Lenovo Z2 Plus Review
12:19:00
Lenovo's Z2 Plus is the company's latest attempt to tap into a price segment where it hasn't made a lot of progress. The Lenovo Vibe X3 (Review) was the last model with which the company targeted this segment and that was at the beginning of 2016. At the Z2 Plus launch on Thursday, Lenovo also made sure to state that this phone will be the most affordable Qualcomm Snapdragon 820-powered model available in the Indian market. Other Snapdragon 820-based smartphones such as the Le Max 2,Mi 5, and OnePlus 3 are all priced higher.
The Chinese company is promising a lot of new features with the Lenovo Z2 Plus, which starts at a price of Rs. 17,999 and will go on sale from next week. We got some time to play with the new device, and here are our first impressions.
When seen from a distance, the Z2 Plus reminds you of the iPhone 5s, though the feeling ends as soon as you hold it in your hands. With a 5-inch screen, the smartphone easily fits into one hand and can be operated easily. The rounded edges help you get a good grip on the Z2 Plus. At the launch, Anuj Sharma, Head of Product Marketing, Smartphones, Lenovo MBG India, stressed that the Z2 Plus is designed for one-handed usage. Unlike a lot of smartphones available in the market now which have all-metal bodies, the Z2 Plus features a fibreglass frame which offers sturdiness. Talking about the design, Lenovo India is also heavily marketing the alloy roll-cage of the Z2 Plus which is claimed to improve structural integrity as well as maintain thermal balance.
The front of the Z2 Plus is dominated by the 5-inch display which has a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. The display is sharp and text looks crisp, though we noticed that the brightness wasn't as high as we would have liked. Under the sun, the display looked a bit dull. The Z2 sports no branding on the front, though a Lenovo logo can be seen on the rear. There is a rectangular home button below the display which has an embedded fingerprint scanner. The power and volume buttons are placed on the right, and are easily accessible with a thumb. We also liked the tactile feel of the physical buttons on the handset.
The rear panel is curved glass, which gives the handset a decent feel without making it too slippery. The two SIM slots are also on the right. The bottom is where you'll find the speaker grille, 3.5mm audio jack, and USB Type-C charging port.
Lenovo Z2 Plus sports a "U touch 2.0" fingerprint scanner on the front which is easy to reach. It can be used to perform different gestures such as a single touch for back; a long touch to bring up notifications; a double press for the app switcher; left or right swipes to get to recently used apps; a single press for home; and a long press for Google Now.
Shortcuts can also be customised as per user preference. During our limited time with the device, we found that the gestures worked well, though it will take some time to learn them all.
At the launch, the company claimed that its fingerprint sensor is up to 99.7 percent accurate and will keep learning, which means it can get better with use. Another notable feature is that it can work with wet or sweaty hands, which could be convenient.
The Lenovo Z2 Plus runs the company's slightly tweaked version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. For the Indian market, Lenovo has gone with the Google Now launcher which will be set as the default. Users can change the launcher if they wish. Some of the tweaks made on the software front for easy one-handed use include a quick settings panel that can be accessed by swiping upwards from the bottom of the display. The dropdown shade only shows app notifications.
Another important feature that was heavily promoted by Lenovo at the launch event is the inbuilt U-Health app. The Z2 Plus sports a dedicated pedometer apart from the usual gyroscope, compass sensor, accelerometer, light sensor, and proximity sensor. Lenovo's idea of shipping the Z2 Plus with a variety of sensors is to make the device a fitness and activity tracking device without the need for additional sensors. The U-Health app can also easily sync with any fitness tracking device as well as apps such as Google Fit.
The dual-SIM Z2 Plus supports 4G with VoLTE which means it can take advantage of Reliance Jio services. At the launch, Lenovo talked about how several people leave their phones charging all night. Backed by a 3500mAh battery, this phone also features an intelligent charge cut-off feature to ensure that the battery does not overcharge.
Lenovo Z2 Plus detailed specifications
GENERAL
| Release date | September 2016 |
| Form factor | Touchscreen |
| Dimensions (mm) | 141.65 x 68.88 x 8.45 |
| Weight (g) | 149.00 |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 3500 |
| Removable battery | No |
| Colours | White, Black |
| SAR value | NA |
DISPLAY
| Screen size (inches) | 5.00 |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Resolution | 1080x1920 pixels |
| Pixels per inch (PPI) | 441 |
HARDWARE
| Processor | 2.15GHz quad-core |
| Processor make | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Internal storage | 32GB & 64 GB |
CAMERA
| Rear camera | 13-megapixel |
| Flash | Yes |
| Front camera | 8-megapixel |
SOFTWARE
| Operating System | Android 6.0.1 |
CONNECTIVITY
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Wi-Fi standards supported | 802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac |
| GPS | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v 4.10 |
| NFC | No |
| Infrared | No |
| USB OTG | Yes |
| Headphones | 3.5mm |
| FM | No |
| Number of SIMs | 2 |
| SIM 1 | |
| SIM Type | Nano-SIM |
| GSM/ CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | Yes |
| 4G/ LTE | Yes |
| Supports 4G in India (Band 40) | Yes |
| SIM 2 | |
| SIM Type | Nano-SIM |
| GSM/ CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | Yes |
| 4G/ LTE | No |
SENSORS
| Compass/ Magnetometer | Yes |
| Proximity sensor | Yes |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes |
| Barometer | No |
| Temperature sensor | No |
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| Rating |
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| Rs. 17,999 |
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| Rs. 19,999 |
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