Home Tech Reviews Lenovo K8 Note Review – Fastest $200 Smartphone of 2017

Lenovo K8 Note Review – Fastest $200 Smartphone of 2017

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In the P10k league, phones rarely come out really good for what they offer. Well, the Lenovo K8 Note kind of changes that landscape in the meantime until supplies last at Lazada. With an SRP of P13,999, the discounted P8,999 price in Lazada isn’t a big deal.

What’s up, Manila? This is Caesar of Manila Shaker for a review of Lenovo’s K8 Note. Missed our last review? Check it out here.

SPECS Lenovo K8 Note
Display [1080×1920]
5.5″ IPS LCD, ~401ppi
Size 154.5 x 75.9 x 8.5 mm, 180g
Design Metal frame, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Colors Fine Gold
Chipset Mediatek Helio X23
Processor Deca-core 2.3 GHz
Graphics Mali-T880 MP4
Rear Camera Dual 13 MP + 5 MP, f/1.7, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash,

1080p@30

Front Camera 13 MP, f/2.0, LED Flash

1080p@30

Memory 4GB RAM, 64GB internal, <256GB microSD
Connectivity GSM/HSPA/LTE-A Cat. 6
WiFi ac, Bt 4.2, A2DP, LE, A-GPS, GLONASS, FM Radio, OTG
OS Android 7.1.1
Software Android Nougat
Battery Non-removable 4000mAh Li-Ion battery
Official Price Lazada: PhP 8,999

SRP: PhP 13,999

Availability date November 2017
Where to buy Lenovo Stores and Authorized Retailers

Design

The K8 Note didn’t adapt with the 18:9 trend but still comes with a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3. You have to keep in mind that the SRP of P13,999 and the P8,999 discounted offering at Lazada. It’s bulky, metal-clad, and at the moment, comes in a shade of gold that everyone has gotten used to, a general trade-off for having a huge battery pack. At the rear are dual cameras made for Depth effect-enabled shots. Also, there is a configurable Music key button on the left, right below the dual trays for 2 nano SIMs and a microSD for storage expansion.

Display

The 5.5″ Full HD display is a bit disappointing when used outdoors, even at full brightness.

Still, colors do pop out, and details stand out nicely in most scenarios. Color contrast is there, and considering the limitations of IPS LCD panels, color accuracy is not on point all the time.

User Experience

Offering a stock Android experience, Nougat in itself is intuitive with all of its inherent features. Navigating through the phone is smooth, but your experience may vary considering the lack of customization stock Android offers.

The in-house Camera app is still lacking but works well for your daily point-and-shoot IG entries.

Camera

The cameras are far from being exemplary, but they do deliver under favorable circumstances. Even with the absence of OIS, both daytime and nighttime shots still look well, albeit it may take a few tries before getting a good nighttime shot.

The bokeh effect is a hit-or-miss, as you will mostly come up with a blurry shot for the first two shots or so. The edge selection is a bit too aggressive to the point that the subject comes out very soft.

Selfies are acceptable even under extreme lighting conditions, thanks to the front-firing LED flash.

Considering its chipset, it’s disappointing to see how bad videos are with both its rear and front cameras.

Performance

Benchmark Lenovo K8 Note
AnTuTu 88753
GeekBench SC: 1170
MC: 4608
Androbench Seq. Read: 240.08MB/s
Seq. Write: 103.15MB/sRand. Read: 27.74MB/s, 7102.6 IOPS
Rand. Write: 15.24MB/s, 3901.45 IOPS
PCMark Work 2.0 4222

In the performance department, here’s where the K8 Note truly shines. Armed with an Helio X23 chipset, it is the fastest across all synthetic and game tests, with a huge battery to back it up.

Gaming performance is stellar, and if you’re on the fence for, let’s say a phone that can handle Arena of Valor at 60FPS, this is the perfect phone for you.

Battery

Battery Lenovo K8 Note
Battery 4000mAh
ManilaShaker Battery Rating 45h 28m
Charging Time (0-100%) 1h 52m

Addressing another strong point of the K8 Note, the battery is nothing short of impressive. Even with 4000mAh of capacity, the charging time with the included 15W Turbo Charger did well enough.

Audio

Lastly, the audio. The K8 Note doesn’t have anything fancy in it, and its speakers aren’t even the loudest. With certain frequencies, specific instruments do pop out.

With Dolby Atmos, various configurations and sound profiles are preset along with a fully-customizable profile.

Verdict

Currently being offered for under P10k, the Lenovo K8 Note is a great phone for either personal use or for gifting this Christmas.

As always, this has been Caesar of ManilaShaker and thank you for reading! ‘Til then!

 

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