A consumer checks out smartphones (Reuters)
A consumer checks out smartphones (Reuters)Reuters

Top PC-maker Lenovo in its bid to make strides in mobile business is all set to release the feature-rich K3 Note in India next week. It is priced at ₹9,999, making it the most affordable full HD phablet in the country.

Chinese smartphone-maker Meizu made a remarkable debut in India a couple of months ago with the launch of Note M1. Back then, it was the cheapest 5.5-inch full HD smartphone in the market and threatened to steal thunder away from the Taiwanese compatriot Asus' marquee phone Zenfone 2 series.

But with the release of K3 Note on 8 July, they now have another formidable rival in the mid-range smartphone market. This apparently is good news for budget phablet buyers in India as they now have more choices.

To provide a better perspective on these phones, we have briefly described the key specifications of Lenovo K3 Note, Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) and Meizu M1 Note.

Display:

All three Lenovo K3 Note, Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) and Meizu M1 Note feature full HD (1,920x1,080p) screen having pixel density of 401 ppi (pixels per inch).

But K3 Note users are advised to buy a screen-guard as it does not come with any reputable protective cover on the display. Probably, it is due to the price-reducing strategy by the company. However, the other two devices boast Corning's scratch resistant Gorilla Glass 3 shield.

Processor, RAM and Storage Capacity:

Both Lenovo K3 Note and Meizu Note M1 house same 64-bit class 1.7GHz Mediatek [MT6752] Octa-core (ARM Cortex-A53) CPU with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage space (expandable up to).

On the other hand, Asus Zenfone 2 -ZE551ML (2GB RAM model) houses an equally impressive 64-bit class based 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor Z3560 respectively. It is backed by PowerVR G6430 graphics engine, 2GB RAM and 16GB inbuilt memory with an option for up to +64GB via microSD card.

Camera:

In this aspect, Asus smartphone comes on top as it boasts top-end camera features compared to its rivals.

Zenfone 2 boasts top-of-the-line 13mp camera on the rear side, backed by proprietary PixelMaster technology, Backlight (HDR) mode, f/2.0 aperture, and 5mp snapper on the front with 88-degree field of view and also comes with ZenUI Selfie Panorama mode, which can capture panoramic selfies with a 140-degree field of view.

Meizu Note M1 comes close second with a 13mp Samsung camera, 4X digital zoom, 300-degree panoramic lens, Blue glass IR filter, 5-element lens, f/2.2 aperture. And on the front, it comes packed with 5mp OV5670 camera with 4-element lens, f/2.0, 69-degree wide-angle lens, Face AE light boost technology and FotoNation smart selfie enhancement.

Lenovo K3 Note features a 13mp camera with dual-tone LED flash, HDR, full HD video recording and a 5mp snapper on the front.

Mobile Operating System:

In this aspect, all three devices stand even as they run on the ubiquitous Android mobile OS platform. The only difference is that they feature custom UI of their own on top of primary OS.

Asus Zenfone 2 and Lenovo K3 Note run on Android 5.0 Lollipop with Zen UI and Vibe 2.5 UI respectively.

On the other hand, Meizu Note M1 is powered by Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS with Flyme UI.

Price:

Price is one of the most important aspects of this comparison article as it plays a crucial role in the minds of the price-sensitive middle-class working population, which forms the biggest chunk of India's demography.

Lenovo wins this game hands down as it has priced K3 Note just ₹9,999, that's ₹2,000 more than it rival Meizu Note M1. Whereas the Asus Zenfone 2 which was first considered quite a bargain for ₹14,999 after it got released in India in April , now it looks steep compared to Lenovo K3 Note.

Key Specifications of Lenovo K3 Note, Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) and Meizu Note M1:

Models Lenovo K3 Note Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) Meizu M1 Note
Display
  • 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) IPS screen
  • Pixel density: 403 ppi
  • 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) IPS screen with wide 178-degree viewing angle. It also boasts of ASUS TruVivid display technology and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 shield
  • Pixel density: 403 ppi (pixels per inch)
  • 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) Sharp/AUO IGZO screen with GFF full lamination (will help reflect 75-percent light off the screen); also boasts PSR (Panel Self Refresh) technology to help lower power consumption by the screen.
  • Pixel density: 403 ppi (pixels per inch)
OS Android 5.0.2 Lollipop (with Vibe v2.5 UI) Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom Zen UI Android with Flyme OS UI
Processor 64-bit class 1.7GHz Mediatek [MT6752] Octa-core (ARM Cortex-A53) CPU 2GB RAM/16GB/1.8GHz Quad Core Intel Atom Z3560 64-bit class1.7GHz MediaTek Octa-core (ARM Cortex-A53) processor
GPU Mali-T760MP2 PowerVR G6430 GPU 700MHz Mali T760 MP2
RAM 2GB 2GB 2GB LPDDR3
Storage Capacity 16GB, expandable up to 32GB 16GB/32GB/64GB/ 128GB (+ 64GB via microSD card) 16GB/32GB
Camera
  • Main: 13.0-megapixel camera with Dual-tone LED flash, HDR, full HD video recording
  • Front: 5.0-megapixel camera
  • Main: 13.0-megapixel camera with PixelMaster technology, Backlight (HDR) mode, f/ 2.0 aperture, Real Tone flash , Zenflash (Xenon)
  • Front: 5.0-megapixel camera with 88-degree field of view and also comes with ZenUI Selfie Panorama mode which can capture panoramic selfies with up to a 140-degree field of view.
  • Main: 13.0-megapixel Samsung camera, 4X digital zoom, 300-degree panoramic lens, Blue glass IR filter, 5-element lens, f/2.2 aperture
  • Front: 5.0-megapixel OV5670 camera with 4-element lens, f/2.0, 69-degree wide-angle lens, Face AE light boost technology, FotoNation smart selfie enhancement
Battery 3000 mAh;
  • Talk time: up to 36 hours
  • Standby time: close to 750 hours
3000 mAh;
  • Comes with fast-charge technology where-in phone can get re-charged close to 60-percent battery capacity within 39 minutes
3140 mAh;
  • 4G Web surfing: up to 12 hours;
  • Video-playing: close to 15 hours;
  • 2G call-time: up to 40 hours;
  • High-quality music-playing: close to 60 hours;
Network 4G-LTE 4G-LTE (Cat 4: 150/50 mbps 4G-LTE
Add-ons Dual-SIM (micro) slots, Bluetooth v4.0 (A2DP & LE), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), A-GPS. GLONASS, microUSB v2.0, FM Radio, Dolby Atmos audio system with surround sound feature Wi-Fi (802.11ac), Bluetooth, DSDA (Dual SIM Dual Active) SIM slots (type: micro) Dual-SIM slots (4G+2G), Bluetooth v4.0 (BLE), Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n dual-band: 2.4GHz/5GHz), A-GPS, GLONASS,
Dimensions 152.6 x 76.2 x 8.0 mm 152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 ~ 10.9 mm 150.7 x 75.2 x 150.7 mm
Weight 150 g 170 g 145 g
Price ₹9,999/- 2GB RAM/16GB memory model (ZE551ML): ₹14,999/- ₹11,999/-