Lenovo A800 Hands-on: High Performance Budget-Friendly Smartphone! (Php6,999)

Lenovo A800 coming to the Philippines soon for just Php6,999!

Lenovo Mobile crashes into the budget-friendly smartphone segment with the A800

The Lenovo A800 is the best bang-for-your-buck device in Lenovo’s newest Q1 2013 line-up. For just Php6,999 you get a dual-core, dual SIM, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone with a generous 4.5-inch screen. It also has a very unique and gorgeous design that will make it stand out compared to all the other budget-friendly smartphones we’ve seen enter the market lately. We were able to get a few minutes with it when we guested Lenovo Mobile’s Marketing Manager, Patricia Paredes, during the latest episode of the Unbox Video Podcast (we’ll upload it soon). As far as initial impressions go we were definitely “impressed”.

Lenovo A800 Spec Sheet

1GHz Dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU (dual-core according to GSM Arena)
SGX531 GPU
512MB RAM
4GB Internal Storage, expandable via microSD
4.5-inch IPS Capacitive Touchscreen, 854×480 resolution, 218 pixels per inch
5.0-megapixel rear-facing camera with auto focus
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
2,000mAh battery
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Best thing about it: Body Design. We called it the “Sexy Back”

Lenovo A800 aka "Sexy Back" — Lenovo A800 aka “Sexy Back”

The thing we loved most about the A800 was the design of the phone. At Php6,999 you can’t get any more gorgeous than this (lol). It measures at just 5.26 x 2.71 x 0.45 inches and weighs in at 155 grams making it a lightweight and slim phone even if it has a generous 4.5-inch screen. The most striking feature though is the back plate. Instead of the usual shiny, glossy, and smudge magnet plates, the A800 sports a classy (but a litte rugged) plate with some sort of ridged pattern. This not only makes it eye-catching, but it also helps with the grip.

The screen itself is decent with a resolution of 854×400 which comes out to around 218 pixels per inch. It’s not the best quality but it’s pretty good considering the price.

Another major plus is that Lenovo put in a 2,000mAh battery. This will definitely go a long way in making sure that you have enough juice for a busy workday.

A few things missing…
The only things missing with the A800 really is the front-facing camera as well as LED flash for the back shooter. If you’re not avid users of those features though then this might be a sweet deal for you. If you love doing video calls though then this might not be a good buy. You might want to check out the other models in Lenovo’s line-up.