Almost every user of mobile gadgets has encountered a situation where their favorite device was exposed to water. It’s even worse when the smartphone falls out of your hands and the screen cracks. The result of such incidents may be complete failure of the device. Therefore, every year, global manufacturers produce smartphones that have varying degrees of protection from moisture, dust and mechanical influences. Let's look at some of the most popular rugged smartphones.

1. Sony Xperia ZR
This device is a leader in the rugged smartphone segment. The letter “R” in its name is an abbreviation for “rugged” (protected), but the letter “Z” once again reminds us that the device belongs to the flagship line. The device is equipped with a 4-core processor Qualcomm S4 Pro APQ8064 frequency of 1500 MHz, has 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory.

The smartphone has a security standard IP55/IP58. The first number means that the device is completely protected from dust and sand, and the second guarantees protection against immersion of the phone in water up to one and a half meters deep. These facts have been verified in practice. As it turned out, the smartphone is able to withstand deeper immersion, and also remains operational after contact with sea water.


2. Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 (S7710)
This device has small dimensions, but is thick and weighty. The front panel has a 4-inch screen (800 x480). The heart of the device is the processor ARMv7 with a clock frequency of 1000 MHz. The device has 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory. In general, the design of the device is close to a sporty style, which once again reminds us of its purpose for active people.


This smartphone has a degree of protection IP57. This marking means that the device is protected from dust and immersion in water to a depth of 1 meter and for up to 30 minutes. Underwater, the screen does not respond to touches at all. The device does not have shock protection, but it can be assumed that the rubberized body will slightly soften shocks and falls.


3.Lenovo S750
This smartphone is built on a 4-core processor Mediatek 6589. The chip frequency is 1200 MHz. For operational efficiency, 1 GB of memory is responsible, the built-in memory is 4 GB. The screen is made using IPS technology and has a size of 4.5 inches (960x540). Protects the screen from scratches Gorilla Glass 2.


The device has the same degree of protection as the one discussed above. At the same time, the appearance of the device, in our opinion, is more attractive. All body protection elements are clearly visible. Places through which water can leak are isolated from the external environment with silicone gaskets. Top inputs for headphones and microUSB cable closed with seals. Under the lid, thanks to rubber seals, an air cushion is formed that protects all the insides from moisture and dust. The cover itself is very difficult to remove thanks to the 12 grooves that secure it to the body.


4. Nokia Lumia 620 Protected Edition
The device is equipped with a 3.8-inch display (800x480), and a dual-core processor from Qualcomm is responsible for performance - Snapdragon S4, 1000 MHz, 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory.


Thus, in our own way technical specifications, a smartphone is no different from . The standard cover was replaced by a polycarbonate case coated with rubber. According to the manufacturer, the device is completely protected from moisture and dust. In this case, the audio input is not covered with a plug, since it is completely isolated from the internals.



This smartphone is quite large and weighty: 132x71x12.3 mm, weight - 172 grams. The screen diagonal is only 4.3 inches. The screen is protected by glass on top Gorilla Glass, and it is very easily soiled. The device fits well in the hand, despite its size.


In order to remove the cover from it, you will have to make some effort. Under it there is a special metal cover that serves as protection for the memory card slot and SIM card. The device successfully passed the water test. When immersed, the device does not respond to touches, but the sound from incoming call passes. Despite the fact that the smartphone has protective devices, after a long stay under water it is better to remove the cover and dry the case.

6. Huawei Honor III
The device borrowed all the hardware from Huawei's flagship model: 4-core processor, 2 GB, RAM, display with HD resolution. The device fully complies with the standards IP55 And IP57. This means that the device body is not afraid of dust or water splashes getting into the device, and can withstand immersion under water for half an hour. At the same time, there are some features in protecting the device. Of the two connectors located at the top end of the device, only one is protected by a plug - the headset input.


There are known cases where residual water penetrated through the microUSB connector during connection charger. That is why it is not recommended to connect the smartphone to the power supply immediately after removing it from the water.


