A mid-price smartphone from a renowned manufacturer with impeccable technical specifications- This is Lenovo P90 Pro. Feedback from users who own this phone, its capabilities and hardware components will be discussed in detail in the future.

Who is this device aimed at?

Lenovo strictly segments its products in the market mobile devices. Series A are budget smartphones with modest parameters and very affordable price. Devices model range S are positioned as high-performance and expensive gadgets. Well, the P line has increased capacity battery and for a very long time battery life. It is the last group of mobile devices that Pro belongs to. Reviews, in addition to increased battery capacity, highlight a whole range of important advantages for this particular phone model. This is an improved hardware platform with an increased level of performance, and a large number of random access memory, as well as the capacity of the built-in storage of programs and data, and a very high-quality camera. Well, taking into account the cost declared by the manufacturer, the gadget has every chance of becoming a bestseller in the niche of mid-level smartphones.

Equipment. Its positive aspects and significant disadvantages

Typical, standard equipment for a mobile device of this class is the Lenovo P90 Pro. Reviews from gadget owners indicate the presence of the following accessories and components:

The device is in a unibody case with a built-in battery.

Interface cord.

An envelope with a set of user manuals in several languages ​​(including Russian), a paperclip for removing the SIM card slot and a warranty card.

Mid-class stereo headset with normal sound quality.

Charger.

OTG cable.

This device has almost perfect equipment. The list above only lacks protective film and cover. But even without these accessories, you can start using your smartphone immediately after purchase.

Appearance. Ease of use of a smartphone

This mobile device is produced in a design that is familiar to everyone - a monoblock. In this case, the input and output functions are assigned to the touch display, the diagonal of which is 5 and a half inches. Below the display is the familiar control system for a mobile gadget. Its important feature is the backlight, which is absent in most budget models from this manufacturer. We can say that Lenovo engineers in this case carried out very, very serious work on the mistakes. Above the screen on the opposite side is a small circle of the front camera. There is also a speaker with a whole set of sensor elements. An undeniable advantage from the point of view of ergonomics and ease of use of the gadget is the display of all control buttons on the right side smart phone. In this case, there are three of them: one for turning on the device and two buttons for adjusting the volume. There is an audio port on the top side. On the opposite edge there is another wired interface - MicroUSB. On the left side of the smartphone there is only a slot for installing a card. mobile operator. The manufacturer's logo is printed on the back cover. There is also a loud speaker, a round hole for the main camera and its single-LED lighting system. In this case, there are three color options: white, red and black. The most practical of them is the Lenovo P90 Pro Black. Reviews indicate that in this case, scratches, dust and dirt, which, although by accident, still appear, are not so noticeable.

CPU

A very productive semiconductor chip underlies a device such as the Lenovo P90 Pro smartphone. Reviews from experts and owners primarily highlight the manufacturer of this silicon solution, Intel. In the segment of servers and desktop solutions, it has no equal. But in the composition mobile phones its products are not very often found. But that doesn't mean it's bad. The Android OS has long been successfully optimized for x86 processors. So there's nothing wrong with that. The specific CPU model in this case is the Z3560 from the Atom line. Its frequency potential is limited to 1.86 GHz. It includes 4 x86 cores at once, and it can process exactly the same number of program threads. The chip itself is manufactured using a technical process with 22 nm tolerances, and its Level 3 cache is 2 MB. The maximum temperature that is permissible for a CPU semiconductor crystal is 90 0 C. From all the previously listed characteristics, we can conclude: it will be difficult for this processor to compete with the most productive processors on an AWS architecture (for example, Snapdragon 8xx series), but as part of mid-range gadgets level it will just look great. Its computing capabilities in this case will be more than enough for comfortable work and solutions to most common problems.

Graphics component of the central processor

There is also a graphics accelerator in the Lenovo P90 Pro. Reviews and descriptions of its technical specifications indicate that this is a mid-level solution. Its model is Power VR6. The clock frequencies of this semiconductor solution range from 457 to 533 MHz. This product is capable of handling mid-level tasks. But it won’t be enough to handle the most demanding 3D toys.

Device screen. Its technical parameters. Pros and cons

At the same time, both high-quality and large screen are used in this gadget. In terms of this parameter, it is unrivaled compared to similar mobile devices smartphone Lenovo P90 Pro 64Gb. Reviews also highlight very large viewing angles, which are as close as possible to the coveted 180 degrees. The screen diagonal of this phablet is 5.5 inches. Its resolution is 1080p, the pixel density is about 400 ppi. The underlying matrix of this component This mobile gadget is made using the most common technology for such devices today - IPS. The image quality in this case is excellent and does not have any significant drawbacks. The only negative in this case is the inability to control the device with just one hand. But this is a disadvantage not only of one individual mobile device, but of an entire class of devices called phablets. In any case, they have a large display diagonal, and it’s simply not possible to control them with one hand.

