Lenovo Vibe X2 review: Rainbow of colors

Introduction

The Motorola acquisition will put even more wind in the sail of outward bound Lenovo but blockbuster smartphones carrying their own brand are needed just as much, both at home in China and internationally. The QHD Vibe Z2 Pro is undoubtedly the top-of-the range offering, but what about the midrange? The Lenovo Vibe X2 reporting for duty.

The Vibe X2 looks stunning in its layered magnesium alloy body and that's exactly the impression Lenovo was after. It's hard to get noticed in this particular segment of the market, but the Vibe X2 has nothing to worry about. The layered design of the Vibe X2 is not unlike the Jolla phone, but there's an extra layer, for a total of three, whose different colors complement each other nicely.

Lenovo Vibe X2 official photos

Underneath the flashy outfit, the Vibe X2 offers equally impressive innards. We are talking one of MediaTek's latest True8core chipsets, where four of the CPU cores are 2GHZ Cortex-A17s. The Vibe X2 offers a solid 5" IPS display of 1080p resolution too. Complete with the 13MP camera at the back, the Vibe X2 is tiptoeing close to premium territory.

But Chinese phone makers are known for offering more than the usual for the price bracket. Let's see what the Vibe X2 has to say about it.

Key features

• 5.0" 16M-color 1080p IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen
• Android OS v4.4 KitKat with Vibe UI 2.0
• Quad-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A17 and quad-core 1.7GHz Cortex-A7; MediatTek MT6595m True8Core, PowerVR G600 GPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 13MP camera with 1080p video recording @ 30fps
• 5MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording
• 32GB of built-in storage
• LTE Cat. 4 (150Mbps), Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/GLONASS receiver, Bluetooth v4.1+LE, FM Radio
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor, notification LED
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
• 2,300mAh battery

Main disadvantages

• No microSD
• No NFC
• Front camera is fixed focus
• No 64GB option
• No 4K video recording although the chipset supports it
• A bit pricey
• Non-removable battery

The only other phone to be powered by this particular MediaTek chipset is the Meizu MX4. Fortunately, unlike most of its compatriots, the Lenovo Vibe X2 is more readily available outside its home market.

Riding on charm alone won't take the Vibe X2 too far and Lenovo certainly knows it. The Vibe X2 needs to click with customers on a deeper level and that's always easier said than done. At least on paper though, the phone is more than adequately powered, with things like Cat.4 LTE and 2 gigs of RAM boosting its credentials with users who value performance over looks. The option to layer on accessories is a welcome touch of novelty.

Lenovo Vibe X2 at our office

Coming up next is the usual unboxing and hardware checkup. We'll take the Lenovo Vibe X2 out of the box and see if the handling is as good as the looks. And that's just for starters. Let's go.