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ZUK Z1 Review

ZUK, pronounced as Zee-You-Kay, has entered the country with the Z1 as its initial offering. Equipped with a Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 4100mAh battery with Cyanogen in tow, it is now in the running against a lot of smartphones that offer similar specs at the same price range. Is it Juan’s next bang-for-the-buck smartphone? Let’s find out.

Parts of our Hands-on and First Impressions were integrated into the review.

Yugatech 728x90 Reno7 Series

Design and Construction

The handset reminds us of a hybrid mix of Samsung Galaxy (with the front button layout) with the iPhone’s metal frame, which is common in some phones nowadays.

ZukZ1 (7)

There are also two capacitive keys that emit a dot of light when pressed, a multicolored LED notification light, and the home key which has the U-Touch fingerprint scanner. The volume and lock rocker keys are at the right, while the SIM card tray can be ejected from the top-left.

ZukZ1 (1)

The Z1 is equipped with a USB-C port at the bottom. Also found here are antenna strips that feed signals into the phone. At the top sits the 3.5mm audio port, and the speaker grill and the USB-C port are at the bottom.

ZukZ1 (8)

Even at 5.5 inches, it’s not that hard to hold and navigate even with just one hand due to its slightly arched non-removable back. The front panel has thin side bezels and present a good screen-to-body ratio. Given its unique software, it’s also easier to navigate around, which we’ll explain later in the article.

ZukZ1 (3)

The Z1 doesn’t offer anything fancy when it comes to design. Our unit, donning a pure white hue, looks simple and clean, which might look elegant for some but a bit generic for others. It’s not a standout, but it’s not something you’d pass for either.

The only gripes that we encountered are during the times when we opt to take screenshots and swipe our fingers in the sensor, which sometimes require two hands to do the job done. It’s also noteworthy that the white version of this handset is covered entirely in glossy polycarbonate, save for the metal frame and the glass front. As a result, the handsets gets a lot of fingerprint smudges, which might need a lot of cleaning especially when you hold the phone a lot.

Next Page: Display and Multimedia, Camera, OS, UI, and Apps

Pages: 1 2 3

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Avatar for Carl Lamiel

Get in touch with Carl at @lamielcarl on Twitter or visit his website for more updates!

12 Responses

  1. Avatar for Aaron Gwapz Giray Aaron Gwapz Giray says:

    nice so ganda naman nyan edi wOw! malina camera hahahaha bibili ako nyan ma try nga..

  2. Avatar for Sed Sed says:

    Hello, does anyone know where can I buy a case for this phone? Thanks!

  3. Avatar for Joey Joey says:

    I bought my ZUK Z1 at the Lenovo Store at the Digital Exchange Glorietta 3. Look fo Jessica. :)
    The ZUK Z1 though almost 1:1 with the OnePlus One, performs way better. The battery definitely rocks! 24hrs on a single charge, mobile data always on and some online games.

    • Avatar for Zorounggoy Zorounggoy says:

      may case or flip cover na bang available?

    • Avatar for Sed Sed says:

      Hello Joey, is the wifi connection good on this phone?

    • Avatar for Joey Joey says:

      no case available for this yet. as for wifi and data connectivity, relative to my OnePlus One and Nexus 5, the ZUK Z1 is performing just as good. in terms of mobile data, it has better reception esp with LTE.

  4. Avatar for Jay Jay says:

    where is ZUK Z1 avaialable?

  5. Avatar for Paul Paul says:

    Smartphones like this should bring some excitement to the midrange above 10k-below 30k segment.

    Usually on the public commute I see folks with either the budget phones at below 10k (CM Flare, Galaxy J etc), or they’re those with the latest iPhone or high end Galaxy S at above 30k.

    Now with this first offering by ZUK, Vibe P1 and Phab Plus from Lenovo, Xperia M5 and C5 Ultra from Sony, and even Galaxy A8 from Samsung, customers have more choice if they want to spend more for decent specs and imported brand quality… without sacrificing their entire Christmas bonus. ;)

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