Just a few days have passed since the HTC One (M8) smartphone became available to people. The appearance of this model was eagerly awaited, as it was promised that it would be much better than previous models. The new smartphone should have a louder speaker, camera performance will be improved, and it will also be able to work much longer. More metal than usual was used to create the HTC One (M8). Many people expected this model, as it should be a smartphone with an unbreakable screen.
This specimen turned out to be extremely attractive. Anodized aluminum makes up the majority of the smartphone's body. HTC One (M8) has a shatterproof screen. It is equipped with tempered Gorilla Glass 3. It is more durable than sapphire glass. Gorilla Glass 3 passed the necessary tests to check its strength, and was able to withstand quite heavy loads. The display measures 5 inches. The speakers are located at the top and bottom. You will notice that the bezel around the display is much smaller. Proximity and light sensors are visible on the right side of the speaker at the top. There is also a 5 megapixel camera. The company logo is located below the screen. You can now control your smartphone using virtual keys. You can easily find out about missed events using the indicator, which is located in the speaker grid area. To prevent the case from heating up, there is a special thin strip of plastic that is located between the glass and metal.
This smartphone also differs from previous ones in that its rear part is made of 90 percent metal. Previous models could not boast of such a quantity. There was only 70 percent metal there. The smartphone fits comfortably in the hand due to the fact that the sides are rounded towards the back. On the sides there are slots for SIM cards and memory cards. On the right side you can find a metal key with which you can adjust the sound. And the power/lock button is on the top end. It is worth noting that this smartphone will require a Nano-SIM card. The case has excellent build quality, no creaks are observed. This smartphone model is much more ergonomic than the previous one due to the fact that it has many innovations.
The user will have access to a 5-inch S LCD display. Its resolution is 1920x1080. Even in bright sunshine, you can easily see the information displayed on the display. You can also read without light. With a minimum level of illumination, your eyes should not get tired. The display has rich colors. In the previous model, a predominance of cool shades in the image was noticed. This is not observed here, and the white balance is close to a warm tone. The light sensor and automatic brightness will not let you down. In the dark, the backlight will adjust itself as needed depending on the light level.
In addition to the above, this smartphone has a lot of positive qualities. Among the innovations we can note gesture control. HTC One (M8) responds to them instantly. In order for the smartphone to respond accurately, it is better to hold it in your hands at this time. To get into the camera faster, you should turn your smartphone horizontally and press the volume control button. The smartphone is easy to unlock if you move up. After this, you can immediately get to the desktop. In this model, each swipe allows you to quickly move or perform the necessary action for the user. Also, if you bring the smartphone to your ear, the call will be automatically answered.
HTC One (M8) runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat platform, which has been updated with the proprietary HTC Sense 6.0 shell. When you start using this gadget, you can pay attention to the virtual touch keys that are located below. The user has access to 6 desktop windows instead of 1. This smartphone model has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 hardware platform. It has 2 GB of RAM, as well as 16 or 32 GB of storage. The user can also install a memory card up to 128 GB inclusive.
The speakers are high quality. The volume is high, so even with a lot of noise you can listen to music and watch videos. It will be difficult for other smartphones to compete with this model in this regard. The volume reserve is large, so there can be no complaints about the sound here.
It is also impossible not to note that HTC One (M8) has three cameras at once. The front has 5 megapixels and a wide-angle lens. In addition, recording videos in Full HD is available. The main camera is equipped with two modules. Its features include the fact that during shooting the camera focuses on all objects that are in the frame. The user can choose to edit the photo and, in UFocus mode, independently change the focus location. This function is used by the camera by default, so you do not have to set this mode every time. Besides this, the camera also has a lot of other useful functions.
So if a consumer is looking for a smartphone with an unbreakable screen, then he should pay attention to this model. After all, besides Gorilla Glass 3, there are a lot of different advantages. The smartphone's performance has increased and many innovations have appeared. Gesture controls and ergonomic design make it even easier and more accessible to use. With a large number of advantages, it is even difficult to immediately identify small shortcomings.
Lenovo is the largest Chinese manufacturer of mobile devices. A huge number of mobile phones, smartphones, laptops and tablets are produced under its logo. However, among them there are very few secure phones. However, such devices still exist. In this article we will look at the most current Lenovo rugged phones that are worthy of attention.
Lenovo rugged phones. A660
Almost the first Lenovo rugged phone was the A660 model. At the same time, it turned out to be of very high quality, and there is still a demand for it to this day. The main complaints about the device are weak sound and lack of low frequencies, as well as a very mediocre 1500 mAh battery, which allows you to use the smartphone for a maximum of a day. The 5-megapixel camera here without a flash is also not a strong point, but it cannot be considered a failure either. But the undeniable advantages of the Lenovo A660 include build quality and excellent security with the IP67 standard. The device does not allow water or dust to pass through, and can be placed at a depth of 1-2 meters without any consequences. At the same time, the appearance of the Lenovo A660 remains very stylish, despite the serious protection. Therefore, this device can be recommended for both men and women.
