Conclusion

We started this review with all sorts of expectations. Early reviews criticised the ZUK Z1 for having a subpar camera and fingerprint reader. On the other hand, our experience with Lenovo phones has been quite positive, so we didn’t expect the company to botch the ZUK Z1. However, it seems it did botch the launch, but not the device itself.

We can only conclude that some reviewers ended up with first-batch samples that weren’t ready for prime time because we did not encounter any of the camera and fingerprint issues they found (and looking at some of their sample pics, these issues were real). By the time we got our sample, a couple of OTA updates were out and we did not experience any fingerprint or camera problems. To the contrary, we can report that fingerprint scanner performance is as good as you’d get on a $600 Samsung, while the camera is average for a $300 device. Thanks to OIS, some users may argue it’s even above average, but it all depends on the type of shots you take.

What are the shortcomings? A shiny Snapdragon 808 processor would have been a nice touch, but the 801 is still a very capable chip. There is no microSD slot, but thanks to 64GB of eMMC storage, this shouldn’t be an issue for most users. In fact, as far as storage goes, we would have liked a more affordable 32GB version, because we are sure it would find a lot of takers. There is no NFC, either, and LTE support may be a problem in some regions, so please do your research if you decide to buy this baby.

Over the past few months we had a chance to review dozens of phones from small Chinese brands and some global players like Asus, Lenovo and Huawei. The ZUK is a different beast. The new Lenovo brand has global aspirations, and it’s not in the business of making cheap, commoditised phones. ZUK Z1 is not a bargain bin device, but it doesn’t perform like one, either. Prices at GearBest start at $299 shipped from China, while European consumers should expect to pay about $349 from EU stock (faster shipping, no customs issues). It might not be a “flagship killer” but it’s not far behind. Depending on what you need and look for in a phone, the ZUK Z1 can be an excellent daily driver, thanks to its snappy hardware and excellent OS, not to mention the two-day battery.

Can we recommend it? Yes. It’s halfway between the OnePlus Two and OnePlus X in terms of pricing, yet it’s much closer to the OnePlus Two in everything else (save for choice of CPU).

Lenovo ZUK Z1 Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Good all-round performance
• Polished and snappy operating system
• Impressive battery life
• 64GB of eMMC 5.0 storage
• Camera with OIS

Cons

• Sluggish HDR mode and f/2.2 aperture
• Bland design with glossy back
• No NFC support
• No 32GB version, no microSD slot