Lenovo Vibe K5 review: Base line

Custom phonebook

The Lenovo Vibe K5 has a fully custom phonebook. It is laid out across four tabs: dialer, call log, contacts, and favorites. There's smart dial support, as well as speed dial.

Dialer

Contacts is self explanatory - you get an alphabetized list of them, which you can search or filter them by first letter.

Contacts

The Vibe K5 is a dual SIM device (both micro SIMs) and as such has settings for SIM handling. Each card can be assigned a name and a number, and cards can be disabled from the menu, so you don't have to physically remove them, if for some reason you don't want to use one.

You can select default cards to use for voice calls, messaging and data, or have the phone ask you each time.

Dual-SIM settings

The Lenovo Vibe K5 scored a Good rating in our loudspeaker test, which is a bit odd given that its Plus sibling managed a notch higher. Presumably the hardware is the same - two speakers, in stereo.

If you look at the numbers though, they are only a decibel or two lower in each individual test, but it adds up to a different overall rating in the end. It's still pretty loud, and louder than major competitors, so there's nothing to worry about in this department.

Speakerphone test	Voice, dB	Pink noise/ Music, dB	Ringing phone, dB	Overall score
Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)	64.1	65.3	68.5	Below Average
Sony Xperia E5	62.0	67.5	69.4	Below Average
Xiaomi Redmi 3	66.1	65.5	70.6	Average
Sony Xperia E5 (ClearAudio+)	63.2	68.3	70.9	Average
Meizu m3 note	66.5	64.6	71.7	Average
Samsung Galaxy J2	67.7	75.6	64.8	Good
Lenovo Moto G4	64.7	70.8	72.8	Good
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3	66.5	66.6	75.8	Good
Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro	67.2	70.7	74.5	Good
Lenovo Vibe K5	70.3	70.0	78.5	Good
Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen	75.7	69.6	75.9	Very Good
Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus	72.8	71.3	81.9	Very Good

Messaging and text input

The messaging section is business as usual with all SMS/MMS communication organized into threads. Attaching a photo, video, audio recording or the like automatically turns your message into an MMS.

The Lenovo Vibe K5 employs the stock Android keyboard. It doesn't have a dedicated number row, but numbers do come out upon a long press. You can choose between a number of color themes or even pick a photo of your own for background.

Messaging and text input