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Review of all Zuk smartphone models: a bug for each. Child of rich parents

Lenovo ZUK Z2 is the first smartphone that you should pay attention to if you want to buy a powerful, top-end smartphone in terms of characteristics, but are not ready to pay a large amount. ZUK Z2 is a kind of “budget flagship”, so to speak. Of the closest competitors, only Xiaomi Mi5 comes to mind, but it has already been discontinued and for the most part what they sell are refurbished and repaired models (at least the risk of buying one is extremely high). There are two versions of ZUK 2: the 3Gb/32Gb version, which is by far the most affordable smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 820 processor, and the 4Gb/64Gb version, which I will review in detail today..

I suggest you evaluate main technical characteristics:

Screen: 5 inches, 1920x1080, LTPS IPS
CPU: Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820, 2.15GHz
Graphics accelerator: Adreno 530
RAM: 4 Gb
Built-in memory: 64 Gb
Communications:
2G: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G: 850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2300/2500/2600 MHz
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz),
Bluetooth v4.1
GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU

Other functions: Digital compass, fingerprint scanner, OTG
Battery: 3500 mAh
operating system: Android 6.0.1, Android 7.0
Dimensions: 68.9mm x 141.7mm x 8.5mm
Weight: 149g

Having studied the characteristics, the question arises - why is it so cheap and where is the catch? The same Xiaomi Mi5S or Meizu MX6 now cost around $300 with similar performance. But miracles don’t happen, and of course the manufacturer had to save some money. Let's try to find out why.

Equipment. Appearance.

The packaging is simple, the corners were slightly damaged in the New Year's jams, but overall there was no damage. The entire surface is replete with hieroglyphs, support for 4G+ LTE is highlighted separately.

The package is standard - a smartphone, charger, cable and a clip for removing SIM cards. For some reason, the store removed the documentation in Chinese and included its manual on English language.

The design of the smartphone is clearly not mass-produced. In the abundance of identical “remnants”, an absolutely flat black brick covered with glass on both sides looks very interesting. You may like this design, you may not, but it will not leave anyone indifferent. A kind of masculine, even a little brutal smartphone, a real classic.

Screen sizes continue to grow and against this background the 5-inch ZUK Z2 seems almost compact. Fans of small diagonals will be pleased, because recently the size of 5.5 inches has already become almost standard and finding something smaller with good characteristics pretty hard.

Given its small size, it cannot be called thin. The thickness of 8.5 mm is clearly felt in the hand, but it is comfortable to hold. The decision to make the frame plastic rather than metal seems a little strange. This is exactly what you expect to feel when you pick up ZUK. This was clearly done to reduce the cost of production. Although they used not simple plastic, but with the addition of fiberglass, which, according to the manufacturer, makes it 25% stronger than regular plastic.

The screen is covered with scratch-resistant glass. Some sources talk about Gorilla Glass 4, but I have not found official confirmation of this information. Most likely a cheaper analogue. The company itself does not specify what kind of glass is used in the ZUK 2, but not a single scratch appeared on the screen during use. I would also like to note the high-quality oleophobic coating; your finger glides perfectly over the surface of the screen without leaving marks. Things are somewhat different with the glass used on the back. It is very easily soiled - it quickly collects fingerprints, and there is no protection against scratches - the first micro-scratches appear quickly even with careful use.

Of course, you don’t have to worry about it and when it becomes unsightly, just replace it. On Ali, a new back cover costs $8 - $10. Or you can put a protective film on it. Carbon-look film, which additionally solves the problem of soiling, costs less than $1. Well, the use of covers and bumpers has not been canceled; there are a lot of different accessories on sale for the model.

For those who like to drop the device, purchasing a protective case or bumper is a must. Think for yourself what can happen to a glass smartphone if you drop it on the asphalt. And if the back cover is inexpensive and can be changed in a minute, then the screen becomes more and more complicated and more expensive. But the device cannot be called completely fragile either; it can withstand small falls without consequences. I had this case: after talking on the phone, I put it on the table and worked at the computer. Suddenly - bang! Due to the oleophobic coating, it slowly slipped onto the edge of the table and fell from a height of about 80 cm onto the wooden floor. The fall happened at exactly the right angle - a piece of parquet varnish remained between the frame and the glass from the impact. With trembling hands, I examined the case and glass for damage, but everything turned out okay...

The smartphone is completely flat on both sides. There is something attractive about it, perfection in simplicity.

The main camera is recessed into the body by a fraction of a millimeter, and there is a protective ring around the perimeter. This will protect the lens glass from scratches. Nearby there is an LED that acts as a flash. Although it is single, it shines brighter than many doubles. The shade is shifted to warm tones. A little to the right is an additional microphone that acts as a noise canceler.

The connectors are located on the bottom edge: USB type-C for charging and connecting to a PC (supports OTG) and a standard headphone jack. An audio speaker is also located here. I really liked its sound - loud, rich in mid frequencies, with some volume, the sound is suitable not only for ringtones, but also for watching videos or games. The sound is at the flagship level. On the front part, under the screen, there is a single button. It is both touch and mechanical, and has a built-in fingerprint scanner.

Absolutely all actions are assigned to one button. For example, a single touch replaces the action back, and a single press replaces the action home. I'm not a fan of mechanics, so I reassigned some actions to be controlled exclusively by the sensor. Now to go to the desktop I need to press a button, I just do a long touch. In the settings you can assign various actions, right up to launching a specific application.

You can also use the button to make swipes, just like across the screen. You can use swipes to switch running applications. The solution is original, I have never seen anything like this before, but how convenient it will be for people with large fingers is unknown. As a last resort, you can simply not use it. A fingerprint scanner is built into the same button. There is nothing to say about it, except that it works perfectly. I can only remember such trouble-free operation of the sensor in Redmi Note 4, but in ZUK 2 the sensor is placed on the front, which is more practical and convenient.

The lock and volume control buttons are located on the right side. The pressure is soft, with a distinct click. A tray for SIM cards is also located here.

The tray is very difficult to remove; you need to apply a certain amount of force with the paper clip. After several extractions it develops and opens normally. The smartphone supports two SIM cards, both nano format. There is no memory expansion at all, but considering that it has 64 Gb of its own, this cannot be called a problem.

Display

The screen installed is good, but nothing more. IPS matrix, made using LTPS technology. High maximum brightness, contrast, rich but not oversaturated colors. Resolution 1920x1080, pixel density - 441 per inch. Colors are not distorted at angles; diagonally, black fades into gray, which is typical for conventional IPS.

The backlight is uniform, without glare - this is clearly visible in the dark if you turn on a black background.

There are frames, but they are not intimidating with their size and look normal. On a black body they are not noticeable at all.

Outdoors, even in sunny weather, at maximum brightness the screen remains readable. Despite the fact that the anti-reflective coating is declared, it is quite difficult to see the contents in the open air; everything is strongly reflected on the screen.

In general, I can characterize the screen as good, but it doesn’t reach the flagship level.

In the settings you can select the color temperature; the default is neutral. You can switch to both cooler and warmer shades if you wish. Eat night mode, which includes a special filter so as not to spoil your eyesight. I liked the range of brightness adjustment: from a minimum, which is convenient to use in the dark, to a very bright maximum. Auto-brightness works correctly, setting the value to 70% with automatic adjustment turned on, I never returned to the screen settings.

System. Firmware.