Other positive features of the Lenovo A660 include the price, since it can now be purchased for 5,000-6,000 rubles. This is a very small price to pay for a secure and modern smartphone. The speed of work was also excellent. And although the device cannot boast of a powerful processor, the dual-core MediaTek MT6577 (1000 MHz) chipset is enough for many tasks.
As for other characteristics, we can note the 4-inch touch screen. Its resolution is not a record, but standard: 800 by 480 pixels. The high pixel density of 233 ppi also stands out. Corning glass called Gorilla Glass is used to protect the display. The user is provided with about 4 GB of free space with the possibility of expansion (microSD cards). The Lenovo A660 has 512 MB of important RAM. The smartphone also has a front camera - 0.3 megapixel. Lenovo A660 is based on the Android 4.0.4 platform, has a 3G module, Bluetooth 2.0, compass and proximity/light sensors.
Lenovo rugged phones. IdeaPhone S750
But the Lenovo IdeaPhone S750 smartphone already represents a series of more advanced devices. It has exactly the same degree of protection IP67, which means protection from water and dust. Among the strengths of the Lenovo IdeaPhone S750, it is worth noting its high build quality, excellent security, decent performance and low price (8,000-10,000 rubles). But the disadvantages are the same: a weak 2000 mAh battery and a far from the best 8-megapixel camera (flash, auto focus).
The Lenovo IdeaPhone S750 has a 4.5-inch display with an IPS matrix. The resolution of this screen is 960x540. Pixel density - 245 ppi. The smartphone is equipped with a 0.3 megapixel front camera. The processor in the Lenovo IdeaPhone S750 smartphone is quad-core (MediaTek MT6589) and clocked at 1200 MHz. The device supports alternate functioning of two SIM cards, and also has Bluetooth 3.0, GPS and 3G modules. The Lenovo IdeaPhone S750 has 1 GB of RAM. Approximately 4 GB is allocated for built-in memory, which can be expanded with cards of the common microSD format.
It is hardly possible to imagine a civilized society today without mobile phones. About 25 - 30 years ago, no one suspected that they would so reliably strengthen their position in the role of mandatory human equipment. It took about 60 years for the invention to acquire the appearance we are familiar with today. There are a huge number of mobile phones on the market from different manufacturers, of different quality, with many functions.
Recently, a new type of mobile device has appeared - a high-quality secure phone. Such an indestructible phone can be an excellent addition to the equipment of security and rescue services. The phone is also waterproof and shockproof. There are only a few types of waterproof phones on the market. It should be noted that the main reason mobile phones become unusable is water. Therefore, a waterproof phone can be a great solution to the problem. A shockproof mobile phone is perfect for those who lead an active or extreme life. It is the shockproof phone that will provide protection from shock and vibration.
Waterproof, shockproof phones with a reinforced battery and a toughened build to match, these aren't some Malaysian robot toy or seedy seaweed from the Maldives. A shockproof waterproof phone is a truly necessary thing.
Such mobile phone models are based on a special technological development that turns an ordinary means of mobile communication into a durable, practical phone that is not afraid of negative factors. Many people today want to buy durable phones, but the quality of most of them leaves much to be desired. Rugged phones are mostly sold in Japan these days. And they'll probably all be waterproof. This is not an unfounded hypothesis. Many experts predict that in the near future such waterproof phones will gain great popularity and demand in the global market.
Consumers may ask, “Why a shockproof waterproof phone?” What to choose? Of course, everyone must make their own choice. But before that, it is important to determine and understand your attitude and requirements towards mobile phones. There are situations in life when the main requirement for a phone is its physical reliability and maximum battery life. A truly extreme rugged phone can meet these requirements. But that's not all. According to some respondents, indestructible phones should survive 40-degree heat, various types of falls, pressure, and at the same time should not look like an “orphan from Kazan.” One of these shockproof mobile phones survived a fall from a 25-meter level, getting into the Guinness Book of Records. Many of these shockproof phones feature a “reinforced” casing that allows them to withstand shock, water and dust. Relatively speaking, such phones can easily survive a sandstorm, heavy rain or snow, immersion in water and falls.
The main specification of these phones includes a rugged, rugged, waterproof, shockproof, reliable phone with a reinforced battery. They are specifically designed to be the most extreme phones for the most uncomfortable environments imaginable.
In addition to all the above-mentioned advantages, phones are produced with good speaker audibility, microphone sensitivity and excellent vibration. To make sure that this is the most durable phone of all existing types, many buyers have repeatedly tested it for strength and resistance to all kinds of influences: thrown from multi-story buildings, drowned, scratched. They can withstand everything! And another important advantage among other characteristics of a waterproof shockproof phone is the high level of IP protection, certified according to the international standard. Undoubtedly, this type of phone is preferred more by men. However, women do not lag behind the choice of men, since they are also attracted by this innovation.
