Conclusion

You may view Lenovo as an also-ran in the budget phablet market, and there’s no disputing that. This segment was not pioneered by Lenovo, but at least it’s not directly copying its competitors. The Lenovo K3 Note features an original, albeit simple design, and offers excellent value for money.

This market segment is all about value for money, and Lenovo came up with a really attractive package on a tight budget. There’s really not much more we could ask for from a $150 phone – all the most important stuff is already on board: a fast processor, 1080p display, good camera, beefy battery, snappy UI. Lenovo took the basic recipe for a value phablet, trimmed the fat, and included a few neat items that are much more useful than gimmicks (namely a hi-res panel and good camera).

The end result is a great all-rounder, a phone capable of outperforming much more expensive devices, with a camera that wouldn’t be out of place in a mid-range device, or a flagship of yesteryear.
The Lenovo K3 Note is a well-balanced smartphone with a lot of pros and very few cons. Add to that great value for money, and it’s obvious that Lenovo has a very strong product on its hands. The biggest problem with the K3 Note, and Lenovo phones in general, is that Western markets simply don’t get them. Well, there’s Motorola, but it’s really a pity that Lenovo decided against marketing its smartphones in Europe, North America, and other major markets.

In our opinion, the Lenovo K3 Note is hands down the best Android smartphone you can get for this sort of money – uhm – if you can get it in your country.

Lenovo K3 Note Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Exceptional price/performance ratio
• Best camera in this market segment
• 1080p display
• Snappiest MediaTek MT6752 device we had a chance to test so far
• Battery life, user-replaceable battery
• Audio quality

Cons:

• Slow charging
• UI still looks too Appleish
• Lenovo still preinstalls some bloatware
• Conservative design won’t turn any heads
• Display viewing angles are limited