The P19,999 quad-core Lenovo K860

It's already a day past Christmas, and if ever you're still keen on owning a flagship Android smartphone, you may want to consider adding the Lenovo K860 (see complete specs here or jump to the photo gallery at the bottom of this page) to your shortlist. We've already spent a considerable amount of time with it, so here's our review of this China-made superphone. As ever, feel free to agree or disagree with us and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Form factor
The Lenovo K860 is simply one of the most well-made mobiles we've handled thus far. It looks as though it can absorb some punishment without breaking down.
Also, kudos to Lenovo for paying a lot of attention to details. We love the finer touches, most especially the chrome-styled lining and side buttons.
At 9.6mm, this handset's noticeably thin, too, and fits in our jeans pockets nicely.
Display
The Lenovo K860 rocks an IPS screen measuring 5 inches diagonally and boasting a 1280 x 720-pixel resolution and a density of 294 pixels per inch. Add to that a layer of Corning's ever-popular Gorilla Glass for scratch-proof toughness, and you've got yourself a pretty decent panel.
It's nowhere as desirable as the iPhone's Retina display, but it's above average. Plus, it gets brownie points for showing wide viewing angles and good color fidelity.
Hardware and performance
We'd understand if the hardware resume is familiar to you: an Exynos 4412 chipset paired with a quad-core Cortex-A9 processor and 1GB of RAM; Mali-400MP graphics; and an 8-megapixel rear camera. The Lenovo K860, after all, shares almost the same DNA as the famed Samsung Galaxy S III.
It also goes beyond the spec sheet as it does not disappoint in real-world performance. The responsivesness is something to write home about; Lenovo's quad-core phone rarely stutters when going from one task to another. Very few smartphones can claim that they're slightly faster overall. Think Google Nexus 4 and S III.
Benchmarking
As expected, the Lenovo K860 performed admirably through a battery of synthetic tests. Benchmark results for this superphone are as follows:

AnTuTu - 15,660

Quadrant Standard - 4,729

Vellamo - 1,256 (HTML 5), 503 (Metal)

NenaMark 2 - 52.6fps

Camera
As already mentioned, the K860 packs an 8-megapixel sensor round the back, plus dual-LED flash to aid in low-light photography. It has a 2-megapixel front-facer, too, but the results are often too noisy and dark even in well-lit environments. It's a pity that its secondary camera prevents this handset from being a great tool for video chats and self-portraits.
The images and footage taken with the Lenovo K860's main camera, in contrast, are typically decent, with pleasing details and colors.

Sample photo 1 (outdoor shot)

Sample photo 2 (indoor shot)

Battery
While it doesn't have the robust battery life of the Cloudfone Thrill 430X, the smartphone equivalent of the Energizer Bunny, the 2250mAh battery at the back of the Lenovo K860 manages to hold its own against devices with higher capacity cells. We were able to consistently get through a full day of moderate use on a single charge, which is pretty impressive given the smartphone's power-hungry silicon.
Software
Similar to most devices belonging to the upper echelons of Lenovo's Android roster, the K860 makes use of a light custom skin based on Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
We're not really sure if an upgrade to Jelly Bean is in its future, but we're crossing our fingers that it will be rolled out soon. Nevertheless, the K860's ICS version is slick and fairly fast.
Price
Perhaps the most attractive thing about the Lenovo K860 is its suggested retail price. It sells for P19,999 in authorized outlets, making it considerably more affordable than than its local quad-core rivals.
As an example, the Samsung Galaxy S III currently sets you back around P27,000 to P30,000. And considering it is spec'd to perform as capably as the next top-of-the-line Android smartphone--and it does, to be honest--this Lenovo gives great value for its price.
Verdict
All told, the P19,999 Lenovo K860 makes a strong case for skipping the more popular quad-core competition. It's an incredibly capable Android smartphone for a reasonable price. You can look long and hard for other locally available flagships offering similar specs and an equal amount of firepower, but the truth is, the K860 is hard to beat at its price point.

• 
  
• 
  

1 of 9

•