[Zuk Z1 General] probuddha:
Typing this answer from my ZUK Z1 that I have been using since the last 3 months. Before using this phone, I used the MI3 for little over one year after which the motherboard got faulty and it would have costed a bomb to replace it, so thought of buying a new phone instead. I reviewed a lot of phones for one month before zeroing in on the Z1. He is a small review of the device.

Build*- The build quality of the phone is great. I am using the space grey model which has a matte finish at the back. The back has a subtle curve which helps to have a firm grip on the phone. However, I feel you'd still need a back cover as the phone is slim and could slip off from your hand easily.

Chipset*- Coming to the chipset, the Z1 uses a nearly 2.5 yrs old Snapdragon 801 which was a major factor for me choosing this device. I had used the 800 with my MI3 and the performance was phenomenal. Not even once in my year long heavy usage have I faced a single instance of lag or stutter and no matter what I threw at it, it simply knocked it out of the park. So I was looking for a phone that would have the 800 or a similar processor. The 801 is a flagship 32 bit chipset but can chew up any new low end 64 bit chipset like the 410 or 615 easily. The performance on the Z1 is overall smooth with occasional stutters. I still think the 800 was slightly better in terms of performance but there are many things to consider here, so I'd rank the 801 along the same lines as 800. In fact, the 801 excels in some areas which I will get to shortly. So performance wise, Z1 is top notch.

UI*- The Z1 runs on Cyanogen 12 based on Android 5.1 (lollipop). The OS is highly customizable and gives you a stock android experience. There is no bloatware on the OS. The COS 13 was supposed to be released for ZUK Z1 but it hasn't been released yet (not sure if it ever will be). However the CyanogenMod 13 based on Android 6 is available for the Z1.

Display*- The Z1 has a 5.5 inch full HD IPS LCD panel. Even though it's not as sharp and vivid as an AMOLED screen, but it is quite good. The colors are vibrant and the viewing angles are also good.

RAM and Storage*- The Z1 comes with 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB internal of which around 58 GB is available to the user. OTG is supported.

Camera*- 13 MP rear and 8 MP front shooters. It has Optical Image Stabilization and the images come out to be pretty good in outdoors and even under artificial lightning.

Heating*- Heating is a big concern for smartphone users these days. Surprisingly, the Z1 has minimal heating when compared to its peers, like the Moto G4 plus, which can heat upto 46C and above with extensive usage (20-30 mins). However, with the Z1, even with over an hour of gaming, I haven't noticed any significant heating issues. The MI3 used to heat more than the Z1 and this is where I think the 801 wins over the 800. Also with calls of over 20 mins, I haven't noticed any heating at all. However, be forewarned that many users have reported abnormal heating with their Z1 devices, so I guess that I just got lucky here.

Gaming*- Played Mortal Kombat X and Dead Trigger 2 and faced little to no lag at all. With MK X, I faced very little stutter at times, but most people won't even notice it. Overall, gaming is very smooth on the Z1. Even heavy games like Asphalt 8 and Nova 3 will run smooth.

Call Quality*- Very good. Haven't faced any issues with call quality, however the reception over 4G in my area is not so strong.

Battery*- 4100 mAh battery, which would easily last for 1.5 to even 2 days with moderate usage. Charging time takes around 2 hrs.

Some things that the Z1 lacks:

1. NFC

2. IR blaster.

3. Box doesn't come with earphones.

4. Front flash

Overall, I feel that the Z1 is a good device that you can buy within a budget of 15K rupees.