Lenovo K8 Note is a step in the right direction for the multi-national technology brand. For the longest time, Lenovo has tried to satisfy those in need of a bit of everything ranging from a decent display, impressive processor, great camera performance and a considerable battery life. But with K8 Note, the brand hit just the right chords with middle-class consumers. Starting at just Rs.12, 999, the device is highly popular in the budget segment. Also, ditching the Vibe UI for stock Android was the best thing the company could have done. Powered by MediaTek, the K8 Note is a device that is well-built, fairly fast, comes with stock Android and has classy looks with no gaudy finishes albeit a tad generic form, winning no originality points for its design. The device does have substantial top and bottom bezels which make it a bit cumbersome to use with one hand.
On sheet specs indicate that Lenovo K8 Note is a specification monster powered by the deca-core MediaTek Helio X23 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and the Mali T880 GPU. And the real-world performance experience is not any different either. Mind you, the smartphone is quite fast - make no bones about that. It is not slow or sluggish by any measure or stretch of imagination and tackles day-to-day tasks like web browsing, scrolling through social media handles, taking occasional pictures and so on effortlessly. Sure, it does not blitz through them like its benchmark numbers suggest and some occasional lags do peep in every now and then but it is faster and better than technically “slower” chipsets like Snapdragon 625 out there. In fact the RAM optimization by MediaTek Helio X23 is quite great and when pushed, the device performs admirably.
Coming to K8 Note’s gaming prowess, I was again impressed. The device tackles intensive titles like Asphalt 8, Asphalt 9 and Mortal Combat 5 fairly well without any frame-rate jitters or drops to speak of. And as expected, casual or lightweight games like Subway Surfers and Candy Crush Saga are handled with aplomb. The mid-range has always been a cut throat segment for Android smartphones and if fast performance, stock Android and a great built-quality are your thing, then the Lenovo K8 makes for an attractive proposition doing just enough to earn a place in this high-stakes arena.