Stylish and affordable tablet phones from Lenovo: PHAB and PHAB Plus. Games on Lenovo Phab
Is Lenovo Phab a tablet or a smartphone? This question is even more difficult to answer than in the case of Phab Plus. Simply because the latter is smaller, thinner and lighter. Plus, the 6.8-inch screen is huge, but it's still not 7 inches, which is the minimum for tablets. But “just” Phab, with its 6.98 inches, looks a little “different”.
In fact, when we tested the Lenovo Phab Plus, we didn't notice much of a difference from its "lite" version. If we compare both “phablets” head-on, holding them in our hands, then somehow we don’t feel any less convenient, if we talk about a more “massive” device. They are both simply huge and as such there is no “convenience” in either one or the other.
Yes, yes, working with such giants with one hand is not an activity for the faint of heart and not for the weak at all. So the weight of the Lenovo Phab reaches 250 grams (229 grams for the Phab Plus), which is not much from the point of view of a tablet, but for a smartphone it is huge. The hand begins to get tired quickly - here the optimal value ends at around 170-180 grams.
At the same time, Lenovo Phab looks very good - a sort of huge smartphone. It really doesn’t look much like a tablet – the proportions are a little different, and manufacturers usually make the screen frames of tablets thicker. So the silhouette clearly speaks for a device capable of making calls.
It should be noted that Lenovo Phab is externally different from the “plus” one, especially in the area back cover. While Phab Plus offers an all-metal body, here we have a matte soft-touch plastic coating that is very pleasant to the touch. In addition, they did not abandon the metal at all - they left it at the ends, so it turned out very well.
As for the thickness of the device, here we have 8.9 mm. Not the thinnest option, but not very large either. And with such a screen, the smartphone looks very thin. True, Phab Plus is still almost one and a half millimeters thinner.
It should be noted that the Lenovo Phab is perfectly assembled. However, this is always easier to do with a non-separable case. But in any case, the device is well made, high-quality materials are used. Most of all, we liked the design, as well as the feel of the tablet in our hands.
Connectors and controls
So, we have a de facto tablet, which, in general, does not mean any special buttons or connectors. Moreover, our Lenovo Phab is positioned as a huge phablet.
A speaker and a front camera lens are located above the screen. There are also light and proximity sensors, as well as led indicator events under the perforated speaker grille.
There is nothing underneath the “fab” – just an empty panel.
At the back, the elements that interest us are grouped in the upper left corner – the camera and LED flash. With this placement option, it is quite easy to block the lens with your fingers - this should be taken into account.
On the left side there is a compartment for SIM cards and memory cards. It is removed using the supplied ejector or a paper clip.
The holder is metal, made to hold two microSIM cards, or one microSIM and one microSD – here you have to choose which option to use. If you have any questions about how to insert a SIM card into Lenovo Phab, our short video will help you resolve them:
All buttons have been moved to the right side. There is a power button and a volume rocker here.
On top there was a 3.5 mm mini-jack for headphones and headsets, as well as a microphone for noise reduction.
The bottom end is “decorated” with beautiful perforations above the speaker; just to the left of it there is a conversational microphone and a microUSB port.
Actually, that's all we can say about the connectors and buttons of the Lenovo Phab. The smartphone has a standard set of them, they are located in the usual convenient places, the manufacturer did not do any experiments, for which special thanks.
Contents of delivery
Lenovo Phab came to us in a retail version.
The device is hidden in an elongated box made of high-quality cardboard.
Its equipment is very meager. It includes a quick start guide, ejector, power supply and USB cable. There is no headset, according to the current bad fashion.
Case for Lenovo Phab
Buying a cover or case for Lenovo Phab at the beginning of 2016 is not so easy yet due to the newness of the phablet. However, there are some things, and over time there will be more offers.
This kind of stand case is available at a price of about 1,500 rubles. In principle, it’s a good option, and it’s more convenient to work with the device.
There is also a leather case for Lenovo Phab. It costs about twice as much - 3,000 rubles. But it looks noticeably better, and it feels noticeably more expensive.
Screen
Lenovo Phab, despite its more impressive dimensions than Phab Plus, belongs to a cheaper category of devices, which means its display parameters will be worse. Let us remember that the “plus” model offers a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, which for 6.8" does not provide a record pixel density, but the image sharpness is sufficient.
However, Lenovo Phab is not like that. Here we have a 6.98" diagonal and a resolution of only 1280x720. The output is 210 ppi, which is about twice as much as laptops and monitors, but not as impressive as tablets. However, it depends on what To compare, expensive tablets have a high density of dots, while cheaper models will not always have 200 ppi.By the standards of smartphones, this is not enough - this category of devices has mastered 250-300 ppi, if we take the budget and mid-range level.
As for the matrix, here you have to deal with IPS. Of course, “IP-ES IP-ES” is different - in this case, not the most expensive screen option was used. Color rendition is generally not bad, viewing angles are wide, but it becomes blind outside and is not very convenient to use on a sunny day.
According to our objective measurements, the Lenovo Phab screen has a maximum brightness of 378.29 cd/m2, which is not very much, but not little either - quite enough in most cases. At the same time, the black color is not as bright as we measured on other IPS screens in Lately– 0.32 cd/m2. Let us remind you that regarding black, the less the better - it does not look gray. The final contrast was 1182:1, which is a very decent result.
The display's color gamut turned out to be smaller than the sRGB color space. This will affect color rendering, although you are unlikely to notice it by eye.
The color temperature, in turn, exceeds the optimal value of 6500K by about 700-800K, which is not very much. Thanks to this, the picture looks “softer”, the colors are “calm”, not so saturated.