As can be seen from the review, all the devices reviewed cope well with extreme conditions. However, it must be remembered that these protection measures are aimed rather at protecting the phone from random situations, for example, such as heavy rain or sea spray. Therefore, you should not subject them to daily tests, checking the device for resistance to extreme conditions. It’s worth waiting for the implementation, which will make smartphones absolutely indestructible.

Lenovo is the largest Chinese manufacturer mobile devices. A huge number of products are produced under its logo mobile phones, smartphones, laptops and tablets. However, among them there are very few secure phones. However, such devices still exist. In this article we will look at the most current protected Lenovo phones that are worthy of attention.

Lenovo rugged phones. A660

Almost the first Lenovo rugged phone was the A660 model. At the same time, it turned out to be of very high quality, and there is still a demand for it to this day. The main complaints about the device are weak sound and lack of low frequencies, as well as a very mediocre 1500 mAh battery, which allows you to use the smartphone for a maximum of a day. The local 5-megapixel camera without flash is also not strong point, but it cannot be considered a failure either. But the undeniable advantages of the Lenovo A660 include build quality and excellent security with the IP67 standard. The device does not allow water or dust to pass through, and can be placed at a depth of 1-2 meters without any consequences. At the same time, the appearance of the Lenovo A660 remains very stylish, despite the serious protection. Therefore, this device can be recommended for both men and women.

Other positive features of the Lenovo A660 include the price, since it can now be purchased for 5,000-6,000 rubles. This is a very small price to pay for a secure and modern smartphone. The speed of work was also excellent. And although the device cannot boast powerful processor, the dual-core MediaTek MT6577 (1000 MHz) chipset is enough for many tasks.

As for the other characteristics, we can note the 4-inch touch screen. Its resolution is not a record, but standard: 800 by 480 pixels. The high pixel density of 233 ppi also stands out. Corning glass called Gorilla Glass is used to protect the display. The user is provided with about 4 GB of free space with the possibility of expansion (microSD cards). The Lenovo A660 has 512 MB of important RAM. The smartphone also has a front camera - 0.3 megapixel. Lenovo A660 is based on the Android 4.0.4 platform, has a 3G module, Bluetooth 2.0, compass and proximity/light sensors.

Lenovo rugged phones. IdeaPhone S750

But the Lenovo IdeaPhone S750 smartphone already represents a series of more advanced devices. It has exactly the same degree of protection IP67, which means protection from water and dust. Among the strengths of the Lenovo IdeaPhone S750, it is worth noting its high build quality, excellent security, decent performance and low price (8,000-10,000 rubles). But the disadvantages are the same: a weak 2000 mAh battery and a far from the best 8-megapixel camera (flash, auto focus).

The Lenovo IdeaPhone S750 has a 4.5-inch display with an IPS matrix. The resolution of this screen is 960x540. Pixel density - 245 ppi. The smartphone is equipped with a 0.3 megapixel front camera. The processor in the Lenovo IdeaPhone S750 smartphone is quad-core (MediaTek MT6589) and clocked at 1200 MHz. The device supports alternate functioning of two SIM cards, and also has Bluetooth 3.0, GPS and 3G modules. The Lenovo IdeaPhone S750 has 1 GB of RAM. Approximately 4 GB is allocated for built-in memory, which can be expanded with cards of the common microSD format.

A very inexpensive Android smartphone with good protection against water and dust

Having recently tested almost all modern smartphones that are protected from water and dust (and these were mainly products of the Japanese Sony, although the Koreans last time pleased us with their Samsung Galaxy S4 Active), we decided to take a broader look: in our market we are all “ SUVs" have been examined, it's time to move on. Good idea we learned at the international exhibition IFA 2012 in Berlin, during which we came across the most interesting product of one famous manufacturer, from which one could certainly not expect to release smartphones. However, this happened, and in our editorial office there was a review of one of the most unusual protected smartphones of our time - Cat B15 from the world famous manufacturer of heavy construction equipment Caterpillar. Then we had the idea to look in overseas markets for something else that worked on a similar platform and was unfamiliar to domestic users - for comparison with the Cat B15.