It’s worth saying right away that the Russian language is not included in the official firmware and may never appear. In official firmware there is only Chinese and English languages, after the official start of sales in India, a version with Indian and English. In any case, if you don’t want to use a smartphone in English, and the words “firmware” and “recovery” cause fear and panic, a smartphone is not for you. Although I don’t see anything complicated here either, there is detailed information on 4pda. step-by-step instruction in pictures. Although some computer skills and basic knowledge of English will not hurt. By the way, the store installs its own firmware with Russification and you can use it if you wish, I didn’t notice anything criminal behind it. However, the store translation is not complete and you can often find words and even entire menu items in English, which personally irritates me. Therefore, for myself, I decided to flash it quickly. At the time of receiving the smartphone, the best firmware was considered ZUI 2.3.042 ST Captainemo's mod V3, in fact it is just a high-quality translation of the official version, carried out at 99.9%. The firmware is based on Android 6.0.1. I stitched it through QFIL: for this no need unlock the bootloader, install a modified recovery and perform other complex actions. The firmware is downloaded via a computer using a special program and takes no more than 15 minutes, most of which is downloaded. Appeared later official firmware on Android 7.0, but I haven’t installed it yet, thinking that at first there might be some minor flaws. Let them run it in a little, and then we can install it. Nemo is currently working on its translation. For those who like experimenting, there are a huge number of different custom firmware, based on both Android 6 and Android 7. There are even MIUI and CyanogenMod, although they are still in beta testing mode. The community is large and very active, which is undoubtedly a plus. Let's look at our firmware in more detail, let me remind you that it is based on the official ZUI 2.3.042. The shell is radically different from stock Android. First of all, this is noticeable in the launcher - shortcuts, icons, various menus - everything is redrawn and stylized. There are also more functional changes - by pressing the volume button, a menu appears where you can separately adjust the volume of applications or ringtones.

Only notifications are displayed in the top curtain. The usual curtain with quick access to the main functions is called up at the bottom of the display. There are two screens that you can scroll through. In the settings, you can independently choose which icons will be displayed and on which screen.

Everything in the settings is familiar, some items have been moved to “advanced settings”. Something unusual is the overclocking mode, which, when enabled, increases the processor's clock frequency up to 2.3 GHz. It’s hard for me to imagine why this might be needed, especially since judging by the tests performed, performance increases slightly, but the smartphone starts to heat up more. And even now there are simply no games that a smartphone cannot run at maximum speed.

A similar function appeared in the shell back in the summer, but before the release they promised that the user would be able to choose one of the processor operating modes: 1.8 GHz/2.15 GHz/2.3 GHz. There is no reduction in power yet, although in my opinion this function would be much more useful; to save battery, you could keep the processor at 1.8 GHz, increasing the frequency only for demanding games.

Communications. Connection. Main functions.

They definitely didn't save money here. The earpiece costs the most High Quality, the interlocutor can be heard clearly, loudly, without extraneous sounds. The microphone is sensitive, the interlocutor hears well. The noise reduction works correctly; the hole for the second microphone can be seen on the back cover, to the right of the flash. Even in a noisy place, you can be sure that you will be heard. 3G works great, sensitivity is high - where other smartphones jump from 3G to 2G due to weak signal, ZUK confidently continues to catch 3G. With good coverage, it easily provides 17 - 20 megabits per download. But the difference is especially noticeable with poor coverage. A small example: I was sitting with a friend in a cafe and started talking about smartphones and 3G. We decided to conduct a test and compare: on his smartphone it produced about 1 megabit, on the ZUK Z2 - 5 megabits. For 4G the situation is similar, at least reviews from users who have LTE say so. When choosing a device, you should take into account the lack of support for Vand 20 (800 Mhz). WiFi supports two bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The antenna is sensitive, the signal is stable within the apartment.

In the back room, through 2 walls, the download speed is more than 50 megabits. Inexpensive smartphones in this place give out no more than 30.

In navigation, chips from qualcomm have no equal. Time of first fixation without switching on mobile internet was only 2 seconds. The maximum number of satellites was found within 15 seconds. On a cloudy winter day with dense clouds, the smartphone saw 31 satellites, 21 of which had an active connection. Positioning accuracy 1 - 3 meters. ZUK can work with GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU and GALILEO. GALILEO is European navigation system, which was recently put into operation. Now there are 18 satellites, but they are still being put into operation. According to, owners of smartphones running Snapdragon (400, 600 and 800 series) will be able to count on using the system. Testing with a tracker showed the stability of the signal, the path was exactly the same as in reality. No connection breaks, no jumping around the map, or other problems were detected.

Performance. Synthetic tests.

The strongest and most noticeable side of a smartphone. He works very quickly, without the slightest hint of thoughtfulness, he performs all actions instantly. With such hardware, this is not surprising; quite recently only the most advanced models and flagships could boast of it. But even now this processor has not lost its relevance. Having bought such a smartphone, you can be sure that its performance will last for at least 3-4 years. Now it copes with absolutely any task, all games work on maximum settings graphics with good textures and high FPS. The same tanks, at maximum graphics settings with the highest detail and effects, show 55-60 FPS most of the time. And yet, let's look at what kind of hardware provides such performance.

The presence of built-in sensors is surprising. Among the main ones: magnetic compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor, hall sensor, fingerprint scanner, pedometer.

Just for fun, I will compare the result with my personal Xiaomi Mi5S, which I bought 3 months ago for $320. MI5S scored 147470 points, an increase of 15995 points or 10.85%. The difference is not very big. What if we look in more detail? In the graph, the result for Mi5s is 57800, and the CPU is 32700. That is, the results are essentially the same and in terms of performance, Snapdragon 820 and Snapdragon 821 are almost equal. In general the difference is Antutu result only in the UX point, which means ease of use and is calculated in an unclear way. Perhaps this indicator is generally set by Antutu in its own interests, in order to promote the “necessary” models. In general, in terms of speed and performance, ZUK is at the level of expensive flagships.

Zuk Z2 also showed good results in Geekbench 4: single-core - 1670, multi-core - 3478.

The PC Mark benchmark in the Work 2.0 test passed perfectly. As they wrote in the application itself, “This is one of the most powerful devices and everything works fine.” The smartphone scored 5271 points, which is even slightly higher than the reference result. This indicates a well-optimized firmware. During the test, the temperature did not increase; passive cooling completely copes.

In the 3D Mark gaming test, the most resource-demanding test was selected - Sling Shot Extreme, which uses OpenGL ES 3.1 and runs at a resolution of 2560x1440. And here the result is very high - 2405 points. The temperature did not exceed 40 degrees.

If we look at the leaderboard and compare the results, we will see that the smartphone is equal in performance to such flagships as OnePlus3 or Samsung Galaxy S7, which are more than 2 times more expensive.

Epic citadel produces about 60 FPS at any graphics settings

Other benchmarks:

Except powerful processor And graphics, the speed of RAM and built-in memory is no less important. And for speed in simple tasks, it even comes to the fore. There is 4Gb of RAM here from the heart. It is enough to open a dozen heavy tabs in the browser, launch several resource-intensive applications or games and they will not unload, providing instant access to the desired task if necessary. Application appetites are growing and the realities are such that today, the minimum required volume random access memory equals 2Gb. And 4Gb will allow you to comfortably use your smartphone and not think about replacing it for several years. It uses dual-channel LPDDR 4 memory operating at a frequency of 1866 megahertz. The copying speed is very high - 12500 Mb/s, again at the level of flagship models. Built-in memory in eMMC format with a capacity of 64 Gb. Read speed - more than 200 Mb/s, write speed about 100 Mb/s.