The gamma curve is very close to the reference 2.2, that is, all image fragments are displayed correctly. No one will notice a slight “subsidence”.
It's strange, the Lenovo Phab display is huge, but only recognizes 5 simultaneous touches. We believe that a “ten” on such a smartphone-tablet would not be out of place.
There are no special screen settings - you can only adjust the brightness and the time it turns off.
The Lenovo Phab has a decent display with good white balance and deep blacks. You won't notice the slightly narrowed color gamut, but the resolution is still low. But with the resolution, everything is clear - this device should be different from the Phab Plus, right?
Camera
An interesting thing came up with the Lenovo Phab camera. On the one hand, a tablet doesn’t need a good photo module – they don’t shoot much with such a device. But the Phab is not much of a tablet. But this product itself is not very expensive, so in theory you can save money on the camera. However, we wouldn't say that this happened. The sensor of the smartphone is decent, with a resolution of 13 MP.
The application looks simple, but is fundamentally functional. There are various shooting modes. Quite a lot of settings.
There are special scene modes, you can set white balance, ISO sensitivity and even adjust noise reduction.
Maximum resolution is achieved at an aspect ratio of 4:3.
The pictures overall look decent. Even in poor lighting conditions everything is more or less good, although sometimes there are mistakes with the white balance.
For video, you can adjust the white balance and resolution. The latter can reach 1920x1080 pixels or Full HD.
The video, in principle, also turns out well - no worse than photographs.
The resolution of the front camera is 5 MP. It’s also not a “tablet” option at all - it’s clearly assumed that it will be used to take selfies.
The pictures taken from the front sensor are worse. There are mistakes with white balance, and they are also noticeably blurred.
But they did not limit the video resolution on the front camera and made it possible to shoot it in Full HD.
Although the video is captured in high resolution, does not look very good: cloudy, with incorrect white balance.
In general, we are satisfied with the Lenovo Phab cameras, especially the main one. It shoots decently for the price category and class of the device.
Lenovo Phab is not only a phablet, which we are reviewing, it is also a whole separate line of devices from the Chinese company. Within its framework, there are currently two products: our Phab (model PB1-750M) and the one we wrote earlier. There are quite a few differences between them, and to make them easier to study, we suggest comparing them by looking at the table:
The differences between Phab and Phab Plus are indeed extremely great - the second is noticeably better in terms of characteristics and is clearly preferable for purchase. But it is more expensive and, please note, it has almost exactly the same dimensions! The length and width of the Lenovo Phab case is only a fraction of a millimeter larger than that of the “plus” model! It's not surprising that we didn't notice a fundamental difference in terms of sensations between them!
Meanwhile, the Lenovo Phab is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor. This is a quad-core 64-bit chipset built on the Cortex-A53 architecture, operating at a frequency of 1.2 GHz. This chip is extremely popular and generally provides a good level of performance, but is increasingly moving towards the budget segment. However, there is no need to worry about the speed and comfort of working on Phab. The Adreno 306 accelerator is proposed as a video card, which is also a moderately fast solution, although nowadays even MediaTek has more interesting video cards installed.
But Lenovo was clearly greedy with the amount of RAM - 1 GB is quite a bit for such a device. We have not yet seen 1.5 GB in the company’s devices, which means that it considered installing 2 GB of RAM dangerous from the point of view of positioning with Phab Plus. However, Phab itself is not very expensive, so a gigabyte of RAM at its price does not look strange, but still increasing this value by one and a half to two times would be nice. Moreover, there is 16 GB of built-in flash memory - Lenovo did not embarrass itself by installing 8 GB of memory.
The rest of the tablet's parameters are quite standard. From a communication point of view, there is complete order here - there is support for LTE Cat.4, there is compatibility with Wi-Fi 802.11n, as well as Bluetooth 4.0. They may not be the fastest interfaces, but they have a complete set that most will be satisfied with.
Total Lenovo specifications Phab is rated “average” - there is nothing unusual here, on the contrary, such a small amount of RAM was disappointing. Nevertheless, let's see how the device performs in tests.
Performance testing
The Lenovo Phab has no direct competitors, so we decided to compare its speed with an 8-inch mid-level tablet. Its characteristics are largely the same as the model under consideration, and it is also made in the format of a smartphone.
There is nothing surprising in these results - both tablets have the same processor.
Although, of course, in some cases the performance difference is in favor of Phab. The presence of different shells has an effect, and the version of Android is different - Samsung had 5.0 at the time of testing and Lenovo had 5.1.
In the SunSpider browser test, the Chinese phablet also came out ahead, although not significantly.
In the 3DRating benchmark, something went wrong with Lenovo and it showed a noticeable lag behind Samsung.
Meanwhile, in other three-dimensional tests, both simple Nenamark2 and complex 3DMark and GFX Bench, we see complete parity. This is exactly the result we expected.
According to ours, the battery life of the Lenovo Phab is simply excellent. Even Galaxy Tab And the final result itself is very good, but the Lenovo device surpasses it. Great job, nothing more to say!
The maximum energy consumption in the Lenovo Phab came from 3D games - this is always the case. The remaining tasks, most of which require the screen to be on, consume approximately the same amount of energy.
Overall, the Lenovo Phab provides average performance and excellent battery life. It even significantly surpassed Phab Plus in this parameter.
Games on Lenovo Phab
Despite the not-so-fast processor and graphics card, games should run without issue on the Lenovo Phab. Firstly, they themselves adapt well to the capabilities of the device, and secondly, the screen resolution of the phablet is not very high.