Thus, our editorial team now has one more test subject - the Lenovo A660, a fairly simple hardware-wise, dust- and water-resistant smartphone. Also not the latest manufacturer on the world market, and also based on a similar hardware platform. And most importantly, the smartphone is not officially supplied to our market, and this adds an “exotic” feel to the device. Finally, as a true all-rounder, the Lenovo A660 smartphone supports dual SIM cards, which is so popular among travel enthusiasts. In general, there was something to tell about this model.

In the pictures: Lenovo A660 in comparison with dust and waterproof Sony smartphones - Xperia acro S, Xperia V and the latest of the new products, Xperia ZR, as well as the hero of the last review - Cat B15.

Key Features of Lenovo Ideaphone A660

  • SoC MediaTek MT6577, 1 GHz, 2 cores, ARM Cortex-A9
  • GPU PowerVR SGX 531
  • Operating system Android 4.0.4
  • Touch LCD display TN, 4″, 800×480
  • RAM(RAM) 512 MB, internal memory 4 GB
  • Slot for microSD cards up to 32 GB
  • Communication GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
  • Communications 3G UMTS 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
  • Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
  • Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g, point Wi-Fi access
  • GPS, A-GPS
  • Camera 5 MP, autofocus
  • Camera 0.3 MP (front)
  • Dust and moisture protection (IP67)
  • Li-ion battery 1500 mAh (BL194)
  • Dimensions 125x65x10.5 mm
  • Weight 138 g
Lenovo A660 Cat B15 Sony Xperia ZR Sony Xperia V Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2
Screen 4″, TN 4″, TN 4.55″, IPS 4.3″, VA? 4″, IPS
Permission 800×480, 233 ppi 800×480, 233 ppi 1280×720, 322 ppi 1280×720, 342 ppi 800×480, 233 ppi
SoC MediaTek MT6577 @1 GHz (2 cores, ARM Cortex-A9) Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro @1.5 GHz (4 cores, ARMv7 Krait) Qualcomm MSM8960 @1.5 GHz (2 cores, ARMv7 Krait) @1 GHz (2 cores, ARMv7)
GPU PowerVR SGX 531 PowerVR SGX 531 Adreno 320 Adreno 225 Mali 400 MP
RAM 512 MB 512 MB 2 GB 1 GB 1 GB
Flash memory 4 GB 4 GB 8 GB 8 GB 4 GB
Memory card support microSD microSD microSD microSD microSD
operating system Google Android 4.0 Google Android 4.1 Google Android 4.1 Google Android 4.0 Google Android 4.1
Battery removable, 1500 mAh removable, 2000 mAh removable, 2300 mAh removable, 1700 mAh removable, 1700 mAh
Cameras rear (5 MP), front (0.3 MP) rear (13 MP), front (0.3 MP) rear (12 MP), front (0.3 MP) rear (5 MP), front (0.3 MP)
Dimensions 125×65×10.5 mm, 138 g 125×70×15.0 mm, 170 g 131×67×10.4 mm, 138 g 129×65×10.7 mm, 120 g 131×68×12 mm, 149 g

Contents of delivery

The smartphone goes on sale in an unattractive outwardly flat box made of white unvarnished cardboard with a plastic tray inside. However, in terms of richness of the package, the smartphone did not lose face: here, in addition to a standard charger and a wired stereo headset, there was also a good rubber case and even a protective film for the screen.

I liked the case: since the smartphone itself does not have protection from shocks and falls, the thick rubberized walls of the case can play a good service and save the delicate electronic filling in an extreme situation. In addition, this case has extremely rough textured pimpled sides, so the smartphone is unlikely to slip out even from wet hands. A good help for lovers of an extreme lifestyle.

