Lenovo S820 is a good smartphone with a diagonal of less than 5″

The Lenovo IdeaPhone S920, which we met back in November, left behind quite contradictory impressions. At first glance, the hero of today's review, Lenovo S820, can be mistaken for its smaller copy. Same SoC and functionality - it may seem that the only difference is the smaller screen diagonal and increased resolution of the main camera. True, if the differences ended there, this review would not have been written.

Contents of delivery

In the box with the smartphone, the user will find: a charger with an output current of 1 A, a USB cable, a wired headset with a noodle-shaped cable and a set of attachments of different sizes, and the required minimum of paper documentation.

Design and ergonomics

Externally, the smartphone is quite reminiscent of the Lenovo S920 – a thin all-in-one with highly rounded edges. White glossy plastic with many inclusions of small sparkles plays beautifully in the light. It forms a kind of bath into which a display unit is inserted, framed by a thin black stripe. On it you will find: a thin mesh earpiece, a front camera lens and the manufacturer’s logo. From left to right under the screen there are three touch control keys - “Menu”, “Home” and “Back”, below them is a barely noticeable microphone hole. A thin volume key is located on the right side, a Micro-USB connector is on the bottom, and the top is allocated for the power key and mini-jack connector. The cover will demonstrate a slightly protruding lens of the main camera, framed by a metal ring, an LED flash, the manufacturer's logo and a ringing speaker slot. Having removed it, we see slots for two Mini SIM cards and a memory card, which can only be accessed after removing the battery.

Thanks to the different design of the camera module and plastic with sparkles, the Lenovo S820's appearance is no longer so reminiscent of the HTC One X, its design looks more distinctive. There are also differences from the S920 model - a black frame around the screen, an interface connector located in the usual place and devoid of useless plugs.

The impression of ergonomics and assembly is comparable to the S920 model. The power key remains on top, which means that even people with large palms will have to grab the device to turn on the screen - this is the main drawback of the smartphone’s ergonomics. Otherwise, the physical keys are distinguishable to the touch, although they protrude slightly above the body, have a short stroke and a noticeable click. There are no complaints about the sensitivity of the touch buttons.

The assembly of our sample is at an average level: the gaps between the cover and the body are not uniform in places where the lines bend, and the smartphone noticeably creaks when twisted. It's time to once again recall the Lenovo S920 - then our test sample also had similar assembly problems, but in stores the author came across copies in other body colors that were free of these shortcomings. It is likely that things are exactly the same with the Lenovo IdeaPhone S820.

In addition to white, the smartphone is available in dark gray and bright red colors made of matte plastic.

At the end, we’ll tell you about one more interesting detail - hidden under the “Home” key is a light indicator made in the form of a line of small dots. It flashes during an incoming call and when there are missed notifications. If it's a message, it lights up blue, if it's a call, it lights up purple, while charging and when the battery level is low, it lights up red. The classic LED indicator is more noticeable, but less beautiful.

Appearance

Lenovo S820 is available in red, gray and white colors. The device is made in a classic rectangular shape, with rounded corners. The front side of the smartphone in appearance resembles a picture tube of an old TV. The screen rises slightly above the panel, which is a notable feature of this model. The panel has standard connectors for headphones and a charger. The phone is elegant, stylish, thin.

The body is made of polycarbonate, slightly rough to the touch, so it fits securely in the hand. The back panel and glass are resistant to scratches and dirt, so the device retains its attractive appearance for a long time. The build quality is excellent, nothing moves or protrudes. The touch screen is sensitive both in the center and in the corners, it is activated by a light touch.

Screen

Lenovo IdeaPhone S820 has a 4.7-inch diagonal IPS screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. There is no air gap, viewing angles are maximum. The manufacturer's website https://shop.lenovo.com/ua/ua/smartphones/s-series/s820/# says that the screen is protected by Corning Curved Glass - when you press hard on the matrix, characteristic stains appear, it is scratch resistant . There is no obvious oleophobic coating, but the finger glides perfectly across the screen, fingerprints are barely noticeable and can be easily removed. The sensor sensitivity is good. The minimum brightness is 15.7 cd/m2, the average is 189.5 cd/m2, the maximum is 370 cd/m2. The screen is easy to read outdoors and practically does not fade.

Color gamut exceeds sRGB space. The gamma curve does not deviate much from the norm, but the color temperature is very high in the dark areas of the image.