- Riptide GP2: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Asphalt 7: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Asphalt 8: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Modern Combat 5: Blackout: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- N.O.V.A. 3: Some delays are visible;
- Dead Trigger: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Real Racing 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Need For Speed:No Limits: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Shadowgun: Dead Zone: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Frontline Commando: Normandy: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Frontline Commando 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Eternity Warriors 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Eternity Warriors 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Eternity Warriors 4: Some delays are visible;
- Trial Xtreme 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Trial Xtreme 4: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Dead Effect: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Dead Effect 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Plants vs Zombies 2: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Iron Man 3: excellent, the game does not slow down;
- Dead Target: excellent, the game does not slow down.
As you can see, there are no problems. Only the newest and most graphically heavy games may slow down a little, which should not be too annoying.
BY
Lenovo Phab runs under Android control 5.1, which is still not bad, although soon it will be possible to start “requiring” a minimum of Android 6.0. The most interesting thing is that Phab Plus, a more advanced and expensive model, comes with Android 5.0. Externally, the shells of the devices look the same; the processors, although different, are from the same manufacturer - Qualcomm - and of the same generation. Here is such a case.
The desktop looks normal, almost indistinguishable from the original Android. The Phab tablet offers a kind of lightweight version of the Lenovo shell - there is a division into desktops and a separate list of applications.
The notifications and quick settings panel also looks extremely close to a “pure robot”. Only quick parameters more quantity. The list of recent applications, also known as the task manager, has also remained virtually unchanged - only an icon for clearing the list has been placed at the top.
Separately, you should note the “Special” section in the settings. Here you can turn on the microscreen, which makes one-handed operation somewhat easier. At the same time, the quality of the picture drops somewhat and it all looks a little strange, but the very fact of the presence of such a function indicates the positioning of the device closer to a smartphone than a tablet.
The application grid looks extremely impressive - 30 shortcuts fit here.
Among the preinstalled programs, one can note such as Dolby Atmos, where you can adjust the sound parameters of the phablet.
The Lenovo Phab icon hides an interactive guide to the device.
The SYNCit app allows you to create backup copy contacts, SMS messages and call logs.
SHAREit is used to share files between devices.
The calculator is ordinary, but in horizontal orientation it becomes an engineering calculator.
The clock app includes alarm, world clock, stopwatch and timer functions.
Perhaps the only complaint about the software on Lenovo Phab is that it does not use the 64-bit capabilities of the processor. As you can see, the smartphone has a version of the system installed for the 32-bit ARMv7 architecture, while the 64-bit ARMv8 is designated as aarch64. Otherwise, everything is fine - nothing slows down, the interface animation is smooth, without jerks.
Conclusion
Lenovo Phab turned out to be a rather unusual device. First of all, because Phab Plus looks strange against its background - having a smaller diagonal screen, it provides almost the same body dimensions. It turns out that either Lenovo tried hard for Phab, or “cheated” for Phab Plus. But why do this if the second one is more expensive and you can potentially earn more on it?
So it turns out that the experience of using both Phab and Phab Plus is the same. Undoubtedly, the second one is noticeably faster, and the screen is better there, but still. Moreover, Phab is noticeably cheaper - about half, but at the same time its characteristics correspond to the average level, except for the amount of RAM. The RAM could actually be installed one and a half to two times more.
Lenovo Phab also pleased us with its autonomy - it is very good. The combination of a decent 4250 mAh battery, a moderately productive processor and a low-resolution screen clearly had an impact. Apparently, Lenovo also carried out some optimization of the device’s operation and the result is extremely positive.
What disadvantages does Fab have, besides RAM? Dimensions are a given. The screen resolution could use more, but that's the way it is. The lack of a headset included and the non-separable case can be overcome. So how much does such a “device” cost?
Lenovo Phab price
You can buy Lenovo Phab (PB1-750M) for 10 thousand rubles. At the beginning of 2016, it is noted only when ordering in official store Lenovo. But even with this option the price looks extremely attractive. For that kind of money, it’s difficult to even buy a tablet with similar capabilities, let alone a smartphone.
Similar tablet phones can compete with Phab, one of which is Acer Iconia Talk S A1-724. It costs a little more - 12 thousand and offers the same Snapdragon 410 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal memory, 5 and 2 MP cameras. The screen is almost the same - IPS, 1280x720, 7". In general, the design of the device is also similar to a smartphone, but the price is higher and the characteristics are slightly worse.
4G version Samsung tablet Galaxy Tab A 8.0 costs significantly more – almost 18 thousand. At the same time, you are already convinced that its speed is at least not higher. In terms of characteristics, it is quite close to the Lenovo Phab, the difference lies in the amount of RAM - 2 GB. But the cameras are noticeably worse both in quality and resolution - 5 and 2 MP. The Samsung tablet also has a noticeably lower screen resolution - 1024x768 with an 8-inch diagonal. In general, Phab looks much better compared to it.
Pros:
- huge size;
- affordable price;
- excellent assembly;
- interesting design;
- good cameras for their class;
- excellent autonomy.
Minuses:
- huge size and weight;
- non-separable body;
- no headset included;
- low resolution screen;
- only 1 GB of RAM.
Somehow, we paid undeservedly little attention to another new product from Lenovo - a tablet phone with a clever name PHAB Plus. This large smartphone or a compact tablet is equipped with a 6.8-inch screen with Full HD resolution, clad in a metal body, but otherwise it is a completely balanced mid-ranger. Its closest relative is the Lenovo PHAB without any arithmetic signs. We will also talk about it in this article.
The first thing you pay attention to is the size. The device is large, difficult to fit, but still fits in a man’s palm. To comfortably use such a device, you need to have a certain habit or a clear mindset to switch from two devices (smartphone and tablet) to one.