We also advise you to familiarize yourself with phones with a powerful battery and Doogee smartphones, as well as other products of the company
Lenovo returns legendary Motorola smartphones to the Russian market
On February 11, 2016, Lenovo announced the return of the legendary Motorola brand to Russia. The first devices presented on the Russian market will be the Moto X (Play, Style, Force) and Moto G series smartphones. Lenovo’s Russian office states: “We know how popular Motorola smartphones are in Russia, and we are pleased to announce the return of the legend and introduce a new generation of devices under the Moto brand - smartphones with an attractive design, high autonomy and improved protection from external influences. Among the new products, everyone will be able to find the most suitable option for them. The Moto X series smartphones are equipped with very high-quality cameras that will appeal to creative individuals, while the Moto X Style and Moto X Force models, due to a variety of external design options, will allow their new owners to express their individuality.”
Today we already have the opportunity to examine in detail the top-end and, accordingly, the most expensive model from the entire new family, which is soon preparing to hit the shelves of Russian stores. This flagship is currently the Motorola X Force, although our regular readers are already familiar with this model under a different name. This same model, offered overseas by the American operator Verizon, appears there under the name Droid Turbo 2, and rumors about it began to spread much earlier. The thing is that this smartphone, which is just preparing to enter our market, has been on sale in the very homeland of the Motorola brand in the USA since the end of last year, and we know a lot about it. In particular, it is known that the screen of this model is positioned as “unbreakable”, and that in the States itself the manufacturer even gives a four-year warranty on it. But, apparently, Lenovo will not provide either such a guarantee or the proprietary MotoMaker service in our market. In all other respects, the model officially supplied to us is no worse than the American one; it’s time to look at it in detail. Let's start, as usual, with the specifications.
Key Features of Moto X Force (Model XT1580)
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, 8 cores: 4x2.0 GHz (ARM Cortex-A57) + 4x1.5 GHz (ARM Cortex-A53)
- GPU Adreno 430 @600 MHz
- Operating system Android 5.1
- Touch display AMOLED 5.4″, 2560×1440, 540 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 3 GB, internal memory 32 GB
- SIM cards: Nano-SIM (1 pc.)
- Supports microSD memory cards up to 2 TB
- GSM networks 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz networks
- Networks LTE Cat.6 FDD Band 1—5/7/8/12/17/20/25/28; TDD 40
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2 bands) MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct
- Bluetooth 4.1 LE, NFC
- USB 2.0, OTG
- GPS/A-GPS, Glonass
- Direction, proximity, lighting sensors, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetic compass
- Camera 21 MP, autofocus, f/2.0, LED flash
- Camera 5 MP, front, f/2.0, LED flash
- Battery 3760 mAh
- Qi wireless charging support
- Dimensions 150×78×9.2 mm
- Weight 170 g
Equipment
The packaging of the Moto X Force is a very large tall square box, which contains almost nothing except the smartphone itself and its charger.
The charger here is not quite ordinary: it does not have the usual USB output, the cable is tightly soldered to the unit. The smartphone supports TurboPower accelerated charging, so the included charger has a maximum output current of 12 V 2.15 A. The included charger is quite massive, it cannot be called compact, but it is what you will have to carry with you if you want to use the fast charging function.
Appearance and ease of use
It’s nice that the design of Motorola smartphones, although not much, is constantly changing and does not stagnate in one place, like the Sony Xperia Z, for example. You won’t find Moto models identical in appearance, but they are all invisibly connected by a single design style; in each of them, even without looking at the logo, you can always unmistakably recognize the brand.
What's even nicer is that Motorola smartphones are completely different from the Apple iPhone or anyone else, but they don't try to emphasize their dissimilarity. They are simply themselves, and that is why they are, perhaps, so original and recognizable. Moto smartphones are very beautiful in appearance, and I really hope that even under Lenovo’s heel they will remain the same in the future. After all, Lenovo itself, it must be admitted, has not developed any permanent design of its own over the years of work on the market; all of its smartphones are of different colors, and only very few of them are beautiful.
Moto X Force looks even more interesting than Moto X, Nexus 6 and all other predecessors from the pens of American designers. The smartphone has a very unusual massive metal frame of complex shape, which gives the body ergonomics and completeness to the design. The body of the Moto X Force is by no means thin, but at the same time it is so streamlined that excess thickness is not felt at all. Still, it’s a pity that the developers followed fashion and made all their new products “shovel-shaped”: if the smartphone were smaller in size, it would fit perfectly in the palm of your hand, but this, unfortunately, cannot be said about a device with a screen size of five and a half inches and weighing more than 170 grams.
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The device really turned out to be large and massive, but there is a category of users who have long turned a blind eye to all this, if only the screen diagonal was larger. If you approach the Moto X Force from this point of view, then it is simply ideal. And the screen, by the way, is even more unusual than one might expect.