Parameters of the integrated memory subsystem

One of the key advantages compared to competitors is the amount of RAM in the Lenovo P90 Pro - 4Gb RAM. Reviews indicate that after launching the system software, most of it (about 3 GB) remains free and the owner of the mobile device can use it at his own discretion. RAM type - LP DDR3 with an operating frequency of 1600 MHz. Of course, compared to modern PCs equipped with DDR4, this characteristic looks quite modest, but most mobile gadgets are still based on this outdated type of RAM, and it still continues to be relevant in this niche.

The capacity of the built-in drive for storing information and installing application software is 64 GB (this can be easily determined from the name of the smartphone model). Some of them are initially filled with pre-installed software, but most of them are still allocated to the needs of the gadget owner. In this case there is simply no slot for an additional external memory card. As a result, you will have to be content with exactly what you already have. As a last resort, you can resort to the services cloud services and most valuable files store it there. For example, Google Drive allows you to get free 15 GB for these purposes, and this is more than enough for the average user of a mobile gadget.

Cameras

The main camera equipped with the Lenovo P90 Pro smartphone allows you to take very high-quality and detailed pictures. Reviews really highlight this important feature of this device. It has a 13 megapixel sensor. There is also a backlight system and autofocus. There is also the possibility of recording video. Its resolution is 1080 rubles. The quality of the videos is excellent and also raises no complaints. There is also a second camera in the Lenovo P90 Pro. Reviews, photos and videos in this case are entirely similar to those for the main camera of this device. Their quality is excellent and certainly does not raise any complaints. It is also great for selfies and video calls, because it has a 5 MP sensor, and this is quite enough to solve such problems.

Autonomy and battery

Of course, the strength of the Lenovo P90 Pro 64Gb is the increased battery capacity. Reviews, in turn, highlight the increased battery life of the device due to this. Its capacity is 4000 mAh. One charge is enough for 2 days of the most intensive use of the gadget. If the load is reduced to an average level, then you can already count on 3-4 days. Well, in the strictest battery saving mode you can get 5 days. Be that as it may, now this value for a mid-level smartphone can even be called outstanding. Definitely due to the increased battery capacity, this device leaves far behind any of its possible competitors in terms of autonomy. If the battery life of the phone on one battery charge comes to the fore, then one of the best offers in the niche of mid-range gadgets is the hero of this review.

List of interfaces

A bunch of current methods information transfer is implemented in Lenovo P90 Pro, reviews, characteristics of which are presented in the article. The opinions of most experts in the niche of mobile devices in this case agree on one thing: this device is equipped with a complete list of all current transmitters. It includes the following:

All types of GSM networks are supported. This is also 2G ​​(in this case, information can be transferred using GPRS and EDGE technologies). The speed in this case can reach 500 Kbps. This is 3G too. In this case, the speed increases significantly and can, under favorable circumstances, reach 50 Mbit/sec or more. This is LTE/4G. In this case, you can even count on 150 Mbit/s.

Another important way to exchange information with the World Wide Web is Wi-Fi. Of course, this device cannot boast of supporting the most advanced Wi-Fi versions- ace, but it has not yet become widespread. All other modifications of this wireless interface are perfectly supported by this gadget.

A nice addition to the two previous wireless methods of receiving data is Bluetooth. It is perfect for output sound signal for a wireless stereo headset, and for transferring a small amount of data to similar mobile gadgets.

Still important wireless interface- this is GPS. It's great for turning your smartphone into a full-fledged navigation device.

Two important functions are assigned to the MicroUSB port. The first one is charging the battery. And the second is connecting to a PC.

Another relevant wired interface is a 3.5 mm audio port. It allows you to organize the output of an audio signal to headphones or speakers.

System software

The system software is the most advanced and currently most widespread platform for Android mobile devices in the Lenovo P90 Pro 4 64Gb. Reviews highlight a significant drawback in the system software - it is far from the latest version of KitKat, or in the digital designation 4.4.

Also, this manufacturer rarely releases system software updates for its devices. As a result, the owners of this mobile gadget will have to be content with exactly what is already installed, and some innovations in this regard for of this product certainly not in the foreseeable future, either in the near future or in the distant future.

