The situation when a large company produces part of its products under a different name is no longer surprising. And this happens in a variety of areas. In some cases, such solutions are intended for the market of a certain country, and sometimes premium and flagship segments are separated into a separate brand.

Thanks to our partner, the Cheap-mobile online store, we will look at the new Zuk model. Don't be embarrassed by the brand's low popularity, since this is a subsidiary of Lenovo.

Last year we already tested the Zuk Z1, a long-lived flagship with Cyanogen OS 12 on board. There were no special criticisms that time, and let’s not forget the discount on the first pancake. Moreover, when selecting the best mobile solutions of 2015 in the laboratory, this device became the winner in the “Best Flagship Tablet Phone” category.

Now the manufacturer has introduced a new flagship at a reasonable price - Zuk Z2 Pro, the name of which may remind you of the once top-end model Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro. And it’s unlikely that this is just a coincidence; most likely, this is how they indicated some kind of continuity of the new product.

Let's start the review of the review hero in a standard way, but as we test, we'll pay attention to interesting features that have not previously been seen in Lenovo devices.

Specifications Zuk Z2 Pro

Model	Zuk Z2 Pro	Zuk Z2	Zuk Z1
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 2 x 2.15 GHz Kryo + 2 x 1.6 GHz Kryo	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 2 x 2.15 GHz Kryo + 2 x 1.6 GHz Kryo	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 4 x 2.5 GHz, Krait 400
Video processor	Adreno 530	Adreno 530	Adreno 330
operating system	Android 6.0	Android 6.0	Android 5.1, Cyanogen OS 12.1
Memory, GB	4 RAM; 64 ROM/ 6 RAM; 128 ROM	4 RAM; 64 ROM	3 RAM; 64 ROM
Screen	5.2" AMOLED 1920 x 1080	5.0" IPS, 1920 x 1080	5.5" IPS, 1920 x 1080
Camera, MP	13.0 + 8.0	13.0 + 8.0	13.0 + 8.0
Net	GSM; WCDMA; LTE	GSM; WCDMA; LTE	GSM; WCDMA; LTE
Number of SIM cards, pcs.	2	2	2
MicroSD support	No	No	No
Data transfer	Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; USB 3.1 Type C	Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; USB 3.1 Type C	Wi-Fi; Bluetooth
GPS/aGPS/Beidou/GLONASS	Yes Yes Yes Yes	Yes Yes Yes Yes	Yes Yes Yes Yes
Battery, mAh	3 100	3 500	4 100
Dimensions, mm	145.4 x 70.5 x 7.5	141.7 x 68.9 x 8.5	155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9
Weight, g	145	149	175
price, rub.	~35 000 / ~37 000	~25 000	~15 000

In terms of performance, there are no questions - the top processor and 6 GB of RAM do their job, especially since the screen resolution here is typical. Of course, the record amount of main memory attracts attention.

In addition to the listed characteristics, the Zuk Z2 Pro is capable of offering several additional functions, which will be discussed below.

Packaging and equipment Zuk Z2 Pro

The device is packed in a medium-sized white cardboard box. It is flat, consists of a main compartment and a lid that covers half the ends.

The cardboard is thick and dense to effectively protect the contents. The inside of the lid is glued with a soft material for maximum packing of the contents. Nothing inside is loose, each element is located strictly in its place.

On the front side there is only the manufacturer's logo. But on the upper and lower ends of the cover there are Lenovo logos, no one is trying to hide this fact.

The back side is mostly empty, only a sticker with personal numbers and basic characteristics in Chinese dilutes the picture.

Inside we are greeted by the device itself. It is fixed in a special recess and is also equipped with a transport film on the display.

Underneath is an envelope with documentation and a paper clip for removing the SIM card tray.

At the very bottom is the standard supply of a power adapter and a USB cable. Unfortunately, we received a copy without a cable for testing.

The package includes:

• Power adapter;
• USB 3.1 Type C cable;
• SIM card slot clip;
• Technical documentation.

We were pleased with the quality and care of the packaging, and the delivery package was sufficient. It is difficult to imagine what would have to happen during transportation for the contents to suffer any damage. Perhaps the only sad thing is the lack of factory seals. It is worth carefully inspecting the device before purchasing.

Stylish, powerful, modern - this is how you can characterize the new 2016 product from the ZUK company, the ZUK Z2 PRO smartphone (ZUK Z2121), which also has a second name - .

