Jul 11, 2016 05:08 PM
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Specifications and software
LeEco has gone with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 652 processor, a fairly beefy choice for this price segment, especially considering that the similarly equipped Vivo V3Max(Review) costs nearly twice as much as this phone. You get 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which is unfortunately not expandable. A variety of 4G bands are supported, including bands 3 and 40 which are commonly used in India. You can use 4G on either SIM, but both can't be active at the same time.
The Le 2's screen measures 5.5 inches and has a resolution of 1080x1920, just like the screens of its predecessors. Colours are fairly punchy although blacks aren't as deep as we would have liked. We had no complaints with brightness, even outdoors in the daytime. There's a 16-megapixel rear camera with a dual-tone flash, and an 8-megapixel front one. You can record videos at 4K resolution with the primary camera.
The Le 2 is not significantly slimmer than its predecessor, and doesn't have a bigger battery. No great use has been made of the space freed by eliminating one connector. Buyers will be greatly inconvenienced by having to carry around an extra adapter, not being able to use a headset while their phone is charging, and not being able to use USB-OTG storage for media playback with a headset. The Type-C to 3.5mm adapter bundled with this phone is not a standard USB audio device, and other companies are going to be rolling out their own Type-C audio protocols, so you can add all of that to the confusion around the USB Type-C standard.
For most buyers, especially at this price point, high-resolution audio isn't likely to be at the top of any wishlist. Most buyers won't even have high-def audio files, though that is somewhat taken care of by the Le Ecosystem content subscription you get with each phone(or at least will be when Hungama services commence later this year, as promised). Even so, it's an inconvenience and a nuisance to be forced to use LeEco's own headsets - like a throwback to the early days of mobile phones.
Performance
Given its highly capable hardware, it's no surprise that the Le 2 worked without giving us any reason to complain. Apps loaded quickly and there was pretty much nothing we threw at this phone that could choke it. Most people should be perfectly satisfied with the level of performance on offer here, even when it comes to current-day 3D games such as Asphalt 8: Airborne. We were happy to note that the phone didn't get unreasonably warm even when gaming.
The bundled Type-C to 3.5mm adapter dangles awkwardly, especially if your preferred earphones have an angled plug. Sound quality is unremarkable, and you'll only really benefit from LeEco's innovations if you have the CDLA headphones and high-resolution source material.
LeEco has delivered quite a strong package for just under Rs. 12, 000. There's a lot to like about the Le 2, especially the fact that it looks and feels like it should cost twice as much as it does. You get powerful hardware and plenty of little conveniences. If the audio and video streaming options appeal to you, that's a nice added bonus as well. On the downside, the software is not our favourite flavour of Android and camera performance is also just ordinary at best. Availability is also constrained to online flash sales, at least at launch time.