The creators claim that the Motorola X Force, known in America as the Droid Turbo 2, is "the world's first smartphone with an unbreakable display." To protect the display from damage, Motorola used a technology called Moto ShatterShield. According to the creators, a smartphone with such a screen can easily survive falls, after which most other smartphones will fail. The company’s specialists worked for more than three years to create the appropriate technology. To enhance durability, the display elements - a flexible AMOLED panel with a dual touch layer and two protective glasses - are mounted on a slab-shaped aluminum chassis. Motorola claims that such a screen will be almost impossible to break.
The back cover is no less unusual than the front panel. This material, which is used on the back of the Moto X Force, is described in less detail in press releases, but the creators themselves call it “ballistic nylon.” It really feels like something textile; through a magnifying glass you can even see some small woven fiber. That is, it’s certainly not just textured plastic, as happens when they try to imitate carbon fiber (so-called “carbon”).
Be that as it may, this material seems practical. At the very least, there are certainly no fingerprints left on it, and time will tell how durable it is. But at the same time, such a coating cannot be characterized as non-slip. It is very slippery, but the smartphone is saved from slipping out of your hands by the side frame, which is held in the hand much more securely.
The Moto X Force doesn't have an infrared transmitter to emulate remote controls, no heart rate sensors, and the like. Among the “flagship extras,” the device doesn’t even have a fingerprint scanner, although this is already becoming a common attribute of any modern top-end smartphone, not just a flagship. That is why it was even more surprising to discover the complete absence of such elements in such a highly positioned device, offered by the manufacturer at a price of 50 thousand rubles.
There are no touch buttons on the front panel. In the lower part, two symmetrical elongated holes are cut directly into the protective glass, which are a couple of centimeters apart from each other. Why two holes were cut here and not one remains a mystery. Obviously, they were going to simulate the presence of stereo speakers in this way, but their presence can be easily refuted by covering the holes one by one with your finger: the sound comes out of only one hole. In any case, these two “holes” in the front look quite ridiculous - it would be better if the designers, as before, made a metal insert at the bottom, symmetrical to the top, it would look more organic. For microphones there are their own small round holes located on the back of the case. By the way, there are as many as five microphones in the device; additional microphones are used for active noise reduction.
In the upper part above the screen, in addition to the sensors and front camera, there is also its own LED flash, which is quite rare in smartphones. An LED event indicator is also located here. The Motorola smartphone, as before, has an additional processor for contextual computing, which works with sensors and the camera and replaces the main processor in standby mode. One has only to raise his hand to the “sleeping” Motorola X Force, and notifications about the current time and missed events appear on the screen in monochrome mode.
The block of mechanical control keys is not implemented in the best way. The buttons themselves are small, thin, and practically do not protrude beyond the body, so they are difficult to find blindly. On top of that, the keys also have an excessively tight and short stroke, so you need to get used to them. The lock button here unexpectedly moved to the upper part of the side edge, although the most common option now is when the volume control unit is located higher, and the power key is closer to the middle of the edge. Here these buttons are mixed up, you will have to change your habits.
Interface connectors are located at both ends of the case. At the top there is a jack with a diameter of 3.5 mm for headphone output, and at the bottom end there is a Micro-USB connector that supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode.
At the top end, in addition to the headphone output, there is a slot for installing cards. The trays on the sliding metal slides are located one after the other; they can accommodate one Nano-SIM card and one microSD memory card. You cannot install a second SIM card in place of the memory card. Hot swap supported.
The last element that completes the “tour” of the outer shell of the review hero is an elongated matte metal plate that combines the rear camera, flash and Moto logo in one unit. This is perhaps one of the most striking design elements; coupled with the unusual coating on the back wall, it gives the case a special appeal. All together it really looks incredibly stylish and expensive.
But there is also a fly in the ointment: the protective glass of the camera turned out to be deeply recessed inside a sort of metal shaft with absolutely straight walls. Accordingly, dust will definitely accumulate there, and it will only be possible to remove it from this hole using a cotton swab. The scale of the “tragedy” can be clearly assessed from this photograph.
As for the colors of the case, there is still some uncertainty on this issue, since, apparently, there will be no colors other than black for sale on the Russian market. We also do not support the Moto Maker service, which would allow you to independently choose the color and material of the back panel.
Well, let’s note the last detail: according to company representatives, the body of the new product is provided with some kind of water-repellent coating. Literally it reads like this: “The advanced nano-coating creates a water-repellent barrier, protecting the device from the penetration of small amounts of moisture, such as accidental spills, splashes and light rain. Not designed to withstand complete immersion in water or exposure to water or other pressurized liquid. Not waterproof."
Screen
The Moto X Force smartphone is equipped with an AMOLED touch screen made using a special technology called ShatterShield. The physical dimensions of the display are 68x121 mm, diagonal - 5.4 inches. The screen resolution is 2560×1440, the pixel density is 540 ppi. The frame on the sides of the screen is very wide (at least 5 mm), it looks unusual for a modern flagship and the device certainly doesn’t look good.
