Another comparison review. This time, it's the battle between the premium Ninetology U9 Z1+ vs Lenovo K900, the current high-end smartphone by Lenovo.
Ninetology has come out with many new devices to add on to their arsenal. This time around, the new ones are codenamed "U9" for all their new models. Ranging from entry level such as the Q1 and the P1, to the mid range ones like the X1 and Z1. In this review, I've tested their current best...the U9 Z1+.
The Z1+ feels premium, thanks to the "Aluminium Mid-Housing Bezel" which allows rough handling and thus making the phone more sturdy.
The phone does feel solid. I really like the size which is not too big and not too small. The Corning Gorilla Glass gives the extra protection on the surface.
Now, moving on to the comparison review. Here is the brief specification and some images for the Ninetology U9 Z1+.
Ninetology U9 Z1+
- Platform Chipset: MediaTek MT6589 Cortex-A7 CPU: Quad-core 1.2GHz GPU: PowerVR SGX544
- Operating System Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
- Memory Internal: 16GB ROM with 1GB RAM External: MicroSD Up to 32GB
- Display Size: 5.0 inch Resolution: 720 x 1280 HD Corning Gorilla Glass 2, Capacitive multi touch point, IPS Touch Screen.
- Camera Rear Camera: 13 MP Front Camera: 5 MP
- Camera Features F2.2 Aperture, Autofocus, HDR, Continuous shot(up to 99 shots), Smile & Face detection, Anti-Shake, Quick Panorama. Front: Self timer, BEAUTY mode
- Connectivity Dual SIM support on GSM/HSDPA network.
The big sized box comes standard for every single one of Ninetology's U9 series phones.
We can find all the usual things inside the box such as the USB charger, manuals and obviously the phone itself. But in this case, the Z1+ also comes with 2 extra special goodies, a World Travel Adapter made by Skross and a 4,200 mAh power bank. I don't have the power bank when I got the review unit as it was being used elsewhere. And I will get to the Skross travel charger later on.
As usual, Ninetology phones uses dual SIM for full convenience. As for the battery, 2,000 mAh last me about a full day use. Just nice to cover 10 hours of standby and usage.
The camera on the Z1+ is quite good. Also comes with the LED flash but the brightness is just so-so. And here we can see the aluminium mid-housing bezel clearly in this one.
Moving on to the contender. Lenovo K900.
Lenovo K900
- Platform Chipset: Intel Atom Z2580 CPU: Dual-core 2.0 GHz GPU: PowerVR SGX544
- Operating System Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
- Memory Internal: 16/32GB ROM with 2GB RAM External: None
- Display Size: 5.5 inches Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels (401 ppi) Corning Gorilla Glass 2, IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen
- Camera Rear Camera: 13 MP Front Camera: 2 MP
- Camera Features autofocus, dual-LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection
- Connectivity Dual SIM support on GSM/HSDPA network.
I really like the box that houses the K900. By one look, we can tell that it is a premium phone. And the K900 is powered by Intel Atom processor, which is a totally different chipset than all those I've reviewed recently. The 2GB of RAM helps a lot too. Using this phone is a breeze. But if you stay online too long, it tends to heat up a little bit at the rear top area, where the antenna is. This is probably due to the (almost) solid aluminium casing.
Standard stuffs inside the box...USB charger, earphone, extra ear buds and manuals.
The heated area that I mentioned earlier is located near the camera at the back of the phone. The heat is quite noticeable after long use. But it's not really hot that you can cook an egg on it.
Took me a while to look for this. At first I didn't notice the pin inside the box. And I was wondering how do I open the SIM slot. Good thing I double checked the box again and found the pin neatly in its place under the inner box cover.
The K900 really works well even under stress. I loaded as much apps as I can in the phone and it still performs well and is very stable. Quick and responsive, that's how I would describe it.
User Interface
Both phones are running Android 4.2 out-of-the-box. Future updates to the latest Android versions are based on the respective company's OTA update.
Again, the Z1+ is using the unskinned Android Vanilla UI while the K900 is using their own UI. If you didn't know, the name for Lenovo's UI is called "Le Phone".
Let's take a look at Z1+.
