To date we at GizChina tested a whole bunch of devices powered by the Mediatek MT6752 SoC. We have seen extremely cheap phones and more expensive phones, some of them have been very good, some mediocre, some crap. Anyway, we thought we’ve seen anything that can be done with this SoC by now – until we tested the Lenovo K3 Note.
It’s outright insane what a good phone Lenovo managed to build there at a price-tag of just $149. It blows away anything MT6752 you have seen to date within the sub $160 range and even some devices priced at much higher levels. You wonder why we didn’t expect that? Well, Lenovo devices never impressed us that much. They either offered a bad price-performance-ratio or the software running on them was buggy and overloaded with bloat ware. Yet with the Lenovo K3 Note it’s all different. So let’s get right into the review for all the details!
Lenovo K3 Note Review: Unboxing, Design & Build
The Lenovo K3 Note arrived with us inside a typical Lenovo phone box. The top of it is brown and the box itself is black. The top can be lifted upwards after which the phone will be unveiled right on top. Below there is a small paper-container in which Lenovo place a quick start guide, warranty card and a coupon code for the Lenovo app store. It’s all in Chinese and thus won’t be of much use for most. Other stuff inside the box is a wall charger and a micro USB data transfer cable.
The phone itself is a “plastic bomb” which we actually do not mean negative at all. Lenovo uses quality polycarbonate, which is fairly solid. The phone can be bent a little but that needs force and won’t do any damage. A pro of the 100% plastic approach is the weight. At only 146g the phone is very light for a 5.5-incher, which we are sure many of you will appreciate.
One part of the device many might have some issues with is the color. The standard option for the Lenovo K3 Note is yellow, which is why it got the codename “lemon”. Actually we agree with you if you say that yellow phones look outright ugly, yet we have to say that we somehow like the color on the K3 Note. It’s not just yellow but actually a yellow that got some orange / golden undertone in it. What’s more, the color always looks different depending on how the light hits it and what the color of the light is. Thus, your device will always look different and even if you usually hate yellow phones you might like this one.
If you are not sure, there’s a white version available as well. Since the color differences only apply to the back covers, you can simply order for example the yellow K3 Note along a white replacement cover and switch in case you don’t like the yellow one. This will by the way replace the hardware buttons as well, since they are part of the cover.
One flaw we have to complain about are the touch buttons below the screen. Those don’t feature back-illumination and also don’t offer a reflective coating. This means that they are completely invisible in the dark, which takes a while to get used to. Besides of that we didn’t find any reason to complain. The build quality is good without any large caps, squeaking parts or sharp edges.
Lenovo K3 Note Review: Screen
The Lenovo comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, which actually is very unusual at this price tag. This feature alone sets the device well apart from most competitors since 720p is the norm at sub $160. Anyway, if you take a look at other reviews you might notice some folks complaining about reduced sharpness and clarity compared to other 1080p displays. Well, we can actually confirm that the screen is a bit less crisp and pixels are more visible than with other 1080p 5.5-inchers. The reason for that is a different pixel structure that Lenovo went for to cut down on cost. But actually complaining about this is a very bold move at this price tag. The screen actually is still better than any 5.5-inch 720p display out there, plus offers superior color reproduction and contrast levels that make it impossible for us to complain about. Along a high brightness with near to perfect adaptive control and a flawlessly working, smooth touch panel that features AGC’s Dragontrail glass, we can only congratulate Lenovo for the choice they made there.
Lenovo K3 Note Review: Hardware
The Lenovo K3 Note boasts a Mediatek MT6752 SoC, which is based on the 64-bit ARM Cortex A53 architecture, offers 8 CPU cores clocked at 1.7GHz and a dual-core Mali T760 GPU. Paired with 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM that reaches a bandwidth of more than 5GB/s in this case and 16GB of comparably fast EMMC memory, the device offers pretty much all the average mid-range customers needs. The performance reached with this set-up is on-par with Snapdragon 801 devices except for the (theoretical) GPU performance as GPU benchmarks like 3DMark confirm.
In case you have some doubts if 2GB of RAM are still enough these days, let us tell you that this indeed is the case. You won’t notice any performance differences between a device running 2GB of RAM and another device running 3GB. The only difference is in the number of apps you can keep opened in the background without seeing force closes. With 2GB you can keep between 10 – 20 apps opened in the background, with 3GB this number can go up to 40 (depending on the memory usage of course). Anyway, majority of people don’t need such a huge amount of background apps and this is why 2GB shouldn’t be any reason for worries.
The internal memory of 16GB isn’t split into several partitions on the Lenovo K3 Note which means that you can use the majority of the phones memory for applications and data. 12GB of memory is what you get available and it can be extended at any time using micro SD cards.
In Benchmarks the Lenovo K3 Note performs extraordinary well for a MT6752 powered 1080p phone thanks to a well-optimized software, fast memory and fast RAM. Lenovo really combined some quality components there, which is very noticeable in performance.
Lenovo K3 Note Review: Software
In the beginning of this review we mentioned that we never liked the software of Lenovo devices, which they call Vibe UI. This ROM used to be extremely annoying by throwing too much information at once at the user, plus being complicated to use and filled with tons of bloatware. Anyway, either Lenovo learned from their mistake or their developers just had a good day, but the Vibe UI version running on the Lenovo K3 Note made us love this custom ROM for the very first time.
The current stable version is based on Android 5.0 Lollipop and a developer version based on Android 5.1 is available as well. We can easily say that Lenovo created the best Android 5.0 ROM we’ve seen running on a MT6752 device to date in terms of optimization. They sorted out all those annoying bugs that bugged us with other Lollipop-running devices and managed to squeeze every last drop of performance out the MT6752. The result is an extremely snappy ROM that runs just as smooth as any high-end phone out there, creating what we call “iPhone-feeling”, since – no matter if you like Apple or not – you can’t deny that those phones offer the smoothest UI experience out there.
But it doesn’t stop there, since the Lenovo K3 Note offers a variety of features that you usually find on devices priced at $300+, but not on a mid-range device. It starts with a huge amount of settings regarding the power management and screen, continues with a detailed rights management for applications and ends with a large variety of gestures and off-screen key-combinations. You even are able to create “smart scenes” which allow you to load specific configurations for your device at a specific time or place (e.g. mute the phone once you arrive at work). Lenovo even allows you to move ANY application to the external SD card, which actually isn’t supported by about 90% of Lollipop devices. They really did any amazingly good job there, and the software alone is worth every single buck you pay for this phablet.
Regarding bugs and flaws we can say that we haven’t been able to find too many of them. The most significant one probably is that Vibe UI only supports Chinese and English and the Google Play services have to be flashed manually. Yes, some shops install customized ROMs that support more languages, but we urge you to replace them with the original ROM immediately. The shop ROMs usually contain viruses and adware and provide you with a large number of bugs, which are more than annoying and slow down the device.
Two bugs we stumbled upon inside the stock ROM are that Google Play Games isn’t compatible with the device right now and an issue with Google Chrome which closes the whole browser and all its tabs once you close a single tab. This is due to the new way Chrome handles tabs in Lollipop and the fact that Lenovo’s multitasking management kills the whole process when swiping one app-window out of the list. This is likely to be fixed with the next of the very frequent OTA updates. Meanwhile we recommend to use another browser, Firefox and Opera work well.
Lenovo K3 Note Review: Audio
Would you ever expect to get a device that offers a decent hi-fi performance at only $149? Well, you probably don’t and we didn’t as well – until we got our hands on the Lenovo K3 Note. Without any exaggeration, this phablet sound extremely nice. This is due to the combination of a quality internal speaker and MaxxAudio, which some of you know from OnePlus and Oppo devices. Listening to music with the K3 Note can be a pleasure even without headphones thanks to almost non-existent distortion and an overall well-balanced output with intense basses and clearly defined treble and heights. Now the only thing missing to scratch the Oppo Find 7’s ass are stereo speakers, but you can’t get it all, right? So what’s with the headphone jack? Well, you probably guess it already: it sounds perfect and is easily customizable to any taste thanks to MaxxAudio’s extensive equalizer settings and presets. And it doesn’t stop there. The Lenovo K3 Note actually offers high-end level phone call quality as well thanks to a decent noise cancellation done with two very sensitive and quality microphones. The receiver sounds very nice as well, providing you with a perfectly understandable call-experience.
Lenovo K3 Note Review: Reception Quality
After having a first look at the antennas behind the Lenovo K3 Note’s back cover we didn’t have the best feeling since they are comparably small. Especially with cheaper phones that often proved to cause issues in the past. We’ve been surprised though, since the K3 Note offers a perfect reception quality throughout all networks that definitely is above average. There’s just one flaw and that’s missing support for FDD-LTE band 20 800MHz.
The GPS performance is pretty good as well and the phone manages to get a fast fix and high signal strength for satellites. Unfortunately there is a software bug present on a lot of Lollipop devices that prevents the phone from fixing any GLONASS satellites. This in exchange causes the GPS receiver to crash randomly, which is annoying when trying to track some sports activity. It’s the same issue that we encountered with the Siswoo C50 Longbow and that has been fixed on this phone already, so we are positive that Lenovo will fix it as well rather sooner than later.
Lenovo K3 Note Review: Camera
And here comes the most interesting part about the Lenovo K3 Note: This handset actually features the best camera we’ve seen to date on a sub $160 device. This might come as a surprise for you since the camera part isn’t often advertised when it comes to this device. Lenovo don’t specify the used sensors, but the rear one operated at 13 mega pixels and comes with f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash, the front camera takes pictures with 5 mega pixels. In general, the results of the rear camera are outstanding considering the price tag of this device. Amazing colors, details, sharpness, fast focus and shutter times as well as short exposure time is what you get there.
There’s no doubt about the fact that the Lenovo K3 Note is able to keep up with budget compact cameras and thus is a real alternative to a dedicated camera. Even pictures of fast moving objects look crisp and sharp.
Even the low-light performance is far away from anything to complain about as you can see on the pictures below. No matter if you take pictures during sunset, inside darker rooms, with or without HDR mode or with the LED flash, you get nice results with only a low amount of noise. The LED flash is even bright enough to light up large rooms and doesn’t take away the intensity of colors.
Video recording look fine as well and we especially loved the audio quality, which is outstanding thanks to the two quality microphone inside the device. The only flaw is the focus which can’t be set manually. The auto focus unfortunately is very slow. We are not sure if that is intention or some bug within the camera app.
The front camera creates nice results at daylight as well, but it gets hard to create sharp and noise-free shots in low light. The software used to do pictures is the Lenovo camera app which some of you might now. In general we consider this one as one of the best camera apps available on Android and often install it manually on devices of other manufacturers. It offers plenty of options, effects and full control over any setting including ISO, contrast and saturation. It also comes with a gallery app that offers extensive image editing features.