The display brightness is automatically adjusted based on the light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches. There are no options for activating the screen by double tapping the glass or any other gesture, but there is a function for automatically activating and displaying information on missed events and the current time in monochrome display.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (below, simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Moto X Force, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen of the Moto X Force is still lighter (brightness according to photographs is 121 versus 106 for the Nexus 7 - apparently, payback for ShatterShield), and the reflection of the white surface in it has a pronounced brownish tint. Note that the reflection from bright objects in the Moto X Force screen has a pale blue-greenish halo, slightly more pronounced in the transverse direction. The ghosting of reflected objects in the Moto X Force screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, slightly better than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.
With manual brightness control and when the white field was displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was approximately 320 cd/m², the minimum was 5.4 cd/m². The maximum brightness is not very high, but you need to take into account the good anti-glare properties of the screen and the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the lighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when outputting white on half the screen (and black on the other half), the maximum brightness with manual adjustment increases to 350 cd/m². As a result, readability during the day in the sun is at a fairly good level. The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the slot in the top front speaker). In automatic mode, when external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 110 cd/m² (too light), in an office illuminated by artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets it to 220 cd/m² (okay), in very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 465 cd/m² (which is significantly higher than with manual adjustment). Brightness slider at 50% - the values are as follows: 9, 100 and 465 cd/m² (from our point of view, acceptable values), at 0% - 1.2, 16 and 465 cd/m² (the logic is clear). In general, the automatic brightness adjustment function works adequately and allows the user to some extent customize their work to individual requirements.
At any brightness level there is significant modulation with a frequency of approximately 239.6 Hz. The figure below shows the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis) for several brightness values:
As a result, at low brightness (when the duty cycle increases), the presence of modulation can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.
This screen uses an AMOLED matrix - active matrix organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
In the fragment above you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this option is similar to the option in the case of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer Samsung devices (and not only) with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the very high resolution, they have a minimal impact on image quality.
The screen has excellent viewing angles. True, the white color, when deviated even at small angles, acquires a slight blue-green tint, and at some angles turns slightly pink (although this effect is much less pronounced than is usually the case with AMOLED), but the black color remains simply black at any angle . It is so black that the contrast setting is simply not applicable in this case. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Moto X Force and the second comparison participant, while the brightness of the screens is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:
The color balance of the screens varies slightly and the colors on the Moto X Force are oversaturated and unnatural (for example, the tomatoes are poisonous red, and the face has a carrot tint). However, let us remind you that this is how the camera registers; it is better to look at the details of color rendition in the results of hardware tests. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen.
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Moto X Force is noticeably higher at an angle. And a white field:
The brightness at an angle of both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to the previous two photos), but in the case of the Moto X Force the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the Moto X Force screen visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle.
Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the turn-on (and less often, turn-off) edge there may be a step approximately 17 ms wide (which corresponds to the screen refresh rate). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back when displaying the field in full screen:
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing moving objects, but in normal use these artifacts are difficult to see. Quite the contrary - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.
The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage either in the shadows or in the highlights. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.28, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve almost does not deviate from the power law:
Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images and increases for dark ones. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. In the case of this screen, there is no option to select a profile with hardware reduction of the color gamut; as a result, the color gamut of the Moto X Force is very wide:
The component spectra (that is, the spectra of pure red, green and blue) are well separated:
Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. The grayscale balance is good. The color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) throughout the entire significant part of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance:
(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen does not have a very high maximum brightness, but has good anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day without any problems. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable (and in very bright light it is highly recommended) to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating and good color balance. At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), good uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include screen flickering, especially at low brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. Negative properties include an excessively wide color gamut, which makes ordinary images look unnatural. However, overall the screen quality is high.
Sound
The smartphone sounds impressive: the device is equipped with only one main speaker, it cannot create a stereo panorama, but the smartphone produces a very loud and at the same time clear sound at the maximum level, with a noticeable presence of low frequencies. In headphones the situation is no worse: the sound is clear, bright and thick, the frequency spectrum is wide. Both in the headphones and in the external speaker, the maximum volume level is sufficient, but not excessive. The sound is very pleasant to the ear. All settings are combined by the proprietary Google Play Music player in the form of an equalizer and additional preset values.
In conversational dynamics, the timbre and intonation of a familiar voice remain recognizable, and the noise reduction system copes with its tasks absolutely adequately. The vibration alert here is not very powerful. There is no FM radio in the smartphone, nor is there any recording of telephone conversations from the line using standard means.
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Camera
Moto X Force is equipped with two digital camera modules with a resolution of 21 and 5 megapixels. The front camera is equipped with a 5-megapixel sensor and a lens with an f/2.0 aperture without autofocus, but with its own flash. The camera unexpectedly turned out to be of a modest level; for a flagship it is somewhat surprising to see selfies of such quality.
The main camera is equipped with a Sony IMX230 sensor with a resolution of 21 megapixels and a lens with an f/2.0 aperture, autofocus and dual multi-color flash. Autofocus isn't particularly fast, but shooting itself with zero shutter lag is very fast.
