenovo K8 at the launch event. How did we like this handset at first glance? Let us tell…
Before discussing the first look of Lenovo K8 and Lenovo K8 Plus, let us clarify the differences between both the phones. The displays of Lenovo K8 Plus and K8 are only 5.2 inches. The difference is resolution. The Plus variant has full-HD resolution and the regular variant has an HD display. Apart from this, you will get only one rear camera in Lenovo K8. Whereas, Lenovo K8 Plus has Helio P25 processor and K8 has Helio P20. And the biggest difference will be in the price, which is likely to be revealed only in the coming time.
The first time we held the Lenovo K8 Plus smartphone in our hands, it was not easy to differentiate it from the Lenovo K8 Note. But it is light, there is no doubt about it. K8 and K8 Plus are also quite compact. Both the phones fit easily in the palm. There is no problem in accessing the power and volume buttons on the right edge or the fingerprint scanner on the back. Both the phones have 3.5 mm audio jack at the top and USB port at the bottom. There are speaker grills on both sides of the port. Let us tell you that both the handsets come with support for Dolby Atmos. Both phones have a music button on the left edge which can also be customized. Just above this is the slot for microSD card and SIM card. The good thing is that the company has not provided hybrid SIM slot.
The screens are crisp. Viewing angle is also fine. And we also have no complaints with the phone’s response to finger gestures (touch response). It is worth noting that these types of complaints are rarely received in phones of this price range. We have already told you that you get different processors in K8 and K8 Plus. In the limited time spent with them, we found that there is no problem in multitasking. Apps launch faster. However, it will be possible to give a final decision on performance only after review.
Both the phones run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat and the company has also promised Android Oreo update. Like Lenovo K8 Note, these phones also come with stock Android. Because of this, unwanted apps have been removed from the phone’s UI. Get ready to enjoy Android Nougat features like App Shortcuts and Google Assistant.
Now let’s talk about the important feature of Lenovo K8 Plus, dual rear camera. On the back there is a 13-megapixel sensor along with another 5-megapixel sensor. With the help of both sensors it will be possible to bring Bokeh effect. Pro mode is also provided in the camera app. We used the camera of this phone during the launch event. We have no complaints with the quality of photographs taken in the limited time. But we would suggest you wait for the review to know more in detail. The smartphone also sports an 8-megapixel front camera with aperture F/2.0, 84-degree wide angle lens and a ‘party’ flash. With this our selfies also came out fine. There will be no problem in using them on social media.
The Lenovo K8, on the other hand, has just a single rear camera. You will get a 13 megapixel sensor. Whatever be the quality of the photos, it is clear that you will not be able to do the same artwork as the Plus or Note variants with the Lenovo K8 camera. The few photos we took were satisfactory. The same can be said about the pictures taken with the 8 megapixel front camera.
One specification common in all three Lenovo phones is battery capacity. All three handsets have 4000 mAh battery. This figure only points towards reliable battery life. On the other hand, the company has claimed that the phone can last for almost two days without charging. But we will give the decision only after review.
Dual rear cameras have been a premium feature till now. But companies like Xiaomi, Motorola, Coolpad and Honor have brought it within the reach of common customers. In such a situation, how could Lenovo lag behind? It started with Lenovo K8 Note which was immediately accepted by the customers. Now the company has introduced Lenovo K8 Plus, an upgrade of Lenovo K6 Power, to its fans. Along with this, Lenovo K8 has also been launched to maintain its reach in the offline market. Will these smartphones live up to the company’s claims? Has the company found a winning formula by combining budget and powerful specifications? Answers to these questions will be found only in the future. But Gadgets 360 will at least remove some of your dilemmas by reviewing these handsets.