Lenovo K3 Note Review: Battery
At first we’ve been shocked with the battery on this phablet. The Lenovo K3 Note is advertised to come with a 3,000mAh cell, yet the battery looks very thin and is a bit lighter than other 3,000mAh cells. We also didn’t get any impressive battery life out of it which led us to believe that the battery is smaller than 3,000mAh at first. Honestly, that would’ve been a boomer if a company like Lenovo would advertise fake specs. Luckily the phone proved us wrong after a while. The battery life somehow got better and better with each and every charge. Right now we reached the maximum we believe which is one day of battery life with heavy usage but no gaming. The Geekbench battery test certifies a screen-on time of 6:29 hours with automatic brightness and screen-dim disabled. Charging unfortunately takes a bit too long at 4 – 5 hours.
Lenovo K3 Note Review: Verdict
The Leovo K3 Note has been our budget-surprise of the year so far. We didn’t expect any manufacturer to beat the price-performance-ratio companies like Mlais, Ecoo and iOcean established, yet have been proven wrong. The Lenovo K3 Note is miles ahead of devices like the iOcean M6752, Mlais M53 Red Note or Ecoo E04 Aurora in pretty much every aspect. It’s impressive what a huge bunch of specs and features one can offer at such a low price tag of just $149. Despite the missing support for FDD-LTE band 20 the Lenovo K3 Note is an almost perfect phablet and the features that blew us away the most are the camera and audio quality of this phone. We really doubt that any manufacturer will be able to beat the Lenovo K3 Note in short-term and thus really recommend you to have a closer look at this device in case you are looking for a proper mid-range phablet right now.
We want to thank Gearbest for providing us with a review sample this time.
looks like gearbest has upped the price to $154….greed maybe..
They told me it will go down again soon.
hope that is soon…..m looking to buy it asap
Is it just me or do those pictures like kind of terrible? Still think the m2 note is a better option for camera. And why have lenovo stolen MIUI icons?
but they’re not in the same price range….
Its just you and your eyes. Go to specssavers.
They haven’t stolen anything, it’s just a theme I installed.
A Ferrari is better than a Honda civic too.
Are you kidding! These are some of the best shots even from phones below $400! LOL
I thought the pictures were crappy too. I was excited but disappointed by the camera. But then I realised I was viewing them at 100%. When I reduced them to 50% they are great. And at us$149 we shouldn’t not complain. but if I could top up like $40 more and get a IMX214 then why not….However this one has a beautiful design….
jiayu s3 has better camera with sony IMX214 plus front samsung camera, try jiayu s3 3GB ram version, the beast in the beauty 🙂
I actually like the yellow because it’s a break from that overused white and black options. Wish more phones would offer color options.
Lamborghini Orange would be nice! ?
It would be nice of Lenovo opens the expands the excellent Moto Maker to some of its own products. I seriously considered the last Moto X just because of that and the endless variety to create a phone to fit my style.
I really find it hard to understand why they shy away from the obvious, just doesn’t compute.
I never really understood it either. Some companies are starting to embrace the fact that people want more than just white and black options. Microsoft (Nokia) has been excellent with its Lumia line which always offers several color options.
AFAIK, there are 3 color options: white, yellow and black, so this is a good thing. I like the yellow as well, some nice touch in the ocean of black and white phones. It gives it kind of a fresh look.
overused black? i can’t find a black phone anymore!!!
This one has 3 color options (at least according to to2c seller): white, yellow and black 🙂
I’m dying for a black phone, i almost painted mine!
Except for Xiaomi who loves white and only releases a black one after everyone already caved in bought the white one haha. And Meizu who loves gray.
i hate them!
I am actually leaving Android altogether for awhile. I bought a Lumia 640 gonna give Windows a shot. But with their recent layoffs it could be short lived.
news of the other day M$ fired a thousand of their employees of the mobile branch
Yea I saw that, from what I have been told by a high ranking official here at MSoft it was a move that was planned all along since the Nokia merger. He said their mobile strategy hasn’t changed and when 10 drops there will be new flagships with it.
yep… the yellow color is what puts me off indeed…
Well, I think you could and should do better reviews… Lenovo states both the camera sensors used on the device – both Omnivision, but if you care about the exact models, look them up. Both the cameras are actually worse than Xiaomi Redmi Note ones – especially the front one. The main cam would have been much better if it was possible to lower the sharpness even more. Now you can see nasty artifacts (instead of uniform noise) even in good light… The front camera is way worse than Xiaomi Redmi Note one. The autofocus of the main camera is much faster than Xiaomi one, but less accurate (especially on face detect).
The display is actually not as sharp as the lower resolution Xiaomi Redmi Note one. But Xiaomi one was much worse in terms of quality control – I’ve seen 4 out 5 phones with yellow spots allover and tons of dead pixels. Shame on Xiaomi. I personally will never buy Xiaomi phone again just fot that. While the Lenovo dosplay is advertised as IPS, the viewing angles are not nearly as good as every other IPS panel out there – lots of color shifts.
The battery of Xiaomi Redmi Note is about 40% better than Lenovo.
Lenovo Vibe UI in this phone is actually way better than MIUI – much smoother, nicer and more functional. From my experience while one of the most stable, MIUI is the slowest shell out there. Lenovo K3 Note just flies compared to Xiaomi Redmi Note.
Sound and reception quality are both exellent. So is the GPS. The phone is worth it overall…
Where does lenovo state they’re omnivision sensors?
I read somewhere in internet that they are using Sunny sensor for this phone..
Mt dad’s wife bought one from Gearbest on my suggestion. I had to load a launcher for them to get around some bloatware/software issues. I don’t know if this is on all Lenovo K3 notes.
Had a page of advertsas open up on the homepage whenever you opened the stock browser. Couldn’t change it so I thought I’d put chrome on and they could just use that. But no, the page was inserted into chrome as well. Couldn’t find an option to change the homepage so if anyone knows how, please advise. I think I’ve done it in the past but we had limited time and once he left I forgot about it.
Also a lot of software that won’t install. Does that mean it’s hidden behind the root? As an out of the box experience the frequent pop uips from superuser and supercleaner where annoying. Also had another browser, another cleaning product and avg preinstalled so so what with the other antivirus in the cleaning program, it was a bit overkill and they really would rather put their own software on it. Then we’d have 3 antiviruses, 3 cleaning programs, etc.
I was meaning to use the facebook page to ask but didn’t get round to it but I put some other antiviruses on temporarily and there were multiple hits. 360 security said there were multiple problems as did avira and avast. Will my having the phone to hand will these be liely to be real issues or do antiviruses and chinese phones just not get on?
Please install the original Lenovo ROM. Shops install their own ROMs with multi language and Play services but those come with bloat ware, adware and no OTA updates, plus they run very slow compared to the original ROM.
I think we had a look but we couldn’t find anything. We tried Lenovo India, Hong Kong and the American site but only India had listings for the phone and there were no downloads in the support area. Is there a chinese site that I can’t get to through google?
Sorry, been without my glasses for weeks and it’s playing havoc with my thought processes. Found the download I think.
Here you go: http://www.needrom.com/download/lenovo-k50-t5/
Which one do you recommend Christopher? 5.1 official?
No, 5.0 stable. 5.1 is developer version.
thanks for this!
Also, for me, the phone is getting into the realm of too light. I want to feel like there’s a bit of weight there, some heft. But that’s a personal thing and it’s still a cracking phone.
I agree with you, the weight is a little disturbing. Have to admit that I got used to it after a few days though.
You get way overexcited just because you are used to 720p devices but 1080p is not above this price range anymore and a poor screen is a big deal.
Your stance on the screen compromises the entire review, if you lack objectivity there,why assume there is more of it elsewhere.
PenTile (assuming that’s what it is) has 2 subpixels per pixel instead of 3 so the resolutions is “faked”
Another major problem is the low pixel fill factor for Pentile ( so a lot of the display is just black and not subpixel) while LCD has a much higher active area.
Here an example where you can notice both issues https://cdn-images.xda-developers.com/direct/7/9/2/6/9/7/subpixel_layouts.jpg
No, I am not overexcited and I am not used to 720p panels at all. I don’t deny that the screen is less sharp than other 1080p panels, but hell, who cares? You only notice a difference if you come close to the screen and put another 1080p device next to it. Also, the panel makes up for that deficit with great contrast and colors. Anyway, that’s my opinion, if you think different just don’t buy it – that simple.
Who cares? You should care because that’s your job when you review a device. You get less quality than with a good 720p LCD and the only reason this device is noticeable is because it is supposed to be 1080p.
Who cares? Can you have a more childish reaction?
You don’t need to tell me what my job is. My reviews are based on my own opinion and the same applies to reviews of other authors here as well, that’s the nature of a blog. Everyone is allowed to have his own opinion and so are you. But just because our opinions differ, it doesn’t mean that one of us is wrong. Screens are a thing of taste a bunch of people can think different about. As a matter of fact, the Lenovo K3 Note has a gorgeous panel and the tad less sharpness that you don’t even notice most of the time makes it in no way bad. And no, the quality is better than all 720p 5.5-inch panels out there. May I know if you actually own a Lenovo K3 Note to be in the actual position to judge about that? I bet you don’t.
“1080p is not above this price range anymore”
And regarding this statement I kindly ask you to provide me with another phone priced at $149 which offers the same specs along a 1080p screen.
watch out he’s gonna come out with the magnificent Xiaolojiao Pepper!
LOL
I am not expressing an opinion (an opinion is subjective), i am talking facts.
It’s not a matter of taste it’s a matter of fraudulent specs. This Pentile garbage offers half the pixels it claims. A pixel should be RGGB , 2 green subpixels in a pixel because they are much smaller plus red and green. This a 768p screen sold and advertised as 1080p and that’s that. If you had a clue you would point that out instead of writing a glorious ode to the K3 Note.
As for you not being aware of competing device is again just showing your (in)ability to do your job.
And btw i do get to tell you how to do your jiob, i’m the reader it’s part of my job but you seem very confused about how thing work.Your only purpose is to give the reader what it needs.
I see, you are a person who always wants to have the last word, not a person one can have a proper conversation with. I won’t waste my time on you any further. Have a good one!
You really don’t understand how the world works do you Realjjj? Christopher, ignore the trolls, you are one of the better reviewers here on gizchina, but you all do a decent job
i know we don’t get along and I’m not here trying to fight you at all.
i want to give credit that you are one who goes deep into the specs, SoC tests and benchmarks.
though, you seem somehow detached from real life experience.
let’s take this diatribe with Christopher for example:
he’s saying that the screen is a good 1080p screen.
isn’t this enough for a potential customer who wants to buy this phone?
I’m glad you pointed in the comments that this screen is a PenTile so people won’t expect to get a screen as good as a super amoled display, but it doesn’t mean that what Christopher said isn’t true.
saying that the screen is good comes from experience of physically handling several phones as a reviewer.
both of your contribute will help a potential customer and we can’t really miss both valuations because sometimes the specs dont tell the whole story.
https://www.gizchina.com/2015/07/02/tcl-3s-on-pre-sale/
At least on pre-sale & I am awaiting rewiev from you. ?
waiting for it too. please review this! we need more 5 inchers here! 😉
I use the K3 Note as my daily driver now and dont see this blurry no good display that everyone is supposedly talking about here. It looks better than my LG G2’s screen. I dont get the hate.
edit: I take that back I had an eye booger and it was blurry during that time. Seriously though, it looks friggin fantastic!