PHAB Plus can be perceived from two sides. Firstly, this is an over-smartphone and under-tablet. On the other hand, it is a universal device that better than a smartphone, as it has a large display that fits everything you need. And besides, the device is better than its tablet counterparts in that it has a much more compact size. A sort of thing that managed to combine the best of all worlds.
Personally, I am inclined to the second, positive perception. By the way, it is facilitated by the relatively small thickness of 7.6 mm, the metal body and generally stylish appearance. I don't know about you, but personally, I look at the PHAB Plus and see the iPhone 6. Especially when comparing the back sides. After all, there are similarities, you must agree!
Device dimensions:
- dimensions 186 x 96.6 x 7.6 mm
- weight 220 g
From the front, the tablet phone resembles more. These Chinese brothers love to make wide frames at the top and bottom of the front panel of their devices.
Enough about perception, let's move on to objective indicators - Lenovo PHAB Plus specifications(model PB1-770M):
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor (MSM8939) with clock frequency 1.5 GHz (64-bit, 8 Cortex-A53 cores)
- Adreno 405 video chip
- RAM 2 GB LPDDR3
- built-in memory 32 GB
- memory card slot: microSD up to 64 GB
- 6.8-inch IPS display with a resolution of 920 x 1080 pixels (324 ppi)
- 13 MP main camera with autofocus and LED flash
- front-camera 5 MP with fixed focal length
- battery 3500 mAh (lithium polymer)
- sound is provided by one speaker
- technology support: SoundChambo / Dolby Atmos
- connectors: Micro USB(2.0), audio output 3.5 mm
- sensors: light and proximity sensor, accelerometer, compass
Wireless interfaces:
- LTE (4G)
- Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
- Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
- number of SIM cards: two slots for SIM cards (micro and nano)
- GPS, aGPS, GLONASS
Our miracle Yudo tablet does not work on the basis latest version Android 5.0.2. The VIBE UI proprietary shell is preinstalled on top of the OS.
Unfortunately, in the test sample the system interface was seriously slow. Most likely, the reason lies in the non-final version of the software, and Android 5.1 will hopefully arrive in time by the time of release.
A more or less standard set of colors should hit the market: dark gray (Gunmetal Grey), silver (Titanium Silver) and gold (Honey Gold). Everything that the broad soul of the modern consumer needs. The price of Lenovo PHAB Plus stopped at $299. According to the old rate, it’s not a bad offer for such a stylish thing, but according to the new one... in general, let everyone decide for themselves.
Release date: before the end of the year Price: $299 Price in Russia: 19,990 rubles
However, that's not all. For a more practical population of the planet, another tablet phone was introduced - Lenovo PHAB, without Plus. There are very few differences, so we’ll just list them in a separate list for the younger modification under the index PB1-770M:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor (MSM8916) clocked at 1.2 GHz (64-bit, 4 Cortex-A53 cores)
- Adreno 306 graphics
- RAM 1 GB
- built-in storage 16 GB
- 7’’ IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (210 ppi)
- battery 4250 mAh
- OS Android 5.1
- Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), that is, supports the latest ac protocol
- dimensions 186 x 97 x 8.9 mm (younger version is 1.3 mm thicker)
- weight 250 g (and 30 grams heavier)
The last parameter, which has an even more significant difference in this weight (see price) category, is the price, which in this case is $179. The remaining specifications are identical to the older solution.
Interestingly, less productive, and therefore less energy-hungry hardware, coupled with a more capacious battery, in theory, should provide a good level battery life. You should expect 3-4 days of operation without recharging in average use. However, it is worth waiting for samples to make a final conclusion on this matter.
Contents: Tablet, network charger with USB connector, USB cable, key for removing SIM card, warranty card, instructions, packaging
Product description
Highest 4G speed.
6.8" Full HD display.
With a 6.8-inch Full HD IPS display, the Lenovo Phab Plus phablet is not only big, but also smart. The highest dot density (326 pixels per inch) provides stunning multimedia capabilities. The screen is so large compared to other smartphones and is very convenient for games, viewing...
6.8" Full HD display.
With a 6.8-inch Full HD IPS display, the Lenovo Phab Plus phablet is not only big, but also smart. The highest dot density (326 pixels per inch) provides stunning multimedia capabilities. Such a large screen compared to other smartphones is very convenient for games, watching movies and working with applications.
Highest 4G speed.
The Lenovo Phab Plus phablet supports LTE (4G) networks, providing high-speed data transfer. This will help you fully realize the capabilities of web surfing, applications and games. No more waiting!
Two high quality cameras.
The Lenovo Phab Plus phablet comes with a best-in-class 13MP rear camera. When it comes to photography, this camera allows you to capture life's best moments in photos or videos. There's also a 5-megapixel front camera so you can hone your selfie photography skills.
Excellent battery life.
Whatever you do, the Lenovo Phab Plus phablet has enough battery to get you through it. A huge battery with a capacity of 3500 mAh and the ability to control the power consumption of the screen allows the phablet to work all day - almost 24 hours!
Cinematic quality sound.
Dolby Atmos audio processing technology delivers audio like you've never heard before. Plug in your headphones and enjoy the dynamic, immersive and highly accurate sound of the Lenovo Phab Plus phablet. The sound is immersive - as if you have your own movie theater, and at the same time you can carry it with you in your pocket.
The rounded design of the tablet is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also designed specifically for one-handed operation.
Sleek aerodynamic contours allow you to comfortably hold the Lenovo Phab Plus phablet with two hands. But the device is ideal for use with one hand. For maximum ease of use in this mode, we have added a microscreen function. And the unibody aluminum body design not only looks great.
The manufacturer provides for installing a microSD card or a second SIM card in one slot. Simultaneous use of two SIM cards and a microSD card is not possible.
