Lenovo A6000 Plus

Xiaomi has shown that a relatively unknown brand can rise to the higher echelons by offering great value for money devices in the budget segment, and Lenovo is looking to emulate a similar amount of success with the A6000 series.

The main selling point of the Lenovo A6000 Plus is 4G LTE connectivity. With 4G services taking off in a few cities across the country, and mainstream service from the likes of Reliance set to roll out later this year, this year is all about vendors offering 4G on budget devices. That s already being seen on the likes of Redmi Note 4G, Motorola s Moto E 4G edition as well as a slew of devices from other manufacturers.

The formula for most of these handsets is the same, and the A6000 Plus does not deviate from the course in that regard. The device offers a 5-inch 720p screen, 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 CPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and a microSD card slot.

There s an 8MP camera at the back with LED flash that can record full-HD videos, and a 2MP shooter at the front of the device. Connectivity is in the form of 4G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. The device chugs on for a day and a half thanks to a 2,000mAh battery.

On the software front, the handset offers Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box, although Android 5.0 should be available shortly. With hardware relatively staying the same, it is the software that will differentiate devices in the long run. And in that regard, Lenovo has shown that it can do better with its latest version of Vibe UI. In its earlier iterations, Vibe UI came across as cartoony, but that has been amended, with the Chinese vendor now offering a sleek and modern layout with its custom user interface.

Boasting decent hardware and a user interface that s easy on the eyes, Lenovo is a contender to reckon with in this segment