Another thing is that the camera controls here are perhaps the most inconvenient of all possible. It's really uncomfortable to use, you'll have to get used to it. Initially, there is no virtual button at all for shooting, it simply doesn’t exist, so you automatically press the central key, which is responsible for exiting the application. It turns out that shooting can be done by touching the screen or pressing the side volume key. Again, instinctively, out of habit, your fingers touch the screen to manually focus (since autofocus is often wrong), but the picture is taken immediately. To display the ability to control focus and exposure on the screen, you need to perform additional actions each time, calling up the radial menu with a side swipe, which is not always pulled out the first time. There are only icons in this menu, so until you click, you won’t know what’s hidden behind them. All this is very annoying, and there is no way to transfer camera control to third-party applications via the Camera2 API, and it is impossible to save pictures in RAW.
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The video camera can shoot with a resolution of up to 3840×2160 (4K UHD), there is the possibility of slow-motion slo-mo recording in 720p resolution, but still at the same speed of 30 frames per second. There's no word on electronic stabilization, but shooting on the move is very smooth. The camera copes well with video shooting, there are no complaints about image quality. The image is smooth, with good sharpness, light and detailed. The sound is recorded with high quality, and the noise reduction system copes with its tasks adequately.
- Video No. 1 (123 MB, 3840×2160 @30 fps)
- Video No. 2 (23 MB, 1920×1080 @30 fps)
- Video No. 3 (27 MB, 1280×720 @30 fps, slo-mo)
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The camera handles macro photography very well. |
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Good sharpness across the field and in the plans, although it drops off a little towards the edges of the frame. |
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The license plates of cars that are not closest are distinguishable. |
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The camera copes well with shooting various texts. |
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The camera handles fine details well. |
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Sometimes when you remove the shot, the sharpness drops a little. |
We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.
It’s difficult to call the camera a flagship – I would like to see a better solution in a smartphone at this price. Nevertheless, it is clear that the manufacturer tried both when choosing a module and when writing the firmware. However, periodic dips in the background and blurriness at the edges of the frame indicate the “dampness” of the program. However, in “native” Sony smartphones this module works in approximately the same way, so perhaps you can only cheat by reducing the resolution. And yet the camera’s detail is good: even small details in distant shots are often visible. Thus, the camera will cope perfectly with documentary shooting, and most likely, with artistic shooting too - especially if you close your eyes to the blur at the edges of the frame and the branches that stick together in places in the background.
Telephone and communications
The smartphone can operate in most bands of 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also has support for fourth-generation networks LTE Cat6 FDD and TDD, that is, this device can provide theoretical download speeds of up to 300 Mbit/s. At the same time, the smartphone supports all three of the most common LTE FDD bands among domestic operators (B3, B7 and B20). In practice, with a SIM card from the MTS operator in the Moscow region, the smartphone was confidently registered and worked in 4G networks. The quality of signal reception is not satisfactory; the device confidently maintains communication indoors and does not lose the signal in areas of poor reception. The full list of supported frequency bands is as follows:
- LTE FDD: Band 1—5/7/8/12/17/20/25/28; TDD Band 40
- WCDMA: 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz
- GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
The device also supports Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, supports two Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) 2×2 MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. The Micro-USB connector supports the USB 2.0 specification and connecting external devices in USB OTG mode.
The navigation module works with GPS (A-GPS) and Glonass. There are no complaints about the operating speed of the navigation module; the first satellites are detected during a cold start within the first tens of seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the compass of navigation programs operates.
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The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. The standard virtual keyboard supports the continuous input method using a stroke from letter to letter (Swype). There are no options for reducing the size of virtual keyboards or the entire working space of the screen in the standard interface.
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OS and software
The Moto X Force device we tested runs on the fifth version of Google OS, but company representatives claim that production samples will go on sale with the sixth version of Android Marshmallow. The most curious thing is that, unlike Lenovo’s own smartphones, which have one of the most heavily modified Vibe UI shells, the same company supplies devices under the Moto brand with an absolutely clean Google Android interface. That is, in fact, we have in front of us almost the same “Google phone” as the usual Nexus series smartphones.
There is nothing special to add here, the interface is familiar and described in detail many times, everyone determines all the pros and cons of “naked” Android for themselves. It’s just worth considering that Google’s original interface is so laconic that users will have to deal with such annoying little things as the inability to display battery charge on the top panel, close all used applications at the same time, or, for example, very inconvenient camera controls. There is not even such a simple function as rebooting the device: for some reason, in the proprietary Android interface, when you hold down the power key, a single “turn off” button appears, but there is no “restart” button. It is clear that you can reboot by holding the key for a long time, but was it really difficult to draw one button? People who have not previously had experience with pure Android in the form of Nexus smartphones may be perplexed by such restrictions, since for all other devices the interface is almost always modified by the manufacturer.