We found an unusual device in our editorial office - Lenovo Phab Plus. On the one hand, this is the most compact tablet among those presented, on the other, the largest smartphone. The device has a 6.8-inch screen, an aluminum body, and full support for tablet and mobile phone functions.
There's a new addition to Lenovo's line of phablets. At the beginning of the year, the developer introduced the Phab Plus model. The gadget became the first device of its kind with a 6.8-inch screen. In fact, it is a tablet with phone functions. There is a full-fledged application for calls, SMS, support for two SIM cards, 4G. Among the notable points, we note the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 hardware platform, 13 megapixel camera and attractive appearance. The device received an all-metal body with a thickness of 7.6 mm. But first things first.
Lenovo Phab Plus Specifications
id="sub0">| Characteristic | Description |
| Case materials: | aluminum, plastic, glass |
| Operating system: | Android 5.0 + Vibe UI |
| Screen: | TFT IPS, 6.8"", 1080x1920 (324 ppi), automatic backlight level adjustment, oleophobic coating |
| CPU: | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chip (quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 and quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| Graphics chip: | Qualcomm Adreno 405, 550 MHz |
| RAM: | 2 GB |
| Built-in flash memory: | 32 GB (approximately 25 GB available to the user), there is a slot for microSD memory cards (up to 128 GB), the memory card is installed instead of the second SIM card |
| Sensors: | proximity, lighting, gyroscope |
| Mobile connection: | 2G/3G/4G, support for two SIM cards (one is microSIM, the other is nanoSIM), Dual SIM Dual standby; |
| Communications: | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0; GPS, GLONASS; |
| Camera: | main - 13 megapixels with autofocus and flash, front - 5 megapixels; |
|
Battery: |
3500 mAh, non-removable; |
| 186.6 x 96.6 x 7.6 mm; | |
| Weight: | 229 grams |
Dimensions. Contents of delivery
id="sub2">In my opinion, the most convenient tablets in terms of size are models with a screen diagonal of 8 to 9 inches. Lenovo Phab Plus is a more compact device. The developer calls it a phablet, but I believe it's just a compact tablet. The gadget is convenient to use for reading books in transport, watching news, films and photos, as well as communicating on social networks.
The tablet dimensions are 186.6 x 96.6 x 7.6 mm. Weight 229 grams. The phablet is quite compact and thin. It is comfortable to hold with one hand. You can carry the device in a bag, briefcase or backpack. You can also purchase a cover; fortunately, choosing a suitable option is quite easy in any store. You can focus on accessories for 7-inch models.
The scope of delivery includes:
Lenovo Phab Plus PB1-770M tablet
Adapter for electrical network
Cable for synchronization with computer micro-USB - USB
Instructions
Warranty card
Design, construction
id="sub3">The appearance of Lenovo Phab Plus is so similar to the iPhone 6s Plus that it’s simply amazing. Apple features can be seen in literally everything: the color, the design of the side ends, and back panel, and body proportions. It seems that Lenovo simply increased the length and width of the iPhone, leaving the thickness unchanged.
The phablet body is made of aluminum. The metal is cool to the hand and does not slip. The material is resistant to fingerprints and scratches. There are plastic covers on the top and bottom. Transceiver modules are hidden behind them cellular communication, Wi-Fi, GPS.
For the assembly and quality of the materials used, we can give it a solid A. The device looks impressive, you feel that this is an expensive device.
As for the individual elements of the Phab Plus, the screen occupies just over 70% of the front panel area. The thickness of the side frames around the display is about 6 mm. There are no hardware keys on the front panel; the maximum area is occupied by the display.
Above the screen there is a 5 MP front camera for selfies and video calls. There is also a speaker for playing voice calls. It has a built-in single LED that notifies the tablet owner about missed calls, SMS and other events. You can configure the work in the corresponding settings item.
On the right side of the Lenovo Phab Plus there is a button to turn on, turn off and lock the screen, as well as keys for adjusting the volume. On the opposite side there is a slot for two SIM cards (one mini-SIM size, the second nano-SIM). Instead of a nanoSIM card, a microSD memory card is inserted. This means that if you use two SIM cards at once, you will not be able to expand the basic amount of memory.
The 3.5mm headphone port can be found on the top edge of the phablet. There is a microUSB port at the bottom. There is also a microphone for phone calls.
On the back side there is the main camera, which takes photographs with a maximum resolution of 13 megapixels. There is a dual LED flash.
The main speaker is also installed on the back of the phablet. Despite the fact that he is alone, he has very good sound quality and volume reserve.
Screen. Graphics capabilities
id="sub4">The tablet has a 6.8-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1080x1920 (324 ppi). The display looks advantageous compared to other tablets with a small diagonal. It is very clear, bright, contrasty, and perfectly conveys black color. Viewing angles are quite wide; when viewed from an angle, the contrast drops very slightly.
Watching movies and photos on the Lenovo Phab Plus is quite comfortable - and for a phablet this is more important than for a regular smartphone.
In total, the device understands up to five simultaneous clicks - this is less than the standard ten, but quite enough for work. There are no problems with gestures, as well as with the accuracy of touch recognition and responsiveness; besides, you can work with the gadget while wearing loose gloves, which is especially important now.
On the street, the screen fades quite decently. In order to see the information, you have to force the brightness to 100%. In addition, the display surface is highly reflective, which also negatively affects the perception of the picture. Protective glass has an oleophobic coating. It works quite well. Fingerprints appear extremely slowly.