Sound
I decided to highlight it separately, because I think it deserves it. From the first track I noted for myself high quality sound, but nowhere in the description does it indicate the presence of any dedicated audio chips or drivers. High detail, minimal distortion - voluminous and powerful low frequencies and sonorous highs. The sound is really good! I found out that the processor uses a built-in DAC - Qualcomm WCD9335, which is responsible for the sound. I think similar sound will be on all smartphones with Snapdragon 820. I am sure that ordinary listeners (not audiophiles who heat copper wires) will be more than satisfied.
Camera

Up to this point, one might get the impression that a smartphone is simply the ultimate dream. But the manufacturer had to save everything on something in order to set such an attractive price tag. It turned out to be a camera. I can’t say that it’s complete rubbish, but it shoots at the level of $150 smartphones and clearly doesn’t fit in with the rest of the “stuffing.” If the camera in a smartphone is a very important component for you and you plan to use it instead of a digital camera, it’s better to look at something else. The sensor in the main camera is from Samsung, model S5K2M8. This sensor is used exclusively in ZUK smartphones and is not found anywhere else. Sensor type - ISOSELL, aperture f/2.2. The maximum image resolution is 4160x3120, 13 megapixels. First of all, I didn't like the stock camera. Poor functionality, minimal settings. All you can do is turn on the flash, HDR and take a panorama. For video there is also fast and slow motion.

You can, of course, change the image resolution. By default, the camera shoots in 4:3 format; if you take pictures in 16:9, the actual resolution of the pictures drops to 10 megapixels.

By using another camera app, you can access more advanced settings. The Moto Z camera takes pictures very well, and it has many more settings than the stock one. IN new firmware, which on Android 7 - the stock camera has been significantly improved: there are manual settings, the quality of the images has improved. Below are examples of pictures. On the website - for an approximate assessment of quality (I had to shrink it for filling), the originals can be downloaded. With sufficient lighting, the pictures come out good and detailed. Sharpness throughout the entire image, even at the edges small details are not smeared. Focusing is fast and the camera shoots instantly, you can click dozens of frames. I didn’t like the HDR mode - it does little to brighten dark areas, the difference between HDR and non-HDR images is practically unnoticeable.

Indoors with artificial lighting, the result may vary. If there is enough light, then everything is very decent. In low light, detail drops and autofocus begins to become dull. The chance of getting an out of focus shot increases.

More shots in artificial and low light

As you can see for yourself, the camera takes average pictures and it all depends on what price segment you compare it in. If you take the version with 3Gb of RAM, which costs $160, then the camera takes very good pictures, at least no worse than other smartphones in this price category. But for $200 I would like a little more detail and sensitivity in the evening. I have no complaints about the video. I can even praise you. The maximum can record in 4K quality at a speed of 30 frames per second, Full HD on stock also writes 30 frames per second, on third-party cameras (for example Moto Z) a 60 frames per second mode appears. There is stabilization, it is not aggressive, soft and sometimes unnoticeable. The microphone is very sensitive and picks up every sound. A small example of shooting in Full HD:

There is a very interesting item in the video camera settings - you can select slow motion in different modes: 120fps, 240fps and 960fps.

The resolution of the recorded video is reduced to HD (720p). And if all modern smartphones can now record 120 fps, then 240fps and 960fps are something incredible. I recorded several videos and watched them on the screen, everything was really very slow. The handful of coins that I scattered on the table in front of the camera fell spectacularly and slowly, stretching from several seconds to several minutes. But when I uploaded the video to my computer, it played back at a recording speed of 120fps. That is, in reality the camera records the same 120fps, and everything that is more is artificially slowed down by software and can only be viewed on a smartphone.

Battery. Autonomy.

First, I want to put an end to the issue of fast charging, because some reviewers claim in their videos that it is here. This rumor started because of an incorrect description in some stores and resources. There was some confusion. So, I have an Aukey charger at home with the Quick Charhe 2.0 function and I have the original Quick Charge 3.0 charger for my MI5S. ZUK Z2 did not react to any charging, continuing to produce the usual 5V. Even more confusing is the fact that the ZUK Z2 Pro supports fast charging. There is an opinion that in the regular Z2 fast charging is locked at the software level, what can be done Pro version more attractive. But these are all rumors, and the facts remain the same: the smartphone is charged with a maximum current of 2.5A at a voltage of 5V. Charging to 95% takes less than 2 hours, so Quick Charge is simply not needed here. A completely discharged and disconnected smartphone receives 17.47 Wh or 3414 mAh.

Next to autonomy. The capacity of 3400 mAh is enough for a 5-inch diagonal. Of course, the operating time will be different for everyone, depending on the usage scenario. With my use (few calls, a lot of Internet via WiFi, about 30 minutes of games a day, sometimes photos and music), the smartphone lasts for 2 days. By the evening of the second day, the indicator shows about 20% of the remaining charge. At the same time, the screen's operating time is one cycle varies from 6 to 7 hours. Sometimes, I charge once a day, if I used it very actively and by the evening there is less than 40% left. Video tests are more revealing. I always use the same HD movie to test the battery life of smartphones. At half brightness, playback lasted 18 hours and 41 minutes.

At maximum brightness - 9 hours 12 minutes.

For comparison, I have combined the test results of other smartphones into one table for convenience.

If you wish, you can even calculate how much mAh each smartphone spends per 1 minute of video playback. Just for fun, I did this to play video at 50% brightness and the leader turned out to be Xiaomi MI5S, which in principle is not surprising, given its price and flagship status. For every minute of HD video playback at average brightness, it consumes 2.85 mA. But the second place was taken by Lenovo ZUK Z2, which spends 3.03 mA during the same time. Other smartphones have much worse results, i.e. the consumption is higher. This method, of course, is not entirely accurate, rather pampering for statistics lovers, but still, such a method gives some idea. Other tests include demo mode in Epic Citadel at maximum brightness with sound on. Essentially an imitation of a demanding game. The test result is 5 hours 16 minutes.

Antutu Battery Test at maximum screen brightness.

And the battery test in geekbench 3. For some reason, the result here is not as good as in other tests. Perhaps this is due to the minimum screen brightness, which varies between different smartphone models (here it is not the lowest I have seen).

In conclusion, I suggest watching the video version of the review

Let's sum it up? I consider the smartphone to be the best in the price category under $200. Undoubtedly, this is the most balanced offer on the market in the “price - characteristics” category. In terms of build quality and the feeling of use, it feels at the level Meizu smartphones, Xiaomi and the like. Of course, it doesn’t reach the flagship level of A brands, but at the same time it costs more than 2 times less.

What did you save on and what shortcomings can be noted?:

Smartphone-level camera for $150

No NFC (not a minus for me, but there are always disputes about this in the comments)

A easily soiled case that instantly becomes covered with fingerprints

Lack of support for band 20 (since the smartphone was released for the Chinese market)

Necessity independent firmware to obtain Russian language. (or you don’t have to flash it, because there is English)

What we didn’t save on and what are the main advantages:

High-performance Snapdragon 820 processor with top-end Adreno 530 graphics

4Gb RAM + Stable and fast operation, no bugs

High quality speaker and audio speaker

Communication modules (Internet, WiFi, GPS - work perfectly)

Good autonomy

Large community, many custom firmwares

Already out official update on Android 7.0

Good sound in headphones.

