If you’re looking for a good-looking Android smartphone that packs a 4.5-inch display, a dual-core processor, and an above average battery life for a sub-Php7k price, then the Lenovo A800 is a good smartphone to consider. Let’s find out why by reading our full review after the break.
Design and Construction
The Lenovo A800 is a neat-looking piece that is gunning for simplicity with a little extra. It actually exudes a little similarity to the HTC One X but instead of a curved glass design, it has a bevelled bezel on the top and bottom of the handset.
Found on the front is the 4.5-inch display. The earpiece is right on top of it while the three capacitive buttons are at the bottom. On the left side is the volume rocker while up top are the headset jack, microUSB port and power/lock button. The right side and bottom are devoid of any buttons. From here everything looks simple, but flip the device over and you’ll see its textured plastic backplate with a criss-cross design. Also found here are the 5 megapixel camera and the speaker grill together with the Lenovo and ‘Smart Music’ labels.
Aside from the display, everything else is made of plastic. It feels solid and the textured back feels good in the hands. However, the backplate makes creaking sounds when held firmly and is a bit hefty at 155g.
Display
The A800 uses a 4.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 480 x 854 at 218ppi. Pixels are evident especially when viewed closely but not a big issue if you’re viewing it from 10 to 12 inches away. Colors and viewing angles are good but doesn’t pack a lot of brightness. In auto-brightness the display is dimmer than normal and has poor sunlight legibility even when brightness was set on max. Other than that everything else is acceptable.
OS, UI and Apps
Running under the A800’s hood is Lenovo’s version of Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. I’m not really fond of the circular icons that Lenovo uses for its phones but the white theme is a nice touch and goes well with the white version of the A800.
Lenovo took the liberty of having some apps pre-installed like the AVG antivirus, Kingsoft Office, AccuWeather, doubleTwist, SugarSync, UC Browser and a couple of games. Some of these apps are just a waste of space but the good thing is all of them can be uninstalled.
The rest of the apps are the basic Google goodies and some of Lenovo’s own useful apps like the Lenovo Note, Lenovo Power Manager and LeCalendar.
Camera and Multimedia
Lenovo skimped a bit on camera technology on the A800 and equipped it with a 5 megapixel shooter with no LED flash. There’s no front-facing camera here so video chats can be an issue. However, its camera performance is far from inadequate. It locks in and shoots fast and it has a lot of software features such as HDR, Panorama, Multiple-angle shooting, and color effects. It’s not the best camera out there but it can shoot very decent photos especially in bright conditions. However, some appear washed out or dull. You can check more sample photos here.
As for video recording, you can shoot videos up to 720p. Watch the sample video below:
As for its multimedia prowess, its speaker is one of the loudest and clearest we’ve experienced on a smartphone. Even when placed on a soft surface like a bed or a pillow, the sound is still very audible.
Performance, Benchmarks and Battery Life
For a dual-core Android smartphone with half a gig of RAM, we’re pretty much impressed with the A800’s performance. There are slight lags especially when launching an app for the first time or when exiting to the homescreen after playing a game. Speaking of games, we were able to play Temple Run 2 in its highest settings. The game is very playable with occasional lags but not at all a hindrance to game play.
Now for the benchmark scores, AnTuTu gave it a score of 7,875 almost falling at the bottom of the charts just above the Galaxy Nexus. Quadrant Standard gave it a score of 3,129 while NenaMark 2 gauged the PowerVR SGX 531 GPU at 28.2fps.
The A800 has 2000mAh worth of juice in its tank and with our moderate usage of single SIM standby, constant WiFi connectivity, SNS browsing and sending SMS, the A800 was able to last for almost a day and a half. With dual-SIM standby, WiFi, gaming and music playback using the speakers, the battery lasted for almost a day. Overall, battery life is good on the A800.
