Cyanogen-powered Lenovo ZUK Z1 launched in India for Rs. 13,499

Lenovo sub-brand ZUK (pronounced 'zee you kay') has launched the ZUK Z1 smartphone India. The ZUK Z1 runs Cyanogen OS 12.1, which is based on Android 5.1 Lollipop and offers many options to customize.. With the launch of ZUK Z1 it's also clear that Cyanogen OS is no longer exclusive to Micromax's YU.

Design-wise the ZUK Z1 sports a premium aircraft-grade aluminum frame, that measures 8.9mm around the waist. It has a physical home button, which also doubles as fingerprint scanner.

As for the specs, the ZUK Z1 comes with 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS display and is powered by 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, backed by Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB RAM. On-board storage is 64GB. For photography, it is equipped with 13-megapixel Sony IMX214 rear camera with LED flash, OIS, 1.12um pixels and f/2.2 aperture. For selfies and video calling you get 8-megapixel front camera. The dual-SIM phone supports 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS and USB 3.0 Type-C connectivity. It is backed by 4100mAh battery and supports fast charging.

The Lenovo ZUK Z1 is priced at Rs. 13,499 and will be exclusively available from Amazon India via flash sale. The flash sale will be held on May 19, and the registrations for the sale are now open.

Lenovo ZUK Z1 international version With Cyanogen OS 12.1 coming mid-october

ZUK, Lenovo-backed startup introduced the ZUK Z1 smartphone in China earlier this month. The Chinese version of the phone runs on ZIUI based on Android 5.1 Lollipop. Recently the company revealed their plans to bring the ZUK Z1 to international market. For this, the company joined hands with Cyanogen to provide the ROM for Z1's international variant. 

Now, Cyanogen revealed that the ZUK Z1 will be available internationally starting mid-october. The international version will run Cyanogen OS 12.1 based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Unfortunately the comapny did not reveal the pricing details and which market will be getting the ZUK Z1.The partnership with ZUK marks third major partnership for Cyanogen's OS after OnePlus and Micromax.

ZUK Z1 went on sale on August 18 in China and has become an instant success as over 2 million users have already pre-ordered the phone within one week. In China, it costs CNY 1799. ($285 | Rs. 18,000). 

Besides change in the OS, the ZUK Z1 international version is likely to come with the same specs as seen in its China version. The ZUK Z1 features a 5.5-inch 1080p display, is equipped with 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC with Adreno 330 GPU, 3GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. Camerawise, it sports 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and 8-megapixel front shooter. Other features include aircraft-grade aluminum metal frame, reversible USB 3.0 Type-C port, 4G LTE support and fingerprint sensor.

Lenovo's Zuk Z1 With 4100mAh Battery, Fingerprint Sensor, USB Type-C goes official

Lenovo backed statup ZUK has introduced its first smartphone dubbed Z1 in China. The main highlight of ZUK Z1 is the reversible USB 3.0 Type-C port and the fingerprint sensor built into the home button. It has a premium aircraft-grade aluminum metal frame.

ZUK Z1 features 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels IPS display and is powered by 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 808 processor paired with Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB RAM. On-board storage is 64GB (no microSD card support) and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with ZUI. 

For imaging there is a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, Sony IMX214 Exmor RS sensor, OIS, 1.12um pixels and f/2.2 aperture. On the front there is an 8-megapixel shooter with OmniVision OB8865 sensor for clicking selfies. On the connectivity front it supports 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS/GLONASS. It is fueled by 4100mAh battery and comes in White and Grey colors. 

The company is calling the Home button as U-Touch button. The button is capable of recognizing different gestures, like a light touch to go back, a double to open the recent app list, a hard press to open the home screen, and a horizontal swipe to switch between apps. The ZUK Z1 supports global 4G LTE networks including India’s TDD-LTE band 40 and FDD-LTE band 3.

The ZUK Z1 is priced at 1799 Yuan (US$ 284 | Rs. 18,280) and will go on sale starting August 18. The ZUK Z1 will be competing against the likes of affordable smartphones from other Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi, MEIZU, Honor and Dazen.