Like all other devices from this Chinese manufacturer, this device is equipped with the proprietary Lenovo Laucher add-on. This component changes the OS interface and makes it, according to the manufacturer, more convenient for the end user. If necessary, it can be replaced with a similar third-party product.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.

Front-camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

Mid-range model on the 64-bit Intel Atom platform

At the very beginning of summer, Lenovo announced the entry into the Russian market of its next smartphone based on the Intel Atom processor called Lenovo P90. Thus, this model became a kind of continuator of the work begun by the legendary K900 model, after which Lenovo had no success more smartphones on Intel platforms. And so the Chinese decided to again release a model based on Intel Atom, and here, unlike the same K900, a 64-bit quad-core chip is used.

However, these two models are still not worth comparing with each other: the K900 at one time was truly a top-end solution, outperforming many flagship smartphones that time. Now everything is different: Lenovo P90 is a mid-level solution, both in terms of characteristics and price positioning, and it cannot compete with modern flagships. Nevertheless, the device is quite interesting for its level, especially since it is still rare on oversaturated mobile market you will find a device on the Intel x86 platform.

Key Features of Lenovo P90

• SoC Intel Atom Z3560, 4 x86 cores, 1.83 GHz
• GPU PowerVR G6430
• operating room Android system 4.4.4
• Touch display IPS, 5.5″, 1920×1080, 401 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, inner memory 32 GB
• No microSD support
• Micro-SIM support (1 pc.)
• 2G communication: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• 3G Communication: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
• Data transmission FDD LTE (Cat4, up to 150 Mbps) 800/1800/2100/2600 MHz
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 4.1
• USB 2.0, OTG
• GPS (A-GPS), Glonass
• Position, proximity, lighting sensors, electronic compass
• 13 MP camera, optical stabilization (OIS), autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 5 MP, fixed. focus, front
• Battery Li-Pol 4000 mAh
• Dimensions 150×77×8.5 mm
• Weight 156 g

Appearance and ease of use

In terms of design, the Lenovo P90 has nothing in common with the memorable model K900, which was remembered by users not only for the presence of the Intel platform, but also for its high-quality metal body, which invariably evokes buyers’ respect and confidence in the greater reliability and wear resistance of such a device. Whether this is true or not, in any case, the P90 is not made of metal; its body is made of plain matte plastic (polycarbonate).

Thanks to this material, the smartphone turned out to be completely inconspicuous and simple in appearance; there is no design as such, nor are there any additional decorative details, such as a metal rim on the side edges. The entire body is completely made of polycarbonate, representing a sort of one-piece plastic trough with gluing only at the point of contact with the front glass. To be honest, even something more interesting could be made from polycarbonate; an example of this is the unforgettable Nokia Lumia 800 and its related models - their design took full advantage of the features of this material.

However, in terms of practicality, there are no complaints about polycarbonate. Not only does it not show fingerprints, but the material itself has a uniform structure. That is, no matter how deep the scratch on the body is, it will have a uniform color throughout its entire depth, which allows a smartphone made of such material to remain presentable longer. In addition, the surfaces of the Lenovo P90 have a slightly rubberized effect, so the smartphone does not slip out of your hands and is held securely.

As for the dimensions, the Lenovo P90 is a large mobile device with a screen diagonal of 5.5 inches, so there is no need to talk about the comfort of holding it in the hand. The smartphone is very large, although its weight is quite satisfactory - only a little more than 150 g.

The SIM card installation method corresponds to the non-separable monoblock structure of the case: the card slides into the side slot on a slide, and is removed by pressing a paperclip key into the hole with a hidden button. However, the hole is so narrow that an ordinary paper clip probably won’t fit there. It is curious that in the case of the P90 model, the developers decided to abandon both the second SIM card and even the memory card - there is only one connector. The SIM card is used in Micro-SIM format, not Nano-SIM, which looks a little archaic for the current state of affairs in the market, where Nano-SIM has already replaced its predecessors in almost all top smartphones from leading manufacturers.

The front panel of the smartphone is completely covered with a flat protective glass without sides. In its upper part there is a cutout for the speaker grille, right next to it you can see the sensors, the front camera peephole and led indicator events. The round indicator dot is illuminated, indicating the charging status, as well as incoming calls and messages; there is a separate sub-item in the menu to configure the operation of this element.

About providing backlight touch buttons below the screen, the creators took care in this case. The sensor icons are softly illuminated with a not too bright, pleasant whitish light; the backlight mode, again, is widely adjustable in the settings.