Conclusion
The Lenovo A800 is an admirable smartphone that packs a decent display, attractive design, loud speaker, and a solid battery life. Not to mention that it has dual-SIM capabilities and is able to perform quite well. The only cons here are the creaky backplate, below average brightness, the lack of LED flash and front-facing camera, and ICS out of the box. But for the price of Php6,999, the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
Lenovo A800 specs:
4.5-inch IPS LCD display @ 480×854 pixels, 218ppi
Mediatek MTK 6577T 1.2GHz dual-core Cortex-A9
PowerVR SGX531
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
dual-SIM, dual-standby
3G/HSDPA
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth 4.0 w/ A2DP
FM Radio
GPS w/ aGPS support
5MP rear camera, 720p video
Android 4.0.4 ICS
Li-Ion 2,000mAh battery
What we liked about it:
* Attractive design
* Good display
* Solid battery life
* Very loud speaker
* Affordable price
What we didn’t like about it:
* Backplate is a bit creaky
* Display needs more brightness
* No LED flash
* No front-facing camera
* Just Android ICS out of the box
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Sa lahat ng nag comment sa Lenovo A800, diba may mga catalog kayo basahin po ninyo lahat dun para maayos ninyong magamit ang A800 ninyo na phone kasi po ako walang prob po sa akin kc, nagagamit ko ng maayos ang A800 ko ^_^ sana po kapag bibili kau ng phone ang unang gagawin ninyo basahin ninyo yung catalog po ninyo ^_^ advice ko lang po yun ha! wag magalit ok. God bless us!
Ask ko lang kung available pa din ang unit na to ng lenovo ..
ska if oo, san niyo masasuggest na outlet around rizal or marikina area?? tnx sa sasagot .. mwah :D
hi help po
sobra slow ng connection nia..pno po iactivate ung 3g nia?
pls help..i cant even download apps
di ko makita ang wifi hot spot nto help me 09098350718 – ram
ask ko lang po. upgradable po ba ung android ng phone na to?
I would like to know whether the apps can be installed on external SD memory card once the internal memory is full. Please reply, as your reply will help me decide to buy this device.
go sms compatible ba to?? bakit pag may nagtetext dalawa ung notification. isa sa go sms saka isa sa default na messaging??
kabibili ko lang po ng a800 pero hindi ko magamit ang call. naririnig ko kausap ko pero hindi nila ako marinig
mostly po 2 same text message natatanggap ko pero hindi naman nag ddouble send ung katext ko..minsan pa paulit ulit ung text message na un. normal ba yun?
same tayo ng problem. ang daming dating ng message. naayos mo na ba ung sayo?
Pwede po bang mag install ng temple run game sa phone na ito? (Lenovo A800)
Hi all,
Ask ko lng kng panu mg off ng speaker whenever listening sa music/radio? same kasi ng ffunction ung speaker and headset e. Thanks sa reply.
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pano po tnggalin ung message alert tone ng lenovo a800? kc pg tnanggal ko volume, pti ung call alert tone nya mawawala..pm me n lng po..salamat 09068359062
pno i-save ang screenshot image and images from fb?
elow
kakabili ko lang po nito kanina. lag po ba siya?
ilang oras po siya chinacharge? tsaka 478 lang po ung ram niya. hindi po ba talag sagad un?
sorry daming tanong hehe
tnx
1 day ko plang gamit may defect na, ngflicker yung touch button sa baba khit nka off yung phone parang grounded pero sa performance ok na ok yun lang naging prob ko, pnapalitan ko sa pnagbilhan ko pero dadalhin pa raw sa sc ng lenovo para macheck bgo palitan, until now wala pa ako update sa status ng replacement.
GPS is crappy!
@phil e phenau hahaha.. my name was phily pino or how about philer up?
Nice son. Bought a gift for his mom. I want to live there instead of my present location. I’m tired of the beggars. “Give me money” So NO CLASS, No education.
Can it be upgraded to Jelly Bean?
pano alisin yung shutter sound,,medyo malakas eh,,,
Press the camera shutter and at the same time press the volume rocker down.
i have lenovo a800 smart phone i forgot my screen password now i don’t know who to reset it
please help me please
u will be asked to provide the email address (gmail) that you’ve used to activate the email client (gmail) of your phone. then access your email in your pc to follow the instructions.
i’ve been using my lenovo a800 and im most impressed by the camera compared to iphone. really. it’s not the best or better compared to my highend camera phone but very nice. the rest are comparable: screen, battery, processor, etc
Press power button and the up volume button at the same time.
There will be a like a bios option that will appear not the usual lenovo logo after turning on.
Use the volume rocker as your toggle to choose the “Clear Emmc”
It will reset to factory settings, loosing all data you saved.
