Lenovo Vibe X3 Review

Lenovo’s latest line of smartphones seems to give a fresh perspective to the company’s goal in getting into consumers’ hands with refreshing not-so-blocky designs. We reviewed the Vibe K4 Note and it was able to prove itself to be a phone for people with ample budget thanks to its balanced specifications and price tag. Meanwhile, here’s the Vibe X3 which is a more premium and better smartphone all around but resembles the K4 Note in a number of ways. It’s more expensive too but does it justify the improvements it has?

Design and Construction

Physically, the Vibe X3 is already impressive upon initial impression. It’s got a good blend of polycarbonate and aluminum plus the usual glass on the display.

Speaking of, the display upfront measures 5.5 inches and along with it are the front facing camera, a couple of sensors, and notification light on top while there are three unlit capacitive keys below for recent apps, home and return. The glass protecting it is Corning Gorilla Glass 3 which doesn’t stretch to the edge. The glass is framed by a glossy plastic with tiny holes on both sides to give way to the front stereo speakers.

To the right side of the chamfered aluminum frame are the volume rocker and the power/lock key. The buttons are also made of the same aluminum and that’s a plus.

The left side is clean aside from the SIM card tray which accepts two nano-SIM cards or trade the second slot for a microSD.

The top part of the handset is where the 3.5mm headphone jack is plus the IR blaster for the remote control app. The bottom, on the other hand, has only the micro-USB port for charging and wired connectivity.

Flipping over, you’ll be greeted by a pure-looking matte white back panel. Here, we have primary camera aligned with its dual-tone LED flash and a square fingerprint scanner. There’s also a tiny hole at the upper-right side which is for the noise-cancelling mic and a handful of labels printed below.

What really impresses us about the Vibe X3’s build is the pearlescent appearance of its back panel. While the white coating is obviously prone to dirt and unsightly marks, if taken cared well, it will give the smartphone a lasting impression to anyone who’ll hold it on hand. The top and bottom bezels might be thick for some, but it’s an acceptable tradeoff for the speakers.

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