[rwp-review id=”0″]
The world of smartphones has become increasingly focused on image quality, with most manufacturers always keen to show off ever-wider apertures and angles and refined lens elements in their flagship smartphones. Smartphones such as the Lumia line heavily focused on the camera aspect of their phones. Does a camera-focused phone still have a place in the market? Lenovo’s VIBE Shot wants you to answer with a resounding “yes”.
The VIBE Shot is a gorgeous phone. I am especially in love with the sharp, angular design that is very reminiscent of the iPhone 5 – the good old days of beauty. The metal bezel and finishing are top-notch and the phone feels as premium as most flagship phones (and, in many cases, more premium). The front of the phone has a very corporate, cold yet elegant feel; flip the phone, though, and you’ll be greeted with an unorthodox phone design that resembles a vintage, elegant slim camera.
On the sides you get your typical buttons, but a peculiar switch is the “pro” which switches the camera mode (more on that later), and an odd button layout that places the thumb naturally on the volume buttons instead of the power button, which is more towards the centre. It’s an annoyance but a minor one that your thumb quickly adapts to.
To get some specs out of the way, the phone is powered by a quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 615, 3GB RAM, an IPS LCD Full-HD screen at 441ppi, and a massive 3000mAh battery. As a treat, it is running Android L. It’s an interesting combo that places it as an over-specced mid-range phone. The highlight and main focus of the phone, though, is the 16MP camera.
As a phone, it functions as good as a mid-range phone can get. There is some stutter here and there (my guess from the Vibe UI), but the phone is generally fast and functional. I am not particularly fond of the Vibe UI themes or icons, but that’s not a really big problem as it looks very close to stock android in its menus and functions. Apps run generally smooth, but Facebook and Instagram do stutter as the apps load images in the background. There is also a lag in the keyboard; as you type and swipe, the keyboard struggles to keep up with long sentences. Overall, though, it’s a good mid-range phone in terms of performance.
The key feature of the VIBE Shot, though, is obviously the camera. And I am happy to report that the 16MP camera does indeed deliver some fantastic images, although not without some minor faults.
To start off, the camera has two shooting modes: an auto mode and a pro mode. You can easily switch between the two modes on the fly via the switch next to the dedicated shutter button. It’s a small yet genius design that definitely makes a difference while shooting; you don’t need to go through the menus to switch modes.
Within the auto mode, you can also toggle between “Smart” auto and regular auto. Smart auto will further analyse the scene and switch the settings to what it believes is appropriate for the image. And, as a matter of fact, it works remarkable well in most scenarios. There are some instances where it would switch to HDR when it isn’t necessary, but the phone will always change the icon to what smart preset it will apply to the shot before you take it, so you can simply switch the Smart auto off with a tap when it isn’t giving you the best result.
The pro mode is a different story. Switching to it unlocks more on-screen toggles, such as white balance, ISO, manual focus, shutter speed, and exposure compensation. You can keep the shutter open for up to one second, giving you plenty of room to play with light trails at night, or to prop up the camera somewhere stable and have a nice and clean night shot. The menu isn’t complex, but the methodical approach to manual shooting means it is best suited for planned photos. And it might as well be, considering that the manual toggles are a bit small, making tapping them a little bit imprecise and will often lead you to change focus (if it’s on auto focus) instead.
In either modes, you get helpful options such as displaying a gyro scale so that you can perfectly align horizontally and tilt the phone to eliminate skew. It is a simple yet intuitive idea that helps you take better pictures almost instantly.
Photos are generally of very good quality. Colours are vivid without looking ridiculous and photos are normally sharp enough. Night photos are very, very good, especially with Smart auto on, although naturally they are softer than the day photos.
Macro is a bit tricky; the camera is not very good at focusing up close like other phones, which is a real shame as I genuinely enjoy macro photos. The selfie camera is very good, but you will need to disable the “face beauty” feature that renders you a porcelain doll. Unless you’re into that, there is absolutely no reason or you to use it.
It is also worth noting that holding the camera button when the screen is off does not launch the camera, as in other phones. It’s an odd design considering it is a camera-first smartphone. To quick launch, you need to double-press the shutter (camera) button which will launch the camera app and snap a photo instantly. It’s great in theory but the implementation if a tad faulty, since the camera does not focus before taking the photo.
Worth a Shot?
The Lenovo VIBE Shot is an ambitious phone. It’s a mid-range phone that is a strong contender with an amazing camera for its price class. At AED 1299, it’s hard to go wrong with the phone. Beautiful, elegant design, strong battery, great camera, and overall features certainly make it on par with flagship phones, let alone mid-range phones.