About security

This is perhaps the most interesting section in Lenovo description A660. After all, technically the smartphone is not anything outstanding, and will be chosen by the buyer, of course, mainly only for its protective qualities at a very low selling price. Therefore, we will try to describe the protective functions this phone as much detail as possible.

The Lenovo A660 smartphone is officially certified to meet the IP67 dust and water resistance standard, which means full protection from the penetration of dust, as well as protection from the effects of low pressure water jets from all sides, and can be located at a depth of 1 meter in fresh water for up to 30 minutes.

As mentioned above, we purchased the smartphone for comparison with the Cat B15 and other devices of the same niche, so several waterproof devices ended up in our water container at the same time.

With protection against water getting inside the case, the Lenovo A660 is in perfect order: the smartphone turned out to be just as impenetrable in this regard as the Cat B15 and Sony Xperia ZR. Since the A660 has the same removable back cover as the others, the organization of protection is similar here: inside there is a rubber rim that does not surround the entire frame, but only its central part, containing all the slots and metal contacts. The camera window and speaker grille remain open to water, but they have their own protection.

True, the opponents taking part in the “swim” simultaneously with the Lenovo A660 turned out to be each more interesting than their opponent in some way. The Cat B15, for example, has a true locking lock—a latch that securely holds back cover during impacts and falls. It is noteworthy that the creators of the Lenovo A660 reproduced exactly the same element. The part looks so similar to a real valve that at first I just wanted to “open” it. But in the end it turned out that this is just a prop, and not a real locking element - the cover is actually simply attached here with several plastic latches, like any other ordinary smartphone. By the way, the creators of the Sony Xperia ZR also did not take care of the lock on the lid, which is very sad. If dropped well on a hard surface, such a cover may bounce off, and then all protection from moisture will simply disappear.

As for the Sony Xperia ZR, it also has its own special “trick” - the ability to take photographs underwater. It’s difficult to answer how much such a function is in demand in fresh water, but for photographing underwater sea beauty, the device could well be useful. Officially, however, all these protected smartphones cannot be immersed in salty sea water, but if you act at your own peril and risk, the device will survive such treatment, and then you just need to rinse it with fresh water to wash off the salt.

Unlike his opponents, the hero of today's review did not have a hardware camera control key, therefore, the Lenovo A660 is also not able to shoot underwater. Let us remind you that with full immersion, not a single screen will perceive finger touches, which means that it is impossible to take pictures by clicking on virtual icons on the display - only if there is a hardware camera shutter key.

Thus, it turns out that the Lenovo A660 does not have any of the additional little things, such as shock protection, a lock on the lid, or the ability to shoot underwater. However, the smartphone provides adequate protection from dust and water, and this is the most important thing. Well, it will also be useful for lovers of an active lifestyle to know that the Lenovo A660’s screen remains completely manageable even with wet fingers.

Appearance and ease of use

Concerning appearance Lenovo smartphone A660, then it fits well into the image of a sporty, protected, even somewhat brutal mobile device. The smartphone looks very nice, not boring - the device has its own expressive design, which is rare for such inexpensive things. Naturally, there is no gloss here - all surfaces are matte, and to ensure that the smartphone does not slip in your hands, there are also ribbed notches. Not only the entire back surface is textured here, but also the sides, all this allows you to securely hold the smartphone in your hand in any situation.

The dimensions of the smartphone are perfectly combined with its weight - everything is so well chosen that there is nothing to complain about. Case materials: high-quality plastic, hard (without a rubberized effect) to the touch; there is no metal. All parts fit neatly together, there are no cracks, nothing creaks when compressed, the assembly is of high quality. Along the entire side perimeter of the device there is an expressive bright green stripe, giving the black body a kind of “anxiety”, corresponding to the obvious extreme orientation of the device’s image.

