Review: Lenovo K5 Plus Adds up Nicely for a Good Budget Smartphone

Lenovo K5 Plus offers a 4G smartphone at an affordable price point, but should you buy it for that? Read the review

Lenovo K5 Plus offers a premium looking 4G smartphone at an affordable price point (Photo: Aaqib Raza Khan/The Quint)

Lenovo’s latest offering in its K series is for the budget conscious consumer. The Lenovo K5 Plus previewed at the Mobile World Congress on Barcelona, this year, is making its first stop in India. Does it manage to make a dent in the fiercely competitive budget smartphone segment which is dominated by the likes of Xiaomi, Meizu, Motorola and even Coolpad? We give you the low-down.

Lenovo K5 Plus has a 5-inch display. (Photo: The Quint)

Pros:

• Lightweight
  
• Dolby Atmos Audio
  
• Budget Pricing
  

Cons:

• Poor Battery Life
  
• Average Camera
  

What’s Good?

At just 142 grams, this 5-inch device feels light in the hand, and one-hand operation is a breeze. Though the front carries a very generic look with a chrome strip running around the edge, the removable back panel of the smartphone looks nice with curved edges and matte finish.

Lenovo K5 Plus weighs 142 grams. (Photo: The Quint)

Lenovo K5 Plus carries forward a very important legacy carefully crafted by Lenovo K3 Note, and Lenovo Vibe K4. The K5 Plus is affordable and also comes with the TheaterMax technology, and dual Dolby Atmos speakers on the back. The smartphone also supports Lenovo’s AntVR virtual reality headset.

Lenovo K5 Plus has Dolby Atmos speakers in the back. (Photo: The Quint)

The smartphone features a crisp full-HD display which is readable under direct sunlight. The 4G-enabled smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor and a 2GB RAM. Though there are smartphones with 3GB RAM available at this price point, the smartphone manages to handle your average tasks without any lag.

Even the gameplay is largely smooth, with rich graphics.

MMX Racing on Lenovo K5 Plus. (Photo: The Quint)

What’s Bad?

Lenovo K5 Plus falls short on battery backup. The 2,750 mAh battery dies fast on moderate usage, and you need to keep a power-bank or any other power source handy, in case you wish to sail through a day.

Lenovo K5 Plus has a full HD display. (Photo: The Quint)

The camera, though not terrible, is still disappointing. Though the 13-megapixel rear camera captures natural colours, the images take a pastel look and lose detail in the process. The 5-megapixel selfie camera is better at retaining details and colours.

A photograph shot on Lenovo K5 Plus. (Photo: The Quint)

Why Buy It?

Lenovo K5 Plus has a 13MP rear camera. (Photo: The Quint)

The Lenovo K5 Plus is a decently built smartphone, which feels light in your hands and on your pocket. The smartphone retails at Rs 8,500, settling comfortably between Xiaomi’s Redmi 2 and Redmi Note 3. The reasonable price is a ‘plus’ indeed.

Key Specifications: Lenovo K5 Plus

• Display: 5-inch full HD 1280x1080p display
• Operating System: Android 5.1 Lollipop with custom Lenovo UI
• Processor: 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core SoC
• RAM: 2GB
• Rear Camera: 13MP
• Front Camera: 5MP
• Battery: 2,750mAh
• Price: Rs 8,500