As soon as I saw the 21 mega-pixel sensor and the audio hardware of the Lenovo Vibe X3 I knew I just had to have one and now that it has arrived here are my first impressions.
Lenovo launched 3 versions of the Vibe X3 last month, there was an entry-level model with 13 mega-pixel main camera, a mid-range model with 32GB memory and 21 mega-pixel camera and a top of the range version with 64GB. I opted for the 32GB model, and it arrived with me yesterday.
Lenovo Vibe X3 Unboxing Video
Lenovo Vibe X3 First Impressions
Out of the box the Lenovo Vibe X3 feels very nice, and also very familiar in my hand. The soft white polycarbonate body (soft to the touch like the baby skin option on the OPO), the slightly thicker design and the black and white front all reminded me of the Oppo N3. It’s obviously not as long as the N3 but it is a little longer than most 5.5-inch phones due to the dual front facing speakers.
As I have mentioned in the past, black borders around the display don’t bother me as I tend to focus on the screen and not what is around it. But if you aren’t a fan of black borders then the Vibe X3 isn’t going to please. We have black borders all around the panel, especially notable between the top of the screen and the top speaker.
What is also notable is the build of the Lenovo Vibe X3. While it might not have a unibody alloy design like some of this years flagships, it still feels premium and solidly made, again it reminds me of an Oppo N1 or N3. The Polycarbonate rear is non removable so you cannot get at the 3600mAh battery inside and the a SIM tray is located on the left of the alloy chassis. For those of you wondering the answer is Yes, you have the option to use either dual SIM cards or a single SIM and an SD card (hence the reason I went for the 32GB model).
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The right side of the phone is where the power and volume buttons are located, and once again these are quality items with no wobble and a really pleasant action to them. Other physical features around the chassis are a 3.5mm headphone jack and IR remote at the top, and standard USB in the base.
Lenovo Vibe X3 features
External features of the Lenovo Vibe X3 are the 21 mega-pixel rear camera, dual tone, dual LED flash and rear single touch fingerprint scanner. What really grabbed my attention though is the dual front speakers that offer Dolby Atmos audio.
If you haven’t tried Dolby Atmos and I suggest you do, it really is incredible! Basically the system offer 3D surround sound meaning that movies really do come to life from the Lenovo Vibe X3. Helicopters can be heard flying overhead, cars race from one side of the room to the other, and monsters can be heard behind you. It’s a truly immersive experience.
Gaming on the Lenovo Vibe X3 should also be fun too with that audio experience. Performance also promises to be good with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset and 3GB RAM on board.
This being a first impressions and hands on I really haven’t had much time to play around with the other features such as the 21 mega-pixel rear camera, but a full review will be made to cover all that in due time.
Lenovo Vibe X3 first impressions conclusion
One detail to look out for with the Lenovo Vibe X3 is that it doesn’t support Google Services out of the box. Root is required to do this, and at this time the phone is a little new for a fix to have been found but people are working on it. Another detail is that the Android 5.1 based Lenovo ROM only has Chinese and English language options.
I’m pretty excited about this phone, and I am already enjoying the amazing audio, I just hope that the rest of the kit meets my expectations and that Google Services can be installed soon. Keep posted for more details and a full review of the Lenovo Vibe X3 soon.
Thanks to the Shop.GizChina.Com team for helping me source the Lenovo Vibe X3.