Camera: photography and video recording
id="sub5">Phab Plus received a classic set of cameras. The main one (on the back side) has a resolution of 13 megapixels, there is autofocus and a flash. The front camera does not have autofocus; it has a resolution of 5 megapixels. Very high-quality pictures from cameras are obtained only in very good lighting. This applies to both outdoors and indoors. Otherwise, the photos will have unnatural colors, and in some places they will be completely blurry. The HDR mode works slowly, autofocus is slow and sometimes for some reason returns to its original state. The light sensitivity in the camera is also not so great. In general, there are classic problems like all tablets.
The camera settings menu is simple and convenient. It has a pop-up menu for switching from photo to video, as well as a panorama mode and various effects. There are many modes for setting up the camera - more than in flagship mobile phones, but they are of little use.
The tablet records video in FullHD format, but its quality is not much different from the photo described above - artifacts are visible, color rendition is unnatural.
Hardware: memory and performance
id="sub6">Lenovo Phab Plus is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset with an octa-core processor (4 cores of 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 and 4 cores of 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53). The Qualcomm Adreno 405 (550 MHz) graphics chip is responsible for displaying the image. RAM - 2 GB.
The tablet copes well with basic tasks. It smoothly displays operating system animations and quickly switches between applications. Occasionally the image may “jerk”, but there are no serious freezes to speak of.
Things are a little worse with games. You can only play casual arcade games on the device - it is not designed for “heavy” toys. The user will have to reduce the graphics settings to a minimum and put up with periodic twitching of the image. Phab Plus copes with all other tasks without problems. It displays video smoothly in the screen's native Full HD format and knows many common video codecs. For a device in the mid-price category, there is enough power here, but there are no sudden pleasant surprises to be expected.
The tablet has 32 GB of internal memory, of which about 26 GB is available for use. This memory can be expanded using microSD cards up to 128 GB.
Communication capabilities
id="sub7">Phab Plus can work in any mobile networks, this applies to both 3G and 4G. You can install two SIM cards into the phablet at once: one microSIM and one nano-SIM. The maximum theoretical data transfer speed via 4G is 150 Mbit/s for reception and 50 Mbit/s for upload (LTE Cat. 4). Talking on Phab Plus is not very convenient due to the large size of the device; it is much easier to do this with a headset. The volume reserve of the conversational speaker is decent, you just need to get used to bringing it directly to your ear. From the outside it looks extremely funny.
In addition, there is Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n). There is support for Bluetooth 4.0.
The device contains a navigation chip AGPS/GPS, GLOANSS and BeiDou. A minute after launching the profile test, the device detected a total of eleven satellites of three systems and was guided by seven of them. The navigation error radius was around 10-11 meters. The device does not get lost on the ground; it can be used as a navigator. For navigation, you can use pre-installed maps from Google or Yandex. They are quite convenient, regularly updated with new functions.
Duration of work
id="sub8">Phab Plus received lithium-ion battery capacity 3500 mAh. With Wi-Fi always on and Internet browsing for about 3 hours, as well as video playback for 3 hours, the battery will last for three days. If you enable navigation and also allow several applications to run in the background, the time will drop by 50%. In mixed operating mode, the device will work for 3-4 days, which is a definite plus.
Charging accumulator battery in 3 hours. Recharging can be done from a contact network, a computer via a USB port or a portable battery.
Programs and software
id="sub9">The tablet runs Android 5.0.2. At the same time, the user interface has been slightly redesigned compared to the classic Android tablet. But these changes are purely cosmetic.
In standby mode, the user has access to several desktops. By default, there is one desktop with the phone, browser, contacts, SMS and Google Play store applications removed. This list can be supplemented and changed. At the bottom there are buttons for navigation and launching the context menu.
Each new desktop can be customized to suit you. To do this, simply hold down any widget in the widget toolbar, or the icon of the corresponding application for a long time. In the future, individual programs can be grouped by meaning, for example, photos, videos and YouTube on one screen, and a calendar and notes on another.
Besides standard applications several additional ones are preinstalled: antivirus from McAfee Security, proprietary Lenovo Phab applications, SYNCit HD (for synchronizing user data), SHAREit (for file sharing) and DOLBY Atmos (sound settings).
To make it easier to operate with one hand, you can activate the floating button, assigning it to call up a small smart menu and a number of other functions. In addition, in the main settings menu in the “Special” tab, you can activate a smaller screen for one-handed operation. To call this function, just draw an arc along the required side of it (left or right). Its size and position are also adjustable within small limits.
Overall I liked the user interface. In some programs the tablet worked a little more thoughtfully than in others, but I did not experience any critical problems.
Results
id="sub10">Despite the fact that the manufacturer calls the Lenovo Phab Plus a phablet, it is a typical tablet with voice communication functions. Why this is necessary, given the widespread use of instant messengers and online calling services, I don’t know.
The device is impeccably assembled, has a stylish appearance a la iPhone 6 and is offered in three colors. I liked the screen, it is bright and contrasty. I would also consider the long battery life as a plus. In terms of performance, the tablet is a typical average. Phab Plus is quite suitable for multimedia tasks and web surfing, but you won’t be able to play everything on it.
The disadvantages include the not very stable quality of photo and video shooting, as well as a combined slot for a memory card and a second SIM card.
Given the falling prices for the Lenovo Phab Plus, it could be a very worthwhile purchase.
Advantages
Long working time
High quality build
High quality screen
Flaws
Photos and videos from low quality cameras
Combined tray for SIM cards and memory cards
On the day of publication, Lenovo Phab Plus could be purchased at a price of 17,990 rubles.
The gigantomania that has swept the mobile device market has made it possible to create phablets with a screen diagonal of more than 5 inches. This is not a tablet yet, but outwardly it is no longer a phone. The company positions its new product as “phone + tablet”, that is, it combines the properties of a phone and a tablet. Lenovo announced Phab Plus at the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin 2015.