Perfectly working fingerprint scanner.

ZUK Mobile was founded in May of that year by the joint efforts of Lenovo and Qihoo 360. It is an independent brand that is developing in China and the international market. Its first product, the ZUK Z1 smartphone, was announced in August and is currently being sold through various channels in many countries around the world. The ZUK Z1 is not officially presented in Russia, and if you believe the Russian Lenovo office, it will not be supplied through “white” channels at all (upd: it will still be), but in the spring our compatriots will have the opportunity to purchase the latest ZUK models in official retail. However, there are no difficulties with online ordering ZUK Z1 from China (the special case of smartphones from JD being blocked at customs can be attributed to the activity of the Russian Lenovo office). You can order, for example, from. Update: ZUK Z1 officially goes on sale in Russia for 14,990 rubles!

Technical characteristics of ZUK Z1:

Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA/HSPA (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), FDD-LTE (1, 3, 7)
Platform (at time of announcement): Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with ZUI or Cyanogen OS 12.1
Display: 5.5”, 1920 x 1080 pixels, IPS, 401 ppi, contrast 1500:1, brightness 450 nits
Camera: 13 MP, f/2.2, autofocus, dual flash, optical stabilization, Sony IMX214 sensor
Front camera: 8 MP, OmniVision OV8865 sensor
Processor: 4 cores, 2.5 GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC
Graphics chip: Adreno 330
RAM: 3 GB LPDDR3
ROM: 64 GB eMMC 5.0
Memory card: no
GPS and GLONASS
Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Bluetooth 4.1
3.5mm audio jack
USB Type-C 3.0
Two SIM slots
Finger scanner
Battery: built-in, 4100 mAh
Dimensions: 155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9 mm
Weight: 175 g

Video review and unboxing

Design and equipment

The phone has the following equipment: the device itself, charging (2000 mA), a needle for opening the SIM tray, documentation and USB cable Type-C 3.0.

The gadget comes in two colors – white and dark grey. They differ not only in the color of the front and back, the shade of the metal frame, but also in the texture of the lid. The white version has a glossy lid, while the gray version is made of smooth plastic. In principle, both colors look cool, but I would prefer the gray one due to the more practical cover and the fact that the black edges around the screen are not as noticeable as in the case of the white Z1.

The design cannot be called original, but the fact that everything looks and feels good together is a definite plus. The company sensibly reasoned that users could tolerate an extra couple of millimeters of thickness in exchange for receiving a more capacious battery, so in a case with quite adequate dimensions of 155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9 mm, engineers included a battery with a capacity of 4100, which is not typical for a 5.5” screen. mAh Perhaps the ergonomics of the smartphone only benefited from the increased thickness - the Z1 lies cool and confident in the hand. The convenient shape of the case is also emphasized on the official website of ZUK - the company did a great job on it.

Above the display there are light and proximity sensors, a speaker, an 8-megapixel camera, led indicator. Below it are two touch keys that flash with dots when touched, as well as a mechanical home button with a fingerprint scanner. The button has a touch layer used in the Chinese firmware ZUK ZUI (recognizes touches without pressing, as well as swipes), but I did not find any use for it in the Cyanogen firmware. The fingerprint scanner works quickly and accurately. If you prefer to keep your phone locked up, you'll be pleased with the sensor.

On the left is a tray for two nano-SIMs, on the right is a volume rocker and a power key. Below is a microphone USB port Type-C 3.0 and loud, clear speaker. At the top end you can find an audio jack. The back of the Z1 looks simple, but tasteful - there is only the company logo, a 13-megapixel camera peephole in a metal ring, an additional microphone and a dual LED flash. The cover is not intended to be removed by the user, but you will be able to remove it if necessary.

The 5.5" display boasts Full HD resolution, providing a good pixel density of 401 ppi. The panel used in my sample is characterized by a bias towards warm shades, which, however, can be easily corrected in the screen settings in the LiveDisplay section. Viewing angles are high, brightness and contrast are not satisfactory. In general, the ZUK Z1 has a high-quality screen and we must thank the developers for the fact that their practical approach to the model resulted in a rejection of the fashionable, but mostly useless 2K resolution in 2015.

Software

Chinese versions of ZUK Z1 have ZUI firmware, while international ones come with Cyanogen OS 12.1 on Android based 5.1.1 Lollipop. If you buy a model from the Middle Kingdom, then it can come with any firmware depending on the desire of the seller - he can leave everything as is, or he can spend a little time and flash the device to cyan for you. In any case, converting the Z1 from ZUI to Cyanogen is not a very difficult process (though I couldn’t do it on Windows 10, so I had to look for a computer with Windows 7). There will be an update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. ZUK has already announced that the Z1 will be the first Chinese smartphone with Android 6.0 on board.

You are probably familiar with the Cyanogen OS 12.1 firmware. In a nutshell, it's stock Android on steroids. It is as simple and airy as the robot from Google itself in the Nexus, but it offers many times more features and functions, and useful ones at that. Alas, the latest update broke the font on standard theme, so I had to switch to an alternative. I didn't notice any other glitches.

The set of preinstalled programs is minimal. Limited mainly to recommended applications and Google services. Although there is something from Cyanogen: a branded gallery, a screencast (recording video from the screen), themes, a file manager, a browser, an advanced equalizer for adjusting the AudioFX sound. Without it, the phone with Denon D600 headphones does not sound very expressive, flat and without sparkle - additional bass will not be superfluous. In general, the sound of the Z1 corresponds to a smartphone with an integrated Qualcomm codec.

Camera

The main camera module includes a 13-megapixel Sony IMX214 sensor, f/2.2 aperture, autofocus, dual LED flash, and optical image stabilization. If you shoot in good lighting, then the photos will please you with details and clarity, but if you decide to shoot in room light or go outside in the evening, then be prepared for noise. However, the optostab does its job and helps to get good pictures in almost all scenarios, and the color rendition (saturation, contrast, white balance) does not disappoint. But sometimes underexposure that occurs in automatic mode requires special attention from the user. Take a look at the photos:

I was pleased with the 8-megapixel camera with the OmniVision OV8865 sensor. Selfies on it turn out worthy both at home and on the street.

The maximum video resolution is limited to 1080p. There are slow and fast shooting modes (60 frames per second). Optical stabilization works well when recording a video with the rear camera, if you hold the phone with two hands, but in the case of recording with the front camera with one hand, shaking cannot be avoided. Tracking autofocus is activated in the settings; it cannot boast of accuracy and speed. The sound is recorded well, the voice is clearly audible, but the microphones do not cope well with road noise. Overall, the video sequence can be rated "good".

Benchmarks and Performance

If you are still wondering why ZUK decided to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor (version MSM8974AC) for the current 2015 model, then I recommend reading a comparison of OnePlus One on Snapdragon 801 and OnePlus 2 on Snapdragon 810. In short, the Snapdragon 801 chipset handles games just as well and is more stable. “The Snapdragon 801 is powerful and reliable,” the official ZUK website tells us. And it is true. The Adreno 330 chip is responsible for the graphics, 3 GB of RAM, 64 GB of permanent memory. There is no expansion slot in the Z1, but the specified capacity should be enough for most users. At worst there is support external drives via OTG, and cloud services no one canceled (they helped me out once when I needed to transfer screenshots and photos from the camera to the computer, but the Type-C cable remained in the office).