The back cover here is removable and is secured, as is usually practiced, with several plastic latches. As mentioned above, there are no locking locks here, although the smartphone is a secure device. The cover, by the way, is very difficult to tear off from the body - it sits so tightly on its latches that you can even get hurt trying to pry it off with your own fingernail. Never before in our experience have we come across lids that were so difficult to open.

Under the cover, both slots for SIM cards and a microSD memory card are hidden as standard. All of them are lined up on the same level, which is very convenient to use. If the internal slot slots of the same Cat B15 turned out to be extremely inconvenient, then in this case the use of Micro-SIM cards with adapters does not cause any problems.

The battery here is removable, and when installed, it supports all three cards when they are inserted into their slots. Accordingly, hot swapping is out of the question.

The front panel of the Lenovo A660 is not entirely covered with protective Gorilla Glass: at the very bottom there is a neat plastic protrusion rounded on all sides. However, unlike most modern smartphones, here they tried to not only physically reduce the empty space under the screen as much as possible, but also disguised it with additional details, such as an inscription about the presence of water protection, as well as a nice elongated light indicator made to match the color of the light green side stripe. The indicator shines with only one poisonous yellow light, notifying you of various events, from incoming messages to charging results. The bottom part of the smartphone turned out to be very nice and visually complete, which is extremely rare.

Traditionally for Lenovo mobile devices, there are not three, but four buttons for controlling the system and applications. The Home button is Lenovo's signature quatrefoil, which on older models is even present on the display as a screen saver. There, each of the four petals could be pulled to the side to quickly jump to the corresponding program. There is nothing like that here: the lock screen is a standard horizontal strip that can be moved to one side to unlock.

The remaining controls and connectors are traditionally located along the edges of the device. The audio output (3.5 mm) and the Micro-USB connector are combined here into one unit and covered with one protective cover. If you need to plug the charger plug here, it will be very close to the headphone plug if you connect them at the same time. But there is only one cover - a more ergonomic solution. The cover has a rubber gasket that protects the connectors from moisture, and is held on the body with a rubber clamp.

The power and lock keys are located here, on the top edge. In principle, it is equipped with some kind of indicator light, but we were unable to make it glow, and we did not find the corresponding settings in the menu. It looks like it's just a decorative element.

The volume button is a two-position rocker key located on the right side of the device. The buttons are made in the same style with the side light green stripe, and do not protrude beyond the body at all, which is why they are practically invisible to the touch. Obviously, you won’t be able to get used to this—you’ll have to constantly look at the device while adjusting the volume.

And finally, traditionally, about the color options of the new item. “Starry Night Black” and “Vibrant orange” are the two options available to the buyer. “Starry Night” is completely black with only a poisonous light green stripe along the side perimeter - we tested this smartphone. The orange version has the opposite: a black stripe runs along the entire side perimeter of the completely brick-orange phone body. There are no other differences, both options are non-staining, the choice only depends on taste preferences.

Screen

The Lenovo A660 smartphone is equipped with a modest TN touch matrix measuring 52x87 mm, diagonal - 102 mm (4 inches), resolution - 800x480 pixels, pixel density is 233 ppi.

The display brightness has both manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. Multi-touch technology allows you to simultaneously process up to three touches - at least that’s what the AnTuTu Tester program intended. On the Cat B15, by the way, she was able to recognize five simultaneous touches. The screen is quite responsive, there are no problems with this. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out 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 smartphone screen is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface and, judging by the barely noticeable decrease in the brightness of reflected objects, has a weak anti-glare filter. On the outer surface of the screen there is either no oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating at all, or it is very weak. The surface of the matrix itself, located under the glass (and separated from it by an air gap, of course), is highly matte; as a result, the screen reflects both side and direct light.

