Lenovo
Vibe X3
The Lenovo
Vibe X3 has just been unveiled in China. A successor to the multi-layer Vibe
X2, the X3 bears little resemblance to last-year's sharp-edged model, instead
adopting more fluid rounded shapes. What's perhaps a bit surprising is that the
Vibe X3 moniker denotes a total of 3 smartphones.
While they
all carry the same name, it's more of a 2+1 affair, as two of those have a lot
in common, and the third one swaps a few components to keep the price lower.
That said, all three of those have 5.5-inch displays with FullHD resolution and
Gorilla Glass 3 protection.
The two
higher-end models sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset with 3 GB or RAM and
64 GB or 32 GB of built-in storage, respectively, and they accept microSD cards
for expansion. They both come with dual-SIM dual-standby capability and 4G on
both cards.
Picture
taking is handled by a 23 MP primary camera which uses a Sony IMX230 sensor with
phase detection autofocus and 4K video recording. There's an 8 MP front-facing
camera as well. A prominent feature is the generous 3,600 mAh battery, and
thanks to Qualcomm's QuickCharge 2.0 tech it should be pretty fast to top up
too.
The third
model dubbed Lenovo Vibe X3 c78 comes with a different chipset, and the true
octa-core name hints at Mediatek silicon. The CPU is clocked at 1.3 GHz and
there's only 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, expandable yet again. This
"Youth" version also brings downgrades in the camera department - the
rear shooter is a 16 MP unit, while the selfies will come out at 5 MP. The
powerpack has a slightly smaller capacity at 3,400 mAh, but the headline here
should be that the battery is removable.
All three
phones come with some serious audio prowess. There's a total of three Texas
Instruments OPA1612 amplifiers, a Cirrus Logic WM8281 codec for noise and echo
cancellation to handle the input from the three mics, and a high-end Sabre
9018C2M DAC as found in the LG V10. A Dolby Atmos certification sits proudly on
the devices' backs. All models feature a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor as
well.
List prices
in China are CNY 2,999 (US$ 470) for the top-specced model with 64 GB of ROM, CNY
2,499 (US$ 390) for the 32 GB version, and CNY 1,899 (US$ 300) for the Youth version.
It remains to be seen when the international version of the Vibe X3 will be
revealed and it's also unclear whether all three models will make it outside of
China.