Benchmark scores: AnTuTu 6.0 – 55,746, Geekbench 3 – 994/3039, GFXBench – 11/27 fps, 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited – 19,649, 3DMark Sling Shot 3.0 – 1226, Epic Citadel Ultra – 55.5 fps. In general, parrot lovers will be pleased. But not only them - the players will also be delighted. After all, the device can easily handle powerful 3D games like Unkilled, Asphalt 8, World of Tanks. With simpler games, accordingly, everything is also tip-top. And with an impressive amount of internal storage and a high-quality 5.5” IPS screen, the Z1 turns into a real gaming smartphone.

discharge when playing video

And thanks to the 4100 mAh battery, you can play games for a long time. So in the game Asphalt 8, in an hour with a comfortable brightness, the ZUK Z1 dropped by only 12% (that is, you can count on 8 hours of play). And in video player mode, the smartphone lasted 8.5 hours with maximum screen brightness. In everyday life, you can expect 3-5 days of work with 5-10 hours of screen time. And, please note, this is a phone that is not positioned as a long-liver, and not a model with an AMOLED screen. Before us is a well-built smartphone, the developers of which did not pursue fashion trends, not giving a damn about the trend towards reducing thickness, the capricious Snapdragon 810 chipset and the QHD resolution, which is simply not necessary for a high-quality IPS matrix with a 5.5” diagonal.

conclusions

ZUK Z1 is the first pancake, but prepared according to a proven recipe, where the ingredients are selected in such a way as to please a wide range of consumers. We can say that the device is devoid of obvious weak points, and if you do find them, then I’m sure that the energy consumption and performance will more than compensate for them. This is a really good, balanced smartphone, strengths which will not be easy to replicate in the second generation.

Perhaps the only thing that can prevent the boom in demand for ZUK Z1 among Russians is the dollar exchange rate. The average price of a model from China is $300, which at 77 rubles for 1 dollar translates into 23 thousand rubles. For this money you can consider a lot of things in official Russian retail (for example, Samsung Galaxy S5, ASUS Zenfone 2, OnePlus One 64 GB) and there is plenty to choose from in Chinese online stores (for example, Meizu MX5 or Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 with a mountain of branded Xiaomi accessories for change). I wonder what prices ZUK will officially come to us with and what the new models will offer? There's not long to wait.

Much has already been said about the ZUK Z1; the model is known primarily as an excellent offer in various Chinese online stores such as Aliexpress, Gearbest, etc. The scandal with JD.ru added fuel to the fire, which invested a lot of effort in advertising and promotion, but in fact, buyers were never able to receive their devices, since customs simply unwrapped the parcels with them. Apparently, the serious interest of users in the ZUK Z1 prompted the Russian office of Lenovo to officially sell it. It’s nice that the price was even lower than in Chinese stores.

Characteristics

Class: phablet
Form factor: monoblock
Case materials: matte plastic
Operating system: Android 5.1 + Cyanogen OS 12.1
Network: two SIM cards, one radio module, GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, LTE (nanoSIM) supported
Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC)
Processor: Quad-core 2.5 GHz
RAM: 3 GB
Memory for data storage: 64 GB, card slots microSD memory No
Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n|ac), dual-band, Bluetooth 4.1 (A2DP, EDR), USB Type-C connector for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset,
Screen: 5.5’’, capacitive, IPS matrix, 1920x1080 pixels (FHD), automatic backlight level adjustment, oleophobic coating
Camera: 13 MP, video recording in 1080p (1920x1080 pixels), LED flash
Front camera: 8 MP
Navigation: GPS/GLONASS (A-GPS support)
Sensors: accelerometer, position sensor, gyroscope, light sensor, fingerprint scanner
Battery: non-removable, Li-Pol, capacity 4100 mAh
Dimensions: 155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9 mm
Weight: 175 grams
Price: 20,000 rubles

Equipment

Smartphone
Charger
PC cable (also part of the charger)
SIM card tray opener

You know, to please a person even at the level of unpacking a smartphone, very little is required: that the box is more or less beautiful, that everything inside is neatly packed, or that the kit contains at least something different from the traditional set. Lenovo included a flat USB Type-C cable and this made me and, perhaps, potential buyers very happy.

Appearance, materials, control elements, assembly

From the front, the ZUK Z1 resembles hundreds of other faceless smartphones with rounded edges and a button below the screen. When you turn the device sideways, you see a direct resemblance to the iPhone 6, especially in the lower part with the main speaker mesh. I sincerely don’t understand why the designers liked this move from Apple so much that they began to copy it en masse, but the fact remains a fact. The ends of the ZUK Z1 are very similar to those of the iPhone 6, however, with one non-obvious difference: the ZUK Z1 does not slip in your hands like the iPhone 6, which makes its design much more practical.

Below are photographs of the device with a description of the arrangement of the elements and my short comment on their convenience.

Area above the screen: indicator light, light and proximity sensors, front-camera

Area below the screen: fingerprint scanner and touch buttons

Right side: volume rocker and power button

Left side: tray for two nanoSIM SIM cards

Top: 3.5mm headphone jack

Bottom: main speaker, microphone, USB Type-C port

The smartphone has a convenient and clearly visible light indicator; you can easily see when you have received a new notification. The fingerprint scanner works at lightning speed; you don’t even have time to touch it, and the device is already unlocked. By the way, despite the fact that the scanner is recessed into the body, it is also a button. In the settings there is a choice between using touch (located on the sides of the scanner) or on-screen buttons; I preferred the second option.

The volume rocker and power button fit exactly under the thumb, the keys themselves have a short stroke with a characteristic click, and are very convenient to use.

The volume of the main speaker is quite high, but at the maximum value it begins to wheeze, so the device is unlikely to be suitable as a music speaker.

Back cover, unlike the ends, is made of matte smooth plastic, very reminiscent of metal from the outside.

There are no complaints about the assembly of the model, the device is well assembled, all parts are tightly fitted to each other, there is not the slightest hint of creaks or play.

Dimensions

Of course, the ZUK Z1 is far from a record holder in terms of dimensions, given that it has a diagonal of 5.5 inches, and in the same Note 5 - 5.7, but it is as comfortable to hold in your hand as this phrase is, in principle, true for phablets. In most cases, you will need both hands to use the device.

Compared to Apple iPhone 6

Screen

My impressions of the display are mixed. On the one hand, he has good resolution, there is an oleophobic coating, a good range of brightness and more or less natural color rendition. On the other hand, the screen turns a little yellow, this is especially noticeable if you place the device next to the same iPhone 6. Therefore, before purchasing, I strongly recommend looking at the ZUK Z1 display in person.

I didn’t like the work of the light sensor, the brightness values are greatly underestimated, and I constantly have to adjust it manually.

operating system

The device operates under Android control 5.1 and CyanogenOS. As one of our readers correctly corrected me, the difference between CyanogenMod and CyanogenOS is that the latter is much more stable and is already optimized for everyday use, while Mod is still more like a beta version.

To be honest, I haven’t used Cyanogen smartphones for a long time. Many of the functions that exist on Cyan were new to me, so I apologize in advance if I say any obvious things.