M2 note
Better 720P Display:-ZenFone 2 ZE550ML
same specs along a 1080p screen at $149:-M2 Note(If Not Better Specs)
You don’t get the Meizu M2 Note at $149 internationally. And the specs are worse than the K3 Note. The SoC is less powerful. Or did I miss something? Link please!
Yes i agree but i just named a smartphone with a better display,better camera,better battery life.K3 note has better SOC,BETTER GRAPHICS CARD.THATS ALL.
We will see about that. M2 Note is on the way! 🙂
I am guessing the soc will be better than mt6752
Yeah in the same way k3 note has less capable rear camera,Less Battery Life,Less capable front camera.
You also dont get the k3 note for $149 internationally.It Costs $160.
Yep, it got a little more expensive recently due to the high demand, but the initial pricing was $149 when I reviewed the phone.
And what about elephone p8000
Why would he own a handset which he thinks is bad or he thinks is totally waste of money???
I agree ! I have a K3note and kingzonez1 . The kingzonez1 screen is far superior even though only 720p. Another problem is the brightness in sunlight, can not see anything even with brightness at maximum, the screen goes black (as in my old Lenovo A850 ) . The camera of my k3note is not good in dark places, the photos are blurred ( maybe I have received a previous version with another type of sensor or lens ) . The k3note is amazing in its price range (especially the sound and battery, exactly where the kingzone Z1 else fails ) but k3note has its problems.
Cant read in sunlight? I have the exact opposite reaction. I couldnt read my G2 at all in sunlight and the K3 is as readable as can be!
In my k3note I can only read well if I cover the sunlight with my hand. In kingzone Z1 I get a better view using only 40 % brightness . So I use k3note as secondary smartphone dedicated to music ( The sound is fantastic )
PenTile? Why do you assume it is PenTile? I have not seen any reference to it being a PenTile display in any of the specifications I have been able to find. It only says IPS LCD. Regardless of that, PenTile displays can also be RGBW displays with just an added white (unfiltered) subpixel to create a brighter image, so PenTile is not necessarily bad. I have had several devices using different types of PenTile displays and they can be fantastic.
Anyway, unless you actually have documentation about the display type, you are just being rude with no valid point.
I, for one, enjoy Gizchina and find their posts to be among the more entertaining, useful and unbiased about Chinese devices. Keep up the good work!
You’re a massive dickhole who doesn’t know anything at all. Buffoon.
Now hold on a second. As far as I know only OLED / Super Amoled screens have PenTile. I really doubt K3 has a S-Amoled screen, therefore it shouln’t have PenTile. I personally never heard of an LCD screen with PenTile matrix, and I’m reading phone reviews for years. The relative lack of sharpness of K3’s screen must have other reasons.
Are you sure it has Dragontail glass? Most sites, even devicespecifications.com show it as having no screen protection.
Yes I am
Does the device become hot while gaming or youtubing or browsing with 3g/4g network?
It becomes warm during gaming, but not hot. Stays cool on YouTube and 3G / 4G browsing.
I’ve never noticed much heat from it, and I have no power management running on it.
Hmm … my friend just bought this phone and received it yesterday. He is bringing it to me today for rooting and software installations plus for some internet cheat to get almost free data connection from my data carrier.
Hmm … And this phone is quite cheap for everything I have read in here. Might have to get this for my wifey instead of the Ulefone Be Touch 2 I waned to get for her to replace her ageing LG Optimus G Pro.
Make sure the original Lenovo ROM is installed. Some shops install their own ROM with multi-language and it sucks!
How do I know if its using the original Lenovo ROM?
If it had multi-language and pre-installed Google play services it is a shop ROM.
Aha … that means this is a shop ROM. The ROM was acting a little funny out of box and now I am downloading a custom ROM to install as I have already installed CWM recovery and rooted it too.
Good gracious, am i looking at Vibe UI or MIUI ROM O.o
I am surprised Lenovo! You sure took your sweet time!
2 cores of Mali-T760 wont be enough for high end gaming on 1080P screens. As the gpu which is clocked at 700 MHz can deliver only 47.6 GFLOPS. This will only do in 720P resolution.
LOL, GPU clock and GFLOPS count relates to how smooth a games runs? Sorry, but that’s just plain nonsense. Everything runs smooth on that phone. Maybe the next generation of games will lag, but you also have to consider the price point.
Bro i own a lenovo a7000 which has mt6752m (1.5 Ghz). As everyone know a7000 is powered by the same gpu delivering exact same performance. But high end released games lag. If u have ever used a high end device u could easily get to know.
i bet the a7000 <<< k3 note.
a7000 is also available in Pakistan for around 15000 pkr ($150) but im waiting for the Local Lenovo centres to get the k3 note !
“If u have ever used a high end device u could easily get to know.”
I used plenty of them 😉
i like your style 😛
A store retailer here is selling this at $177 (retail price plus customs tax). I should’ve bought that instead of an UMi eMax ($110 but no customs tax yet)
After I got this phone, I gave my m1 note to my sister. When I compared K1 note with m1 note, k1 really snappy. No lag, stuck or bug for everyday usage. It is impressive. And also audio quality better on headphones. On the other hand, m1 note have better screen and build beauty. But, I preferred well optimized k1 note. Interactions are impressively fast. Unbelievable MTK SoC performance! This phone changed my MTK perception. Chinese manufacturers hear me: software optimization, software optimization and software optimization!
It scores 45,000 in Antutu, so its about in line with a Note 4. I dont think Lenovo did anything to the phones software other than add bloat, and likely make it run slower.
Are you saying its performance is comparable with the Galaxy Note 4? Did you just arrive to Earth from another planet or what?
Yes I know MT6752 is a good SoC and 64-bit capable (and I love the SoC), but not to compare it with the SD805 (32-bit) or Exynos 5433 (64-bit). Both SoCs beat it hands down in just about everything especially the Exynos which is 4x A57/4x A53 combo. Plus are you comparing the Mali T760 MP2 (MT6752) with Adreno 420 (SD805) or the Mali T760 MP6 (Exynos 5433 [same as Galaxy S6 GPU])?
Do keep in mind that you are comparing a FHD phone with QHD ones. The Note 4 GPUs have 2x the number of FHD pixels to push around and even at that, still beats the MT6752 GPU like crazy.
Do a proper research man, before posting silly comments.
No-one talking about Antutu scores. K3 note fastest mtk6752 phone. It is snappy. You can feel it. This is the real performance score! So, what?
looks like gearbest has upped the price to $154….greed maybe..
They told me it will go down again soon.
hope that is soon…..m looking to buy it asap
Is it just me or do those pictures like kind of terrible? Still think the m2 note is a better option for camera. And why have lenovo stolen MIUI icons?
but they’re not in the same price range….
Its just you and your eyes. Go to specssavers.
They haven’t stolen anything, it’s just a theme I installed.
A Ferrari is better than a Honda civic too.
Are you kidding! These are some of the best shots even from phones below $400! LOL
I thought the pictures were crappy too. I was excited but disappointed by the camera. But then I realised I was viewing them at 100%. When I reduced them to 50% they are great. And at us$149 we shouldn’t not complain. but if I could top up like $40 more and get a IMX214 then why not….However this one has a beautiful design….
jiayu s3 has better camera with sony IMX214 plus front samsung camera, try jiayu s3 3GB ram version, the beast in the beauty 🙂
I actually like the yellow because it’s a break from that overused white and black options. Wish more phones would offer color options.
Lamborghini Orange would be nice! 😃
It would be nice of Lenovo opens the expands the excellent Moto Maker to some of its own products. I seriously considered the last Moto X just because of that and the endless variety to create a phone to fit my style.
I really find it hard to understand why they shy away from the obvious, just doesn’t compute.
I never really understood it either. Some companies are starting to embrace the fact that people want more than just white and black options. Microsoft (Nokia) has been excellent with its Lumia line which always offers several color options.
overused black? i can’t find a black phone anymore!!!
AFAIK, there are 3 color options: white, yellow and black, so this is a good thing. I like the yellow as well, some nice touch in the ocean of black and white phones. It gives it kind of a fresh look.
This one has 3 color options (at least according to to2c seller): white, yellow and black 🙂
I’m dying for a black phone, i almost painted mine!
Except for Xiaomi who loves white and only releases a black one after everyone already caved in bought the white one haha. And Meizu who loves gray.
i hate them!
I am actually leaving Android altogether for awhile. I bought a Lumia 640 gonna give Windows a shot. But with their recent layoffs it could be short lived.
news of the other day M$ fired a thousand of their employees of the mobile branch
Yea I saw that, from what I have been told by a high ranking official here at MSoft it was a move that was planned all along since the Nokia merger. He said their mobile strategy hasn’t changed and when 10 drops there will be new flagships with it.
yep… the yellow color is what puts me off indeed…
Well, I think you could and should do better reviews… Lenovo states both the camera sensors used on the device – both Omnivision, but if you care about the exact models, look them up. Both the cameras are actually worse than Xiaomi Redmi Note ones – especially the front one. The main cam would have been much better if it was possible to lower the sharpness even more. Now you can see nasty artifacts (instead of uniform noise) even in good light… The front camera is way worse than Xiaomi Redmi Note one. The autofocus of the main camera is much faster than Xiaomi one, but less accurate (especially on face detect).
The display is actually not as sharp as the lower resolution Xiaomi Redmi Note one. But Xiaomi one was much worse in terms of quality control – I’ve seen 4 out 5 phones with yellow spots allover and tons of dead pixels. Shame on Xiaomi. I personally will never buy Xiaomi phone again just fot that. While the Lenovo dosplay is advertised as IPS, the viewing angles are not nearly as good as every other IPS panel out there – lots of color shifts.
The battery of Xiaomi Redmi Note is about 40% better than Lenovo.
Lenovo Vibe UI in this phone is actually way better than MIUI – much smoother, nicer and more functional. From my experience while one of the most stable, MIUI is the slowest shell out there. Lenovo K3 Note just flies compared to Xiaomi Redmi Note.
Sound and reception quality are both exellent. So is the GPS. The phone is worth it overall…
Where does lenovo state they’re omnivision sensors?
I read somewhere in internet that they are using Sunny sensor for this phone..
Mt dad’s wife bought one from Gearbest on my suggestion. I had to load a launcher for them to get around some bloatware/software issues. I don’t know if this is on all Lenovo K3 notes.
Had a page of advertsas open up on the homepage whenever you opened the stock browser. Couldn’t change it so I thought I’d put chrome on and they could just use that. But no, the page was inserted into chrome as well. Couldn’t find an option to change the homepage so if anyone knows how, please advise. I think I’ve done it in the past but we had limited time and once he left I forgot about it.
Also a lot of software that won’t install. Does that mean it’s hidden behind the root? As an out of the box experience the frequent pop uips from superuser and supercleaner where annoying. Also had another browser, another cleaning product and avg preinstalled so so what with the other antivirus in the cleaning program, it was a bit overkill and they really would rather put their own software on it. Then we’d have 3 antiviruses, 3 cleaning programs, etc.