Advantages and disadvantages of Lenovo Phab Plus
One might wonder who needs such a bulky phone. The answer is obvious: for those who want a compact, miniature tablet with the capabilities of a phone.
The Lenovo Phab Plus smartphone is worth buying for its following advantages:
- It's cheaper than an iPad;
- Less weight, more compact;
- It has thin frames and small width;
- Built-in radio, not found in tablets;
- Having the advantages of a tablet, it can also make calls and take decent photos.
Appearance and equipment of Phab Plus
At first glance, its undeniable resemblance to the iPhone 6 is noticeable. The phone does not have the desired individuality, but its elegant aluminum body is very good. It is light, smooth, cool in the hand, resistant to mechanical damage and fingerprints. It lies securely in the palm of your hand, is not “nimble”, and has no tendency to slip out of your hands.
The ergonomic design of the case with rounded side contours is designed so that the massive phablet is not difficult to hold with two hands. But the phone is also ideal for one-handed operation.
The location of the power key and volume control is traditional - on the right side. All mechanical buttons Lenovo smartphone Phab Plus - quite convex, well extended from the body and comfortable for the user.
At the top there is a mini-jack connector (3.5 mm) for connecting headphones, at the bottom there is a microUSB port.
On the left side there are combined slots for two SIM cards: nano and micro. It’s very fortunate that one of the trays is universal - also suitable for installing additional card microSD memory with a capacity of up to 200 GB.
At first glance, it may seem that one main speaker is not enough, but the speaker on the back of the smartphone sounds powerful, clear, and with a large volume reserve. A dual LED flash and camera are beautifully inscribed in its mesh. Just below is the Lenovo logo, modestly absent from the front panel.
Users will be able to buy Lenovo Phab Plus in three color versions to choose from: silver, gold and “Gunmetal Grey,” which can be translated as “dark gray/steel.”
The dimensions of the new Lenovo XXL smartphone are such that they are literally on the verge when the owner looks a little strange when holding it to his ear. The dimensions are impressive - 186.6 - 96.6 - 7.6 mm. It even exceeds the size of the legendary Sony Xperia Z Ultra, although not too much. If you do not take into account the dimensions, the smartphone does not look very large in appearance, but is extremely neat. It is clear that this is a smartphone, not a tablet.
In short, the design of the device is attractive, the assembly is excellent - there are no backlashes, creaks, everything fits perfectly.
The phone is packaged in a white box with Lenovo's signature design, updated last year. The equipment is sufficient. Inside the box are: the device itself, Charger, USB cable, paper clip, paper documentation. Stereo headphones are unfortunately not available.
Lenovo Phab Plus Specifications
Almost a tablet in appearance, but still a phone of “not a child’s” size - the new product from Lenovo has the following specifications:
- Class: intermediate;
- Form factor: monoblock;
- Housing materials: aluminum;
- Operating system: Android 5.0 + Vibe UI;
- Network: two SIM cards, one radio module, GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, LTE (microSIM/nanoSIM) supported;
- Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 615;
- Processor: eight-core 1.45 GHz;
- RAM: 2 GB;
- Memory for data storage: 32 GB, microSD memory card slot (cards up to 200 GB are supported);
- Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n/ac), dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0 (A2DP, EDR), microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset;
- Screen: 6.8’’, capacitive, IPS matrix, 1920x1080 pixels (FHD), automatic backlight level adjustment, oleophobic coating present;
- Camera: 13 MP, video recording in 1080p (1920x1080 pixels), LED flash;
- Front camera: 5 MP;
- Navigation: GPS/Glonass (A-GPS support);
- Sensors: accelerometer, spatial position sensor;
- Gyroscope, light sensor: yes;
- Battery: non-removable, Li-Ion, capacity 3500 mAh;
- Dimensions: 186.6 x 96.6 x 7.6 mm;
- Weight: 229 grams.
Lenovo Phab Plus phablet screen
The screen is the most important part of a phablet. This is what first attracts the attention of potential buyers. Lenovo representatives in their announcement focus on the huge display. Not surprising, because it occupies almost 70% of the entire surface of the front panel. The display is impressive in size - 6.8 “, made using IPS technology, with a resolution of 1920×1080.
By Lenovo reviews Phab Plus, it has a very high-quality screen in terms of color rendering, with colorful, rich picture colors. An oleophobic coating protects the glass from fingerprints, the image on the screen is clearly visible indoors and outdoors, and the viewing angles, like all IPS matrices, are excellent.
The user will be especially pleased with the brightness of the display - at least 9 cd/m2, which guarantees comfort when using it in the dark. The built-in light sensor automatically adjusts the screen light, eliminating the need for the owner to adjust it manually.
Hardware and operating system Phab Plus
The smartphone does not shine with supernatural abilities, but it will not let you down at work and will show itself at its best. Insignificant, barely perceptible heating under heavy loads is one of its important advantages.
The Fab is equipped with an 8-bit processor with a clock frequency of 1.45 GHz on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 platform - middle class in terms of speed (the maximum possible frequency for Snapdragon 615 is 1.7 GHz). The Adreno 405 video accelerator for working with graphics is also average in terms of speed.
RAM - 2 GB. In the Lenovo Phab Plus 32gb model additional memory, from which the user is provided with 24 GB on a smartphone from the store for personal purposes. Plus a microSD memory card.
operating room Android system™ Lollipop with branded shell Vibe UI works stably and does not freeze. The developers have made a number of attractive additions to it and updated the appearance. The changes have increased the speed of the OS and its efficiency, which is combined with economical battery consumption and the ability to use popular Google apps, such as Google keyboard, Google calendar, Chrome browser.
