Review: LeEco Le 2 Is All About Performance & Design
Despite its lacklustre free content, the Le 2 is a compelling option to buy at its price.
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LeEco is back with its latest set of toys as part of their 2016 product portfolio. The Le 2 is the logical successor to the Le 1S which we felt was bang for its buck in January. But it seems the brand is intent on upping the ante, so as to rival other products like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Moto G4 Plus.
Priced at Rs 11,999 it will be interesting to see if LeEco has managed to add more to the Le 2, especially since the price has been kept intact.
Pros:
- Crisp display with vivid colours
- Premium-style body build and design
- Capable performer
- Decent Cameras
- Impressive battery life
Cons:
- USB Type C for audio & charging
- LeEco content needs work
What’s Good?
It’s hard for us to pinpoint any design flaws with the LeEco Le 2. Carrying its design language from the Le 1S, the Le 2 feels more refined and complete in terms of its overall product ergonomics. The sharp edges have been dealt with, making the phone comfortable to hold and use.
The 5.5-inch Full-HD display offers vivider colours than the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 although it is still on the warmer side. Viewing angles will never bother you, and brightness levels of the display are make it manageable outdoors. Watching videos is probably the best way to highlight the quality on offer with this phone.
Powered by the Snapdragon 650 processor, the Le 2 will never let you down with its performance. It runs devoid of any major or minor lapses or heating . The inclusion of 3GB RAM ensures that the phone can be a reliable, daily companion. The built-in fingerprint scanner is quick to respond and unlock the phone.
We also liked that the 16-megapixel rear camera does not only offer detailed, clear and quality images, but you can shoot videos at 4K-resolution also. While it’s hard to expect a phone under 12K to offer quality pictures even in low light, we think LeEco could help their cause with a software update.
The 3000mAh battery on the Le 2 manages to keep us going throughout the day. And by that we don’t mean the 8 to 6 routine. The benefits of Android 6.0 Marshmallow’s battery management come to the fore, and with quick charging support, you’ll never be out of touch from the world.
What’s Bad?
LeEco is the first mobile brand to opt out from offering the traditional 3.5-mm audio jack. Instead, you get the USB Type C port which is your only source for data transfer, charging, as well as audio support.
So, if you need to charge the phone, you can’t listen to music on the Le 2, and that will be inconvenient for users right now. Even the bundled audio jack adapter doesn’t help our case, especially with the quality of music playback.
These are early days for USB Type C on phones, and while we appreciate what LeEco is hoping to achieve, the audio support over the port is something the consumer may not be ready for right now.
You still can’t extend beyond the available 32GB onboard storage, which for a company selling itself short on content, doesn’t bode well.
Speaking of which, the built-in apps and LeEco’s content efforts are yet to impress us. To access their catalogue you need to sign-in with a LeEco account, without which you cannot enjoy the goodies pegged to be worth Rs 4,900 for a year.
Why Buy It?
The LeEco Le 2 matches up to the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Moto G4 Plus even with its sub-12K pricing. The phone’s got a reliable processor, effective and stable software, and a quick-time fingerprint scanner also.
It’s fair to say that Le 2 has got the beauty to along with its hardware brains without costing a bomb, and most of you will love that part about the phone. However, you need to overlook the flash sale model, to push your interest to the level that compels you to buy it.
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