A plethora of Chinese smartphone makers have settled in India and it seems that there is no stopping to them. The latest name to hit the Indian shores is LeTV, recently rebranded as LeEco. The company has been providing content and a variety of connected devices in China for sometime now and it was technically the first smartphone maker to adopt the new USB Type-C standard. Just like all the Chinese smartphone makers, this OEM is also targeting the budget segment with the Le 1s smartphone.
The handset looks very premium sporting a metal unibody design with a high-quality finish. The phone is worthy of attention and definitely suffices the low price it is offered at. The body is mostly made out of aluminum, with chamfered edges and a smooth matte finish on the back. The display is sharp and has really slim bezels and it almost feels like an AMOLED display due to the high-saturation, however it is an IPS LCD panel. Right below the display there are the usual three Android navigation keys which are backlit but go completely invisible when not in use. The fingerprint scanner at the back is also interesting as it has a mirror finish and works flawlessly. Long story short, the Le 1s gets full marks in the design department.
Even the hardware is top of the line, giving some heavy competition to some of the popular flagships of 2015. As mentioned above, the display is appealing and measures at 5.5-inches with a 1080p resolution. Thanks to the slim bezels, it doesn't make the handset feel that large in the hands. Inside there is a powerful octa-core Helio X10 processor by MediaTek with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of fixed internal storage which sounds like a very promising deal. The handset is 4G enabled and has two SIM card slots. Apart from the usual connectivity options, the company has also added an Infrared blaster port at the top so you can control your TV and other entertainment devices. There is also the new USB Type-C port which enables faster transfer of data and charging, MHL support and of course it can be plugged from any side.
Specs:- 5.5-inch, 1920x1080 IPS LCD with Gorilla Glass 3
- 2.2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor
- 3GB RAM, 32GB storage
- Android 5.0.2 with EUI
- Dual SIM LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, USB Type-C
- 13MP rear camera with EIS and 4K video recording, 8MP front camera
- 3000mAh battery with Quick charging
- Fingerprint sensor
- IR Blaster
- Aluminum body, 7.5mm thickness, 169 gms
The performance on the smartphone is great. It is well optimised considering it is running on Android 5.0.2 with the company’s custom EUI layer on top. The interface is heavily skinned with themes, wallpapers and a custom settings bar in the multitasking window, but it doesn't show any signs of slowing down or any app crashes. It doesn't heat as much either even after having a full metal body, the only few instances were when it was being charged, using the GPS and downloading massive data, all at the same time. The battery life is pretty standard and lasts a whole day, but with the support of USB Type-C and fast charging, you usually don't end up finishing all the juice. There are some battery saving modes and a variety of app permissions as well, that gives you complete control over the handset. A point to keep in mind though is that some apps from the Google Play Store aren't supported, but in due time this issue will be solved.
The fingerprint scanner is worth mentioning as it works surprisingly well, much better than LeEco’s more high-end and flagship smartphone, the Le Max. It scans your finger really quick and honestly it is as good as the ones seen on the new Nexus smartphones and the cheap and snappy Coolpad Note 3.
The cameras on the handset comprise of a 13MP unit at the back with EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) and an 8MP unit on the front. The interesting bit is that the rear camera can record 4K video, which is something most of the sub Rs. 10-15k smartphones aren't capable of. Image quality in daylight is great and sharp, although details can be seen missing when you zoom into a picture. The colour balancing is well done, even the contrast. Low light isn't handled all that well as there is clearly visible noise. For the focusing, the camera uses a phase-detection autofocus system which is fairly good but not as quick as some of the major flagship smartphones. The front camera can take good looking selfies and the camera app offers some filters and some basic settings that one can fiddle with.
A highly recommended smartphone, the Le 1s is worth the money. The only catch here is that the company is fairly new and while it does claim to have a bunch of service centers open in the country, there aren't any of them ready at the moment. But if you are one of those who care a lot about the after sales service and warranty, then you might think twice. Other alternatives can be the Honor 5X or the Lenovo Note K4.
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