Lenovo Zuk Z2/Z2 Plus Review - Cheapest Snapdragon 820 Phone!
Lenovo Zuk Z2 is the second generation Lenovo attempt to produce an affordable flagship smartphone. First of all, we are all looking for the best specs in a phone and want it to be cheap, but good, hence - The Zuk Z2.
Lenovo Zuk Z2 Design
Design-wise the Zuk Z2 feels more like a cross between OnePlus 2 and iPhone 5. Featuring a 5-inch display and a more square-ish design, it feels solid and great to hold. Making/receiving calls, and putting it in and out of your pocket feel natural compared to bigger flagships like OnePlus 3.
Another noteworthy design choice was to place separate volume + and - buttons with the power button sitting an inch below, so you'll never be wrong which one you're pressing. Below them, you'll find the dual nano-sim slot.
On the bottom, you'll find the USB-C port, a headphone jack and a single speaker.
The Zuk Z2's thickness is just right for my taste, as it's not thick, not thin at 8.5mm. All and all a superb one-hand usage experience for those of us who prefer it.
On the front sits the very nice FHD IPS display and the U-Touch navigation key.
Zuk Z2's back is a glossy and sleek finish with only the Zuk logo, very minimalistic and to my liking.
Inside the package, you will find a USB-C cable and a 5V/10A charger, therefore taking around 3Hrs to fully charge the battery from 0-100%.
Lenovo Zuk Z2 User Interface
ZUI really stands out from the competition with a more iOS interface.
Navigating through the apps can be done by either swiping on the U-Touch key or swipe up from the screen to pull out the settings toggle(wi-fi, BT, cellular data, GPS icons), where the recent tasks icon is located. It might feel awkward at first, but compared to the competition it's refreshing and I have to admit - quite addictive and generally faster, compared to most devices. The settings toggle can be fully customised like most android devices today.
Another noteworthy feature is the fitness tracking capabilities of the Zuk Z2. A single swipe on the left from your home screen will transfer you to the Health App built-in the Zuk Z2.
Unlike most of the competition the Zuk Z2 measure steps, calories burned and even your heart-rate. Couple that with the small size and the Zuk Z2 becomes probably the best workout phone.
With Android Nougat onboard you can take advantage of dual-screen apps and screen recording.
These features can be enabled in the Lab Features menu.
Lenovo Zuk Z2 Performance
As expected the Snapdragon 820 inside the Zuk Z2, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage breezes through multi-tasking and gaming.
Benchmarks prove that the Zuk Z2 is a tiny powerhouse, built for both work and play.
Lenovo Zuk Z2 fails to meet flagship standards only in the storage benchmarks, but that doesn't affect general performance.
Battery life is great mostly thanks to Android Nougat's optimisation features and the smaller display.
Customers can easily get through a day with heavy usage and more.
Lenovo Zuk Z2 Camera Test
Both cameras perform great given the price. The Camera interface is another throwback to iOS with simplicity and ease of use while packing lots of features.
The 8MP Front Cam with large pixels delivers stellar selfies and is great for vlogging.
Very appealing is the beauty mode with Boy and Girl settings, that make a huge difference.
The main 13MP Samsung camera also has larger pixels and produces crisp and accurate images. Most noteworthy is the 4K video recording capabilities and great manual mode.
Daytime photo quality is superb, with accurate colour reproduction and plenty of details.
Photos taken with Auto-mode in low light are OK, but not great, however even 300$+ phones struggle in shots like these.
Using the manual mode I was able to get better results.
To conclude, both cameras on the Zuk Z2 are very capable and better compared to competing devices in that price.
Conclusion
Lenovo Zuk Z2 is a must-have for people who want a smaller flagship phone on a budget.
With a good screen, built quality, capable cameras and a fitness tracker this is a value champion.
Not a single area of this phone disappoints at the given price.
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