Lenovo A6000 First Look: 4G On A Budget

As demand slows down in their home market, Chinese handset manufacturers like Lenovo have set their eyes on India for better returns. India is set to benefit from the smartphone wave as its growth accelerates in coming months.

For a while Lenovo has been quite optimistic about its growth in the premium segment. And to some extent the company has fared better compared to its several key rivals. Thus, the question remains: Can the premium segment continue to be profitable?

For now, the high-end market remains the firm's growth driver; however, we do see Lenovo's increasing interest in the entry-level segment, currently dominated by the likes of Xiaomi and Micromax.

Like any other established smartphone maker, Lenovo has unveiled the ultimate budget phone for price conscious Indians. The Lenovo A6000 is worth considering if you need a cheap, dual-SIM handset. We like the performance of the device, (64-bit), but the camera could have been better.

PROS

• 4G LTE
• 64-bit Processor
• Affordable Price
• Simple Design
• Dual-SIM

CONS

• Poor Camera
• Average Display

The biggest selling point of the Lenovo A6000 is that it comes with LTE connectivity. So if you want 4G at this price, we won't stop you. There are plenty of great alternatives, too. However, many of them have missing LTE connectivity, at least, under Rs. 7.000 price range.

We got a rare chance to witness the unveiling of the Lenovo A6000 at CES 2015 in Las Vegas. Here's a closer look at the Android-powered device.

Lenovo A6000: Form Factor, Design, Display and Operating System

At a first glance, the Lenovo A6000 doesn't look too cheap, given its retail price. The device offers replaceable coloured back covers- Yellow, Black, Red and White. Well, we particularly liked the handset's simple, uncluttered look.

The phone's build quality seemed at par with any mid-end handset. Of course, you won't get a full metal body at this price range, but we do expect metal around the edges around the phone. Anyways, the device seemed sturdy and well designed, when we held the handset for the first time in Vegas last week.

Most affordable phones come with a smaller 4-inch screen. Fortunately, the Lenovo A6000 sports a large 5-inch 720p HD display. We couldn't call the screen quality at par with the Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4G. We found the viewing angles shallow, and the same can be said about colours visible on the screen. Notably, the indoor visibility of the display was largely poor during our brief testing.

The A6000 runs on Android 4.4 (Kitkat) with Lenovo's Vibe UI 2.0 on top. Well, the supplied user interface (UI) appeared to have impressed us. There a couple of apps come pre-installed, for instance, Guvera: a streaming music app.

Lenovo A6000: Processor and Connectivity

Under the hood is a 64-bit 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdrogon 410 processor coupled 1GB RAM. During our testing we hardly noticed any jittery. Performance in games is limited - since no popular games were pre-loaded on the device during testing. Based on our experience, we can ensure you that the device will work absolutely fine for an average user.

The Dual-SIM smartphone is supported by 4G LTE connectivity with support for both FDD 1800MHz (Band 3) and TDD 2300MHz (Band 40). Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, 8GB of native storage, microSD card support, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS and more.

Lenovo A6000: Camera and Video

The Lenovo A6000 sports an 8MP rear camera with Auto Focus and LED Flash, alongside a 2MP front-facing camera. Image quality is above average, though, we hope to see some better shots when we inspect the final version soon. The phone takes decent photos in good light, but doesn't capture as much detail.

The front-facing camera on the Lenovo A6000 is better than compared to the rear-facing shooter. Video quality appeared to be pretty average.

Lenovo A6000: Battery and Verdict

The A6000 features a 2300mAh removable battery. Well, the final testing is yet to be done, so in that case we do not want to jump into conclusions.

Bottom line, there is a generally positive consensus for the Chinese handset makers in India. Lenovo's latest entry-level smartphone, the A6000, has been launched in India. It boasts 4G LTE connectivity; plus it won't cost you beyond Rs. 7,000.

Furthermore, the entry of Lenovo's A6000 in India, will foster the market entry of a new wave of connected device in the country something we've never heard.

Here's the hands-on Lenovo A6000 video you've been waiting for. Stay tuned to GizBot for more updates!