Ninetology U9 Z1+
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Lenovo K900
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The simplicity of the Z1+ appeals to me more because I like simple stuffs. I don't need it to have any fancy UI for the phone to work. To me, having all that will only make the phone more sluggish. By sluggish I mean, it may take up a lot more memory than it should as compared to the standard default interface. But on the other hand, the UI by Lenovo is not that heavy. It is definitely not as heavily skinned like Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC's Sense 6. To me at the end of the day, I just need it to function well and stable.
The display for both phones are really good. Both are in HD and I don't have much difficulties looking at the screen while being outdoors under the bright sun.
I tried playing games on both phones too. I installed Asphalt 8 on the Z1+ and wow, no lag. It is very responsive, no matter if I use the tilt function or tap function to control the car movements. So the Z1+ gets my thumbs up for gaming performance. K900 definitely better at this. Asphalt 8 and Temple Run 2 runs very smoothly.
Talking about performance, here's what I gather with Antutu's Benchmarking app.
Ninetology U9 Z1+
The result is generally good for gaming and daily use. Result is much better than the Galaxy S2 but way behind HTC One X. Can't even see the top performing phone which is the Galaxy Note 3.
As for K900...
Although it only runs on dual core 2.0 GHz Intel Atom CPU, the performance of the K900 is commendable. The 3D rendering is good and stability is excellent. The only setback is the overheating issue after long use. Notice that the K900 is just a tad below Xperia Z and Note 2. And unseen in the screenshot is that it surpassed the Nexus 10, Galaxy S3 and the Nexus 4 with ease.
Seriously, if not because of the overheating issue, I would love to get this phone. I hope that Lenovo's next flagship, the K910 codenamed - Vibe Z, will eliminate the issue totally.
Sample Photos
On we go with the photo comparison between the two phones. Both are using 13 megapixel camera as their main shooter. So we should be able to get some competitive results then.
Here's a shot taken with the Z1+:
The colour from Z1+ is okay by mid-range standards. We can see some details in the photo without losing the image quality. It does look a little bit washed out in certain areas, which means that the colours are not as vibrant as it should be.
Now the same shot with the K900:
Colours are more punchy with the K900. Details are all there too. Image appears sharp and better than I expected. I was actually very surprised to see this vibrant colour.
The autofocus is slightly quicker on the Z1+ though. And quicker in taking the photo as soon as I pressed the "shutter" button. The focusing worked well for both phones. No out-of-focus photos so far.
Now for some indoor shots.
Z1+
For indoor shots, everything seems to be in place for the Z1+. Colour balance and metering is good. I didn't see any yellowish or reddish tinge in this phone at all. Even the details are quite sharp and not much of picture grains (or noise).
K900
I can say that the K900 also performed well indoors. I noticed only a slight tinge of red in the picture but it's not that obvious, which is good. Details are good and not much picture grains/noise too.
I came to a conclusion and I can safely say that these two phones are good for photography. You may not to carry your cheap digital camera with you anywhere you go anymore because these phones can take really good photos. Quality is, to me, above average...for a smartphone.
Skross World Travel Adapter
I did mention about this earlier. Skross is made in Swiss, comes FREE with every purchase of the Z1+. Those who travels a lot, this is definitely for you.
It can charge up to two phones at a time, thanks to the dual USB port.
With this travel adapter, you don't need to buy an extra charger for your phone when you're out traveling to another country. Cool eh?
Conclusion
It's difficult for me to choose between these two. I love the Z1+ because of the premium finish with the aluminium bezel and it's cheaper. I like the K900 because it is very slim and using a "rare" chipset, Intel Atom CPU. I like using something different than the norm, different than the others. But K900 has issues with overheating. Both cameras are good. Both batteries can last the whole day, at least 10 hours straight.
At the end of the day, it is up to the users. What they want and what they need are different. Cheap and reliable? I'd suggest the Z1+ in a heartbeat. Good contender among the flagship smartphones? K900 is a good contender. You choose.
What I like about the Z1+
- Premium feel with the aluminium bezel
- Size is just right
- Battery can last me the whole day
- Performance is above par for a mid-range phone
What I don't like about the Z1+
- Back cover is a fingerprint magnet
- Should have 2GB RAM...better
- 1.2GHz CPU speed is low nowadays
What I like about the K900
- Slim and sleek
- Good for games, stable
- 2GB of RAM helps a lot
- Intel CPU
- Tough build, feels solid
What I don't like about the K900
- Overheat after long use
- Slippery to hold when sweating
- Non-removable battery
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