Lenovo Zuk Z1 Review: Lenovo has chosen to retain its parent name in brand-conscious India

By Ajay Kadkol - 20 May '16 11:53AM

The Lenovo Group already has two solid and instantly recognisable brand names in its stable: Lenovo itself, and Motorola. As a result, the company has a variety of solid products that sell in huge numbers the world over. However, like others have done before, Lenovo has decided to market a part of its product range as online-only. These products come under the new Zuk sub-brand.

Today, we're reviewing the Lenovo Zuk Z1. Although marketed globally as the Zuk Z1, Lenovo has chosen to retain its parent name in brand-conscious India in order to make it immediately clear what the heritage of the device is. However, it's also important to remember that the Zuk Z1 was first launched globally in September last year, so what we're reviewing today is a bit dated already. Let's go into the details in our review.

Only a few years ago, phones with 5.5-inch screens were considered oversized, and it was often a topic of discussion if you had a large phone. Today, this size has become the norm because of increased media consumption on smartphones. The Lenovo Zuk Z1 goes with this tried and tested size, although the phone does definitely feel a bit bulky.The reasons for the bulk are a metal frame and a 4100mAh battery, which contribute to the phone's 175g weight. Although it does not have a unibody casing and the back is plastic, the battery is not user-accessible. The dual-SIM tray is on the left side, within the frame. The phone does not support expandable storage, so there is no slot for a microSD card.

There are two colour options for the Lenovo Zuk Z1 in India; white and space grey. Our review unit was grey, which we quite preferred over the white option. The back has a dull, metallic finish, as does the frame. The phone is bare of any Lenovo branding, with just a Zuk logo at the back and nothing else. The camera and flash are located at the centre of the back near the top, and on the whole we quite like the minimalist styling of this phone.