Firstly, I really liked the operation of the telephone part of the smartphone. The dialer contains Russian letters, moreover, the system can detect outgoing unfamiliar numbers independently and show reviews on them from users. This helps a lot when you get a call from another beauty salon or survey service.

Another cool feature is fine-tuning profiles: you can fine-tune the behavior of your smartphone under different conditions. For example, for me the key parameter was the network switching to 2G Only mode as soon as the device was connected to home Wi-Fi networks. I was surprised to discover that even such a niche scenario is possible on CyanogenOS. And such little things add up to a whole detailed article, which we will definitely prepare.

You know, now it’s hard to call me a fan of custom firmware and other “customization”, at some point you simply stop paying attention to such functions, but after using CyanogenOS on the ZUK Z1 you begin to remember why millions of geeks update their smartphones immediately after purchases . Such deep customization and detailed elaboration of each item cannot but captivate. And here all this is right out of the box without the need to fuss with “root”, “recovery” and flashing the firmware.

Performance

On the one hand, the smartphone does not have the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, and on the other hand, we have an old, proven chipset that has proven itself in some models. Plus, let's not forget that performance modern processors redundant, so even the previous or the generation before that is enough for everyday use and productive toys. This is confirmed by the ZUK Z1.

During everyday use, the device almost does not heat up; only traditional benchmarks (Antutu, 3DMark) managed to make it “hot”. I would like to note the lack of a slot for a memory card as a disadvantage, but only 64 GB of internal memory is enough for most users, even with a reserve.

Autonomous operation

I was very pleased with the operating time of the device, especially for everyday use. Almost 3 hours of screen activity plus enabled synchronization and data transfer mobile networks ZUK Z1 discharged by only 36%! The model’s behavior “in sleep” is also excellent; the discharge per night was no more than 2%. The device also supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology, but due to its large capacity it still does not charge very quickly. In 30 minutes it is 25%, and in an hour it is 50%; a full charge requires 2 hours 15 minutes.

Camera

The main camera is average in all respects. While during the day you can still take more or less good pictures, in the late afternoon or under artificial lighting noise appears and detail deteriorates. The video is recorded in 1080p, the recording quality is average, there is pressure focusing and stereo sound.

At the end of summer, Lenovo brought to market subsidiary company- ZUK, which, according to preliminary rumors, was supposed to primarily focus on Chinese market. The refutation was the release of the international version of the company’s first-born smartphone Z1 on Cyanogen OS. Today I will share my impressions of the smartphone after 2 weeks of using the test sample. This will not be a standard review, I deliberately neglect synthetic tests and meticulous description operating system, in order to concentrate your attention on the main aspects of using a smartphone.

The text may and most likely does contain grammatical, spelling, punctuation and other types of errors, including semantic ones. I strongly encourage readers to point out these errors and correct me through private messages.

Declared performance characteristics

Screen: IPS, 5.5 inches, 1920x1080, oleophobic coating
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC), 4 cores at 2.5 GHz
Graphic arts: Adreno 330 (578 MHz)
Operating system: Cyanogen OS 12.1 based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
RAM: 3 GB, (LPDDR3, 1866 MHz)
User memory: 64 GB (eMMC 5.0)
Camera: 13 MP (IMX214) with f/2.2 aperture, autofocus, dual flash, optical stabilization(!), 8 MP front camera (OV8865)
Network types: GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz), WCDMA (850/900/1900/2100MHz), FDD-LTE (Band 1/3/7, works in the Russian Federation), TDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA
Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (dual band, 2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.1 LE, GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS
Additionally: USB-OTG, Fingerprint Scanner, Light Sensor, Gravity Sensor, IR Distance Sensor, digital compass, Hall sensor, Gyroscope
Battery: 4100 mAh, non-removable
Dimensions: 155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9
Weight: 175 grams
Price:~300 dollars

A mixture of Meizu, Samsung and iPhone. Who else have you forgotten?

It’s difficult to talk about design in general in 2015, because there are more and more smartphones every day, and the boundaries of design belonging to one or another brand are gradually being erased.

ZUK Z1 is woven from glass and metal, which is very “deliverable” upon physical contact with the device. Among the design tricks that benefited the smartphone, it is worth noting the location of the light and proximity sensors under dark glass along with the earpiece.

But to this day, the location of the front button irritates me. Was it really impossible to align it horizontally with respect to the free area at the bottom of the smartphone? This is all nitpicking, of course, but it looks somehow strange.

The main body itself is a matte aluminum frame with a double-sided chamfer, on which both control elements and functional connectors are located. Similar to the Samsung S6, the case at the top and bottom ends is divided by two plastic inserts to ensure antenna reception wireless modules. The tray for two NanoSIM cards is located on the left side. There is no memory card slot due to the presence of a single 64 GB modification of the smartphone.

The volume rocker and power control key are also metal, although the latter is loose in its “pocket,” which is unpleasant.

USB Type-C is another trend of 2015. More and more manufacturers are using this type connector in their smartphones, and Google, which recently showed new devices from the Nexus line, seems to be hinting that this should be the case for everyone. And this is actually correct and convenient. It is convenient in terms of the ability to insert the connector on either side, and the connector itself looks more reliable than Micro USB. But while this technology is being implemented, ordinary users will have to “suffer” from a lack of accessories.

The glass on the back is nice and premium, but you'll either have to hide it in a case or put up with a lot of micro-scratches. After 2 weeks of use on the white device, they can only be seen under a direct light source (). And this is after half a month.

As for the sizes, I'm used to them. The ZUK Z1 can be used with one hand, but you need to constantly change your grip. By the way, at the beginning of the year I bought an iPhone 5S that was ideal in this regard, used it for 5 months, and then it broke. And its autonomy is extremely poor. The only thing I miss is the camera, because it is the best in terms of speed, colors and quality at any time of the day.

uTouch and function keys in Cyanogen OS

The physical touch (!) key on the front panel has a built-in fingerprint sensor (aka fingerprint scanner), which, to my surprise, works at lightning speed. True, Yabloko, having released the iPhone 6S, outplayed everyone again, but the Chinese devices in their essence do not seem to be close, and in the iPhone 5S, following my personal feelings, the sensor works slower.

The sensor operation settings are made in the corresponding Russified menu - “Screen lock and fingerprints”. You can enter up to 5 fingerprints into the database and set one of three alternative unlocking methods: graphic key, PIN and password. In general, the security settings are very extensive - all Google services such as “Trusted Devices”, “Physical Contact”, etc. are saved.

Work with function keys In my device and in a smartphone on Chinese software, the software is radically different. Under the display there are two touch buttons and one sensory-physical one, which, when pressed, performs the functions of the “Home” button, and when touched, the “Back” button. In this case, the key on the right, similarly when touched, performs the “Back” action, and on the left it causes multitasking.

In the settings, in addition to the ability to enable on-screen buttons, like Nexus devices, you can configure the operation of physical or touch buttons when held, double-clicked, etc. When you turn on the on-screen buttons, the front one remains sensitive to touch and performs the “Back” action.

I also heard about gesture recognition using the front button, but this is not available in the Cyanogen version of the smartphone. Let's attribute these minor flaws to the test sample.

Display, status indicator

If smartphones for 150 bucks, such as the Meizu M2 Note, have excellent FullHD matrices, then there is nothing at all surprising about a similar solution in the ZUK Z1. Naturally, everything is fine: IPS with excellent viewing angles, black is really black, no glare. Oleophobic coating is present. With maximum brightness, the display remains readable in direct sunlight, and at minimum it is comfortable to read in the dark.