In general, the display is of high quality, leaves a positive impression and is quite consistent with the positioning and price of the smartphone.

Data acquisition capabilities

Finally, let’s look at the communication capabilities of this smartphone. For a wireless connection to the Global Wide Web, you can use Wi-Fi (maximum speed up to 100 Mbit/s) and third- or second-generation mobile networks (in the first case we get a maximum of 3 Mbit/s, in the second - hundreds of kilobytes). If you need to download large content (for example, a movie), then it is better to opt for Wi-Fi. But you can even browse websites and communicate on social networks in FSM networks. For navigation, the ZhSM module is installed. Unfortunately, it does not work with the GLONASS system. From this side, this Lenovo model looks flawless. The S820T phone, as the review of wireless connections indicates, is not equipped with an infrared port. But this technology is both morally and physically outdated. So there's nothing wrong with that. Among wired data transmission, the following types of connectors can be distinguished: MicroUSB (for connecting to a PC and charging the battery) and 3.5 mm audio jack for connecting external speakers or headphones. It’s worth noting right away that the stereo headset that comes with the smart phone is of very poor quality. Therefore, lovers of high-quality sound should buy other headphones.

Interface

Lenovo S820 runs Android 4.2.1 operating system and uses Lenovo Launcher (v2.0) as the user interface.

The shell greatly changes the appearance of the system and provides extensive customization options for the appearance of application shortcuts and graphic effects, comparable to the best launchers.

The user can independently change the number of desktops (from one to nine), customize the flipping animation, and you can enable circular scrolling.

The application menu contains only programs; widgets and shortcuts are added by holding your finger on an empty space on the desktop, and you can quickly change the animation or theme. A basic change in appearance can be done by changing the theme - this will change the appearance of built-in application shortcuts and wallpaper.

Additionally, you can adjust the density of icons, the size of the desktop grid, select a frame for application shortcuts, or disable it altogether.

There are three groups of switches in the list of notifications: the first contains settings for display parameters, the second contains communication models, and the third contains sound modes.

The settings are also divided into three tabs, between which you can swipe. The first contains general parameters (wireless modules, screen brightness, notification tones, etc.), the second contains settings for gestures and the event indicator, the third is a standard system settings menu.

What needs to be added to the OS?

To read books in various formats, it is recommended to install Kingsoft Office on this device. This will also allow you to work with text tables. To view the tables, you must install MX Player. You also need to supplement your smartphone with an antivirus and an optimization utility. “SM Security” and “Clean Master” are perfect for these purposes. All this will significantly improve the performance of the Lenovo S820T. There is no point in reviewing further software, since everything depends on the user’s tasks. For example, to perform complex mathematical calculations, you can install some kind of calculator with an expanded set of functions. You also need to install social services for domestic networks “VKontakte”, “My World” and “Odnoklassniki”. This will allow you to communicate with friends and relatives using your smartphone. In general, all the necessary applications and games can be found and downloaded from the Play Market.

Calls and multimedia

The quality of the speakers is average. The call volume is sufficient in most situations, but the ringing speaker could be a little louder, and besides, it lacks volume. Lying on the table, it is practically not muffled thanks to a small protrusion that raises the phone above the table, but if you cover it with your hand, it is almost completely muffled. The vibration alert is average in strength, the microphone sensitivity is normal, during testing, none of the interlocutors complained about poor audibility or speech intelligibility.

The quality of music playback is “above average” - it will suit most users, there is no extraneous noise. There is also a radio that can work without headphones (reception quality drops noticeably), and the broadcast can be recorded.

Codec support is also good - the built-in video player plays videos in popular formats, even copes with a test file, but cannot play AC3 audio tracks.

Playing video files

Performance and Memory

The smartphone is built on the basis of SoC MediaTek MT6589, it is made according to the standards of the 28-nanometer process technology, contains four Cortex-A7 cores operating at a frequency of 1.2 GHz and a PowerVR SGX544 GPU. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, of which about 350 MB remain free after downloading. Of the 4 GB of internal memory, 2.14 GB is allocated for installing applications, 1.45 GB is for data storage, which can be expanded using memory cards.

The performance of the Lenovo S820 is at a good level, desktops are flipped through smoothly, but slight stuttering is possible during active work. Resource-intensive games, including Real Racing 3, run without problems.

Below you can see the benchmark results:

GPS works well, a “cold start” takes less than 30 seconds, and the smartphone reliably maintains a connection with satellites. The speed of data exchange in the Wi-Fi network is maximum.