I was meaning to use the facebook page to ask but didn’t get round to it but I put some other antiviruses on temporarily and there were multiple hits. 360 security said there were multiple problems as did avira and avast. Will my having the phone to hand will these be liely to be real issues or do antiviruses and chinese phones just not get on?
Please install the original Lenovo ROM. Shops install their own ROMs with multi language and Play services but those come with bloat ware, adware and no OTA updates, plus they run very slow compared to the original ROM.
I think we had a look but we couldn’t find anything. We tried Lenovo India, Hong Kong and the American site but only India had listings for the phone and there were no downloads in the support area. Is there a chinese site that I can’t get to through google?
Sorry, been without my glasses for weeks and it’s playing havoc with my thought processes. Found the download I think.
Here you go: http://www.needrom.com/download/lenovo-k50-t5/
Which one do you recommend Christopher? 5.1 official?
No, 5.0 stable. 5.1 is developer version.
thanks for this!
why is people moaning oh! this phone crap because it lags on high end gaming, oh this phone is crap because its 720p resolution! YOU ARE PAYING $149! what do you expect!!! You compare what you get for the price. To Some people is a common sense! If you want to play high end gaming get a fvkin’ ps4 or a gaming PC! if you want to watch movies/ porn in good resolution get a 4k TV! Jeeeezzzzoo!
Also, for me, the phone is getting into the realm of too light. I want to feel like there’s a bit of weight there, some heft. But that’s a personal thing and it’s still a cracking phone.
I agree with you, the weight is a little disturbing. Have to admit that I got used to it after a few days though.
You get way overexcited just because you are used to 720p devices but 1080p is not above this price range anymore and a poor screen is a big deal.
Your stance on the screen compromises the entire review, if you lack objectivity there,why assume there is more of it elsewhere.
PenTile (assuming that’s what it is) has 2 subpixels per pixel instead of 3 so the resolutions is “faked”
Another major problem is the low pixel fill factor for Pentile ( so a lot of the display is just black and not subpixel) while LCD has a much higher active area.
Here an example where you can notice both issues
No, I am not overexcited and I am not used to 720p panels at all. I don’t deny that the screen is less sharp than other 1080p panels, but hell, who cares? You only notice a difference if you come close to the screen and put another 1080p device next to it. Also, the panel makes up for that deficit with great contrast and colors. Anyway, that’s my opinion, if you think different just don’t buy it – that simple.
Who cares? You should care because that’s your job when you review a device. You get less quality than with a good 720p LCD and the only reason this device is noticeable is because it is supposed to be 1080p.
Who cares? Can you have a more childish reaction?
You don’t need to tell me what my job is. My reviews are based on my own opinion and the same applies to reviews of other authors here as well, that’s the nature of a blog. Everyone is allowed to have his own opinion and so are you. But just because our opinions differ, it doesn’t mean that one of us is wrong. Screens are a thing of taste a bunch of people can think different about. As a matter of fact, the Lenovo K3 Note has a gorgeous panel and the tad less sharpness that you don’t even notice most of the time makes it in no way bad. And no, the quality is better than all 720p 5.5-inch panels out there. May I know if you actually own a Lenovo K3 Note to be in the actual position to judge about that? I bet you don’t.
“1080p is not above this price range anymore”
And regarding this statement I kindly ask you to provide me with another phone priced at $149 which offers the same specs along a 1080p screen.
watch out he’s gonna come out with the magnificent Xiaolojiao Pepper!
LOL
I am not expressing an opinion (an opinion is subjective), i am talking facts.
It’s not a matter of taste it’s a matter of fraudulent specs. This Pentile garbage offers half the pixels it claims. A pixel should be RGGB , 2 green subpixels in a pixel because they are much smaller plus red and green. This a 768p screen sold and advertised as 1080p and that’s that. If you had a clue you would point that out instead of writing a glorious ode to the K3 Note.
As for you not being aware of competing device is again just showing your (in)ability to do your job.
And btw i do get to tell you how to do your jiob, i’m the reader it’s part of my job but you seem very confused about how thing work.Your only purpose is to give the reader what it needs.
I see, you are a person who always wants to have the last word, not a person one can have a proper conversation with. I won’t waste my time on you any further. Have a good one!
You really don’t understand how the world works do you Realjjj? Christopher, ignore the trolls, you are one of the better reviewers here on gizchina, but you all do a decent job
PenTile? Why do you assume it is PenTile? I have not seen any reference to it being a PenTile display in any of the specifications I have been able to find. It only says IPS LCD. Regardless of that, PenTile displays can also be RGBW displays with just an added white (unfiltered) subpixel to create a brighter image, so PenTile is not necessarily bad. I have had several devices using different types of PenTile displays and they can be fantastic.
Anyway, unless you actually have documentation about the display type, you are just being rude with no valid point.
I, for one, enjoy Gizchina and find their posts to be among the more entertaining, useful and unbiased about Chinese devices. Keep up the good work!
http://www.gizchina.com/2015/07/02/tcl-3s-on-pre-sale/
At least on pre-sale & I am awaiting rewiev from you. 😉
i know we don’t get along and I’m not here trying to fight you at all.
i want to give credit that you are one who goes deep into the specs, SoC tests and benchmarks.
though, you seem somehow detached from real life experience.
let’s take this diatribe with Christopher for example:
he’s saying that the screen is a good 1080p screen.
isn’t this enough for a potential customer who wants to buy this phone?
I’m glad you pointed in the comments that this screen is a PenTile so people won’t expect to get a screen as good as a super amoled display, but it doesn’t mean that what Christopher said isn’t true.
saying that the screen is good comes from experience of physically handling several phones as a reviewer.
both of your contribute will help a potential customer and we can’t really miss both valuations because sometimes the specs dont tell the whole story.
You’re a massive dickhole who doesn’t know anything at all. Buffoon.
Now hold on a second. As far as I know only OLED / Super Amoled screens have PenTile. I really doubt K3 has a S-Amoled screen, therefore it shouln’t have PenTile. I personally never heard of an LCD screen with PenTile matrix, and I’m reading phone reviews for years. The relative lack of sharpness of K3’s screen must have other reasons.
waiting for it too. please review this! we need more 5 inchers here! 😉
I use the K3 Note as my daily driver now and dont see this blurry no good display that everyone is supposedly talking about here. It looks better than my LG G2’s screen. I dont get the hate.
edit: I take that back I had an eye booger and it was blurry during that time. Seriously though, it looks friggin fantastic!
I agree ! I have a K3note and kingzonez1 . The kingzonez1 screen is far superior even though only 720p. Another problem is the brightness in sunlight, can not see anything even with brightness at maximum, the screen goes black (as in my old Lenovo A850 ) . The camera of my k3note is not good in dark places, the photos are blurred ( maybe I have received a previous version with another type of sensor or lens ) . The k3note is amazing in its price range (especially the sound and battery, exactly where the kingzone Z1 else fails ) but k3note has its problems.
Cant read in sunlight? I have the exact opposite reaction. I couldnt read my G2 at all in sunlight and the K3 is as readable as can be!
In my k3note I can only read well if I cover the sunlight with my hand. In kingzone Z1 I get a better view using only 40 % brightness . So I use k3note as secondary smartphone dedicated to music ( The sound is fantastic )
Better 720P Display:-ZenFone 2 ZE550ML
same specs along a 1080p screen at $149:-M2 Note(If Not Better Specs)
You don’t get the Meizu M2 Note at $149 internationally. And the specs are worse than the K3 Note. The SoC is less powerful. Or did I miss something? Link please!
Yes i agree but i just named a smartphone with a better display,better camera,better battery life.K3 note has better SOC,BETTER GRAPHICS CARD.THATS ALL.
Why would he own a handset which he thinks is bad or he thinks is totally waste of money???
Yeah in the same way k3 note has less capable rear camera,Less Battery Life,Less capable front camera.
We will see about that. M2 Note is on the way! 🙂
You also dont get the k3 note for $149 internationally.It Costs $160.
Yep, it got a little more expensive recently due to the high demand, but the initial pricing was $149 when I reviewed the phone.
And what about elephone p8000
I am guessing the soc will be better than mt6752
Are you sure it has Dragontail glass? Most sites, even devicespecifications.com show it as having no screen protection.
Yes I am
Does the device become hot while gaming or youtubing or browsing with 3g/4g network?
It becomes warm during gaming, but not hot. Stays cool on YouTube and 3G / 4G browsing.
I’ve never noticed much heat from it, and I have no power management running on it.
Hmm … my friend just bought this phone and received it yesterday. He is bringing it to me today for rooting and software installations plus for some internet cheat to get almost free data connection from my data carrier.
Hmm … And this phone is quite cheap for everything I have read in here. Might have to get this for my wifey instead of the Ulefone Be Touch 2 I waned to get for her to replace her ageing LG Optimus G Pro.
Make sure the original Lenovo ROM is installed. Some shops install their own ROM with multi-language and it sucks!
How do I know if its using the original Lenovo ROM?
If it had multi-language and pre-installed Google play services it is a shop ROM.
Aha … that means this is a shop ROM. The ROM was acting a little funny out of box and now I am downloading a custom ROM to install as I have already installed CWM recovery and rooted it too.
Good gracious, am i looking at Vibe UI or MIUI ROM O.o
I am surprised Lenovo! You sure took your sweet time!
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LOL, GPU clock and GFLOPS count relates to how smooth a games runs? Sorry, but that’s just plain nonsense. Everything runs smooth on that phone. Maybe the next generation of games will lag, but you also have to consider the price point.
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i like your style 😛
i bet the a7000 <<< k3 note.
a7000 is also available in Pakistan for around 15000 pkr ($150) but im waiting for the Local Lenovo centres to get the k3 note !
“If u have ever used a high end device u could easily get to know.”
I used plenty of them 😉
Good review. Thanks Christopher =)
Some reviewers say that the camera is just mediocre.. Is it true ?? Camera will be a real deal breaker for me. I just want a budget good camera.. And i heard that the Vibe UI is not as good as Christopher says ??
If i were to compare this to Ulefone Be Touch 2 and Umi Iron, which one will be the best, considering camera,screen and build ??
Just curious as im hoping to buy a new device :3
As the Chinese like to say 一分钱一分货 (You get what you pay for), what matters is 信价比高 (Value for money). When you look at Chinese phone don’t only look at the specs, cause most of the time you’ll be stuck with little firmware updates. So far the photos I’d seen from K3 note reviews and users look decent enough in daylight. Even if other brands claim IMX sensors, without good lens and camera app, it’ll be less than ideal results. To me, the best camera for under US$200 is the IUNI U2, but there’s only a stable kitkat rom and 3G. K3 note seems to be selling very well, more users mean higher chances of custom roms. I would look at Meizu m2 note too. Good luck finding your ideal phone 🙂
get zte z7 mini I hear the camera is good however the battery life is a bit questionable.
The Z7 Mini battery is a joke(I was getting 16hours with 2 hours of screen), I sold mine like 2 weeks ago just due the battery, everything else was pretty good.