The developers refused the opportunity to install a large number of proprietary applications on Phab Plus, which only improved the quality of its work. Can be downloaded RAM installing more than 100,000 applications, the user will have another 1.1 GB of memory available. None of the competitors keep more than a gigabyte of RAM free with 2 GB of RAM. This is another significant “plus” for the Phab Plus smartphone.
The developers did not leave almost pure Android without “intercession”. To make it easier for the user to control the phablet, there is a smart keyboard on the screen. Her image moves across the screen to the tilted side of the phone. The smart menu in the form of a transparent circle can be dragged to the desired location on the display. By clicking on the menu circle, we get access to open smartphone applications, the curtain and special buttons, and add shortcuts to our most preferred applications.
Next in the line of smart tools is a smart screen. With this Lenovo launcher, you can hold the phablet with one hand and operate it like a five-inch smartphone. The miniature screen moves over the large one to any convenient place. With a smaller dialer, managing your smart phone becomes much more convenient.
The smart function for answering an incoming call by simply holding the phone to your ear eliminates the need to do any additional manipulations and risk missing the call.
Multimedia smartphone Phab Plus
In this part, you can speak positively and negatively about Lenovo. Let's consider an external speaker. There are no complaints about its sound; the sound is of decent volume, but the bass is not enough; wheezing occurs at maximum volume. IN computer games The external speaker copes with its role “excellently”, and when playing music, its abilities are rated as average.
Installed on the phablet proprietary utility Dolby Atmos allows you, like an equalizer, to adjust frequencies depending on the type music file: music, film, game, voice. The utility in this case is very appropriate, since the installed music player has limited functionality. Even its appearance is quite “poor”, like built into file manager player. It's better to buy from Play Market Alternative option.
Despite the weak pre-installed player, the sound quality of the smartphone is quite decent. If you use headphones along with the sound settings from the Dolby utility, you can enjoy playing music even in Flac, without any worries.
When installing a third-party player, the equalizer settings are selected satisfactorily for the most demanding music lovers, without glitches in performance. Among other things, there is a radio here, and it receives excellent reception, including in places difficult to reach radio waves. Even the iPhone can't boast of this. In alternative 7-8 inch tablets, radio is practically nowhere to be found. There are users for whom these pleasant “buns” are very important when choosing a smartphone.
Video playback does not cause problems, the device works with many formats. Movies look crisp and clear on the display thanks to full HD quality. The battery charge lasts for a long time in video viewing mode. This is favored high quality display.
Summarizing all of the above about the Lenovo Phab Plus phablet, you can add the following “plus” to your smartphone in terms of all multimedia components. As a result, we can say that the phone is too small for viewing video files, the laptop is too large, but the phablet is 100% suitable.
Main and front camera Lenovo Phab Plus
The device has two cameras - front and main. The front is 5 MP with a face correction mode, if you take a selfie, an instant photo to send to friends is decent. If the quality of the images is compared with expensive smartphones, then inferior.
The 13 MP main camera is the best in its class and has several features. There are not enough settings, the control range is scanty, there is practically no point in using them. When adjusting the shutter speed and ISO, for example, in bright sunlight, the quality of the pictures does not necessarily become better; it is impossible to predict the result.
Like most smartphones, the Phab Plus camera takes the most successful shots in auto camera mode in good daylight. The smartphone's HDR mode is simply amazing. It is he who is able to save a photograph when it is simply impossible to capture dark and light areas in one frame in a different way on this phablet. True, the process of shooting in HDR mode is quite lengthy, it takes about 2-5 seconds. During this period of time, the fabric will snap 10 consecutive frames, then combine them into one.
Working in HDR mode is a real test for the owner of the gadget; you have to hold a 230-gram phablet in your hands for 5 seconds without shaking. A great way out of a difficult situation is to purchase a tripod. Color color in HDR is decent, with a minimum of minor errors; overall, the photographs can be praised.
In the dark, the camera will work primarily as a flashlight. Video records without stabilization, with a resolution of 1080p.
Autonomy and battery Lenovo Phab Plus
The autonomy of the device is not particularly impressive. The battery is non-removable, with a capacity of 3500 mAh, which will support the life of a 5-inch smartphone quite well. The “gluttonous” display quickly eats up the energy reserve even when the phone is not used actively. If you are watching a video, listening to music or playing games, you need to be prepared to charge your smartphone twice a day.
Watching movies in FullHD format will completely drain the “life” from the device in about 4.5 hours. Reducing the screen brightness level will increase its operating time to 5.5 hours.
In normal everyday use: photography, calls, messages, 2 hours of watching YouTube videos, surfing world wide web, in auto-brightness mode the phone lasts for a day and a half. This is all with Wi-Fi and 3G turned on. Disabling them during periods of inactivity makes it possible to maintain the phone's functionality for up to two days.
A 100% battery charge level from a 1.5 ampere power supply is achieved in 3 hours. Mode fast charging no, there is no need for it.
Price and video review of Phab Plus
It’s worth starting with the fact that, objectively speaking, the Lenovo phablet has no competitors. There are outdated models of this form factor, but with weaker hardware and outdated operating system. Closest to it is the Huawei P8 Max, which has advantages in autonomy and internal memory, but its cost is 1.5 times higher.
At a low price, Lenovo Phab Plus has decent characteristics and performs well in everyday use. The phone costs only 20,000 rubles (about $300). Not every manufacturer of top smartphones provides customers with products with such a good combination of price and quality.
There are, of course, tablets of a similar size that are cheaper, but with weaker hardware. There are also more expensive smartphones with similar hardware.
Video Lenovo review Phab Plus is presented below:
Lenovo's new product turned out to be high-quality, functional, and productive. Such a solid average guy with some outstanding abilities. It's safe to say that he won't have to look target audience, she will definitely find it herself.