Equipment

Inside the box there is the smartphone itself covered with shipping film, a clip for removing the SIM card slot, a charger, a USB cable for connecting to charging and a PC, as well as a set of technical documentation.

Specifications

At the time of the official presentation, which took place in April 2016, the smartphone was one of the most powerful in the Galaxy in terms of its technical characteristics.

And this is not without reason, because in the maximum configuration the RAM capacity is 6 gigabytes, and the built-in memory capacity is 128 gigabytes. There is also a version with 4 gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes of internal memory. The processor is a 4-core Snapdragon 820, two cores of which operate at a frequency of 1.6 GHz, and two at a frequency of 2.15 GHz.

Unlike its predecessor, which was equipped with a display with an IPS matrix, this smartphone received a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. I would like to note that this resolution is ideal for mobile devices of a similar size.

Despite the premium segment of the mobile device, Lenovo decided not to change its traditions and equipped the smartphone with support for two SIM cards. The telephone module is capable of receiving signals in GSM, WCDMA and LTE networks.

Zuk Z2 PRO is equipped with a fairly large number of different modules and sensors, including: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS, fingerprint scanner, light and proximity sensors, as well as a heart rate monitor, ultraviolet radiation level sensor and a sensor that determines the amount of oxygen in the blood.

There are two cameras: the front one is 8 MP, and the main one is 13 MP with dual LED flash.

The thickness of the device is only 7.5 mm. Length and width are 145.4 and 70.5 mm, respectively. Weight - 145 grams. Battery capacity is 3100 mAh.

Unlike its predecessor, the smartphone is equipped with a USB 3.1 Type C port, which is faster and more modern than the gradually aging microUSB. The pre-installed operating system is Android 6.0.1 with the proprietary ZUI 1.9 shell.

Appearance

The body of the smartphone looks quite stylish and combines a glass back surface with rounded edges and a metal bezel that runs along all edges of the device.

The front side of the smartphone houses a speaker for conversations, proximity and light sensors, a front camera, a 5.2-inch display and a multifunctional mechanical button with a built-in fingerprint scanner.

On the back there is a logo, the main camera, an LED flash, sensors for measuring heart rate, the amount of oxygen in the blood and the level of ultraviolet radiation.

Volume control on the right side. There is also a button to turn on the smartphone.

To install SIM cards, there is a special tray located on the left side of the device.

The bottom edge is quite busy. It contains: a 3.5 mm headphone input, a microphone, a USB 3.1 Type C port and the main speaker.

Video: camera test

Video: ZUK Z2 PRO in Antutu

Results

Zuk Z2 PRO is a really cool smartphone with enough power to perform any task in the next few years. This stylish device will certainly delight you with its functionality and pleasant appearance.

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 features: 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 own manual in English.

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 5.5-inch size has already become almost standard and it is quite difficult to find something smaller with good characteristics.

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, including 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. There is a night mode that 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 do not want to use a smartphone in English, and the words “firmware” and “recovery” cause fear and panic, the smartphone is not for you. Although I don’t see anything complicated here either, there are detailed step-by-step instructions in pictures on 4pda. 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 receipt of the smartphone, the best firmware was considered to be, in fact, it is simply 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. Later Official firmware for Android 7.0 has appeared, 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 firmwares 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”. What’s unusual is the overclocking mode, which, when turned on, increases the processor clock frequency 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 speaker is of the highest 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 a 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. The time of the first fixation without mobile Internet turned on 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 a European navigation system that has recently been launched. 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, not 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 run at maximum graphics settings 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 see 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.

Next, let's go through the main synthetic tests. So, the results of ZUK Z2 in Antutu are 131475 points. I'm most interested in the 3D sections, where the beetle scored 59,000 points and the CPU - 32,500.

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 in the Antutu result is 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:

In addition to a 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 reality is that today, the minimum required amount of RAM is 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 the high-quality sound, but nowhere in the description is it indicated the presence of any dedicated audio chips or drivers. High detail, minimum distortion - voluminous and powerful low frequencies and ringing 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 the new firmware, which is based on Android 7, the stock camera has been significantly improved: manual settings have appeared, the quality of the pictures 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.

More daytime shots

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

At night, like all smartphones, it gives poor detail.