A store retailer here is selling this at $177 (retail price plus customs tax). I should’ve bought that instead of an UMi eMax ($110 but no customs tax yet)
sir christopher, i think your charging time has a problem. charging time is only 2 hrs 15 – 30 mins from 0% – 100%. and also you can use k3 note for viewing 3D movies via google cardboard!!!
i own a k3 note for a month now! 🙂
Can you tell me how much Free Ram you get on this phone without opening any app?
Meizu M2 Note has 2GB Ram too, but 1.3GB is used without touching any app, and you only get like 600MB free Ram!
i have 1gb ram free
I have 1.2 free after clearing my apps.
bro, 2GB ram is too low for this kind of heavily customized rom, If you want to buy then don’t hesitate to run for a 3GB ram version, I used k3 note for 10 days before I sale it, rom just so good, camera is mediocre.
After I got this phone, I gave my m1 note to my sister. When I compared K1 note with m1 note, k1 really snappy. No lag, stuck or bug for everyday usage. It is impressive. And also audio quality better on headphones. On the other hand, m1 note have better screen and build beauty. But, I preferred well optimized k1 note. Interactions are impressively fast. Unbelievable MTK SoC performance! This phone changed my MTK perception. Chinese manufacturers hear me: software optimization, software optimization and software optimization!
It scores 45,000 in Antutu, so its about in line with a Note 4. I dont think Lenovo did anything to the phones software other than add bloat, and likely make it run slower.
Are you saying its performance is comparable with the Galaxy Note 4? Did you just arrive to Earth from another planet or what?
Yes I know MT6752 is a good SoC and 64-bit capable (and I love the SoC), but not to compare it with the SD805 (32-bit) or Exynos 5433 (64-bit). Both SoCs beat it hands down in just about everything especially the Exynos which is 4x A57/4x A53 combo. Plus are you comparing the Mali T760 MP2 (MT6752) with Adreno 420 (SD805) or the Mali T760 MP6 (Exynos 5433 [same as Galaxy S6 GPU])?
Do keep in mind that you are comparing a FHD phone with QHD ones. The Note 4 GPUs have 2x the number of FHD pixels to push around and even at that, still beats the MT6752 GPU like crazy.
Do a proper research man, before posting silly comments.
No-one talking about Antutu scores. K3 note fastest mtk6752 phone. It is snappy. You can feel it. This is the real performance score! So, what?
Hi, how can it be that channel 20, 800Mhz LTE is missing. The iOcean has the same SoC and supports this frequency. Is it the antenna that is missing? Or only a software/firmware issue?
Different modem chip
design stinks , and not for EU market- only chiness and english is supported , only 2Gb Ram ,Band B20 missing = wast of time
why is people moaning oh! this phone crap because it lags on high end gaming, oh this phone is crap because its 720p resolution! YOU ARE PAYING $149! what do you expect!!! You compare what you get for the price. To Some people is a common sense! If you want to play high end gaming get a fvkin’ ps4 or a gaming PC! if you want to watch movies/ porn in good resolution get a 4k TV! Jeeeezzzzoo!
Good review. Thanks Christopher =)
Would you say it’s better than Jiayu S3?
nop, jiayu s3 3GB ram version has better camera sony and samsung lens, gorilla glass protection, 1GB extra ram with a huge space on TRUE multitasking, 2GB ram on 64bit OS + 64bit apps are really low, check on windows 64bit pc with 2GB ram, how slow they are.
Do you have both devices to upload some video and photo comparisons? Thanks! 🙂
I would say its not the amount of RAM that is the problem but the system optimization and apps that you are running is what eats the RAM not freeing/releasing it for computation in given time and on given app. On the other side, I would rather see my RAM 80/90% full on optimized system then 50/60% free on not optimized system. Its been proven over and over again that big RAM consumption does not mean laggy or multitasking cripple system usage. If the system is optimized and the apps are optimized for given system then amount of RAM is not a big of a deal breaker. I would know cos i have LG G3 and Im on custom AOSP ROM that is eating my 3GB of RAM as apple pie but multitasking and UI i butter smooth 😀 So its not a question of amount but good use of that amount and seeing here the Lenovo K3 is doing a great job does making it a smooth experience 😀
what i’m talking about 🙂 2GB ram is not enough for now-a-days apps, those apps are so much ram hungry, even after optimized, you have a 3GB ram phone, try to switch on 2GB ram phone, you might be through the crap shit from your hand :v
You didn’t understand me correctly. Let me put it into perspective and maybe light your fire 😀
iPhone 6/6s has 1Gb of RAM and it performs stellar.
Xbox 360 has 512Mb RAM and it runs even now fairly new and graphic intensive games perfectly fine, lag free.
NASA cluster of Intel Pentium 486 powered space station modules run intensive calculations on propitiatory software for decades without the need to replace them.
So the concept and logic is the same, if the system and apps is optimized to the bone hardware specification is not the thing you have to rave about. Yes this examples are for propitiatory/closed systems but are great examples what can be done whit modest specs. Granted, Android is so fragmented that needs to run even on everything, AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM you are facing whit lags, and crap booming out of your smartphone which is solely a problem of not optimized system/apps for given platform, and not shortage of RAM in this case 😀
Of course I have used phones whit 2GB RAM and on “well optimized” system like AOSP/CM for given platform things run phenomenal 😀
Well, I think you could and should do better reviews… Lenovo states both the camera sensors used on the device – both Omnivision, but if you care about the exact models, look them up. Both the cameras are actually worse than Xiaomi Redmi Note ones – especially the front one. The main cam would have been much better if it was possible to lower the sharpness even more. Now you can see nasty artifacts (instead of uniform noise) even in good light… The front camera is way worse than Xiaomi Redmi Note one. The autofocus of the main camera is much faster than Xiaomi one, but less accurate (especially on face detect).
The display is actually not as sharp as the lower resolution Xiaomi Redmi Note one. But Xiaomi one was much worse in terms of quality control – I’ve seen 4 out 5 phones with yellow spots allover and tons of dead pixels. Shame on Xiaomi. I personally will never buy Xiaomi phone again just fot that. While the Lenovo dosplay is advertised as IPS, the viewing angles are not nearly as good as every other IPS panel out there – lots of color shifts.
The battery of Xiaomi Redmi Note is about 40% better than Lenovo.
Lenovo Vibe UI in this phone is actually way better than MIUI – much smoother, nicer and more functional. From my experience while one of the most stable, MIUI is the slowest shell out there. Lenovo K3 Note just flies compared to Xiaomi Redmi Note.
Sound and reception quality are both exellent. So is the GPS. The phone is worth it overall…
A bit of advice for those looking to buy this phone, dont get the two piece case with an aluminum side and plastic back. Its very flimsy and terrible to use, a clear TPU case works much nicer.
noted
Some reviewers say that the camera is just mediocre.. Is it true ?? Camera will be a real deal breaker for me. I just want a budget good camera.. And i heard that the Vibe UI is not as good as Christopher says ??
If i were to compare this to Ulefone Be Touch 2 and Umi Iron, which one will be the best, considering camera,screen and build ??
Just curious as im hoping to buy a new device :3
As the Chinese like to say 一分钱一分货 (You get what you pay for), what matters is 信价比高 (Value for money). When you look at Chinese phone don’t only look at the specs, cause most of the time you’ll be stuck with little firmware updates. So far the photos I’d seen from K3 note reviews and users look decent enough in daylight. Even if other brands claim IMX sensors, without good lens and camera app, it’ll be less than ideal results. To me, the best camera for under US$200 is the IUNI U2, but there’s only a stable kitkat rom and 3G. K3 note seems to be selling very well, more users mean higher chances of custom roms. I would look at Meizu m2 note too. Good luck finding your ideal phone 🙂
get zte z7 mini I hear the camera is good however the battery life is a bit questionable.
The Z7 Mini battery is a joke(I was getting 16hours with 2 hours of screen), I sold mine like 2 weeks ago just due the battery, everything else was pretty good.
sir christopher, i think your charging time has a problem. charging time is only 2 hrs 15 – 30 mins from 0% – 100%. and also you can use k3 note for viewing 3D movies via google cardboard!!!
i own a k3 note for a month now! 🙂
Can you tell me how much Free Ram you get on this phone without opening any app?
Meizu M2 Note has 2GB Ram too, but 1.3GB is used without touching any app, and you only get like 600MB free Ram!
i have 1gb ram free
I have 1.2 free after clearing my apps.
bro, 2GB ram is too low for this kind of heavily customized rom, If you want to buy then don’t hesitate to run for a 3GB ram version, I used k3 note for 10 days before I sale it, rom just so good, camera is mediocre.
Hi, how can it be that channel 20, 800Mhz LTE is missing. The iOcean has the same SoC and supports this frequency. Is it the antenna that is missing? Or only a software/firmware issue?
Different modem chip
design stinks , and not for EU market- only chiness and english is supported , only 2Gb Ram ,Band B20 missing = wast of time
Would you say it’s better than Jiayu S3?
nop, jiayu s3 3GB ram version has better camera sony and samsung lens, gorilla glass protection, 1GB extra ram with a huge space on TRUE multitasking, 2GB ram on 64bit OS + 64bit apps are really low, check on windows 64bit pc with 2GB ram, how slow they are.
Do you have both devices to upload some video and photo comparisons? Thanks! 🙂
I would say its not the amount of RAM that is the problem but the system optimization and apps that you are running is what eats the RAM not freeing/releasing it for computation in given time and on given app. On the other side, I would rather see my RAM 80/90% full on optimized system then 50/60% free on not optimized system. Its been proven over and over again that big RAM consumption does not mean laggy or multitasking cripple system usage. If the system is optimized and the apps are optimized for given system then amount of RAM is not a big of a deal breaker. I would know cos i have LG G3 and Im on custom AOSP ROM that is eating my 3GB of RAM as apple pie but multitasking and UI i butter smooth 😀 So its not a question of amount but good use of that amount and seeing here the Lenovo K3 is doing a great job does making it a smooth experience 😀
what i’m talking about 🙂 2GB ram is not enough for now-a-days apps, those apps are so much ram hungry, even after optimized, you have a 3GB ram phone, try to switch on 2GB ram phone, you might be through the crap shit from your hand :v
You didn’t understand me correctly. Let me put it into perspective and maybe light your fire 😀
iPhone 6/6s has 1Gb of RAM and it performs stellar.
Xbox 360 has 512Mb RAM and it runs even now fairly new and graphic intensive games perfectly fine, lag free.
NASA cluster of Intel Pentium 486 powered space station modules run intensive calculations on propitiatory software for decades without the need to replace them.