When manually controlling the brightness, its maximum value was 350 cd/m², the minimum was 9 cd/m². As a result, in bright daylight, even at maximum backlight brightness, given the matte surface of the matrix and a very weak anti-glare filter, the readability of information on this screen is unlikely to be high, but the reduced brightness will allow you to comfortably use the device even in complete darkness. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the logo on the front panel). IN automatic mode When external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness increases and decreases. In complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 9 cd/m² (a little dark, but large text can be read), in an artificially lit office, the brightness is set to 110 cd/m² (comfortable brightness), and in a very bright environment it increases to a maximum of 350 cd /m² (which is to be expected). The backlight brightness is modulated with a frequency of about 200 Hz. It's not very high frequency, so if desired, flicker can be detected visually, for example by waving a pencil in front of a white field on the screen.

IN this smartphone a TN type matrix is ​​installed. The microphotograph demonstrates the subpixel structure typical of TN (or rather, the lack of structure):

At the same time, we present another micrograph with a lower resolution and with a focus on the film covering the matrix:

Visible dots merging into groups are artificial surface defects that create the effect of a matte finish. The density of these dots is high, and therefore the matte surface of the matrix is ​​strongly expressed.

The screen has good viewing angles in the horizontal direction, but at the slightest upward deviation, dark shades are inverted, and when tilted downwards, light shades are inverted. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good. The contrast is not very high - about 600:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 15 ms (10 ms on + 5 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 27 ms. Relatively short response times are perhaps the only positive property of this matrix. The gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function turned out to be 2.24, which is close to the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve coincides well with the power dependence:

Color gamut is slightly less than sRGB:

Apparently, the matrix’s light filters mix the components with each other, and the spectra confirm this. This technique allows you to increase the brightness of the screen with the same energy consumption for the backlight, but the colors lose saturation (in this case, slightly).

The balance of shades on the gray scale is below criticism, since Colorful temperature higher than standard 6500 K and varies greatly from shade to shade:

The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (delta E) is relatively small, but this does not correct the situation:

From the "extremely budget" label this screen save availability automatic adjustment brightness and not the narrowest available color gamut- in total it’s just “budgetary”.

Sound

In terms of sound, the smartphone was quite surprising. Typically, secure phones have a specific internal arrangement designed to protect them from moisture. The speaker there is additionally covered with a special protective membrane that does not allow water to pass through, so the sound of such devices is duller and quieter. This effect occurs in many waterproof models, and the Cat B15 is no exception. With the Lenovo A660, the opposite is true: the smartphone produces such a loud and piercing sound that it would probably be heard next to a mountain waterfall. A very useful feature, especially for travelers. The grille of the external speaker is located at the back, but it is impossible to muffle such a speaker in principle: even when you directly press your finger on the grille holes, the smartphone still continues to rattle “with its whole body.” What can we say about the fact that the sound is practically not muffled by the surface when the phone is on the table.

There are no special distortions in the telephone dynamics; the voice of a familiar interlocutor, intonation and timbre are well recognizable, the sound is also loud and clear throughout the entire spectrum.

The standard audio player is nothing particularly remarkable, from sound settings There is only a standard equalizer with several preset values.

Camera

Lenovo A660 is equipped, like most modern smartphones, with two digital camera modules. The front camera here is equipped only with a modest VGA module with a resolution of 0.3 megapixels. An example photo is shown below.

The main rear camera is also equipped with a rather modest 5-megapixel module. By default, the camera shoots in the highest possible resolution of 5 megapixels, and the resulting images are 2560x1920 in size. Examples of photographs taken with factory settings and our comments on them are presented below.

The clarity on the foliage is quite good. Noise is noticeable on grass and asphalt.

Sharpness decreases quite smoothly with distance. The foliage sticks together only in the background.

Overall, the sharpness is quite good. The photo is severely underexposed, although this is quite a compromise.

Smooth decrease in sharpness towards distant plans. The foliage in the background was done well.

Again a compromise exposure. Visible in the shadows loud noises. The number plate of the nearest car is clearly visible.

It turns out that the camera knows how to choose exposure.

Macro detail is not bad, but clarity is not so good.

The text is well done. Virtually undamaged.