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As for the features associated with the hardware capabilities of Motorola smartphones, here, as before, the so-called “Motorola Mobile Computing System” is equipped. This system includes an additional processor for contextual computing (working with sensors and camera) and a natural language processor for working with sound and, in particular, with voice control. Additional processors allow you to save energy by taking over the functions of controlling microphones, sensors and cameras while the smartphone is in sleep mode. Control is necessary for functions such as Active Display, as well as voice control, but, as before, after all the settings it turns out that the Russian language is not supported by Motorola's proprietary voice control.
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Performance
The Moto X Force hardware platform is based on the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC. This 64-bit SoC is made using a 20 nm process technology and includes four powerful 64-bit ARM Cortex-A57 cores with a frequency of up to 2 GHz, which are complemented by four simpler 64-bit Cortex-A53 cores with frequencies up to 1.5 GHz. The Adreno 430 video accelerator with an operating frequency of up to 600 MHz is responsible for processing graphics in the SoC. In addition, the Motorola Mobile Computing System includes a processor for natural language processing and a processor for contextual computing, as discussed above.
The RAM capacity (LPDDR4) of the smartphone is 3 GB. The amount of internal memory can be chosen between 32 and 64 GB. In the case of the 32 GB version, the user is left with about 21.5 GB of free space. This volume can be increased using microSD cards; it is also possible to connect external flash drives to the USB port in OTG mode. MicroSD cards are supported up to 2TB in capacity, and in practice our 128GB Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 test card was reliably recognized by the device.
The top-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 platform is quite capable of competing with modern alternative flagship solutions such as HiSilicon Kirin 935, MediaTek MT6795 and Exynos 7420 in terms of graphics, but in terms of overall CPU performance in complex tests it is not currently in the first place. In any case, the Moto X Force smartphone is at the flagship level in terms of performance; its hardware capabilities will be enough to perform any tasks for several generations, including demanding games, although devices with the Snapdragon 820 SoC are already entering the arena, changing the platform , on which the hero of the review works.
Testing in the latest versions of comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:
For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
| Moto X Force (Qualcomm Snapdragon 810) |
LG Nexus 5X (Qualcomm Snapdragon 808) |
Meizu Pro 5 (Exynos 7420) |
Huawei Mate S (HiSilicon Kirin 935) |
LeTV 1s (Mediatek MT6795T) |
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| 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better) |
Maxed out! | Maxed out! | Maxed out! | 6292 | 10162 |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better) |
23849 | 18840 | 25770 | 12553 | 16574 |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Sling Shot (more is better) |
1098 | 1149 | 1340 | — | 542 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen) | 40 fps | — | 52 fps | 16 fps | 26 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen) | 53 fps | — | 57 fps | 12 fps | 27 fps |
| Bonsai Benchmark | 3810 (54 fps) | 3950 (56 fps) | 4130 (59 fps) | 3396 (48 fps) | 3785 (54 fps) |
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
Thermal photographs
Below is a thermal image of the back surface (the lighter the temperature, the higher the temperature), obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:
It can be seen that the heating is highly localized just above and to the left of the center of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 48 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is very strong heating for this test in comparison with other modern smartphones.
Playing video
To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.
According to the testing results, the test subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed to fully play most of the most common multimedia files on the network. Moreover, the smartphone offers to play back its own recordings from the camera using the “photo gallery” program. That is, to successfully play third-party video files recorded in the device’s memory, in most cases you will have to resort to using a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Standard video player |
| DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3 | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ | |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3 | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3 | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ |
¹ sound in MX Video Player is only played after installing an alternative custom audio codec
Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The test results are summarized in the table:
Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.
According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is very good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. Note that due to the non-standard screen refresh rate (slightly less than 60 Hz), video files are played back with a slowdown of about 0.17%. It is impossible to detect this subjectively, but the question of why it was impossible to do exactly 60 Hz remains. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen. The clarity of the picture is high, but not ideal, since there is no escape from interpolation to the screen resolution. However, for the sake of experimentation, you can switch to the one-to-one mode by pixel; there will be no interpolation, but the features of PenTile will appear - the vertical world through the pixel will be in a grid, and the horizontal one will be slightly greenish. This is true for test worlds, but the described artifacts are absent in real frames. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows, only a couple of shades of gray do not differ in brightness from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.
Battery life
The capacity of the built-in battery installed in the Moto X Force is 3760 mAh, which is more than decent for modern smartphones. In this case, neither the higher resolution screen nor the demanding hardware platform could noticeably affect the high level of autonomy of the review hero. It is really very high here in all standard usage scenarios, above average for sure. The smartphone does not have any specific energy-saving modes other than the standard one from the Android OS.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| Moto X Force | 3760 mAh | 16:30 | 10:00 am | 4 hours 40 minutes |
| Huawei Nexus 6P | 3450 mAh | 15:00 | 8:30 a.m. | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| LG Nexus 5X | 2700 mAh | 14:30 | 6:00 am | 4:00 am |
| LG G4 | 3000 mAh | 17:00 | 9:00 a.m. | 3:00 am |
| OnePlus 2 | 3300 mAh | 14:00 | 11:20 am | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Huawei Mate S | 2700 mAh | 12:30 pm | 9:00 a.m. | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| Samsung Note 5 | 3000 mAh | 17:10 | 10:40 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. |
| Google Nexus 6 | 3220 mAh | 18:00 | 10:30 a.m. | 3 hours 40 minutes |
| Meizu Pro 5 | 3050 mAh | 17:30 | 12:30 pm | 3 hours 15 minutes |
Continuous reading in the Moon+ Reader program (with a standard, light theme, with auto-scrolling) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted more than 16.5 hours until the battery was completely discharged. Without the auto-scrolling function in the FBReader program, these figures will increase to 20 or even more hours. When continuously watching videos from Youtube in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted at least 10 hours. In 3D gaming mode, it worked for more than 4.5 hours.