So the concept and logic is the same, if the system and apps is optimized to the bone hardware specification is not the thing you have to rave about. Yes this examples are for propitiatory/closed systems but are great examples what can be done whit modest specs. Granted, Android is so fragmented that needs to run even on everything, AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM you are facing whit lags, and crap booming out of your smartphone which is solely a problem of not optimized system/apps for given platform, and not shortage of RAM in this case 😀
Of course I have used phones whit 2GB RAM and on “well optimized” system like AOSP/CM for given platform things run phenomenal 😀
Well, I think you could and should do better reviews… Lenovo states both the camera sensors used on the device – both Omnivision, but if you care about the exact models, look them up. Both the cameras are actually worse than Xiaomi Redmi Note ones – especially the front one. The main cam would have been much better if it was possible to lower the sharpness even more. Now you can see nasty artifacts (instead of uniform noise) even in good light… The front camera is way worse than Xiaomi Redmi Note one. The autofocus of the main camera is much faster than Xiaomi one, but less accurate (especially on face detect).
The display is actually not as sharp as the lower resolution Xiaomi Redmi Note one. But Xiaomi one was much worse in terms of quality control – I’ve seen 4 out 5 phones with yellow spots allover and tons of dead pixels. Shame on Xiaomi. I personally will never buy Xiaomi phone again just fot that. While the Lenovo dosplay is advertised as IPS, the viewing angles are not nearly as good as every other IPS panel out there – lots of color shifts.
The battery of Xiaomi Redmi Note is about 40% better than Lenovo.
Lenovo Vibe UI in this phone is actually way better than MIUI – much smoother, nicer and more functional. From my experience while one of the most stable, MIUI is the slowest shell out there. Lenovo K3 Note just flies compared to Xiaomi Redmi Note.
Sound and reception quality are both exellent. So is the GPS. The phone is worth it overall…
A bit of advice for those looking to buy this phone, dont get the two piece case with an aluminum side and plastic back. Its very flimsy and terrible to use, a clear TPU case works much nicer.
noted
Wow the photos look quite good. The colors are great, the lens show no distortion, the HDR is decent. Good sensor and good optics. I actually think that the resolved details match and even surpass my Mi Note (which is too agressive with the noise reduction), so great job from Lenovo 🙂
What will be the next phone, that could do just as good as this one? And when does it arrive. 🙂
I think you are talking about the Umi Iron and I think it comes out tomorrow. Cant wait to read a review about it.
Wow the photos look quite good. The colors are great, the lens show no distortion, the HDR is decent. Good sensor and good optics. I actually think that the resolved details match and even surpass my Mi Note (which is too agressive with the noise reduction), so great job from Lenovo 🙂
“….. Anyway, either Lenovo learned from their mistake or their developers just had a good day, but the Vibe UI version running on the Lenovo K3 Note made us love this custom ROM for the very first time.”
Seriously ? The one thing that kept me buying this phone is the fact you have all that bloatware on it… tracking,viruses,fake apps ?
Did your unit come clean of all that ?
I ordered 4, 3 from different sellers and got different roms on all the phones. That question will get you no where unfortunately. Just take the time and install Limoncello’s rom on it and be done and enjoy it. Seriously they all came pre rooted, just slap CWM and Limoncello on.
EDIT: Sorry forgot to say that if its from China, it will come with malware pre installed. Put on a custom rom and remove the Server app(its a virus that reports home to china).
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand what I need to do, but the comment of the reviewer that Lenovo “learned from their mistake” is delusional…
Yes, if you flash it with a custom rom and remove the bloatware/spyware that ALL roms (even Limoncello’s) are infected with, it may come close to something useful.
Otherwise the phone is just bloated…Yes it’s one of the better made devices if not the best in that price range, but the phone is not just hardware – it’s symbiosis between software and hardware… and the software is bad.
Well I agree on most. But honestly it had a hell of alot less than any samsung, LG, HTC you are going to buy unless its a dev edition. The one difference is the Lenovo comes with malware preinstalled. Not sure I have ever seen that on the others. Again fine by me because I take care of that crap but “newbies” just looking for a deal prolly wont like that second part.
True, peace!
In the review I say that the shop ROMs have to be removed and replaced with the original Lenovo ROM. That’s the first thing I did. And based on that ROM I did my rating. Will do a tutorial about that.
It’s very hard to find information about how to replace shop roms with the original one, AND how to install Gapps/Gstore… I would be so thankful if you do a tutorial !
Do you have any information about the SAR value ? I have read it’s very high but can’t find it…
Hey, is this tutorial already made?
Yes, I did it today. Waiting for Andi to publish it.
Cool, thank you! 🙂
I have 2 of these with different roms on them, has the video tutorial been published yet. Thanks
What will be the next phone, that could do just as good as this one? And when does it arrive. 🙂
I think you are talking about the Umi Iron and I think it comes out tomorrow. Cant wait to read a review about it.
can you give me better details concerning the battery? i’m kind of a power user and can get through one and a half day with my LG G2 which also has 3000mah but a smaller screen.
is it comparable?
I just came from an LG G2 and yes my K3 Note lasts the same amount of time weirdly.
To elaborate more, I can go 2 days on my LG G2 without charge. I checked my K3 Note yesterday and I still had 88% at bedtime…
thanks for the info, so you would say on same usage it lasts about the same?
For me it seems a hair longer although I havent put it through the paces yet. For my son who also had a G2 says it lasts longer during video and video games. To give you an idea, without any movies or games mine has lasted from 8am to 6pm and I am about 85%. That is with alot of emailing, texting, and reading the news. Sorry I cant give any more concrete details. I would definitely say it is NOT LESS than the G2 by any means.
Thanks for your confirmation. So, compared to the G2, would you say its worth the upgrade or should i just stick with the G2 until theres a better one out?
Well k can’t answer that for ya unfortunately :(. I personally love it. I upgraded because I wanted a bigger screen and was tired of all the bugs on the g2 including the crappy gps and back speaker. The only way I would get the k3 note would be if u know how to put roms on it. No way I would ever go back though, not after using this beast. If j were to wait check out the umi iron that just came out. I believe it’s going to have cm11 out of the box as an option but make sure u do your research to make sure. It is said to have a bigger battery, retina security scanner, and the same price point. It has the same processor n such, maybe 3gb ram? Not sure. I think it gets released tomorrow. One thing I like about the lenovo is there is alot of dev support already. Good luck in your decision!
Well, i personally am a bit turned down by the bigger screen and therefore size. I’d like my phone the same size as the G2, not much bigger. I will wait for the Bluboo xTouch then, will see how it performs. The support from Lenovo is a major plus for this phone tho, as so many chinese brands just release a phone and then head to the next release without caring for the old one. That’s what i like abput the G2. It was updated from 4.2.2 to 4.4.4 to 5.0.2 and will get an update soon for 5.1, which is great for a nearly 3 year old phone. The only thing bugging me is the non expandable storage as i have the 16gb version. 🙁
I think is pretty comparable, if you are like me, a power user, no battery will be good enough. Im not talking about that Chinese 5000mAh+ phones that have to prove good battery life or bulky battery’s like 9000mAh for LG G3 that turns the phone into a brick. If Im lucky I can get a day ( from 08:00 to 20:00 hours ) but usually I have to charge in about 17:00 or 18:00H 😀
so you would say if the LG G2’s battery is enough then the Lenovo should do just fine? i so would buy it in an instant if it were 5 inches. i’m really hesitating to go bigger than my G2. think i’ll have to wait for the Jiayu S4 and the Bluboo xTouch… but i can’t wait… god damnit… XD
I guess it should be approximately the same, I dont think that Lenovo screen which is 0.3 inches bigger would be that big of a battery drainer. So you should be fine whit the same setup ( the apps you are using all the time ). On the matter of screen size and phone size. Well comparably to LG G2, Lenovo is 1.4cm taller and 0.5 mm wider, but its 0,9mm slimmer, so yeahh it is bigger, and one would clearly call it a phaplet. If we count LG G3 in the scheme, and G3 is one of the compact phablets on the market its not that big difference 😀 So its up to you, guess you have to decide for your self. Its kind a like TVs, bigger screens are better in my book ( im not talking about quality of picture ), but of course you dont carry TVs in your pocket, or do you?? 😛 I would never go below 5.5″ once I experienced it. I would only go bigger, but hey, that’s me. If you wanna see the dimensions here they are:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=7147&idPhone2=5543&idPhone3=6294
thanks for the answer. will wait for a better smaller device tho. 😉
no video calls over the phone network
“….. Anyway, either Lenovo learned from their mistake or their developers just had a good day, but the Vibe UI version running on the Lenovo K3 Note made us love this custom ROM for the very first time.”
Seriously ? The one thing that kept me buying this phone is the fact you have all that bloatware on it… tracking,viruses,fake apps ?
Did your unit come clean of all that ?
I ordered 4, 3 from different sellers and got different roms on all the phones. That question will get you no where unfortunately. Just take the time and install Limoncello’s rom on it and be done and enjoy it. Seriously they all came pre rooted, just slap CWM and Limoncello on.
EDIT: Sorry forgot to say that if its from China, it will come with malware pre installed. Put on a custom rom and remove the Server app(its a virus that reports home to china).
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand what I need to do, but the comment of the reviewer that Lenovo “learned from their mistake” is delusional…
Yes, if you flash it with a custom rom and remove the bloatware/spyware that ALL roms (even Limoncello’s) are infected with, it may come close to something useful.
Otherwise the phone is just bloated…Yes it’s one of the better made devices if not the best in that price range, but the phone is not just hardware – it’s symbiosis between software and hardware… and the software is bad.
Well I agree on most. But honestly it had a hell of alot less than any samsung, LG, HTC you are going to buy unless its a dev edition. The one difference is the Lenovo comes with malware preinstalled. Not sure I have ever seen that on the others. Again fine by me because I take care of that crap but “newbies” just looking for a deal prolly wont like that second part.
True, peace!
In the review I say that the shop ROMs have to be removed and replaced with the original Lenovo ROM. That’s the first thing I did. And based on that ROM I did my rating. Will do a tutorial about that.
It’s very hard to find information about how to replace shop roms with the original one, AND how to install Gapps/Gstore… I would be so thankful if you do a tutorial !
Do you have any information about the SAR value ? I have read it’s very high but can’t find it…
Hey, is this tutorial already made?
Yes, I did it today. Waiting for Andi to publish it.
Cool, thank you! 🙂
I have 2 of these with different roms on them, has the video tutorial been published yet. Thanks
can you give me better details concerning the battery? i’m kind of a power user and can get through one and a half day with my LG G2 which also has 3000mah but a smaller screen.
is it comparable?
I just came from an LG G2 and yes my K3 Note lasts the same amount of time weirdly.
To elaborate more, I can go 2 days on my LG G2 without charge. I checked my K3 Note yesterday and I still had 88% at bedtime…
thanks for the info, so you would say on same usage it lasts about the same?
For me it seems a hair longer although I havent put it through the paces yet. For my son who also had a G2 says it lasts longer during video and video games. To give you an idea, without any movies or games mine has lasted from 8am to 6pm and I am about 85%. That is with alot of emailing, texting, and reading the news. Sorry I cant give any more concrete details. I would definitely say it is NOT LESS than the G2 by any means.
Thanks for your confirmation. So, compared to the G2, would you say its worth the upgrade or should i just stick with the G2 until theres a better one out?
