Aside from their full metal Vibe K5 Note, Lenovo also announced a far cheaper VR combo for people on a tight budget: the Vibe K5 Plus. It’s a slightly cheaper alternative compared to the Vibe K5 Note, priced at just Php 8,999, though you’re missing out on a bunch of nicer features that’s present on its bigger brother.

Lenovo VIBE K5 Plus

• 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 Octa-Core Processor
• Adreno 405 GPU
• 3GB of RAM
• 5-Inch Full HD IPS LCD, 1080×1920 Resolution
• 16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 32GB)
• 13-megapixel Rear Camera with Autofocus and LED flash
• 5-megapixel Front Camera
• Dual SIM
• 4G, LTE
• Bluetooth v4.1
• WiFi b/g/n
• AGPS
• 2750mAh Battery
• Android Lollipop 5.1
• Php 8,999.00

Intial Impressions: Looks and feels premium despite not being a full metal phone

Despite the budget price tag the K5 Plus still has many of the design features that you’d expect from a premium device. The biggest draw here is the metal back of the phone that fools you into thinking that it has a full metal body. Unfortunately that’s not the case – pry away the metal and plastic shell and you’ll see that’s just an illusion. The top and bottom parts of the rear shell are plastic, but their coloration blends into the metal portion so well that it’s difficult to discern from afar where the metal starts and the plastic begins.

The curved corners and sides make it easier to hold on to the phone when you’re using it one handed, and puts the volume rocker and power button (which are both located on the right side of the phone) within easy reach. Since the back is removable, there’s no need for SIM trays on the side – both the microSD slot and dual SIM slots are at the rear, along with the removable 2750mAh battery.

The display, while smaller than the K5 Note, is still full HD, which is good since that’s the minimum resolution that we’d recommend for VR. Speaking of VR the K5 Plus has the same VR headset bundle as the K5 Note, specifically an Ant VR headset and a Bluetooth controller.

The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor, paired with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. There’s no surprises in store for the K5 Note – the processor has been a long staple of devices since last year. It’s probably good enough for normal day to day use and light to moderate gaming, but will cry uncle if you try to use it with graphically-demanding games. The upside is that the processor doesn’t use a lot of juice, so the 2750mAh battery will last quite a bit before it completely drains.

The Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus retails for Php 8,999.