Review: ZUK Z1 by Lenovo Gets Our Vote for Its All-Round Value

This is the first phone besides the OnePlus One and YU to get Cyanogen in India.

Lenovo is riding high with not one but three brands selling smartphones right now. They’ve got the Vibe series, Moto is theirs too, and now they have the ZUK range. The ZUK Z1 is the first brand to get CyanogenMod in India apart from Micromax’s Yu and OnePlus One.

Priced at Rs 13,499 the ZUK Z1 is a competitive product that packs a year-old processor, but with plenty of storage. But as things stand, the competition is quite intense and the ZUK Z1 has a lot to prove on its own.

Pros:

• Running on CyanogenMod 12.1
• 64GB onboard storage
• Decent camera in tow
• Long battery life
• Bang for the buck

Cons:

• USB Type-C
• Non-expanpandable
• Available only via flash sale

What’s Good?

There is much to like about the ZUK Z1 and even though you have options like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 or the Moto G4 Plus to consider, we’d give the ZUK Z1 a place of its own.

The 5.5-inch Full-HD display with 1920x1080 pixels resolution is bright and you can use the phone without taking its brightness level beyond the 50 percent mark. The curved back finishing ensures that the big size of the phone is never an issue. Even though the ZUK Z1 misses out on a full metal body construction, we don’t have any complaints worth mentioning.

Unlike most smartphones nowadays, the ZUK Z1 has been bestowed with a fingerprint scanner on the front, right below the display. The scanner is quick to respond, even though you might have to place the finger/thumb in accordance with the shape of the module.

You get the ZUK Z1 packed with a Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB RAM with 64GB storage. For a phone priced under 15K that’s not bad at all.

People having reservations about the use of an 801 by Lenovo instead of the latest 652 can breathe a sigh of relief with respect to the phone’s performance. It doesn’t heat up a lot, no major stutters to report and that has to be down to the Cyanogen X-factor.

Much to our surprise, even the 13-megapixel camera fared above what we expected. As you can see below, the ZUK Z1 manages to capture decent level of detail without corrupting the quality of the picture.

And yes, the 4100mAh battery is more than capable of lasting the mile. With our heavy usage, we managed to get the phone up and running for more than 15 hours on WiFi/4G, which is quite impressive.

So, for users who aren’t heavy on usage, the ZUK Z1 should coast through with a day’s use. Also, with quick-charging in tow, the phone is capable of charging up to 45 percent in less than 15 minutes.

What’s Bad?

The ZUK Z1 offers 64GB storage and that’s all, as the phone does not come with a microSD slot for expansion. The Type-C port bundled with the phone means that you need to carry the charger everywhere you go.

And finally, buying the ZUK Z1 doesn’t come easy. You need to register for flash sales, and we know how that works out for people looking to buy a phone these days.

Why Buy It?

ZUK Z1 by Lenovo has gotten our attention. It’s got the features, the software, the hardware and even a camera that works perfectly for its price. The use of the Snapdragon 801 processor shouldn’t be a deal breaker, especially when this is the only phone with 64GB onboard storage selling for under 15K in the market.

However, equipped with USB Type C some buyers may look at other options. But for Rs 13,499 this is as close to an all-round product that one can buy right now.