The camera doesn't cope too badly with its 5 megapixels. Of course, the results of the sharp and noise reduction work are visible, and there is noise in places, but overall this does not spoil the result much. If we consider the pictures only as the finished result, then underexposure is, of course, a disadvantage. However, it's much better in processing than overexposure, so the camera is smart in that regard. The camera works well with text. It will probably be able to work well with smaller text - most likely, Sharpe will cope.

I would have liked a little more clarity in the shots, especially the macro ones, but what the camera does when shooting long shots is generally not that bad for a budget smartphone camera.

By default, the camera shoots video in a resolution of 640×480; an example of a video is presented below. Videos are saved in a 3GP container (video - MPEG-4 Visual (Advanced Simple@L5), sound - AAC LC, 96 Kbps, 16 kHz, 2 channels).

  • Video No. 1 (11.9 MB, 640×480)

The camera control settings are standard for the Android system: the poor layout of the icons forces you to scour the menu. Selecting options, such as shooting resolution, is done by clicking on the small arrows to the right and left, which is very inconvenient. In general, manufacturers are doing the right thing by modifying standard interface Google. The control options are standard: you can add geotags, artistic effects, color effects, adjust white balance, saturation, brightness, contrast, and even use the HDR mode.

Shooting, as already described above, can only be done by pressing a virtual button on the screen - there are no hardware buttons for control on the body. You can’t take photos while recording video - you need to select only one mode “the old fashioned way.”

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks. Not supported Wi-Fi range 5 GHz, no support for NFC technology and fourth generation networks (LTE). The implementation of working with two SIM cards is standard: there can only be one active conversation, only one of the cards works in 3G mode, the second is limited to 2G, although you can change modes for cards without physically changing slots - through the software menu, just 3G mode can only support one of the cards.

There were no freezes or spontaneous reboots/shutdowns observed during testing. When you bring it to your ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The light sensor controls the screen brightness level automatically. There is also the already mentioned light sensor, very large in area and shining with a poisonous yellow light.

OS and software

There's not much to talk about in this section. The system is used software platform Google Android is far from the latest version 4.0.4 and its proprietary interface. The developer did not use any additional graphical user interfaces of his own production here, nor are there any additional pre-installed ones. third party applications. The only useful thing is a file manager - and nothing more. You will have to download and install everything you need through the Google Play online store.

Performance

The Lenovo A660 hardware platform is based on the MediaTek MT6577 single-chip system (SoC). CPU has 2 Cortex-A9 cores operating at 1 GHz. It is assisted in processing graphics by the GPU PowerVR SGX 531 video processor. The device has only 512 MB of RAM. The storage available to the user for uploading their own files is initially about a gigabyte of the nominally designated 4 GB of internal memory, but there is the possibility of expanding the memory through microSD cards. Interestingly, the file manager determines installed card memory as internal, and calls its own built-in memory “ External card memory." This is, of course, highly misleading. Connection mode external devices To USB port(USB Host) is not supported here.

Based on the results of the data obtained during testing, the performance of the Lenovo A660 was at an expectedly low level. For such a filling, the results are quite predictable - exactly the same numbers were obtained as a result of tests by the Cat B15, which operates on a similar hardware platform.

As for testing the graphics subsystem in the cross-platform 3DMark test, neither the Cat B15 nor our current “ward” frankly failed: the phones simply could not pass the test, throwing failure messages on the screen every time. However, this is not surprising, since both devices do not officially comply minimum requirements test at least as far as the amount of RAM is concerned (3DMark requires 1 GB of RAM).

In the Epic Citadel gaming test, the results of the Lenovo A660 graphics subsystem are modest, but at least the testing passed without failures.

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly accurate on the same OS and browsers. In the case of devices running on the latest operating system Android versions, we always try to use Google Chrome. In tests in this category, the device showed the worst results we have ever seen - almost twice as bad as the Cat B15.

Playing video

To test omnivorousness when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, for example subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. 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.