Well k can’t answer that for ya unfortunately :(. I personally love it. I upgraded because I wanted a bigger screen and was tired of all the bugs on the g2 including the crappy gps and back speaker. The only way I would get the k3 note would be if u know how to put roms on it. No way I would ever go back though, not after using this beast. If j were to wait check out the umi iron that just came out. I believe it’s going to have cm11 out of the box as an option but make sure u do your research to make sure. It is said to have a bigger battery, retina security scanner, and the same price point. It has the same processor n such, maybe 3gb ram? Not sure. I think it gets released tomorrow. One thing I like about the lenovo is there is alot of dev support already. Good luck in your decision!
Well, i personally am a bit turned down by the bigger screen and therefore size. I’d like my phone the same size as the G2, not much bigger. I will wait for the Bluboo xTouch then, will see how it performs. The support from Lenovo is a major plus for this phone tho, as so many chinese brands just release a phone and then head to the next release without caring for the old one. That’s what i like abput the G2. It was updated from 4.2.2 to 4.4.4 to 5.0.2 and will get an update soon for 5.1, which is great for a nearly 3 year old phone. The only thing bugging me is the non expandable storage as i have the 16gb version. 🙁
I think is pretty comparable, if you are like me, a power user, no battery will be good enough. Im not talking about that Chinese 5000mAh+ phones that have to prove good battery life or bulky battery’s like 9000mAh for LG G3 that turns the phone into a brick. If Im lucky I can get a day ( from 08:00 to 20:00 hours ) but usually I have to charge in about 17:00 or 18:00H 😀
so you would say if the LG G2’s battery is enough then the Lenovo should do just fine? i so would buy it in an instant if it were 5 inches. i’m really hesitating to go bigger than my G2. think i’ll have to wait for the Jiayu S4 and the Bluboo xTouch… but i can’t wait… god damnit… XD
I guess it should be approximately the same, I dont think that Lenovo screen which is 0.3 inches bigger would be that big of a battery drainer. So you should be fine whit the same setup ( the apps you are using all the time ). On the matter of screen size and phone size. Well comparably to LG G2, Lenovo is 1.4cm taller and 0.5 mm wider, but its 0,9mm slimmer, so yeahh it is bigger, and one would clearly call it a phaplet. If we count LG G3 in the scheme, and G3 is one of the compact phablets on the market its not that big difference 😀 So its up to you, guess you have to decide for your self. Its kind a like TVs, bigger screens are better in my book ( im not talking about quality of picture ), but of course you dont carry TVs in your pocket, or do you?? 😛 I would never go below 5.5″ once I experienced it. I would only go bigger, but hey, that’s me. If you wanna see the dimensions here they are:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=7147&idPhone2=5543&idPhone3=6294
thanks for the answer. will wait for a better smaller device tho. 😉
no video calls over the phone network
two months ago I had chosen this phone, but then I realized it lacks 800mhz FDD LTE! With that It would be the perfect phone!!!
why does the lenovo keep the bad and uply design ?
two months ago I had chosen this phone, but then I realized it lacks 800mhz FDD LTE! With that It would be the perfect phone!!!
why does the lenovo keep the bad and uply design ?
My xshot smashed and my umi zero stolen (travelling for 6 weeks in Europe in the car).. I picked up a lenovo a7000
The OS is great, no bugs. On the lower spec a7000 it’s a really great phone!
Not that it won’t be replaced with something more hi tech son with ois. So I’m sure this is a great phone. Nice find guys ))
A very good phone and very reasonable cost. What a shame, no OTG and NFC, So looking at ZTE Z7 Max which has what I want for a reasonable cost.
My xshot smashed and my umi zero stolen (travelling for 6 weeks in Europe in the car).. I picked up a lenovo a7000
The OS is great, no bugs. On the lower spec a7000 it’s a really great phone!
Not that it won’t be replaced with something more hi tech son with ois. So I’m sure this is a great phone. Nice find guys ))
A very good phone and very reasonable cost. What a shame, no OTG and NFC, So looking at ZTE Z7 Max which has what I want for a reasonable cost.
I agree with almost everything in the review including how the battery optimizes after a few uses (this is normal for many devices). Another great thing was that my phone actually shipped with root. This led me to believe that the vendor tampered with the phone and installed a different ROM though it looked totally official. However, my phone had a whole bunch of bloatware–no big deal, removed it with Titanium and you didn’t mention, also, the potential malware that afflicts all known Lenovo VibeUI ROMs. I found it on some custom ROMs as well as the one that my K3 Note shipped with. What’s disturbing is that it’s disguised as a system file and cannot be removed without root. The malware is here:
AOSP: /system/app/SystemServer/SystemServer.apk
Limonchelo/VibeUI: /system/app/LenovoServer/LenovoServer.apk
Credit: jimmyln of XDA at http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/ufficial-thread-lenovo-k3-note-t3102997/post61517235#post61517235
Christopher, let us know if you see this file. I have become paranoid so I am running droidwall on my phone so nothing gets out without my knowledge.
I own a Note 4 Duos, an HTC M8, a Jiayu S3 and an LG G3. BUT, I will wholeheartedly agree that there is no better phone for under $150 (and some up to twice this price). I paid this about a month ago and I am of the firm belief that ‘the Chinese are coming’ and the era of the $699 phone is fast coming to an end.
How good would you say the Jiayu S3 camera (video and photos) is compared to the K3 Note? Which one is better? I’ve seen some pretty bad Jiayu videos, but someone said it’s just the default app messing them up and using another one fixes those problems. Thanks and cheers!
It’s about the same with a slight nod to the S3 camera. They have the exact same camera sensor (Exmor IMX214). I haven’t had any of the problems that you have mentioned. They have been improving the ROM steadily though the official lollipop ROM is still needs work. I am still on KitKat on the S3 and I have seen no issues on the camera.
Thanks! I read that K3 Note doesn’t have JiaYu though but some kind of another camera sensor. Could you upload somewhere a video taken by JiaYu please? Perhaps to Youtube or anywhere?
Is it possible to use some kind of customizer to make the icons and menu different, eg. to look colourful like the Vibe UI? And are they general themes that can be used by any OS or do I have to go look for them in JiaYu forums or something?
I agree with almost everything in the review including how the battery optimizes after a few uses (this is normal for many devices). Another great thing was that my phone actually shipped with root. This led me to believe that the vendor tampered with the phone and installed a different ROM though it looked totally official. However, my phone had a whole bunch of bloatware–no big deal, removed it with Titanium and you didn’t mention, also, the potential malware that afflicts all known Lenovo VibeUI ROMs. I found it on some custom ROMs as well as the one that my K3 Note shipped with. What’s disturbing is that it’s disguised as a system file and cannot be removed without root. The malware is here:
AOSP: /system/app/SystemServer/SystemServer.apk
Limonchelo/VibeUI: /system/app/LenovoServer/LenovoServer.apk
Credit: jimmyln of XDA at http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/ufficial-thread-lenovo-k3-note-t3102997/post61517235#post61517235
Christopher, let us know if you see this file. I have become paranoid so I am running droidwall on my phone so nothing gets out without my knowledge.
I own a Note 4 Duos, an HTC M8, a Jiayu S3 and an LG G3. BUT, I will wholeheartedly agree that there is no better phone for under $150 (and some up to twice this price). I paid this about a month ago and I am of the firm belief that ‘the Chinese are coming’ and the era of the $699 phone is fast coming to an end.
How good would you say the Jiayu S3 camera (video and photos) is compared to the K3 Note? Which one is better? I’ve seen some pretty bad Jiayu videos, but someone said it’s just the default app messing them up and using another one fixes those problems. Thanks and cheers!
It’s about the same with a slight nod to the S3 camera. They have the exact same camera sensor (Exmor IMX214). I haven’t had any of the problems that you have mentioned. They have been improving the ROM steadily though the official lollipop ROM is still needs work. I am still on KitKat on the S3 and I have seen no issues on the camera.
Thanks! I read that K3 Note doesn’t have JiaYu though but some kind of another camera sensor. Could you upload somewhere a video taken by JiaYu please? Perhaps to Youtube or anywhere?
Is it possible to use some kind of customizer to make the icons and menu different, eg. to look colourful like the Vibe UI? And are they general themes that can be used by any OS or do I have to go look for them in JiaYu forums or something?
why is nobody bothered about the nasty SAR values of this phone? its very high.
True, we should be
thank you for mentioning this 🙂
no it is not.
why is nobody bothered about the nasty SAR values of this phone? its very high.
True, we should be
thank you for mentioning this 🙂
no it is not.
Good review mr christopher!!. Only one thing, how sure you are this fone is using asahi dragontrail glass? Can u please clarify? Tq
Good review mr christopher!!. Only one thing, how sure you are this fone is using asahi dragontrail glass? Can u please clarify? Tq
This will help all K3 note owners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XtGSjZgwBU
This wont help anyone. Still Cyanogen Mod 12.1 does not work.
The whole Voice and Data isnt working in this custom rom.
I reverted back to Limonchelo after i tried this unusable Cyanogen 12.1 Mod.
If u have a working version, feel free to share.
Can anyone tell me what is the SAR value of lenovo k3 note
SAR value is a amount of cellular phone radiation adsorbed by a unit of mass in this case human skin/body. The lower the value, the better 😀
Yes but you still didn’t answer the question.
I’ve heard that the SAR is rather high for k3 note
This will help all K3 note owners
This wont help anyone. Still Cyanogen Mod 12.1 does not work.
The whole Voice and Data isnt working in this custom rom.
I reverted back to Limonchelo after i tried this unusable Cyanogen 12.1 Mod.
If u have a working version, feel free to share.
Can anyone tell me what is the SAR value of lenovo k3 note
SAR value is a amount of cellular phone radiation adsorbed by a unit of mass in this case human skin/body. The lower the value, the better 😀
Yes but you still didn’t answer the question.
I’ve heard that the SAR is rather high for k3 note
Here we go ladies and gentlemen : the best value MT6752 phone of 2015! Great job Lenovo! Looking this is actually the most positive review I read @gizchina from a very long time. I said it multiple times in a various of comments: this phone just didn’t paid enough attention of the review sites.. till now, where it finally reaches the place this phone 100% deserves – the top of value phones of 2015. I have it in my hands now and I can confirm every single word from this review being true. Love it so much and the price tag can’t be beaten by anything. Speaking out of the developer version of Lollipop 5.1 for K3 Note, I believe we’ll see an official version pretty soon which is great and we have many custom ROMs also available including CM 12.1! Yay!!
You know what @christopherstraer:disqus I saw your video review on .de domain and read here and you are so pumped up whit the phone that Im gonna buy it. You sound it so childishly excited that I have to buy it, because just as you I love when I get A LOT for my money it just horny me up. And when I get A LOT for a small amount of money then Im setting myself in the mod where I go to my friends whit way expensive LG, Sammys, HTC and alike and show them how this cheap, cheap baby roll and to see them pop their eyeballs is just precious, no money can buy those moments 😀 So, I get your enthusiasm and good review m8 😀
Here we go ladies and gentlemen : the best value MT6752 phone of 2015! Great job Lenovo! Looking this is actually the most positive review I read @gizchina from a very long time. I said it multiple times in a various of comments: this phone just didn’t paid enough attention of the review sites.. till now, where it finally reaches the place this phone 100% deserves – the top of value phones of 2015. I have it in my hands now and I can confirm every single word from this review being true. Love it so much and the price tag can’t be beaten by anything. Speaking out of the developer version of Lollipop 5.1 for K3 Note, I believe we’ll see an official version pretty soon which is great and we have many custom ROMs also available including CM 12.1! Yay!!
