We weighed and reviewed the two latest mid-range phablets, the Sony Xperia C4 which is priced under P16k and the Lenovo K80 priced around P12k. Which do you think is the better pick? Find out in our comparison below.
Table of Contents
Design and build
Built with polycarbonate body and metal frame, the Xperia C4 is a step-up from the all-plastic K80. The Xperia C4 is 0.6mm thinner and 11g lighter which makes it slightly better to hold than the K80.
The Xperia C4 offers microSD card expansion and dedicated camera shutter key.
The Lenovo K80’s main form factor is square and edgy compared to the rounded, curved sides on the Xperia C4.
Camera on Lenovo K80 slightly protrudes on its back. Its camera is accented with silver ring.
Winner: Xperia C4
Display
Sony Xperia C4 has one of the best 5.5-inch 1080p FHD IPS LCD display we’ve seen. It beats the 5.5-inch FHD IPS LCD Lenovo K80 in brightness, colors and sunlight legibility. Sony proved that the display is their forte in mobile technology.
Winner: Xperia C4
Camera
Both offer the same 13MP main shooter but quality is different in each camera. The K80 shots are sharper with more accurate colors. Xperia C4 images are too soft and slightly overexposed.
Video shooting show the same results, K80 handles the image detail much sharper though Xperia C4 shows brighter video recording.
Winner: Still Images – Lenovo K80, Video – Lenovo K80
Performance and benchmark
Sony picked the octacore MediaTek 6752 chipset for the Xperia C4 instead of going for a Snapdragon chipset. The benchmark results are quite close between the MediaTek 6752 and the Intel Atom 3560 on Lenovo K80. Actual performance of the two device is also close.
Winner: Boot-up & Actual speed – Lenovo K80, AnTuTu – Xperia C4, Basemark – Lenovo K80
Speaker
One of the best features of the Xperia C4 is the loud and clear mono speaker. It is miles ahead from its competition. The Lenovo K80 has a decent speaker, but Xperia C4 has better and stronger highs and lows. We really appreciate the speaker power of the Xperia C4, it is definitely one of the best in mid-range category.
Winner: Xperia C4
Price, Verdict
The 2GB/32GB variant of Lenovo K80 costs few thousands cheaper than the Sony Xperia C4. While saving in getting the K80 over Xperia C4, you will also get a sharper camera and slightly powerful chip. However, the differences are just small, so overall experience is very close.
What the Xperia C4 offer with its more expensive pricing is a classier design, top-notch viewing experience and powerful speaker.
The final decision relies on which smartphone features you look for.
Sony Xperia C4 Dual specs |
Lenovo K80 specs |
| 5.5-inch FHD IPS display, 401ppi | 5.5-inch FHD IPS display, 401ppi |
| 7.9mm thick, 147g weight | 8.5mm thick, 158g |
| Scratch-resistant glass | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Mediatek 6752 octacore chip, 1.7GHz Cortex A53 CPU | Intel Atom 3560 1.8GHz quadcore chipset |
| 2GB RAM | 2GB RAM |
| 16GB internal, microSD card up to 128GB | 32GB internal |
| 13MP camera, HDR, 1080p video, LED flash | 13MP camera, HDR, OIS, 1080p video, dual tone LED flash |
| 5MP selfie camera, 720p video, LED flash | 5MP selfie camera, 720p video |
| Dual nano SIM, 4G LTE, WiFi a, Bt 4.1, NFC, FM Radio, GPS, ANT+ | 4G LTE Single SIM, WiFi ac, Bt 4.0, FM Radio, GPS |
| Android 5.0 Lollipop | Android 5.0 Lollipop |
| 2600mAh | 4000mAh battery |
| White, Mint Green, Black | White, Black color |
| P15,990 for dual SIM as of July 25, 2015 | P11,990 as of July 6, 2015 |
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