Camera

The Lenovo S820 has two cameras - the main one with a 12 megapixel matrix, autofocus and flash, and the front one (2 megapixels). Filming is carried out using the Super Camera application. It is functional and convenient. By clicking on the settings icon, we get access to control many shooting parameters (resolution, white balance, ISO, etc.). A triangular icon in the upper right corner provides access to various shooting modes. To return to normal mode, just click “OK”.

In automatic mode, pictures are taken instantly, processing HDR photos takes about 5 seconds. In good shooting conditions, the pictures are of appropriate quality, but the camera has another drawback - it often misses the focus. The front camera produces an undistinguished image of average quality.

Examples of photos taken with the Lenovo Ideaphone S820 smartphone

Examples of HDR images

Example of Full HD video shot by Lenovo Ideaphone S820 smartphone

Autonomy

The removable lithium polymer battery of the Lenovo S820 has a capacity of 2000 mAh. It provides a day of active use or one and a half to two days of work at an average load.

Using the built-in Lenovo Power utility, the user can flexibly adjust the device's power consumption. It displays the power consumption of individual applications and smartphone modules, and the predicted operating time in various modes. There are four power consumption profiles available, each of which can be customized to your liking. You can choose which applications will run in the background and which will be forced to close. You can also enable unloading of all applications from memory when the screen is turned off. It is possible to turn on/off the device at a specified time.

Below you can see the results of tests of smartphone autonomy in various modes:

The % value displays the percentage of battery discharge during 2 hours of testing. In reading mode, all wireless communications are disabled, including data transmission on the mobile network, and the display brightness is set to 50%. When listening to music, automatic data synchronization and data transfer worked. The sound volume in the headphones is at 12 out of 15 possible levels. All music files are in MP3 format, bitrate 320 Kbps. Navigation includes getting directions in the Google Navigation app. The brightness is set to 50%, all data communication modules are disabled. The first value was obtained in the standard operating mode, the second - when automatic synchronization was disabled, the last - when switching from automatic selection of the network type to forced operation in a 2G network. When playing a video, data transfer on the mobile network is active, the display brightness is set to 50%, the sound volume in the headphones is at level 12 out of a possible 15. The video file format is MKV, resolution 1024x432 pixels, frame rate 24. Playing video from Youtube was accompanied not only by working on the network Wi-Fi, but also active data transmission. The display brightness is set to 50%, the sound volume in the headphones is set to 12 out of 15 possible levels.

Battery

A 2000 mAh battery is today the standard for dual-SIM smartphones with a screen diagonal larger than 4 inches.

The autonomy of the smartphone did not bring any surprises; with standard use, the battery will have to be charged every day, and if you play heavy games, you can settle down at the outlet in the afternoon. Our standard tests showed that when using the Internet, the Lenovo S820 discharges in 9 hours 34 minutes, and when watching videos in 10 hours 2 minutes.

Results

Lenovo IdeaPhone S820 is a mid-class smartphone with good performance, a good screen and camera. There are no criticisms of it, but it has a sufficient number of competitors with a more attractive price tag. Therefore, the buyer will have to independently answer the question of whether he is ready to exchange 3,000 hryvnia for a B-brand smartphone.

Liked + Rich functionality of built-in applications + Indicator light design

Didn’t like it - Build quality of the test sample - Small amount of built-in memory

Pros: Rich functionality of built-in applications, indicator light design

Cons: Build quality of the test sample, small amount of built-in memory

Conclusion: Lenovo IdeaPhone S820 is a mid-class smartphone with good performance, a good screen and camera. There are no criticisms of it, but it has a sufficient number of competitors with a more attractive price tag. Therefore, the buyer will have to independently answer the question of whether he is ready to exchange 3,000 hryvnia for a B-brand smartphone.

Summary

Let's summarize. Oddities with the processor, memory and graphics adapter cause many complaints about the Lenovo S820T. Reviews only confirm this. In any case, two cores today are not enough. The situation is similar with the RAM (only 512 MB in the basic configuration) and with the graphics adapter (Mali-400 is clearly outdated). At the same time, the Lenovo S820T has practically no positive aspects. The price of $140 is clearly too high. If it were based on a full-fledged 8-core chip, then it would be an excellent purchase. And so the purchase of such a device is not entirely justified today - the cost is too high, and its filling is not very good.