The “LiveDisplay” function adjusts the color temperature of the screen depending on the time of day and lighting. At night, the smartphone screen, in addition to reducing brightness, becomes “warm” so as not to “hurt” the eyes. To improve readability in bright lighting, the picture on the display becomes more saturated and the screen becomes “cold”. Again, this is Cyanogenmod and you can really configure a lot here.

The indicator LED located to the left of the earpiece grille can also be customized to your heart's content: from choosing the color, brightness and blinking frequency to the ability to customize the behavior of the indicator for notifications of any application.

Speed and casual information about software

The Snapdragon 801 is a well-proven processor that was installed in most of last year's A-brand flagships, for example: Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z3, LG G3, etc. The performance is sufficient for absolutely any everyday task, the interface works smoothly, and games, even the most demanding ones, can be played without lag. Yes, this is not the latest generation of Qualcomm processors, but why does a smartphone need more? Current flagships have more performance than my MacBook and it's scary.

I came to the conclusion that most readers don’t really need screenshots from games (let me know in the comments), and since I periodically play just one toy, it will be my universal benchmark. World of Tanks is quite demanding and I have not yet held a smartphone in my hands that would provide stable 60 frames at maximum graphics settings. ZUK Z1 is no exception; the optimal settings for the game are medium settings, when the number of frames per second is kept at around 55-60 with “drops” in action scenes to 25-30 maximum. At the same time, the back surface of the smartphone heats up, but the temperature does not exceed 40-45 degrees.

I was very pleased with the company’s decision not to waste money on modifications with different amounts of user memory. Only the 64 GB version is available in the line, which is even more than optimal. For me, a person who is always content with 12-13 gigabytes, 7-8 are consistently occupied. Tell us what you use to fill your smartphone's memory?

Camera

Now new iPhone 5S can be purchased for 300-350 dollars (I know, I’m already tired of these iPhones, but who else should I look up to?). 2 years have passed since the release of this device, but its camera still tears to shreds most smartphones of 2015 at a similar price.

The camera in the ZUK Z1 has become the main disappointment during the entire operation of the device. I will, of course, refer to the test sample, but if it is like this in the final version, then it will be sad. The main and really glaring drawback is digital noise. The pictures are literally strewn with them, especially in the dark.

A few shots in the dark and under artificial light:

And even during the day the images can be “noisy”:

Just for fun, I compared the picture with the Samsung GS 6 Edge:

There is HDR, which, in addition to expanding the range, also increases saturation:

Original photo

The front camera is also “noisy” at night, but during the day everything is fine:

At hand was the Nexus 5, which has a module (Exmor R) from Sony, while the ZUK Z1 has (Exmor RS), which is used in the vast majority of mid-budget smartphones in 2014/2015. And, which is typical, in these smartphones (Xiaomi Mi4, OnePlus One, Moto G 2015) a similar module shows much better results.

The manufacturer declared optical stabilization, but in the video, judging by the video below, it does not work:

In principle, if the quality of the camera is not critical for you, then you can live. For everyday tasks, some technical photographs of documents or something else, it will be enough, but it’s better not to think about the rapidly developing genre of mobile photography today.

Software, autonomy, wireless interfaces

Throughout the entire review, I have repeatedly praised Cyanogen OS and now I am not going to go back on my words. The only thing I will probably do with every smartphone that comes into my hands is to install Google Start, also known as the launcher. First of all, because of the convenient search by application and speed. Otherwise, there are no complaints about the “cyanogen”, but only praise for the introduction of additional functionality. In this article I will not focus on the software, because everything works well, and the Internet is already full of reviews of the twelfth version of Cyanogen OS.

A distinctive feature of this smartphone is its autonomy. The 4100 mAh stated in the specifications is good, but I stopped believing it a long time ago, because I have experienced more than one smartphone with a beautiful presentation, but a bitter taste. I use a smartphone a lot, and a good smartphone even more: social media. networks, YouTube, navigation, working with documents, photos, toys and even programming - this is my model of using a smartphone, in which ZUK lives every day, leaving 20-30 percent in reserve. So you understand: the iPhone 5S in a similar mode was discharged by the 4th day, and either “sat down” to zero or remained at a critical charge level. The screen operating time is 5-6 hours.

From the included 5 V 2 A power supply (in fact, even under load, the voltage does not drop below 5.3 Volts), the smartphone charges in exactly 2 hours.

There are no complaints about GPS, network and Wi-Fi reception, conversational and multimedia speakers. Everything works and works well.

I almost forgot: initially I received a phone with a Developer Preview version of the software, but over the course of 2 weeks five (!) updates arrived “over the air” with all sorts of fixes and improvements to the firmware. Maybe the ZUK Z1 will even officially see Android M?

Price and availability

There are modifications of the ZUK Z1 in white and gray with 64 GB of user memory. It will cost you $312 follow the link at the beginning of the article. The store that provided me with the device for review by the manufacturer and they already have smartphones in stock.

Results. Would you take it for yourself?

No, I wouldn’t take it for that kind of money. Yes, metal and glass, Cyanogen OS, excellent autonomy, but... Working with the scanner in Android is still in the process of development and implementation, while in iOS it can already be used to log in to online banking, make payments, etc., But just unlocking a smartphone with a graphic password doesn’t bother me. The camera, again, leaves much to be desired, even if this is a test version. Should I pay three hundred dollars for this smartphone? - It's up to you and only you to decide.

Well, I didn’t want to write a lot, but it still turned out to be a “sheet”. I look forward to your feedback on the material in the comments. Also visit my blog (link in profile), where articles, in accordance with the rules, are published with a 3-day delay, but with a better quality and easier-to-read design.

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

I'm planning to buy +3 Add to favorites I liked the review +12 +45

The ZUK brand was created before Lenovo acquired Motorola. The devices and software were supposed to occupy the current niche of the North American market: powerful but cheap Android devices.

The brand's previous smartphone was not widely used in Russia, despite powerful filling and low cost. Internet resources branded the series with the nickname “discounter” and discouraged any desire to purchase the ZUK Z1.

Among Chinese smartphones the ZUK family really looks original. Unlike most Xiaomi or Meizu devices, there is no hint of simplifying any characteristics. All this for a price of $220.

Characteristics

CPU	Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 with a frequency of 2.15 GHz
RAM	4 GB
Built-in memory	64 GB
Display	5 inches, LTPS, 1,920 × 1,080 pixels
Main camera	13 MP ISOCELL f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, electronic image stabilization
Front-camera	8 MP
Wireless interfaces	2 nanoSIM (LTE FDD band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8; LTE TDD band 38, 39, 40, 41, VoLTE, GSM 900/1 800/1 900, 3G), Wi-Fi 802.11ac ,Bluetooth 4.1
Navigation	GPS, GLONASS
operating system	Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ZUI 2.0 interface
Battery	3,500 mAh, QC 3.0 support
Dimensions	141.65 × 68.88 × 8.45 mm
Weight	149 g
Materials	metal, plastic, glass

Appearance and ergonomics

The phone comes in a simple white box. The package includes a synchronization cable, power supply, instructions and a paper clip.