Tapping on the glass does not wake up the smartphone here, however, there is an alternative in the settings: the ability to activate using the sound control buttons. Considering the fact that both buttons (volume control and lock) are located on the same edge, and very close to each other, such concern for the user looks ridiculous: if a finger reaches here, then it doesn’t care which button to press. Most likely, this is just a copy of the settings that were originally created for those Lenovo models that have the unlock and volume buttons on different sides.

On the back of the smartphone you can find the usual main camera window, framed by a metal ring protruding beyond the surface, as well as a dual LED flash that can function as a flashlight.

The main speaker of the smartphone is located at the bottom of the rear panel; the grille covering it is made in the form of an array of small round holes. Despite the presence of two barely noticeable bumps on the sides of the grille, the sound is still significantly muffled when the smartphone is lying on a hard surface with the screen facing up.

Both traditional connectors are located in their usual places: the headphone output is at the top end, the Micro-USB connector supporting OTG mode is at the bottom.

A small spoonful of honey at last: the plainness and inconspicuousness of the black body of the Lenovo P90 can be compensated by choosing a white version or even a bright red one instead - it is not clear whether this device will be officially supplied to the Russian market in red.

Screen

Lenovo P90 is equipped with an IPS touch matrix, with a screen size of 68x122 mm, a diagonal of 5.5 inches and a Full HD resolution (1929x1080 pixels), which is a pixel density of 441 ppi.

The thickness of the frame from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is just under 5 mm, at the top - only 12 mm, and at the bottom - 16 mm. The frame is thus quite wide.

The display brightness can be adjusted manually, or automatic adjustment can be enabled. Multi-touch technology here allows you to process up to 10 simultaneous touches. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using the proximity sensor. According to subjective feelings, in bright sunlight the screen becomes very “blind”.

Detailed examination using measuring instruments conducted by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Lenovo P90, then they can be distinguished by size):

The Lenovo P90's screen is a little lighter (brightness according to photographs is 118 versus 113 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the Lenovo P90 screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, even better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.

When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 355 cd/m², the minimum was 14 cd/m². The maximum brightness is not very high, but given the good anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors could be at a good level, but, unfortunately, everything is not quite the same, and why - see below. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In stock automatic adjustment brightness by the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front camera). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. In complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 15 cd/m² (normal), in an artificially lit office (approximately 400 lux) it sets to 150-180 cd/m² (suitable), in a very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors , but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to a maximum - up to 355 cd/m². Unfortunately, the decrease in brightness when moving from average light to darkness does not occur on its own; you need to put the device into standby mode and turn it on. As a result, the auto-brightness function works, but not quite adequately. In the screen settings, you can enable the high brightness mode, in which case the brightness simply always remains at the maximum value. There is also an option " Extended outdoor mode“, but all its “extension” lies in the fact that when the brightness is increased in automatic mode to the maximum value, a window with some kind of message appears on the screen for a couple of seconds. It turns out that a lot of settings are just appearances, profanation. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

IN this smartphone matrix is ​​used IPS type. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Lenovo P90 and Nexus 7, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (over a white field in the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:

The uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field is good. And a test picture:

Color reproduction is good and colors are rich on both screens (on the Lenovo P90, the colors in the photo look more saturated due to the decrease in screen brightness and a slight increase in color contrast, see below), the color balance is slightly different. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but the contrast on the Lenovo P90 has decreased to a greater extent due to greater black bleaching and a strong drop in brightness. And a white field:

The brightness of the screens at an angle decreased (by at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Lenovo P90 the drop in brightness is noticeably greater. When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a violet or red-violet hue. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in perpendicular to the plane screen direction is approximately the same!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good, although not ideal:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is normal - about 880:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 15 ms (8 ms on + 7 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 23 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. Approximating indicator power function equal to 2.29, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2. At the same time, the real gamma curve in some places noticeably deviates from the power-law dependence:

Due to the dynamic and very aggressive adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the output image (in dark areas the brightness decreases), the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential output of shades of gray almost in full screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. In general, such non-switchable brightness correction does nothing but harm, since constantly changing the screen brightness can at least cause some discomfort and reduce the visibility of gradations in the shadows in the case of dark images. In addition, this dynamic adjustment, when displaying any image other than a white field on the entire screen, significantly reduces the brightness: for example, when displaying a white field on one half of the screen and a black field on the other, the white brightness is reduced by 13%.

