Lenovo yesterday announced that it will start selling the 4GB RAM + 64GB internal storage variant of the Vibe K5 Note starting today via Flipkart. The device will sell at Rs 13,499 which makes it a direct competitor for Huawei Honor 6X (4GB RAM variant). The Honor 6X was launched last month in India while the original Vibe K5 Note landed in January 2016. Both the smartphones share a lot of specifications between them and it will be interesting to see who comes out to be the winner. Note that, while the K5 Note is available via open sale, the Honor 6X is available only through occasional flash sales via Amazon India (Price: Rs 15,999)
Design and Display
While the display is generally where a lot of the smartphones in this price range resembles, a metallic unibody design has also become a yardstick for smartphone manufacturers. In other words, both the Vibe K5 Note as well as the Honor 6X sports a metallic unibody design which slightly curved at the back making it easier to hold it in one hand. The Honor 6X measures at 150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2 mm and weighs at 162g while the Vibe K5 Note measures at 152 x 75.7 x 8.5 mm and weighs at 165g. The button placement, on both the devices, is also similar, however, the speaker is placed at the back of the Vibe K5 Note whereas, on the Honor 6X, it is situated at the bottom. Both the smartphones feature a fingerprint scanner at the back and should work just fine as I haven’t used the Vibe K5 Note.
Lenovo Vibe K5 Note in Pictures
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On the other hand, in terms of Display, both these smartphones boast a 5.5-inch 1080p Full HD display, however, the one on the Honor 6X is 2.5D curved which does gives a premium feel. A 1080p display Resolution on a 5.5-inch screen is pretty impressive. I have always found the 1080p resolution best for such screen size as we cannot point out major differences between a Quad HD display and a Full HD display on a screen of this size. In other words, both the Honor 6X and the Vibe K5 Note will not disappoint you in terms of the display.
Performance and Memory
Well, here things change a little bit as both these smartphones sport a Processor from a different manufacturer. While, on one hand, Honor 6X comes with its own home-grown Kirin SoC, Lenovo went for a Mediatek P10 Chipset for the Vibe K5 Note. To detail out, Honor 6X is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 655 Octa-Core processor clocked at 2.1 GHz along with Mali-T830MP2. For the memory, the 6X boasts 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. On the other hand, the Vibe K5 Note comes with a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 (MT6755) processor clocked at 1.8GHz coupled with Mali-T860 GPU. The new variant of the Vibe K5 Note comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage as well.
In terms of performance, both these smartphones would get you through your day-to-day tasks easily. Running casual games, multitasking, media consumptions etc. will all work flawlessly on both these devices, thanks to the 4GB RAM and decently powerful processors. Now, though we haven’t tested out the new 4GB + 64GB variant of the Vibe K5 Note, we would still give this one to Honor 6X as the new Kirin 655 SoC seems to be more powerful on paper. The Kirin 655 is clocked at a higher speed and performed extremely well during our testing for the Honor 6X. However, we would advise you to not go on the specs and wait for our detailed review for the new variant of the Vibe K5 Note. Till, check out (Link)
Camera
Now here is where things really get interesting and will probably help you choose between the two. Honor 6X, better known as swagphone, comes with a dual-camera setup. Honor 6X comes with a combination of a 12-megapixel sensor and a 2-megapixel sensor with phase detection Autofocus (PDAF), LED flash etc. At the front, there is an 8-megapixel sensor for selfies. Whereas, the Vibe K5 Note sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF and a wide-angle 8-megapixel selfie camera at front. Ignoring the Megapixel count, the Honor 6X will surely generate better images overall.
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To explain, the dual camera setup on the Honor 6X lets you dig into and play with shallow depth of field and one can change the focus of an image post clicking it. Don’t get us wrong, the camera on the Vibe K5 Note is in no way inferior for the price range, however, the final results will come out more natural and better on the Honor 6X. The swagphone from Huawei will also deliver better results in low-light conditions. For more details, we request your to check out Honor 6X Camera Samples
Battery and Connectivity
Now, this is where you will get a slight EDGE on the Vibe K5 Note. The K5 Note from Lenovo packs in a 3500 mAh battery inside which is non-removable while the Honor 6X comes with a 3340 mAh battery. Based on the spec sheet, we expect Vibe K5 Note to perform a tad bit better in the battery department. Whereas, you will surely not disappointed with the battery life on both the smartphones as both of them will easily last you a full day or even easy 1.5 days with light to moderate usage.
Meanwhile, in terms of connectivity, both these devices comes with Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS with A-GPS, Infrared Blaster (only in Honor 6X), Micro USB 2.0 etc.
Wrapping Up
To wrap up, the price also comes into consideration. Huawei’s Honor 6X does stand out in camera and performance but it also comes with a bigger price tag at Rs 15,999. On the other hand, the Vibe K5 Note is surely not a deal breaker in terms of performance and camera and comes with a cheaper price tag of Rs 13,499. For the verdict, if you have the budget, Honor 6X is surely the better device, otherwise, Lenovo’s Vibe K5 Note will surely surpass your expectations from a smartphone priced this low. What are your thoughts on the Honor 6X vs the new Vibe K5 Note? Let us know in the comment section below.