Requirements for a budget smartphone have grown noticeably lately. Users are no longer ready to put up with a prehistoric processor, a couple of gigabytes of RAM and a camera that is only suitable for the street. Lenovo K13 is a good example of the fact that even for little money you can buy a decent device that will suit almost everyone.
Design
The appearance of Lenovo K13 is typical for the budget segment. The screen has rather wide bezels at the top and bottom, the front camera is integrated into the “drop” at the top.
The back panel is plastic with a nice ribbed texture. He practically does not collect prints, and this is also a big plus. I would love to go with such a smartphone without a case: very cute.
The fingerprint sensor is on the back. More and more manufacturers are transferring it to the right end, but this placement option has the right to exist.
On the right side there are as many as three buttons. More precisely, two plus the traditional volume rocker. Under the rocker is the on / off button, above it is the call to the Google Assistant. Moreover, you cannot “hang” another function – at least I did not find it in the settings. But even if you do not use the Assistant, it will not interfere with you.
On the left side there is a tray for cards. You can put two SIM cards or one plus a memory card. However, given the storage capacity of 128GB, you may not need microSD.
A modern USB-C is provided for charging and information exchange.
Screen
- Diagonal: 6.5 inches, IPS
- Resolution: 1600 * 720
There are no complaints about the IPS-matrix of the screen. At maximum brightness, the smartphone can be used outdoors, the bright sun makes it a little dim, but the information is still readable. At the same time, the colors are natural, there are no distortions.
The resolution 1600 * 720 is something that users will find fault with. And poke at some Redmi 9, which, with the same screen size, is already 2340 * 1080. In principle, they are right, but in this price segment you still have to sacrifice something. And I would not say that the low resolution of the Lenovo K13 Note is somehow striking. So I didn't call it a disadvantage either.
Cameras
- Primary: 48 MP, f / 1.7, PDAF
- Wide-angle: 8MP
- Macro: 2MP
- Depth sensor: 2MP
- Front: 8 MP
Although 90% of users still only use the main camera, manufacturers persist in using multi-eyed units.
If the 8-megapixel wide-angle gives more or less high-quality images, but a macro camera can be interesting only in one case: test it after purchase. And this, alas, applies to all smartphones, even of a higher class.
And what about the main one. Yes, everything is generally good. Outside the premises, the photos are very decent, and the automatic processing practically leaves natural colors. Compared to similar ones in other cameras, the photos from the Lenovo K13 Note may seem pale, but this is precisely a question of processing. At the viewing stage, you can turn them into juicy with a couple of taps.
HDR works correctly, there is no point in turning it on and off manually. But it is very useful to activate the night one. With a lack of light, the detailing of the picture in the auto mode drops noticeably, in the night time, even with an increase in the photo, it looks quite “watchable”, the noise is much less. You can evaluate the result from these pictures.
The interface of the camera application is not overloaded, but at the same time everything is at hand. Swipe up to bring up the main settings panel. From the modes on the default screen – only “Video” and “Photo”. Everything else is hidden under the “sandwich” menu button (three horizontal lines).
Performance and equipment
- OS: Android 11
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 460
- RAM: 4 GB
- Storage: 128 GB
- NFC, fingerprint sensor, face recognition
It's no secret that Lenovo K13 Note strongly resembles the model of the “sister” brand Motorola Moto E7 Plus. But it does not copy it – for example, Motorola has a different camera unit, no NFC, only 64 GB of memory, and so on. So it's more likely a Moto E7 Plus at maximum speed. By the way, all the basic “Motorola” gestures such as turning on the flashlight when you wave your smartphone are also present here. If you have never tried it, try it, they are hidden in the “System” settings.
Let's start with the main thing – this is a combination of 4/128 GB of memory. This is not often found in this price range when it comes to top brands. The ubiquitous Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO, realme and ZTE with its Blade 20 Smart – these are, in fact, all the competitors.
And another big plus: pure Android 11. I have nothing against shells from some manufacturers, but in the budget segment it is still better to focus on a pure OS: as a rule, they work faster and more stable.
In terms of the processor, there is nothing to be proud of – this is the budget Snapdragon 460. Can you live comfortably with it? No problem. Slowdowns are rare: mainly when downloading or installing regular updates. And if you play mainly in “three in a row” or similar games not loaded with graphics, you will not feel the difference at all with a more expensive and powerful device.
NFC, as we have already noted, is. Unlocking in the face also works, and it is very correct.
Autonomy
Another “must have” for a good smartphone nowadays is a capacious battery. And here everything is in order with this: a 5000 mAh battery is installed. Taking into account the not very productive, but energy efficient processor, Lenovo K13 Note can be ranked among the “long-livers”. At least after quite active use (mainly browsers, mail, social networks), by the end of the day, about 40% remained in the battery.
However, there is one caveat. The smartphone does not support fast charging technologies, and only a 10W adapter is included in the package. So, if you manage to drain the battery “to zero”, be prepared to keep the K13 Note on charge for a couple of hours.
Bottom line: is the Lenovo K13 Note worth buying?
Lenovo's new smartphone is not one of those that “tear the market”. At the start of sales in June), it cost about 11,000 rubles, and it was a very advantageous offer. Now the smartphone has risen in price to 12,500 rubles. – more precisely, the period of special offers has ended. For this money, you get an excellent set of characteristics: practically the maximum amount of memory (both operational and permanent) in this price segment, a large battery, NFC. Yes, other manufacturers also have this range, but if you are a principled opponent of Chinese brands, Lenovo K13 Note may be one of the best options for a limited budget.
By the way, we have a whole selection of decent budget smartphones – some models cost less than 10,000 rubles. And if you need the most compact devices, we also have something to advise you.