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 to make the 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%.
Video tests are more revealing. I always use the same HD movie to test battery life on 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 user experience, it feels at the level of Meizu, Xiaomi smartphones 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 body that instantly becomes covered with fingerprints
- Lack of band 20 support (since the smartphone was released for the Chinese market)
- The need for independent firmware to obtain the 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 battery life
+ Large community, many custom firmwares
+ The official update to Android 7.0 has already been released
+ Good sound in headphones.
+ Perfectly working fingerprint scanner.

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 +27 Add to favorites I liked the review +32 +60

Now he is going through hard times. In the local Chinese market, its sales volumes decreased significantly over the year, under pressure from competition from local brands. In this regard, a year ago Lenovo decided to develop the ZUK sub-brand. Smartphones with this name are aimed at the Chinese market and are distinguished by a combination of flagship characteristics and reasonable prices. The company has pinned its hopes on such devices, hoping to take at least part of the market from Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and other local companies.

The ZUK Z2 Pro release date is April 2016, sales of the new product started on May 17. For now, the smartphone can only be purchased in Chinese stores. Considering that the predecessor, the Z1 model, was also initially intended only for China, but later entered global retail, we can expect the smartphone to appear in Ukraine in the summer.

The recommended price of the ZUK Z2 Pro is 2,700 yuan (about $420 at the current exchange rate), but for that kind of money it can only be found in official stores in the Middle Kingdom. Worldwide selling organizations set a price tag of 500-600 dollars, and even then, many only organize pre-orders for the new product. For those who like the smartphone, we recommend waiting a little. Then prices will drop, and you won’t have to wait a month for delivery from Aliexpress, and you can count on a guarantee (from the selling organization) in Ukraine.

The preliminary review of the ZUK Z2 Pro is intended to familiarize the user with the key features of the smartphone, its pros and cons.

ZUK Z2 Pro is a classic rectangular device with a metal frame. Its front panel is made of 2.5D tempered glass. The manufacturer of the material is not specified, but the glass is tempered and has an oleophobic coating. The back panel is ceramic, glossy. The edging is made of metal.

At the bottom front there is a rectangular home button with a built-in fingerprint scanner. Above the screen there is a strip of speaker slot for conversations, a camera and a sensor window. The latter is difficult, almost impossible, to notice with the naked eye.

At the top at the back there is a camera (its lens is framed by a metal ring), an LED flash and sensors. Below is the brand logo. On the right side there are volume and power buttons, on the left there is a card slot. At the bottom, in addition to the speaker holes, there is a USB Type C connector and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Dimensions ZUK Z2 Pro – 14.5x7 cm, thickness – 7.5 mm. The weight is 145 grams, which is relatively light. We are pleased with the successful distribution of usable space: the size of the smartphone is comparable to five-inch models, but at the same time it is equipped with a 5.2″ screen. The frames on the sides are minimal, and the rounded glass completely reduces their visibility.

Compared to its predecessor (ZUK Z1), the new smartphone has become smaller (it had a 5.5-inch screen), lighter (by as much as 30 grams), but has lost battery capacity. Whether this is a disadvantage remains to be seen. After all, the transition to AMOLED, the use of a chipset on a thin technological process and a reduction in the size of the display can completely smooth out the effect of “thinning” the battery.

Specifications of ZUK Z2 Pro

The smartphone can be classified as a flagship. While maintaining the Chinese price (without the large markup of traders, typical for the first weeks of sales), it is quite capable of competing with the same Xiaomi Mi5. If the smartphone lags behind the top Samsung models, it is only slightly.

Screen

ZUK Z2 Pro is equipped with a 5.2-inch FullHD display. Its resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, pixel density is 424 dots per inch. This is less than Samsung's 567 PPI, but it is quite enough so that the boundaries between points are not visible to the naked eye. The screen matrix, by the way, was created by the aforementioned Korean company using Super AMOLED technology.

Traditionally for Samsung products, buyers should expect bright colors, good backlighting and reduced power consumption in dark shades from the ZUK Z2 Pro screen. Acidity, blue tint, uneven illumination and other disadvantages of organic matrices are long gone, so the presence of such a screen in the ZUK Z2 Pro can be considered an advantage.

Processor and video performance

ZUK Z2 Pro is built on the basis of Qualcomm's top brainchild - the Snapdragon 820 chipset. This is a powerful quad-core processor based on the company's own microarchitecture. 4 Kryo cores operating at up to 2.15 GHz provide performance that exceeds eight-core solutions from competitors.

