Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro vs Nexus 6
The Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro is one of the newcomers at CES 2015, and with a 5.3” 1080p display, a 64-bit Snapdragon 615 system chip, and a 13-megapixel camera, it is a well-rounded upper mid-range handset. With Lenovo owning Motorola now, the Vibe X2 Pro enters the paradigm of Motorola handsets as well and at CES we got to compare it against the flagship Nexus 6 to give you an idea of how the two compare in size and feeling.
The Vibe X2 Pro features an elegant rectangular body with practically zero curves. The signature element with is its ‘layered’ look on the sides where you have three different colors, and the body of the phone is also available in various colors. It’s a much smaller phone than the Nexus 6, but that rectangular design is not as convenient to grasp and hold as the curved body of the Nexus 6. In terms of pure dimensions, the Vibe X2 Pro measures 5.76 x 2.80 x 0.27 inches (X x Y x Z), while the Nexus 6 measures 6.27 x 3.27 x 0.40 inches.
Overall, we’re left with a feeling of a well-thought out and nice looking design, but the blocky design leaves a bit to be desired in terms of handling.
The 5.3” display on the Vibe X2 Pro comes with a sensible resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, and a pixel density of 416ppi, but the Nexus 6 just dwarfs it with its 6-inch display and Quad HD (1440 x 2560) pixel resolution and whopping 493ppi.
It’s hard to draw any final conclusions about color fidelity from our first look, but colors do look fairly vibrant, while being a bit on the blue side.
The Android 4.4 KitKat on the Vibe X2 Pro is a bit of a downer in these times when most people are looking forward to the launch of the new Android 5.0 Lollipop version. Hopefully, an update will be pushed, but we all know how fast those updates come to Android devices.
The Nexus 6 on the other hand can boast about having the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop and it runs smooth as molasses with the new Material Design language all around.
The Vibe X2 Pro features a 1.5GHz octa-core, 64-bit Snapdragon 615, but the full benefit of the 64-bit chip cannot be felt on Android 4.4 KitKat. Nonetheless, the 615 is a potent upper mid-range chip that runs well with 1080p devices, allowing you to play even more graphically intense games. The Nexus 6, on its part, is in a slightly different class - it’s a true flagship device in terms of silicon with the quad-core Snapdragon 801 system chip on board running at up to 2.7GHz. Sadly, while Nexus 6’s Android 5.0 does support 64-bit chips, the 805 is not one such - it’s a good old 32-bit design. RAM is 2GB on the Vibe X2 Pro and 3 gigs on the Nexus 6.
When it comes to internal storage, Lenovo is going with a generous 32GB that you can expand on via microSD cards. The Nexus 6, on its part, also boasts 32 gigs of on-board memory, but no microSD card slot.
The 13-megapixel camera on the Vibe X2 Pro matches the resolution of the 13-megapixel shooter on the Nexus 6, but Lenovo has not included optical image stabilization as has Google/Motorola.
The other difference is in the dual LED flash on the Nexus 6 styled in a ring-like form, while the Vibe X2 Pro sports a single LED flash.
It’s worth mentioning that selfies will look plenty detailed on the Vibe X2 Pro as it packs a 13-megapixel front shooter, while the Nexus 6 has only got a 2-megapixel front cam.
It’s still early to speak about actual battery life, and the Vibe X2 Pro comes with a not so ample 2410mAh battery. It will be interesting to see the effect of the new Snapdragon 615 system chip on battery longevity, though, so do stay tuned for our battery life tests of the device. The Nexus 6, on the other hand, features a large 3220mAh battery, appropriate for its larger and more power-hungry display. We’ve already tested battery longevity on it and found it to be among the better ones in our battery rankings, outclassing the Apple iPhone 6 Plus and HTC One (M8), but falling a bit short of the longevity of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
We do like what Lenovo has done with the Vibe X2 Pro - it’s a good-looking, stylish phone with powerful chops and - hopefully - an upper mid-range price that will appeal to those not willing to shelf out the full price of a flagship.
