LeEco has been making a lot of noise this year and for all the right reasons. It entered the Indian market in the beginning of this year with LeEco Le 1s. The launches of LeEco le 2 and Le Max 2 happened in June 2016 in India. Because a smartphone today is a very major part of who we are, it is only fitting that you make an informed decision. I can help you in deciding if this one is worth being your time and money because I have been using LeEco Le 2 for the past week. This phone is available to register on Flipkart and LeMall ad can be purchased on 28th June 2016 through flagship sale.
Key Specifications:
Display: 5.50-inch
Processor: 1.8GHz
Rear Camera: 16 Mega Pixels
Front Camera: 8 Megapixel
Resolution: 1080 * 1920 pixels
RAM: 3 GB
Operating System: Android 6.0, Marshmallow
Internal Storage: 32GB
Battery capacity: 3000 mAh
Price : Rs 11,999
Look and Feel of the Phone:
I got my hands on a Rose Gold phone which was pretty and feminine. The overall look of Le2 is much more elegant and polished than its previous version. It gives an impression of having a bezel-less display but it does, in fact, have thin black borders, which are visible once the screen is on. Although it has a matte finish, it does get slippery especially if you are handling it with just one hand. Even with metal body, it is light weight with 153 gram and size of 5’5 mm inches giving you can good hold. The touch response of this phone is really fast and smooth.
Both the volume and power buttons are on right side of the phone. Its camera along with LED flash and fingerprint (un)lock resides on the back of the phone which is placed neatly in the center. There is no 3.5 mm jack for headphones. Instead, it has a proprietary digital audio standard called CDLA. For USB , it has a type -C port for headphones, charging and data transfer . This is one of the newest feature in smartphones and a special feature in Le 2. The Speakers have been placed either side of the USB port at the bottom of the phone. Navigation is handled by backlit capacitive buttons, and you even get a notification LED above the display.
Battery Life:
Le2 comes with 3000 mah battery, and with Android 6.0 OS, it comes with doze mode. It also has many battery saving features. Without using any battery saving modes, the phone lasted for 14 hours with wifi / 3g being enabled throughout the day and almost continuous usage. This has impressed me to no ends because I use my phone practically all the time and a low battery for me is very akin to low oxygen levels!
Camera :
The phone features a 16 mp rear camera with LED flash and f/2.0 aperture. It has HDR, Panorama, and other effects to click pictures and also has slow-motion and Video Mode. I loved the fact that the videos can be captured in 4k , HD or full HD. I also did an indoor video shoot in 4k setting and was pleased with the clarity( check here) and focus it had to offer. I also shot a slow motion video at 720p at 120fps, but the quality was not great. The camera reproduces the colors as is and has great autofocus. It doesn’t need a manual tap each time you change the frame. It locks the focus quickly. Coming to the front camera which is 8 MP, it has beauty mode and a few other effects to enhance your picture. I liked the clarity and the focus but it does not quickly lock focus like the rear camera. In low light, the pictures include granules. Below are few pictures captured through the front and rear camera.
The New Content and CDLA feature of the Phone:
After Netflix stepped in India, online content has been a focus feature to attract the young user. LeEco joined the party with live content feature which includes many channels in association with YUPPTV. The subscription for these channels will be free for one year when you purchase and will be costing Rs.4,999 from next year onwards.
The best hardware feature in this phone is the USB Type-C audio standard which LeEco calls CDLA – Continuous Digital Lossless Audio. It was developed in-house, and the standard requires the Type-C port on the device and the headphones to have special circuitry to transmit and receive the digital audio signal, thereby avoiding any loss in quality. I could actually feel the amazing clarity in the sound quality irrespective of whether it was a call or music. The only glitch here is that one cannot use any other headphones directly with this phone which retails at Rs.1,999. But best part is they also give a audio adaptor for which you can plugin your any 3.5mm jack headphones. People who keep losing their headphones, be careful!
Pros:
- Light weight with metal body and premium look
- Faster response to fingerprint feature
- Impressive Rear Camera
- CDLA audio standard, giving an all new audio experience
- Free live content for 1 year
- Good battery life
Cons:
- No Expandable Memory
- Can buy only through Flagship
Final Verdict:
With some amazing features like CDLA, Camera, and good battery life, this phone is worth every penny if you can overlook minor cons. And the content worth Rs.4,999 is a bonus for the first year of the purchase.
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