The appearance of the ZUK Z2 is as simple and concise as possible. Glass top and bottom, all the same color. It may seem that the smartphone looks boring. But it differs from most Chinese (and not only) devices. If only because it openly copies the most successful iPhone model.

The ZUK Z2 is protected on both sides by tempered 2.5D glass with a good oleophobic coating. The side frame is made of fiberglass reinforced plastic.

The controls are located conveniently for hands of any size. The smartphone has a fingerprint scanner.

Double-clicking brings up the running applications screen. A normal press, without a click, sends you back one screen. By swiping left or right on the touch button you can switch between running applications, as on desktops on a desktop.

There are no classic touch or on-screen Back and Multitasking buttons on the ZUK Z2. The scanner works well, not inferior to either the flagship Xiaomi devices or market leaders like OnePlus 3 or Meizu Pro 6.

Display

The first generation of ZUK smartphones was equipped with the same 5.5-inch matrix. The latest generation includes two models. The older device ZUK 2 Pro is equipped with a screen of the same size. The younger ZUK Z2 is equipped with a 5-inch panel based on an LTPS matrix with FullHD resolution.

The screen contrast is 1,000: 1, the color gamut is 70% of the visible field. The maximum brightness according to the passport is 400 cd/m2. In practice, this means that the smartphone does not lose display quality in bright sunlight. Viewing angles do not affect image quality at all: there are no color inversions or other distortions.

Responsiveness touch screen excellent, nice response.

Hardware platform and performance

The main advantage of the ZUK Z2, in addition to the form factor, is the platform used. Today it is one of the most affordable smartphones on Snapdragon 820 with a nominal frequency of 2.15 GHz. In addition, the latest firmware can overclock the processor to 2.3 GHz.

The RAM size is 4 GB of LPDDR 4 standard. This is an excellent foundation for the next couple of years. The device's memory size is 64 GB (it can be expanded with a memory card), but it complies with the eMMC 5.1 standard, while most Snapdragon 820 smartphones use the faster UFS 2.0. Despite this, the results of synthetic tests are impressive.

Real performance doesn't lag behind. The interface works smoothly, without lags. Switching between applications occurs without delay. The performance will be sufficient to run the most powerful games at maximum graphics settings.

operating system

The smartphone uses the ZUI add-on based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow as its base operating system. Let us recall that the ZUK Z1 was produced with two firmwares, which were installed depending on the place of sale. Devices with ZUI were supplied to the domestic market. In other countries, Lenovo ZUK Z1 was released running Cyanogen OS.

Unlike the previous line, the ZUK Z2 officially does not have international firmware. However, Russian craftsmen ported Cyanogen OS 14 based on Android 7.0 Nougat to the device and translated ZUI.

If you wish, you can stop at basic firmware. Despite the incomplete translation of the menu, Russian can be set as the system language. Some elements will remain in English.

But this is not a reason to abandon ZUI. The shell is similar to another iOS clone, but compares favorably with MIUI and Flyme. It has its own Control Center called Quick Switch Panel. The curtain is located at the bottom of the screen. I don’t know about fans of pure Android, but, in my opinion, this is much more convenient.

The system has a lot of built-in applications in English: a proprietary security center, not bad file manager, themes, application for tracking and installing updates. The interface is well designed, there are no problems when using it.

In the near future, the smartphone will receive an official update of the proprietary system to Android 7.0 Nougat.

Multimedia capabilities

Unlike the ZUK Z2 Pro, the younger device received a 13-megapixel main camera. Sensor - ISOCELL. It is covered by a 5-component lens with an f/2.2 aperture and a focal length of 24 mm. In addition, there is digital stabilization and hybrid autofocus.

Spoils hardware capabilities standard application for photography - its settings are extremely poor. Saves working great auto mode and a set of ready-made presets for shooting in various lighting conditions.

In good lighting, be it the sun or good artificial light, the ZUK Z2 camera allows you to take beautiful, clear photos with correct color reproduction.

In HDR mode, the camera carefully tightens the tones without increasing saturation, keeping the photo natural.

The front camera uses an 8 MP sensor and an f/2.0 aperture lens. The pictures cannot be called outstanding, however, they are better than those obtained on Chinese devices in this price range.

The smartphone shoots video with a resolution of 3,840 × 2,160 pixels at 30 fps and stereo sound. Among other advantages of the camera, it is worth mentioning the presence of slow-motion shooting in HD resolution (without sound) at speeds of 120 fps, 240 fps and even 960 fps.

Sound

The sound in the headphones is not bad. But there is one big drawback - the smartphone has practically no volume reserve. Without systemic sound “improvers” or an equalizer, this minus can ruin the mood of a music lover.

Cellular communications and interfaces

ZUK Z2 is equipped with a combo slot for two nanoSIMs. There is only one radio module. Both slots are equivalent and can work with 4G. The range of supported frequencies is sufficient for use in Russia and the CIS; there is support for LTE band 3/7. The most common LTE band 20 is not supported.

The set of wireless interfaces is limited to dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. NFC and IR port are missing. The main wired port is USB-C, compliant with the USB 2.0 standard.

Geopositioning can work with both GPS and GLONASS. A cold start takes no more than 20 seconds, a hot start - about 5 seconds. The tracking accuracy in the city is good, so the smartphone can also be used as a navigator.

Battery and runtime

When using the ZUK Z2 as a navigator or multimedia device, it will come in handy for a long time battery life. The smartphone has a 3,500 mAh battery with support fast charging QC 3.0. Thanks to this, charging time is only 2 hours and 10 minutes. The device charges from 0% to 75% in just 70 minutes.

The small screen and large battery had a great impact on the autonomy of the device. In mixed mode of operation with a serious load, the ZUK Z2 is guaranteed to survive until late in the evening. This takes into account calls, a couple of hours of watching videos, using instant messengers, social networks and other standard loads.

In other scenarios the results are no worse:

Watching video (from memory, at maximum brightness, with airplane mode turned on) - 16 hours.
Surfing (Wi-Fi, 50% brightness) - 14 hours.
Surfing (4G, 50% brightness) - 10 hours.
3D games (Wi-Fi, 50% brightness) - 4 hours.

conclusions

Unlike most Snapdragon 820 smartphones, the Lenovo ZUK Z2 is a budget device with good features. On this moment There are two options on sale: black and white. The first one costs $182. The second one will cost the buyer $180.

Considering the cost, there are no direct competitors (primarily due to the screen diagonal) to the device on the market today: all of them either have lower performance or not very good design. The first category includes devices such as Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro ($160 for the 3/64 GB variant), Xiaomi Mi4S ($237 for the 3/64 GB variant).

There are even fewer productive but cheap smartphones with the flagship Qualcomm processor. If we focus on the price-performance ratio, this is LeEco Le Max 2 ($220 for the 4/32 GB option). If we think about the screen diagonal, the ZTE AXON 7 mini is still very expensive ($346 for the 3/32 GB version).

A real alternative to the ZUK Z2 could be the junior Xiaomi Mi5, purchased at one of the past or upcoming sales (from $230 to $260 for the 3/32 GB version).

Among all the presented options, ZUK Z2 stands out with its strict, neat design, very convenient controls and balanced contents. The combination of excellent performance and high battery life makes the Lenovo smartphone the most successful device in the category under $250.

But only if you put your hands on the device and close your eyes to some of the shortcomings. In this case, the smartphone will delight the owner with excellent performance for at least several more years.

28.05.2020

Internet

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