In terms of graphics, the ZUK Z2 Pro is also at an impressive level. Adreno 530 is a top-class video processor that delivers high performance in all games. Its capabilities are enough to run any game of 2016 at high graphics settings. According to the results of the AnTuTu synthetic test, it was the Snapdragon 810 that turned out to be the fastest chipset of 2016, scoring about 140 thousand points.

Considering that in 2 months (from the moment the statistics were published) it was possible to optimize the OS for new hardware, you should expect performance from the ZUK Z2 Pro no less than that of Xiaomi Mi5 or LG G5. Or maybe even more: the fact that the test sample scored about 150 thousand is not yet confirmation (the mentioned Mi5 in some cases also scored 160, but the average result after release was just under 140 thousand).

Memory capacities

The review is dedicated to the top version of the ZUK Z2 Pro (the prices given apply specifically to the most advanced modification). It is equipped with an impressive 6 GB of DDR4 RAM with reduced power consumption. The volume of built-in storage is 128 GB.

There is a version of ZUK Z2 Pro with 4 GB RAM/64 GB storage. But it has not yet gone on sale and is expected in June. Both models do not have a slot for a memory card, but there is support for OTG drives. However, with such a volume of storage, the refusal of MicroSD cannot be considered a serious drawback.

Camera, photo quality ZUK Z2 Pro

Among all the characteristics of the ZUK Z2 Pro, the camera can be highlighted. It is different in a smartphone from most matrices installed by competitors. It’s difficult to judge how much and in what direction (there is no opportunity to compare with other devices yet), but on paper its specifications look attractive.

The camera resolution of the ZUK Z2 Pro is an unimpressive 13 MP. But this is not an ordinary budget matrix (of the kind that Xiaomi or Meizu install in their budget models). It is distinguished by an increased pixel size to 1.34 microns (against the standard value of 1.12 microns). This means that the amount of noise in the pictures should be lower than that of analogues. A lens with an aperture of F/1.8 is designed to facilitate this (which, again, is more attractive than the F/2 or F/2.2 values ​​​​of most smartphones).

Among other things, the ZUK Z2 Pro camera is equipped with a phase detection autofocus system, dual LED flash, and can record 4K video at 2160p resolution. The frame rate, in this case, is 30 FPS. The optical image stabilization system protects the image from shaking and blurring.

The front camera of the ZUK Z2 Pro also looks interesting. It should surpass even the main cameras of budget smartphones in image quality. The 8-megapixel front-facing matrix also has an increased area (pixel – 1.4 microns), and its aperture is revealed to F/2. There is a phase detection autofocus system. The front camera records video in FullHD, with a frame rate of 30 FPS. The only parameter that does not allow it to fully compete with the main cameras of cheaper smartphones is the lack of a flash.

Photos of the ZUK Z2 Pro in reality turn out good, and generally correspond to the characteristics. The device is capable of fighting an iPhone 6s or Samsung S7; it won’t fall flat in front of them. Of course, for an objective test, a few shots are not enough: you need to take identical shots on several devices at the same time. But the available material allows us to evaluate the quality of photos from the ZUK Z2 Pro camera as a whole.

Autonomy

To test the autonomy of a smartphone in practice, you need to have it at your disposal for at least 3 days. While this is not possible, we can only guess about the operating time in various modes. ZUK Z2 Pro is equipped with a non-removable 3100 mAh battery. This is 1000 mAh less than the previous model, which could last up to 17 hours of video playback or 7 hours of gaming.

Considering the updated characteristics (Super AMOLED screen, thinner chipset process technology) and the reduction in diagonal, there is no need to fear a sharp drop in battery life. It will be at least not lower than average (10-12 hours of video playback or 4-5 hours of games). And the QuickCharge 3.0 fast charging function will replenish the battery capacity up to 80% in just half an hour.

Connection

An important part of the functionality of the ZUK Z2 Pro, which European buyers of the Chinese version of the device should be wary of, is connectivity. The manufacturer claims support for LTE in TDD and FDD modes, as well as work with WCDMA. But the frequency ranges with which the device is compatible are not specified. It is too early for residents of Ukraine to worry about 4G incompatibility (3G has not yet appeared everywhere), but in other countries the problem with LTE incompatibility is not excluded.

There is no incompatibility with Ukrainian 3G networks (all operators operate at frequencies of 1.9 and 2.1 GHz, as in China). Traditionally, the ZUK Z2 Pro uses two SIM cards, but only one can be active at a time (Dual Standby mode).