First Impressions: LeEco Le 2 and Le Max 2 Are Big But Compact

The latest range of LeEco phones packs powerful hardware underneath a soft design touch.

LeEco from China has big plans for the Indian market. The company doesn’t particularly specialise in smartphones, but currently, their repertoire of Le smartphones, launched on Wednesday, are good enough to give Xiaomi, Lenovo (with Motorola) and Yu some tough competition.

The Le 2, and Le Max 2 have been announced for the Indian market, which will be available via the company’s LeMall online store, later this month. With prices starting from Rs 11,999, LeEco will be looking to repeat its so-called disruptive pricing tactic in the country.

The looks of the new LeEco range is a blast from their 2015 past, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The phones have been built with precision design and look pricier than they actually are.

The LeEco Le 2 in India gets the Snapdragon 652 processor, with 3GB RAM and offering built-in 32GB storage. The Le 2 Max on the other hand, has been upgraded to a 5.7-inch (like the Xiaomi Mi Note Pro & Samsung Galaxy Note 5) form size with a 2K display.

Even though LeEco phones are sized starting from 5.5-inch, they don’t feel big or bulky.

The cameras have been bumped up as well. There’s a 16-megapixel snapper on the Le 2 while the Le 2 Pro and Le Max get a 21-megapixel shooter at the back. For a device priced starting from Rs 22,999 (for the 4GB + 32GB model) it’s hard not to like what’s on offer with the Le Max 2. You can also opt for the 6GB + 64GB variant which will can bought for Rs 29,999.

At these prices, LeEco has ensured that the Le Max 2 is cheaper than the Xiaomi Mi 5. It is also the cheapest phone running the Snapdragon 820 processor in the country.

We would also like to point out that the size of the camera sensor results in a protruding camera unit at the back, which is never a good thing to have.

LeEco has gone one step further this year with an improved focus on the audio quality of the phones, with Hi-Fi like built-in features. This helps the phone offer audio output at a higher resolution, and deeper bass as well, as stated by the brand.

All in all, the LeEco Le 2 range of phones have been competitively priced for the Indian users, but it remains to be seen if the bundled Le content worth Rs 4,900 finds traction among data conscious consumers out here.

(The story was first published on 22 April 2016.)