Large screen size, stylish design and productive hardware filling - this is Lenovo K920. It is this flagship device that will be examined in detail and in stages within the framework of our material. It will also indicate its strengths and weaknesses, reviews of the owners. Based on all this information, recommendations will be given regarding the purchase of this device.
The niche of this gadget
Until September 2014, Lenovo's smartphones were successfully sold in the entry-level and middle-class segments. But the Chinese manufacturer did not have a flagship solution. At least one that could compete on equal terms with similar gadgets from other manufacturers. It was to solve this difficult problem that the K920 was released.
Its characteristics for the most part were at the level of all the flagships of that time, and in some cases (for example, the diagonal of the display) surpassed them. It is due to such a harmonious combination of price, characteristics and quality that this device has quite successfully pressed many of its direct competitors.
Kit
The delivery package for this phablet is as follows:
- The gadget itself with an integrated 4000mAh battery.
- Charger.
- A modest entry-level speaker system.
- Interface cord.
- Very short user guide.
- Warranty card.
- Clip for removing SIM card installation slots.
Most fans of high-quality sound will be upset by the capabilities of the complete stereo headset. To prevent this from happening - we buy separately solid headphones and enjoy sound quality. Also, the newly made owner of such a phablet immediately needs to purchase a protective case and a film for the front panel. All this will further protect the smartphone from possible damage.
Appearance
In each design element of this phablet, its premium is felt. Most of the surface of the front panel of the gadget is occupied by a high-quality 6-inch display, which is protected by the 3rd generation Gorilla Glaz shock-resistant glass. Only 3 mm separates it to the left and right of the edge of the smartphone, 10 mm to the top, and –13 to the bottom. In the latter case, due to such a small thickness of the lower part of the device, the buttons of the lower control panel may be accidentally pressed. Like most similar devices, there are only three of them.
On top, on a thin strip of 10 mm, the earpiece, sensors and front camera are grouped. On the left side of the device there is a lock button and a slot for installing SIM cards. On the right side of the “smart” phone, a swing for adjusting the volume level is displayed. As a result, it is almost impossible to control this device with one hand. On the upper edge of the device is an audio port. The micro-USB port and the microphone hole are displayed below. There is also a loud speaker. By the way, all the side faces along with the back cover of the smartphone are made of metal sheet. On the back of the gadget is the main camera, dual backlight, microphone holes for noise reduction and sound recording during video recording.
Chip and its features
Like most flagship smartphones in the second half of 2014, the Lenovo K920 is built on the basis of the Snapdragon 801 chip with the marking MSM8974AC. This is a high-performance processor developed by Kualkom and consisting of 4 modules of the architecture 400. Each of them in maximum load can give out 2.5 GHz. He cannot boast of a high level of energy efficiency - the CPU architecture is focused on solving the most complex problems. But nevertheless, if some core is not involved in the process, it automatically turns off.
This semiconductor crystal is manufactured in accordance with the standards of 28 nm process technology. It also includes a three-level cache. Its first level is divided into a data area and a command area, each of which is 4 kb. The second is similar in structure, but its data area and instruction area are already increased to 16 kb each. Well, the third level of the cache can store instructions and data at the same time, and its volume is 2 MB. It can be noted that this chip even now, a year after the start of sales of the gadget, makes it easy to solve almost all problems. He will have problems with the most recent 64-bit programs. The CPU itself can process 32 bits of information in a single clock cycle. This is where problems arise with the new software. But such a transition is rather slow, and there are only a few such programs now.
Touch screen
The diagonal of the 6-inch display is one of the main advantages of the Lenovo K920. Its characteristics are really impressive. Its resolution is 2560x1440, and the density of pixels on the surface is 490 ppi. The matrix of this screen is made using the IPS technology. The viewing angles are really close to 180 degrees, and the picture is not distorted. The quality of the display is really phenomenal, and in terms of its capabilities, the smartphone is not inferior to last year's flagships “Apple” and “Samsung”. All this puts this gadget on a par with the flagship solutions of these manufacturers. However, the cost of such a solution is much less.