The color gamut from a practical point of view is equal to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:

As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is acceptable, since the color temperature is significantly higher than the standard 6500 K, but the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is small, even less than 3, which is considered a very good indicator. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

In this smartphone, in the screen settings you can select Custom Mode, in which you can adjust the color tone and saturation (color contrast). We note the low quality of the translation, since Cool in this context it is not Steep, and, for example, Cold, and strange S.T. is a failed attempt to translate the term Saturation (Saturation):

English version:

An example of what we got by choosing to configure Hue meaning Warm, is shown in the graphs above in the form of dependencies signed as Warm. After this correction, the color balance improved, as the color temperature became closer to 6500 K, and ΔE did not change significantly. The maximum brightness, however, decreased slightly (to 318 cd/m²). Settings S.T. better translate to Soft, so the images will be more natural. Note that the mode Adaptive mode essentially coincides with the correction performed, that is, it is another useless setting.

Let's summarize. The screen does not have a very high maximum brightness, but has good anti-glare properties. At the same time, dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness noticeably reduces the brightness when displaying any image other than a white field in full screen. In general, it turns out that readability in conditions with bright external lighting is unlikely to be very good. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works well at least during transitions from medium to high illumination and back. The advantages of the screen include a very effective oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gaps in the layers of the screen, as well as the sRGB color gamut and good (especially after manual correction) color balance. TO significant shortcomings- non-disabled dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness, a strong decrease in brightness at an angle and low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane. These shortcomings together reduce the final screen quality rating to average.

Sound

Lenovo P90 sounds modest. The sound is almost inaudible low frequencies, the smartphone produces a loud and piercing sound mainly at high notes; a thick, rich sound is not obtained. The situation with headphones is better, but the maximum volume level seemed insufficient to us. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor remains distinguishable, timbre and intonation are recognizable.

To play music, only the standard Google Music player is provided here, without any user-accessible settings that could affect the sound quality.

FM radio is included as standard with the smartphone; there is no way to record live programs. But the smartphone can record telephone conversations from the line, and it can do this automatically, recording all calls in a row or by choice.

Camera

Lenovo P90 is equipped with two modules digital cameras with a resolution of 13 and 5 megapixels. The front 5-megapixel module is equipped with a lens with an f/2.6 aperture and a fixed focus; it does not have its own flash. In low-light conditions, the “Light Fill” function is called upon to save the situation, in which most of the screen around the viewfinder begins to glow brightly, illuminating the subject’s face. The screen can be illuminated in yellow or pink, as you like. Here you can initiate taking a “selfie” not only by pressing a virtual button on the screen, but also by touching the viewfinder screen anywhere, as well as with gestures, voice and even blinking your eyes - all this is configured in the corresponding menu. But the quality of the resulting images leaves much to be desired.

The main camera is equipped with a 13-megapixel module with an f/2.2 aperture lens, fairly fast autofocus, dual multi-color LED flash and even an optical stabilization system. The interface for controlling the camera is simple: all settings are combined into three columns, and in addition to the usual shooting mode, you can enable HDR mode, panoramic mode, and also apply a variety of color effects.

The camera can shoot video in the maximum Full HD resolution (1920×1080, 30 fps), an example of test videos is presented below.

• Video No. 1 (24 MB, 1920×1080, 30 fps)
• Video No. 2 (22 MB, 1920×1080, 30 fps)

	The camera works well with shadows. Excessive sharpening is noticeable in the trees in the distance.
	On grass and trees, sharpening is clearly visible in almost all plans, but overall the sharpness is not bad.
	There is an area of ​​blur at the left edge.
	The soapiness of the image is clearly felt on the letters already in the middle plans.
	The camera copes well with macro photography.
	Another example of good macro.
	In room lighting, the camera does good macro photography.
	The license plate of the car in the foreground is visible, but in the middle it is no longer visible.
	The camera copes well with indoor shooting.
	A large area of ​​blur on the left and foliage merging in the middle plans.
	The text is well done, although a little soapy.

The camera overuses software processing. And while noise reduction generally copes with its task, sharpening succeeds only in fragments, although sometimes its results are very interesting. However, both are overzealous, which is reflected in the soapiness of medium and long shots and the loss of details. In addition, there are occasional areas of blur in the corners of the frame. Considering the noted shortcomings, the camera can be recommended for undemanding artistic photography or for documentary shooting of close and large objects.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also supports fourth-generation LTE Cat 4 networks with a theoretical possible reception speed of up to 150 Mbit/s (LTE FDD 800/1800/2100/2600 MHz). In practice, with a SIM card from the domestic operator Beeline, the smartphone is confidently registered and works in 4G networks.