I bought this phone last Feb 24 on SM north EDSA, ayos naman siya at worth buying. Originally myphone dapat sana ang bibilhin ko pero ayaw di tiwala ang kapatid ko sa quality ng myphone products dahil sa bad experience niya sa Cherry(Di ko gets logic niya about cherry=myphone)
Na convince lang ako bumili nito dahil sa na sales talk ako ng shop na nag bebenta but i say its totally worth it.
So far so good naman talaga sa a800 kahit na wala siya front cam at no LED flash. worth it naman siya from a perspective of a first time Android user
Lenove price 7k lang kung naghahanap kayo ng para masolve lahat ng to
* Backplate is a bit creaky
* Display needs more brightness
* No LED flash
* No front-facing camera
* Just Android ICS out of the box
dagdag kayo ng 5k para sa Lenovo 770
pagdinadagdagan po ung specs nong cellphone nagmamahal!
is a800 upgradable to jelly bean? since 1.2ghz na sya, thanks.
Astig ito mga brad…affordable pa!.:)
Its simple awesome. I’m happy with my purchased yesterday :-) w/ 4gb micro SD inside the box, free hardcase (nillkin) & screen protector.
san po kayo nakabili? thanks
kay Pao of Planet Gadget Unit 5 Level 2 Greenhills Theater Mall Greenhills
My officemate got this one today and I was able to have test it today. The picture quality is really good for a 5 mp and the audio quality was stunning as it packs a lot of power and very clear and crisp.
Is camera result is good?
i wanted to buy it….. :)
looking awesome. <3
My aunts bought two of these (in black) on my recommendation, and honestly I was pretty tempted to get one myself.
It feels very solid, and I did’t notice any creaking on the backplate at all. If anything, the backplate is attached too firmly — opening it up was a pain. I think the screen is covered in plastic rather than glass, but I could be wrong.
A front-facing camera and an LED flash would’ve been nice, but they’re not dealbreakers at this price point.
I was very impressed with the P700, and again with the A800. Lenovo’s on to something here. Their phones don’t seem to be exceptional in any way, but they do a lot of things right — good performance, good displays, solid build quality, big batteries, and reasonable prices.
Now let’s see how they do with software updates and after-sales support.
Agree with the backplate, freaking pain in the arse to remove! :D
A60+ user here. ok naman ang quality. almost 3 months nag bugbog sarado. LOL. kung nag enjoy ako sa A60+ ko kahit papano, mas mag eenjoy ako dito sigurado kasi dual core na at mas malaki ang screen :D hehe
Thanks for the feedback! I am torn between a Lumia and a Lenovo Phone. :/
ok ang lenovo. why pay more if the specs you are looking for is here for a cheaper price. quality pa. super like try nyo lenovo a800 at s720. di nyo pag sisisihan ang pag bili ng lenovo. they made the best just for us the budget wise.
sulit talaga.
pwede na.. antay2 lang sa mga darating na buwan may mas maganda pa jan at affordable.. =j
How’s the durability and quality of Lenovo phones?
ok naman tol ang quality ng lenovo phones, p700 user aq before.. sa loob ng 6mos q siya nagamit, sulit na sulit.. solid ang build at maganda performance battery, mas ok to kasi dual core na, kaya expect na ok ang quality nito. :)
in the end sa budget pa din magkaka talo, hope this helps..
Pwedeng pwede a ito. Mura pa.
Hello! san po mkakabuy nito?
try sm megamall, or kahit saang sm malls.. isa isahin mo botiques and if may makita ka na “estante” ng mga lenovo phones for sure meron sila, maliban na lang if wala pa dumadating na stocks..
dati sa comworks q nabili p700 q, try mo comworks or wellcom.. sa sm bacoor meron sila eh..
hope this helps.. =j
thanks @ryan s.
Aww.. this would have been perfect with HSPA+ , front facing cam and LED flash… :( am I askingfor too much? Nice looking phone too!
I got the Lenov s720 for my Mom.. +1 mp front cam, 8 mp back cam. Same specs orherwise. oh with LED flash. P9990. So far, it is good naman.
pwede na:) kaya lng konti n lng Starmobile Crystal na:) hmmn?
i’m planning to buy one for my dad… gusto ko sana ng isa pa para sa akin kaso 512mb lang yung ram…at walang front camera.
sana ok siya.. may update kaya to ng JB?
i like your information. tahnk you