Moto X Force supports TurboPower fast charging. The smartphone is fully charged from the included charger in just 1.5 hours, while the back wall heats up noticeably. Using a third-party charger with an output current of 5 V 2 A, the battery will charge much longer: in 1 hour the smartphone was charged to only 35% with a current of 5.15 V 1.2 A. The Qi wireless charging function is supported with comparable charging time.
Bottom line
As for the cost of the new product: Moto smartphones will be available on the Russian market from March 2016. Lenovo promises that from the first of March sales will begin in stores of the Megafon, Euroset and Svyaznoy chains, and in mid-March - in other retail chains.
- Moto G - priced at 17 thousand rubles
- Moto X Play - priced at 30 thousand rubles
- Moto X Style - priced at 40 thousand rubles
- Moto X Force - priced at 50 thousand rubles
The most expensive model in the line, as expected, will be the Moto X Force model: Lenovo decided to ask as much as 50 thousand rubles for it. Is this a lot for such a model? The cost for the market is almost maximum, if you don’t take into account very premium devices, but in general it makes sense. What we have before us is truly a real flagship without any discounts, with a high-quality screen, sound, autonomy, hardware platform and, of course, a noticeable body. As for cameras, this issue has not yet been fully clarified - perhaps with the release of new firmware the quality of their work will improve. But the absence of a fingerprint scanner in a top-end smartphone for 50 thousand is more difficult to explain. And yet, the main question is not this at all, but whether the Russian audience will accept the long-forgotten but once beloved brand, and if it does, then in what capacity? It’s no secret that users perceive Lenovo’s own smartphones as solutions that are not at all of the same high level as those from Samsung and Apple. But the new flagship of Motorola will have to fight precisely in their price category, that is, at the highest level. So with which of them will Russian users compare the products of the brand that has returned to our market? Everyone will decide this issue for themselves, but it is already becoming obvious that the path to returning the brand to Russia for Lenovo will not be easy at all. For now, we can state that the new Moto smartphones are Motorola (remember the history of Thinkpad). But how will the brand develop further?
Lenovo is starting to sell a smartphone from the “S” series. This is a shockproof, waterproof smartphone, protected according to the IP67 standard and given the full name Lenovo S750. It is in many ways superior to the popular “A” series device of the same type, introduced by the company almost a year ago.
Let us remind you that the level of protection is an internationally recognized standard, compliance with which means complete dust resistance. In addition, a phone protected under this standard is able to work after “diving” to a depth of one meter and “holding its breath” for 30 minutes.
The new product is equipped with a 4.5-inch diagonal IPS touch display, which has additional protection from shocks and scratches in the form of Gorilla Glass 2. The QHD screen resolution is 960 x 540 pixels. According to some reports, it is equipped with two SIM card slots that can operate in GSM and HSDPA communication standards (up to 7.2 Mbit per second, 3G).
The Lenovo S750 smartphone is powered by a powerful 4-core MTK6589 processor with a clock frequency of 1.2 GHz. The device's RAM is 1 GB, and the built-in memory is 4 GB. Memory expansion is carried out by purchasing a 32 GB microSD and using the corresponding slot in the monoblock.
The secure smartphone is equipped with modules for wireless data transmission Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. Since it is assumed that it is intended not only for urban use, but also for rural areas, as well as for travel, it contains.
The device is equipped with two cameras – an economical front 0.3 MP for video communication (that’s right, there’s no point in wasting traffic and needlessly “straining” the processor and battery), as well as the main one, which is quite decent, with an 8 MP matrix, digital zoom and autofocus.
Lenovo S750 is controlled by the Android 4.2 operating system. It contains an MP3 player and FM radio. To provide energy, a capacity of 2000 mAh is used. Not much, of course, but, on the other hand, the dimensions of the smartphone fit into the body 134.5 x 70.4 x 9.9 mm with a weight of 157 grams.
Although according to other sources, the same dimensions are 134.4 × 70.3 × 10.55 mm, and the weight is 156 grams. Who can figure them out, these Chinese? The body color can be ash gray or black. It has not yet appeared in the warehouses of online stores, but its official price is already known - 1599 Chinese yuan. Translated into Russian “money” at the current rate, this amounts to 8,445 rubles, excluding postage and taxes.