Network capabilities are implemented as standard: in stock Wi-Fi support Direct, Wi-Fi Display, can be arranged wireless point access via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. The Wi-Fi module supports operation in both frequency bands (2.4 and 5 GHz). Connection supported external devices To USB port in OTG mode, but there is no support for MHL and DLNA. Also, NFC technology was not implemented here.

The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system, but does not see the satellites of the Chinese Beidou (BDS). There are no complaints about the navigation module; satellites are found very quickly. The device is equipped with a sensor magnetic field, on the basis of which the magnetic compass of navigation programs operates.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing telephone number A search is also carried out immediately using the first letters in contacts. Support for input by continuously sliding from letter to letter (Swype) is also implemented here. For ease of one-handed operation, it can be moved virtual keyboard phone dialer is closer to either side of the screen, here it is called a “live keyboard”. It is also possible to record telephone conversations in automatic mode.

OS and software

The device uses the Google software platform as a system Android versions 4.4.4 with a proprietary graphical user interface installed on top of it called Lenovo Vibe UI The well-known, bright, tacky branded shell here is exactly the same appearance and has all the same capabilities as others modern models Lenovo mobile family. There is no separate program menu; the settings section is divided into two parts: for regular settings and for specific ones, such as working with gestures. Settings in this section may vary among Lenovo models. For example, unlike the Vibe Z2 Pro, here the switched off display is not activated by double tapping on the glass; you can only turn on the screen using the volume buttons. By shaking the smartphone, you can lock the screen back, and by tilting it to the side, you can move the dialer buttons to the side. There is a smart button in place, clicking on which opens a menu quick access to the main functions of the smartphone.

Preinstalled third party programs, as usual, there are a great variety, they are all free, anyone could download them from the online store on their own. Many of these applications will not be in demand and will only clog up the device’s memory. Traditionally annoying is the non-disabled and non-removable Security module that is forcibly pre-installed into every Lenovo smartphone and constantly hangs in the system tray.

Performance

The Lenovo P90 hardware platform is based on the 64-bit quad-core Intel Atom Z3560 SoC. CPU it has 4 cores with x86 architecture and an operating frequency of up to 1.83 GHz. Graphics processing is handled by the PowerVR G6430 video processor. The device has 2 GB of RAM, and the user has about 25 GB of free flash storage at his disposal. The device does not provide the ability to expand memory using cards, but it supports the mode of connecting external devices to the USB port (USB Host, USB OTG).

According to the testing results, the Lenovo P90 platform demonstrated quite good, above average performance, if we are guided by the results of such popular benchmarks as AnTuTu. In AnTuTu, the smartphone scored about 40K points, while the most advanced modern top solutions already show numbers of more than 60K (Samsung Galaxy S6, for example). So, in terms of performance, the Lenovo P90 can be placed at a confident average (or slightly above average) level, but no more.

When compared with other similar solutions on the market, then Intel platform The Atom Z3560 confidently outperformed the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 in all tests (however, almost all competing solutions of the same class are now outperforming it), finding itself on the same level as the popular MediaTek MT6752, judging by the results in complex tests. Although in specialized graphics and browser benchmarks, the Intel platform confidently outperformed it, rising approximately to the level of Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 925.

Be that as it may, the Lenovo P90 is a powerful enough mobile device that its capabilities are more than enough to perform any task, including the most demanding games.

Testing in latest versions comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and current models- due to the fact that at one time they went through an “obstacle course” on previous versions test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark game tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Thermal photographs

Below is a thermal image of the rear surface (the top of the image is on the right), obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:

It can be seen that the heating is localized in the upper left part of the device and distributed over several zones. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 46 degrees, which is relatively high.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the testing results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are necessary for full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after installing an alternative custom audio codec; The standard player does not have this setting

Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of video playback on the smartphone screen itself is excellent, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The smartphone can even display files with a resolution of 4K up to 30 fps inclusive. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p), the image of the video file itself is displayed one-on-one, exactly along the edge of the screen and in true Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the range in which the video file is encoded - apparently, the decoder selects it automatically.

