For our 30th episode (does time fly!) in our fortnightly column dedicated to exotic handsets from faraway lands, we'll be taking a look at a relatively new entrant to the Chinese market — the Lenovo K80.
Heralded by many as the device that has Asus' ZenFone 2 in its cross hairs, the 0.33 inches-thick (8.5 mm) K80 has quite a bit going for it, especially considering it costs either ¥1,499 (~$242) or ¥1,799 (~$290) in its homeland of China. That's right, like the ZenFone 2, the K80 also comes in two distinct models, though they differ only in terms of the RAM (2GB vs 4GB) and storage (32GB vs 64GB, both support microSD) available. The rest is shared between the two.
So what do we have on offer? Starting with the 5.5-inch, 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution IPS display, it should be obvious that Lenovo is going for the kill. Complimenting the large screen is a 64-bit, quad-core Intel chipset running at 1.8GHz (likely the Z3560) and capable of supporting the 4 gigabyte LPDDR3 chip mentioned before. If our guess is correct, we're looking at silicon built on 22nm node, with a GPU that peaks at 533MHz. On the imaging front, we're looking at a comprehensive, 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization, dual LED flash, and f/2.2 aperture lens at the back, and a 5-megapixel selfie snapper up front. The typical connectivity features — NFC, LTE, GLONASS-supported GPS, and FM Radio — are all also on board.
To round off the package and seriously sweeten the pot, Lenovo is also selling the K80 with Android 5.0 Lollipop (with its custom skin) out of the door, not to mention that it has managed to fit a gigantic, 4,000 mAh battery. Considering previous endurance monsters from Lenovo, we'd wager that the K80 will require no more than three or so charges a week.
The Lenovo K80 is already being sold in its country of China, and we expect third-party, global e-commerce sites to pick it up promptly. Keep in mind, however, that only the 2GB RAM is currently up for sale, and we have no information on when the higher-powered, 4GB model will launch.
Regardless, is this a sweet deal or are we crazy?
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Chris Panayotov is a former mobile tech reviewer of phones, tablets and wearables at PhoneArena. However, his contribution to PhoneArena content includes not just reviews, but all kinds of regular and experimental features, such as news stories, buying guides, and an exclusive column on the most notable phones out of Asia.
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