Graphic accelerator
Lenovo K920 is equipped with a high-performance graphics accelerator Adreno 330. This semiconductor crystal operates at a frequency of 450 MHz and can solve any problems. Its computing capabilities are enough to launch the most complex 3D toys. It is ideal for displaying images in the resolution of 2560x1440. At the same time, there will definitely not be any problems with the smooth operation of the interface.
Cameras
An excellent main camera in the Lenovo K920. Photos taken with it are of really good quality. It has a 16 megapixel sensor, there is an autofocus system, optical image stabilization, and there is a dual LED backlight. All this in almost any situation allows you to get excellent pictures. Video, in turn, it can record in the format of 2160 rubles. In this case, the picture will be updated 30 times per second. The front camera has a 5 megapixel sensor. This allows you to get great selfies and make video calls.
Memory
An impressive amount of RAM and a solid capacity of the integrated drive in the Lenovo K920. Technical characteristics in this regard are as follows: 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage of data and programs. Some of them, of course, are occupied by system processes. For example, in RAM, the operating system itself takes up less than 1 GB, and the user can use the rest at his discretion. It will not work to increase the capacity of the integrated drive by installing a flash card. There is no slot required for this purpose in this device.
The simplest solution to the problem is to buy an OTG cable and connect to the gadget using it with a regular flash drive. Another way to solve the lack of memory is to use cloud storage services. But in any case, the capacity of the built-in storage of 32 GB will be more than enough to solve all problems today.
Phablet battery
The Lenovo K920 smartphone is equipped with a 4000 mAh battery. It is immediately worth noting that it is non-removable. Such a constructive solution provides impeccable quality of the case. But, on the other hand, if the battery breaks down, it will be difficult to replace it yourself. Taking into account the technical specifications (high-performance processor, large display diagonal), the declared capacity is definitely enough for 2 days of operation in the medium load mode.
If you run any demanding toy on your smartphone (for example, Asphalt 8), then you can count on 6 hours of work. But in the case of turning the gadget into a regular “dialer” (that is, it will be used only for calls and SMS), one charge can last for 4-5 days of battery life.
Data exchange
The set of interfaces in K920 is as follows:
- The Wi-Fi transmitter supports all the standards of this wireless way of exchanging information.
- The smartphone can work with all cellular networks (LTE, 3G and GSM).
- “Bluetooth” allows you to connect various peripheral devices to the gadget (fitness bracelets, wireless headphones or similar gadgets for exchanging information).
- NFC technology allows you to exchange data in any volume with similar devices in minutes.
- The navigation module works perfectly with two main systems: GPS and GLONASS.
- To connect wired speakers, the smartphone has a 3.5 m audio port.
- Micro-USB can be used to charge the battery or to connect to a computer.
Software component
The Lenovo K920 phone is initially running Android 4.4. But now more recent firmware for system software is available. It is already based on version 5.0. A software shell typical of most gadgets of this manufacturer was installed on top of the system software. For the rest, the set of pre-installed software is standard: utilities from Google, system applications and social network clients.
How much can you buy it for?
A year ago, it was necessary to shell out $ 950 for the Lenovo K920. A review of existing offers indicates that you can buy a similar smartphone for 350 y. e. This price is valid for the version of this device in a black case. But his more advanced modification in gold will cost much more - at $ 410. They have identical technical specifications, but the latter option is considered more stylish and, as a result, costs more.
Owners about this phablet
There are practically no cons in the Lenovo K920. Reviews only indicate such shortcomings:
- Poor sound recording during video shooting (solved by updating the system software).
- Poor quality of the cellular signal in the area of poor reception (again, updating the firmware solves this issue).
Otherwise, there are only pluses. This is a productive hardware platform, and a large, high-quality display, and a well-organized memory subsystem, and an excellent degree of autonomy, and a smooth interface.
Summary
Lenovo K920 is the first flagship smartphone of the Chinese manufacturer. According to its technical specifications, this device is much better than most of its then competitors. Moreover, the cost is much lower. All this in total makes his purchase quite justified.