Battery life

Lenovo P90 has a non-removable battery increased capacity with a solid capacity of as much as 4000 mAh. So it’s not at all surprising that a smartphone with such a large battery demonstrated a very long, although not record-breaking, battery life in all test modes. In normal operation, the device will confidently survive two full days or more. The creators themselves promise up to 27 days of standby time and up to 45 hours of talk time. It is also worth noting that testing was traditionally carried out without using any energy-saving functions and modes, although the device does have them.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for more than 16 hours, and when continuously watching videos in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level through home network The Wi-Fi device lasted almost 13 hours. In game mode, the smartphone operated for a little more than 4.5 hours. Charging time highly depends on the charger and can vary from 2.5 to 5 hours (in the latter case, if a third-party power supply is used).

Bottom line

The P90 smartphone from Lenovo turned out to be average in all respects. An overall good quality screen with a large diagonal becomes almost unreadable in bright sunlight; durable, reliable and practical body is inconspicuous in appearance; cameras with a large number of megapixels actually do not produce the best High Quality pictures. The autonomy of the P90 is really excellent, but the sound quality, platform performance and networking opportunities Of course, they don’t reach the level of top smartphones. It is gratifying that, realizing this, Lenovo did not raise the price too much: at the time of the announcement of the article, the P90 was already presented in retail at a price of about 20 thousand rubles, and this money, given the current situation in Russian market, the device is probably worthy. It is noteworthy that exclusively for Russian buyers, the Lenovo P90 smartphone will have pre-installed World game of Tanks Blitz famous manufacturer games about tank battles from Wargaming. Especially for owners of this smartphone, the opportunity to use a WoT Blitz premium account for 30 days is provided, as well as a bonus in the form of a unique premium tank of level 5.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.

Front-camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

Contents of delivery

• Telephone
• Charger with USB cable
• Wired stereo headset
• Instructions

Specifications

• Android 4.4.4
• Intel Atom Z3560 chipset, 4 cores up to 1.86 GHz per core, 64 bit, Intel® Power VR Series 6 graphics coprocessor
• 2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal memory, no memory cards
• microSIM
• Screen, IPS, 5.5 inches, 1920x1080 pixels, up to 5 clicks, 400 dpi
• Li-Pol 4000 mAh battery, built-in
• Main camera 13 megapixels, with LED flash, front camera – 5 megapixels
• LTE cat. 4 (4G Voice not supported), LTE Band 1/3/7/20, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, USB 2.0
• Dimensions – 150x77.4x8.5 mm, weight – 156 grams
• Three body colors – Pearl White, Lava Red, Onyx Black

Positioning

Lenovo's main partner for many years has been Intel; laptops and desktop computers, which means cooperation is maximum and both companies have strategic interests in each other. It has long been known that Intel was late to the mobile solutions market; none of the large companies is trying to produce devices using Intel Atom, which forces Intel to pay for their production. But even paying for development and design costs, actually subsidizing its own sales and incurring multi-billion dollar losses, Intel cannot ensure that a significant number of models appear on the market. This does not happen, and consumer attitudes towards Intel Atom remain not just cool, but scalding cold. The only option is to sell such solutions as cheaply as possible so that they beat competitors in price. In Russia, you can recall the K-series, which professed exactly this approach. The batch was very small, a kind of trial balloon.

For Lenovo, the release of smartphones based on Intel Atom is the support of a strategic partner; there are no other reasons for the appearance of such smartphones and tablets. From the point of view of consumers, these devices have a number of disadvantages, even compared to analogues from Lenovo. For example, in the P series we can highlight a very interesting device – Lenovo P70.

There is no way to avoid comparing the Lenovo P70 and P90, since at first glance they are very similar devices, differing only in screen diagonal - the younger model has a 5-inch diagonal, the older model has a 5.5-inch diagonal. But as soon as you start digging into the details, you realize that the external similarity does not give an idea about these devices. So, the P70 has fast charging, but the P90 does not, although the battery has the same capacity. The first one works on one charge for a couple of days with a noticeable load, the second one lasts the same amount of time with a very moderate load. On the first one all applications and games are launched, on the second they sometimes crash. The list can be continued indefinitely; in the review I will mention the main points and differences. I’ll just note that the example of the P90 clearly shows how much depends on the chipset; the perception of the device changes dramatically.

The resulting smartphone is interesting in terms of cost, if you are willing to put up with a number of shortcomings. It is also quite suitable for Intel employees; for everyone else it is of academic interest. Let's see together what capabilities the Lenovo P90 has.

Design, dimensions, control elements

The case is made of polycarbonate, pleasant to the touch, three colors – white, black and red. In all variants front panel black.

The quality of the plastic is not bad, there are no hand marks left. The case is made non-separable, unlike the P70. On the right side there is only a slot for a microSIM card; it is installed in the tray.