Format Container, video, sound MX Video Player Standard video player
DVDRip AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3 plays with slight delays
Web-DL SD AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3 plays with slight delays plays with slight delays
Web-DL HD MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3 Program
BDRip 720p MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3 plays with delays, sound only with decoder Program Video plays with slight delays, no sound¹
BDRip 1080p MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3 plays with delays, sound only with decoder Program not playable

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after switching to software decoding (in Hardware+ smartphone refused to play MKV); The standard player does not have this setting

Battery life

The capacity of the battery installed in the Lenovo A660 is small 1500 mAh. For comparison, the same Cat B15 has a 2000 mAh battery. The battery, as already mentioned, is removable here, so it can be removed and replaced (battery brand - BL194).

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (100 cd/m²) lasted 12 hours 30 minutes until the battery was completely discharged, and continuous viewing of YouTube videos in high quality (HQ) with the same level brightness via home Wi-Fi network The device spent a little more than 6 hours - the results are modest. The Lenovo A660 performed worse than the Cat B15, which is consistent with its smaller battery capacity.

Bottom line

Officially, Lenovo does not sell the A660 model in our stores, although it presents its other smartphones on the Russian market. Overseas, the Lenovo A660 can be purchased for prices starting at $120. If you search in Russian online stores, then in our country the few who sell this model set a price for it of about 7 thousand rubles. The price is already low, but ordering from abroad will still be much cheaper. The smartphone looks very good considering its very affordable price. Yes, it does not shine with performance, but most other rugged smartphones do not shine with it either. Sony is an exception here, but its smartphones are much more expensive. If you don’t chase performance and don’t buy a smartphone to play the role of a multimedia combine, then in other respects the Lenovo A660 can serve its owner with dignity.

Lenovo is starting to sell a smartphone from the “S” series. It's shockproof waterproof smartphone, protected according to the IP67 standard and given the full name Lenovo S750. It is in many ways superior to the popular “A” series device of the same type, introduced by the company almost a year ago.

Let us remind you that the level of protection is an internationally recognized standard, compliance with which means complete dust resistance. In addition, a phone protected under this standard is able to work after “diving” to a depth of one meter and “holding its breath” for 30 minutes.

The new product is equipped with a 4.5-inch diagonal IPS touch display, which has additional protection from shocks and scratches in the form of Gorilla Glass 2. The QHD screen resolution is 960 x 540 pixels. According to some reports, it is equipped with two SIM card slots that can operate in GSM communications and HSDPA (up to 7.2 Mbps, 3G).

The Lenovo S750 smartphone is powered by a powerful 4-core MTK6589 processor with a clock frequency of 1.2 GHz. The device's RAM is 1 GB, and the built-in memory is 4 GB. Memory expansion is carried out by purchasing a 32 GB microSD and using the corresponding slot in the monoblock.

The secure smartphone is equipped with modules for wireless transmission Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n data. Since it is assumed that it is intended not only for urban use, but also for rural areas, as well as for travel, it contains.

The device is equipped with two cameras - an economical front 0.3 MP for video communication (that's right, there is no point in wasting traffic and needlessly straining the processor and battery), as well as the main one, quite decent, with an 8 MP matrix, digital zoom and autofocus.

Managed by Lenovo S750 operating system Android 4.2. It contains an MP3 player and FM radio. To provide energy, a capacity of 2000 mAh is used. Not much, of course, but, on the other hand, the dimensions of the smartphone fit into the body: 134.5 x 70.4 x 9.9 mm and weighing 157 grams.

Although according to other sources, the same dimensions are 134.4 × 70.3 × 10.55 mm, and the weight is 156 grams. Who can figure them out, these Chinese? The body color can be ash gray or black. It has not yet appeared in the warehouses of online stores, but its official price is already known - 1599 Chinese yuan. Translated into Russian “money” at the current rate, this amounts to 8,445 rubles, excluding postage and taxes.