You know what @christopherstraer:disqus I saw your video review on .de domain and read here and you are so pumped up whit the phone that Im gonna buy it. You sound it so childishly excited that I have to buy it, because just as you I love when I get A LOT for my money it just horny me up. And when I get A LOT for a small amount of money then Im setting myself in the mod where I go to my friends whit way expensive LG, Sammys, HTC and alike and show them how this cheap, cheap baby roll and to see them pop their eyeballs is just precious, no money can buy those moments 😀 So, I get your enthusiasm and good review m8 😀
Hey Chris, how would you compare this to the elephone p7000?
Hey Chris, how would you compare this to the elephone p7000?
My experience with Lenovo phones says that they always have awful cameras on them. Chris, you are sure you are giving 10/10 to this phone ?
Well I guess Chris is forming his scores for the phone price category, and in this category he is giving 10/10. I might say that Im not a fan of those final scores as I dont believe there is 10/10 product or some part of that product as that would suggest a perfect product, and we all know that will never happen 😀 In that light it would be better to score whit one decimal number to be more accurate 😀
I would like to compare camera with the benchmarks set by Xiaomi. Comparing the K3 Note camera with Mi4i is the best way of judging because both are them are in the same price range.
I don’t think they are in the same price category, Mi4i is 72$ more expensive and for chines phones that’s alot 😀 Mi4i is 200$+ phone its a one price category up the hill. Another thing if you need great camera than I think we all have to up the ante in $$$ compartment. I will buy this phone but Im not expecting great camera, I have LG G3 and that phone has a great camera, really great 😀
My experience with Lenovo phones says that they always have awful cameras on them. Chris, you are sure you are giving 10/10 to this phone ?
Well I guess Chris is forming his scores for the phone price category, and in this category he is giving 10/10. I might say that Im not a fan of those final scores as I dont believe there is 10/10 product or some part of that product as that would suggest a perfect product, and we all know that will never happen 😀 In that light it would be better to score whit one decimal number to be more accurate 😀
I would like to compare camera with the benchmarks set by Xiaomi. Comparing the K3 Note camera with Mi4i is the best way of judging because both are them are in the same price range.
I don’t think they are in the same price category, Mi4i is 72$ more expensive and for chines phones that’s alot 😀 Mi4i is 200$+ phone its a one price category up the hill. Another thing if you need great camera than I think we all have to up the ante in $$$ compartment. I will buy this phone but Im not expecting great camera, I have LG G3 and that phone has a great camera, really great 😀
Hello everyone,
I received my k3 note yesterday but the location services is not working and its saying that reboot ur phone or update the system. I reboot my system but the problem is same. Can anybody help me?
Hello everyone,
I received my k3 note yesterday but the location services is not working and its saying that reboot ur phone or update the system. I reboot my system but the problem is same. Can anybody help me?
Good review mr christopher!!. Only one thing, how sure you are this fone is using asahi dragontrail glass? Can u please clarify? Tq
Good review mr christopher!!. Only one thing, how sure you are this fone is using asahi dragontrail glass? Can u please clarify? Tq
Hey, I need some help. I would like to buy this phone.
Do you recommend any safe shop with EU warehouse?
Any ideas on Umi Iron?? I’m so tempted to buy for its looks.. I watch s7ylers review and he says its a good device.. Now im in a hard position.. Whether to buy Lenovo K3 Note which looks rather ordinary.. I just dont like its looks. Or the Umi Iron which looks good with an underclocked processor ?? Really confused ?
Help ?
Any ideas on Umi Iron?? I’m so tempted to buy for its looks.. I watch s7ylers review and he says its a good device.. Now im in a hard position.. Whether to buy Lenovo K3 Note which looks rather ordinary.. I just dont like its looks. Or the Umi Iron which looks good with an underclocked processor ?? Really confused ?
Help ?
I think this phone is considerably suitable to my needs. It runs fast and the price is cheap. Probably, it’s likely to make it slower if you install more apps, but I know a Chinese optimization app called Cleanmaster that really help me solve this matter. I’ve already bought MX5 from Comebuy but I intend to buy K3 Note from there. Two cellphones comes two moods.
I think this phone is considerably suitable to my needs. It runs fast and the price is cheap. Probably, it’s likely to make it slower if you install more apps, but I know a Chinese optimization app called Cleanmaster that really help me solve this matter. I’ve already bought MX5 from Comebuy but I intend to buy K3 Note from there. Two cellphones comes two moods.
THIS PHONE ONLY GIVES 47 GFLOPS. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T KNOW.GFLOPS IS THE SCIENTIFIC TERM WITH WHICH SCIENTISTS MEASURE COMPUTER POWER. A PS2 GIVES 6 GFLOPS. PS3 GIVE 300GFLOPS.A PS4 GIVE 1800GFLOPS AND A HIGH END DESKTOP PC GIVES 8000+GFLOPS
THIS PHONE ONLY GIVES 47 GFLOPS. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T KNOW.GFLOPS IS THE SCIENTIFIC TERM WITH WHICH SCIENTISTS MEASURE COMPUTER POWER. A PS2 GIVES 6 GFLOPS. PS3 GIVE 300GFLOPS.A PS4 GIVE 1800GFLOPS AND A HIGH END DESKTOP PC GIVES 8000+GFLOPS
HAI FRIENDS MY NAME IS NANDA KISHORE MY MOBILE NUMBER IS 8106676677 ONE DAY I AM BUY LENOVO K3 NOTE FIRST TIME CHEETED IN MY LIFE
BECAUSE BUY LENOVO K# NOTE (MY MOBILE WORKING STUPID NO BATERY BACK UP THAY WORKING HEETED DISPLAY LOOK CHAINA PEES MOBILE ALL WAYS
HANG TUCH WORKING VERY BAD I AM COMPLAINT TO FLIPKART BUT CUSTMAR CARE 20 TIMES CALL ME BUT NO RESPONCE MY PROBULMS FINALE THAY SAY
YOUR MOBILE IS GOOD WORKING)SO IAM SAY DONT BUY LENOVO MOBILES EXPAYSHALE FLIPKART BE CARE FULL
HAI FRIENDS MY NAME IS NANDA KISHORE MY MOBILE NUMBER IS 8106676677 ONE DAY I AM BUY LENOVO K3 NOTE FIRST TIME CHEETED IN MY LIFE
BECAUSE BUY LENOVO K# NOTE (MY MOBILE WORKING STUPID NO BATERY BACK UP THAY WORKING HEETED DISPLAY LOOK CHAINA PEES MOBILE ALL WAYS
HANG TUCH WORKING VERY BAD I AM COMPLAINT TO FLIPKART BUT CUSTMAR CARE 20 TIMES CALL ME BUT NO RESPONCE MY PROBULMS FINALE THAY SAY
YOUR MOBILE IS GOOD WORKING)SO IAM SAY DONT BUY LENOVO MOBILES EXPAYSHALE FLIPKART BE CARE FULL
I’ve just purchased a Lenovo K3 Note from Antelife and it came with preinstalled malware and adware. After a quick search, it’s pretty common… The virus live in apps like youtube or twitter (twitter in my case), and it’s impossible to delete the apps. I need to root my phone. The amazing part of this: all the shops worldwide with this problem don’t care.
Chegou a fazer o root ao Lenovo? Também adquiri um, gosto mas realmente precisa de uma limpeza ao “software” chinês
Sim, mas só melhorou, não resolveu. Teve que levar uma ROM nova e não foi coisa fácil. Felizmente depois de muita luta o telefone está impecável e vale cada cêntimo que dei por ele 🙂
Já agora qual foi a ROM escolhida? Obrigado
I’ve just purchased a Lenovo K3 Note from Antelife and it came with preinstalled malware and adware. After a quick search, it’s pretty common… The virus live in apps like youtube or twitter (twitter in my case), and it’s impossible to delete the apps. I need to root my phone. The amazing part of this: all the shops worldwide with this problem don’t care.
Chegou a fazer o root ao Lenovo? Também adquiri um, gosto mas realmente precisa de uma limpeza ao “software” chinês
Sim, mas só melhorou, não resolveu. Teve que levar uma ROM nova e não foi coisa fácil. Felizmente depois de muita luta o telefone está impecável e vale cada cêntimo que dei por ele 🙂
Já agora qual foi a ROM escolhida? Obrigado
a 332mb update is available. shall i update it or not?
a 332mb update is available. shall i update it or not?
The available RAM is only upto 750 MB
This makes the phone slow if we open one or two high memory required apps plus some low memory required apps.
It doesn’t deliver performance in case of multitasking as compared to other 2GB RAM devices.
The available RAM is only upto 750 MB
This makes the phone slow if we open one or two high memory required apps plus some low memory required apps.
It doesn’t deliver performance in case of multitasking as compared to other 2GB RAM devices.
so the upcoming A7000 Plus in Thailand is basically a renamed K3 Note (and already launched in Philipine)
so the upcoming A7000 Plus in Thailand is basically a renamed K3 Note (and already launched in Philipine)
After 4 months both k3.’s I purchased the lid screens have failed a 10mm band on the left side of the phone it totally unresponsive, digging a bit deeper it seems this has happened alot, hardware fault with the screen.
After 4 months both k3.’s I purchased the lid screens have failed a 10mm band on the left side of the phone it totally unresponsive, digging a bit deeper it seems this has happened alot, hardware fault with the screen.
I have this phone for about 4 months now and i have to say its the best still for such a low price…good specs,amazing ui for a chinese phone,been gaming on it for months no issues at all,batery life pretty good as well,camera better then my other phone the LG G2. Im very happy with this device to be honest
The bad things: twitter system app is infected with a trojan you cant remove,also the gps sometimes seems not to turn on even if its on and i have to restart the phone to work
Wondering in getting one for fiancee. I have Jiayu s3, and this phone got a Aosp port from S3, the Andronium Rom 5.1.1, with theming support, sdcard swap and more, did you already tested it? If I get it, surely I will ditch the stock rom lol personal choice.
I have this phone for about 4 months now and i have to say its the best still for such a low price…good specs,amazing ui for a chinese phone,been gaming on it for months no issues at all,batery life pretty good as well,camera better then my other phone the LG G2. Im very happy with this device to be honest
The bad things: twitter system app is infected with a trojan you cant remove,also the gps sometimes seems not to turn on even if its on and i have to restart the phone to work
Wondering in getting one for fiancee. I have Jiayu s3, and this phone got a Aosp port from S3, the Andronium Rom 5.1.1, with theming support, sdcard swap and more, did you already tested it? If I get it, surely I will ditch the stock rom lol personal choice.