Let me remind you that the P70 supports two SIM cards and has a slot for memory cards. It’s strange that the flagship of the line did not receive these options. But this is a limitation of Intel Atom.

On the left side there is a dual volume rocker, as well as an on/off button. At the top end there is a 3.5 mm connector, at the bottom there is a microUSB connector. The rear panel houses an LED flash, as well as a 13-megapixel camera lens. There is only one speaker, it can be seen on the back cover.

The phone dimensions are 150x77.4x8.5 mm, weight is 156 grams. It's quite large for a 5.5-inch screen, but given the large battery, this can theoretically be forgiven.

Display

The screen is 5.5 inches, has a FulHD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels (400 dpi), IPS. Unlike the P70, it does not have any brightness reserve; even at maximum it looks dimmer. Viewing angles also leave much to be desired, look at the photos.

Compared to Lenovo P70 (left) and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (right):

Adjusting the brightness does not help in any way; in automatic mode the screen remains dim. Thanks to proprietary settings from Intel, you can set the screen to be more readable outdoors and select the color temperature.

But here’s the problem, none of these settings work, we can say that they are there for show. The colors on the screen change, but you won't see any drastic differences. It's a shame that the screen is inferior to most IPS matrices, which can be found in similar products.

The reason why the screen brightness is reduced can be explained by the fact that Intel Atom is very voracious and eats up the battery at an amazing speed.

Battery

The battery is Li-Pol, it is non-removable, with a capacity of 4000 mAh. Unlike P70, technology is not supported fast charging, which is a shame. The full battery charging time is not 2 hours, but about 3.5 hours. Even funnier is that Intel Atom does not have support for Quick Charge chargers. In theory, any phone without support for this technology will use charging as usual, and the charging current will automatically decrease. For the first time in the P90 I encountered the problem that charging is shown, but the charge itself is not flowing. When I try to turn on the phone, it simply turns off, and his brain freezes. Checked on chargers from three different companies, none of them work with the P90 - that is, you should always carefully look at what kind of charger you take with you on the road.

Now let's look at real time work in different modes. In my usage scenario, the screen backlight was set to automatic; I made calls a day with a total duration of 30 minutes, and also spent about 2-2.5 hours in in social networks, Internet, both via a 3G/4G connection (mostly) and via Wi-Fi. The phone worked for about 12-13 hours (in P70 the same load gave two full days!). With a smaller amount of use of the device, for example, up to an hour of screen time per day, it will last two full days. For such a battery this is nothing, the power consumption is too high, although the previous Intel generation Atom, on the contrary, was famous for its operating time, now they have ruined the little that was good.

Well, what can I say, those who fall for the paper specifications and think that a 4000 mAh battery is enough for their eyes will be very mistaken.

Platform, memory, performance

The model is built on the Intel Atom Z3560 chipset, 4 cores up to 1.86 GHz per core, 64 bit, Intel® Power VR Series 6 graphics coprocessor.

Unlike previous Intel processors Atom, this one is made according to the 22 nm technology standard. The description talks a lot about energy-saving technologies, but in practice the device does not work very well, and the chipset is to blame for this. It's a shame, but it's a fact.

The amount of RAM is 2 GB, built-in memory is 32 GB, 26 GB is available to the user. A 4/64GB version will be released later in China.

Now let's focus on performance. Judging by the interface, everything is very good here, no brakes, everything is smooth and pleasant. In synthetic tests, the device shows average results, they are not very high. But that’s why these tests exist, to show virtual parrots. I am sure that for the vast majority of people the performance of this solution is quite enough. The downside is that very often some applications slow down when loading and can crash without any visible reasons. For example, my Google maps crashed like this when I tried to launch them from the browser, after rebooting the device the problem disappeared for a while, then it happened again.

Communication capabilities

The smartphone works in GSM, HSDPA and LTE (4G) networks, LTE FDD is supported (bands 1, 3, 7, 20), so in Russia the device works without problems with 4G networks. TDD support is also announced.

USB. To synchronize with a PC and transfer data, the included microUSB cable is used. USB 2.0 interface. USB-OTG standard is not supported.

Bluetooth. Built-in bluetooth module 4.1 with A2DP profile support.

Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac). The smartphone has dual-band Wi-Fi module, it works flawlessly. Like any other modern Android device, Lenovo P90 supports the “sharing” function mobile internet via Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi router).

Camera

The usual 13-megapixel module with autofocus and optical stabilization produces disappointing images that don't even look good on a phone screen. However, you can see this for yourself.