However, let’s not forget that the phone is aimed at markets different than the United States. The big stand-out selling point here is obviously the style and the promising, 13-megapixel front camera for selfies. And those are not small things in a world flooded with similar-looking phones.
Design
The Vibe X2 Pro features an elegant rectangular body with practically zero curves. The signature element with is its ‘layered’ look on the sides where you have three different colors, and the body of the phone is also available in various colors. It’s a much smaller phone than the Nexus 6, but that rectangular design is not as convenient to grasp and hold as the curved body of the Nexus 6. In terms of pure dimensions, the Vibe X2 Pro measures 5.76 x 2.80 x 0.27 inches (X x Y x Z), while the Nexus 6 measures 6.27 x 3.27 x 0.40 inches.
Display
The 5.3” display on the Vibe X2 Pro comes with a sensible resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, and a pixel density of 416ppi, but the Nexus 6 just dwarfs it with its 6-inch display and Quad HD (1440 x 2560) pixel resolution and whopping 493ppi.
It’s hard to draw any final conclusions about color fidelity from our first look, but colors do look fairly vibrant, while being a bit on the blue side.
Interface
The Android 4.4 KitKat on the Vibe X2 Pro is a bit of a downer in these times when most people are looking forward to the launch of the new Android 5.0 Lollipop version. Hopefully, an update will be pushed, but we all know how fast those updates come to Android devices.
The Lenovo VIBE skin comes with a bit of a retro feel conveyed mostly via the rounded icons a la Symbian and its own feel that you may or may not like. It’s functional, but definitely lacks a lot of the trendiness of the new flat style. Speed of operation did seem fine at first look.
The Nexus 6 on the other hand can boast about having the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop and it runs smooth as molasses with the new Material Design language all around.
Processor and Memory
The Vibe X2 Pro features a 1.5GHz octa-core, 64-bit Snapdragon 615, but the full benefit of the 64-bit chip cannot be felt on Android 4.4 KitKat. Nonetheless, the 615 is a potent upper mid-range chip that runs well with 1080p devices, allowing you to play even more graphically intense games. The Nexus 6, on its part, is in a slightly different class - it’s a true flagship device in terms of silicon with the quad-core Snapdragon 801 system chip on board running at up to 2.7GHz. Sadly, while Nexus 6’s Android 5.0 does support 64-bit chips, the 805 is not one such - it’s a good old 32-bit design. RAM is 2GB on the Vibe X2 Pro and 3 gigs on the Nexus 6.
When it comes to internal storage, Lenovo is going with a generous 32GB that you can expand on via microSD cards. The Nexus 6, on its part, also boasts 32 gigs of on-board memory, but no microSD card slot.
Camera
The 13-megapixel camera on the Vibe X2 Pro matches the resolution of the 13-megapixel shooter on the Nexus 6, but Lenovo has not included optical image stabilization as has Google/Motorola.
It’s worth mentioning that selfies will look plenty detailed on the Vibe X2 Pro as it packs a 13-megapixel front shooter, while the Nexus 6 has only got a 2-megapixel front cam.
Battery life
It’s still early to speak about actual battery life, and the Vibe X2 Pro comes with a not so ample 2410mAh battery. It will be interesting to see the effect of the new Snapdragon 615 system chip on battery longevity, though, so do stay tuned for our battery life tests of the device. The Nexus 6, on the other hand, features a large 3220mAh battery, appropriate for its larger and more power-hungry display. We’ve already tested battery longevity on it and found it to be among the better ones in our battery rankings, outclassing the Apple iPhone 6 Plus and HTC One (M8), but falling a bit short of the longevity of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
Expectations
We do like what Lenovo has done with the Vibe X2 Pro - it’s a good-looking, stylish phone with powerful chops and - hopefully - an upper mid-range price that will appeal to those not willing to shelf out the full price of a flagship.
However, let’s not forget that the phone is aimed at markets different than the United States. The big stand-out selling point here is obviously the style and the promising, 13-megapixel front camera for selfies. And those are not small things in a world flooded with similar-looking phones.
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