If you have P16k budget for a new smartphone, you will likely be torn between the Sony Xperia C4 phablet priced at P15.9k and the Lenovo Vibe Shot Z90-7 with a P15.5k price tag from online stores. Prices from official Sony and Lenovo Philippines will vary from P2k or more for each device.
The two mid-range devices run on Android Lollipop touting FHD display and octacore chip. The Xperia C4 is a 5.5-inch phablet inclined towards power users and selfie addicts. On the other hand, the Lenovo Vibe Shot is the company’s entry in flagship camera battle with its 16MP main shooter. So which is the right phone for you? Find out in our Ultimate Comparison below.
Table of Contents
Design and build
The Vibe Shot is a total stunner compared to the polycarbonate Xperia C4. With glass body accented by a metal frame, the Vibe Shot is miles ahead over the Xperia C4 in design.
But Sony did well with the build of Xperia C4 as the screen-to-body ratio had improved much over the Xperia C3 and making it one of the most compact phablet with 5.5-inch screen.
Top front of Xperia C4 has sensors, earpiece, 5MP selfie cam and LED flash. Only visible markings on Vibe Shot is the 8MP front-facing camera and its earpiece.
Sony Xperia C4 utilizes on-screen Android Lollipop keys while the Vibe Shot has capacitative home, back and menu keys.
The back of Vibe Shot is glass with visible metal frame accent.
All physical controls are complete on each phone, Vibe Shot has a dedicated auto-pro mode switch.
The Vibe Shot is 0.6mm thinner, 2g lighter. There is no question that the Vibe Shot is an attraction.
Winner: Lenovo Vibe Shot
Display
One of the best features of Xperia C4 is the bright, sharp 5.5-inch FHD IPS Bravia Engine display. Picture and color quality is punchier and brighter than on Vibe Shot. Display calibration of Lenovo is too saturated though we like it more than the typical calibration on other IPS LCD screens.
Winner: Sony Xperia C4
Camera
Lenovo Vibe Shot has 16MP rear-facing camera paired with 8MP selfie cam, OIS and triple tone LED flash. The camera in Xperia C4 is 13MP at the back and 5MP on front, both with paired with LED flash.
Although the Xperia C4 takes brighter images, the overall quality is a disappointment. Details are very soft and the white balance is far from accurate, compared to the Vibe Shot that takes sharp images.
*Note: We accidentally labeled the images of Vibe Shot to K80.
There is an issue with Vibe Shot’s camera though, and that is the over saturation in its images especially in HDR mode.
Both shooters take decent 1080p videos but again Xperia C4 shot is little off from true white balance. However, its dynamic range is quite close to the Vibe Shot.
Winner: Still images – Lenovo Vibe Shot | Video – Sony Xperia C4
Performance
The MediaTek 6752 octacore chip on Xperia C4 performed faster in our actual test and benchmarks with small difference over the Snapdragon 615-powered Vibe Shot.
Winner: Sony Xperia C4
Speaker
Our speaker test was a close match between the Xperia C4 and Vibe Shot. Both are powerful speakers but the sound quality on the Xperia C4’s speaker is few notches better. The sound output is well-balanced producing clearer audio.
Winner: Sony Xperia C4
Price, Verdict
If you want a great shooter packed in a premium, classy design then the Lenovo Vibe Shot is the right choice. It is priced between P15-17k depending on where you will purchase the device.
What the Xperia C4 can offer is a top-class display and performance, matching the current flagship devices in the market right now. The Xperia C4 is available from online stores for around P15.9k pesos.
Lenovo Vibe Shot Z90-7 specs |
Sony Xperia C4 Dual specs |
| 5-inch IPS 1080p FHD IPS LCD, 441ppi (720HD Z90-3) | 5.5-inch FHD IPS display, 401ppi |
| 7.3mm thick, 145g weight | 7.9mm thick, 147g weight |
| Gorilla Glass 3 | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Snapdragon 615 octa chipset | Mediatek 6752 octacore chip, 1.7GHz Cortex A53 CPU |
| 3GB RAM | 2GB RAM |
| 32GB internal, microSD max 128GB | 16GB internal, microSD card up to 128GB |
| 16MP camera, HDR, Optical Image Stabilization, Tricolor LED flash, 1080p video, AF focus assists | 13MP camera, HDR, 1080p video, LED flash |
| 8MP selfie, 1080p video | 5MP selfie camera, 720p video, LED flash |
| Dual 4G LTE, WiFi a, Bt 4.1, GPS, FM Radio | Dual nano SIM, 4G LTE, WiFi a, Bt 4.1, NFC, FM Radio, GPS, ANT+ |
| Android 5.0 Lollipop | Android 5.0 Lollipop |
| 3000mAh | 2600mAh |
| Crimson Red, White, Grey | White, Mint Green, Black |
| P15,490 (P12,490 Z90-3) dual 4G LTE as of July 23, 2015 | P15,990 for dual SIM as of July 25, 2015 |
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