Both Xiaomi and Letv had great year of 2015 and the Redmi Note 3 and the Le 1s are definitely great offerings. We have already made the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 review and the Letv Le 1s review, so you may want to check them out.

However, a lot of you keep asking which device has a better camera, so we decided to put them for a head-to-head comparison. Find out more in the video below:

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Camera Comparison

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCbcPmhWn2g[/embedyt]

Both phones have 13MP cameras on the back with PDAF (phase-detection auto-focus) systems. That leads to the very fast focusing and capture speeds. However, there are some differences in camera sensors. Letv Le 1s uses the Sony IMX214 sensor we have already seen on lots of Chinese phones while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has a 13MP sensor that is made by Samsung.

In case you missed it, we suggest you also checking out in-depth camera reviews of each device in the videos below.

The post Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Letv Le 1s X500 Camera Comparison appeared first on Gizmochina.

Letv is a new player to the smartphone game but it has already proven that it can make some great phones. This time around we have the Le 1s. Find out more in our full review.

Thanks to Giztop for sending Letv Le 1s for a review.

Letv Le 1s Review: VIDEO REVIEW

Letv Le 1s CAMERA Review (in-depth):

Letv Le 1s Review: UNBOXING

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Gone are the days of premium looking packaging that came with previous Letv devices and this time we have a more simple and cheaper looking box. The contents include the instruction manuals, power plug, which has some fast charging capabilities, USB Type -C cable and the SIM ejector pin.

Letv Le 1s Review: SPECS

Letv Le 1s Review: DESIGN

When it comes to the design, Letv used some premium materials in its budget phone. The Le 1s is made almost entirely of metal (except for the top and bottom parts on the back for antennas) and it definitely feels premium in the hand.

On the front we have a borderless (not bezel less) 5.5” display, which by itself makes the device huge.

The top side is where you can find a 5MP selfie shooter, notification LED light and other usual stuff. On the bottom there are 3 nicely backlit capacitive keys we’ve already seen on previous Letv phones.

As far as optics, we have a 13MP camera, with the support of 4K video recording and single LED flash.

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Just below the shooter there is fingerprint scanner. I have to say that it is very easy to setup, fast and accurate to use.

We have the usual control buttons on the right, which are also made of metal and are very clicky.

On the left, there is a dual SIM card slot.

The top side is where you can find a headset jack and the IR blaster and on the bottom you can find a mic, USB type-C port and the speaker grill.

Overall, the phone definitely looks and feels great. All-metal build adds a lot of premium properties but if we compare it with higher-end Le 1 Pro, it is not that precisely made.

I know that I’m being picky again but if you look at the bottom plastic part, it is not perfectly aligned. It is absolutely not a deal breaker and I still say that the Le 1s is is well built and high quality device.

Letv Le 1s Review: DISPLAY

The 5.5” display is brilliant to look at. It is a bit brighter than the one found on the Le 1 and has a slightly better sunlight visibility. Also, the panel has natural looking colours and deep blacks for and LCD display.

Letv Le 1s Review: UI

When it comes to the user interface, we have the LeUI 5, which is built on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop.

My review unit shipped with the unofficial international ROM, which has Google Play and multi-languages pre-installed, the Chinese apps removed but there are quite a few annoying apps that you can’t delete.

It is very easy to flash the original Chinese ROM back and if you want to see how it looks like, please check out the Letv Le 1 Pro review, where the phone runs on the official Chinese ROM:

LeUI is a highly customised version of Android and it usually runs smoothly without any hiccups or lags.

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There are plenty of customisation options as it has become a standard on the Chinese phones.

Also, there are quite a few similarities with iOS, e.g. if you swipe from the top, you will open only the notification shade.

Pressing a left capacitive key triggers a window where you can access your recent apps or close them, quick settings menu, music player, shortcuts to some apps and so on.

All in all, LeUI is very fast and clean looking user interface with some great features and customisation options.

However, I’ve tried both official Chinese ROM (the only official version currently available) and this unofficial ROM.  I have to say that you should stick with the official one.

The unofficial ROM is slower, it does not support OTA updates but most importantly it has some really annoying apps that you can’t simply delete like battery boosters, cleaners and so on, which simply slow your phone down.

Letv Le 1s Review: BENCHMARKS

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Letv Le 1s Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

Letv Le 1s has a really good specs sheet for the price. It has a Mediatek Helio X10 chip, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of non-expandable storage.

3D games work absolutely fine, there are no hiccups and the phone doesn’t heat up to uncomfortable levels.

Letv Le 1s Review: MULTIMEDIA

As far multimedia consumption, the Letv Le 1s is just a fantastic budget device. Besides having a gorgeous display, the phone has a decent loudspeaker and the sound via earphones is definitely one of the better ones in this price range.

Letv Le 1s Review: CAMERA

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When it comes to the camera app, we have the same app we’ve already seen on other Letv phones. It is fast and responsive and it is very easy to use.

Letv Le 1s Review: IMAGE QUALITY

Letv Le 1s CAMERA Review (in-depth):

The 13MP camera is capable of producing some pretty good images in good lighting conditions. They look similar like the ones produced by the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 but I will tell my final opinion only after head-to-head comparison, which is coming soon.

The pictures have a good amount of details and colours look natural most of the times. However, you may get some images with softer details and softer focus on the corners. Also, colour reproduction may be off in some of the shots.

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As usual, the level of details decreases with less lighting but the camera can still produce some nice looking pictures with a decent amount of details but with more noise and less sharpness overall.

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The night shots are not the worst we’ve seen in this price category of phones but they do not impress. The level of details is quite low and there is a lot of noise.

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As far as front facing camera, it is pretty good and you can produce some nice looking selfies and the beauty mode is here to help to get that perfect shot.

When it comes to 1080p video, the quality is mediocre in general but it is pretty good for a budget phone. See the video review for the video sample.

As far as 4K video, I could not play it back on my MacBook despite trying out 5 different players, video converters and so on but it may only my laptops issue, so I will leave download links for 4k video samples down below.

Overall, the Le 1s has one of the better cameras for the price although it is neither the best nor better than its predecessor – Le 1.

Download Letv Le 1 full resolution camera samples 

Letv Le 1s Review: CONNECTIVITY

As far as connectivity, everything is working fine as I had no issues with the Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, call quality or signal reception.

Letv Le 1s Review: BATTERY LIFE

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The 3000mAh battery could perform better. I could get only around 3 hours of screen-on time (SOT) in real life conditions while using the phone mainly for daily tasks. The SOT time is a bit better in the Geekbench 3 battery test, where the phone was able to achieve over 5 hours of SOT with max. auto-brightness and dim screen features off.

A good thing is that the phone supports fast charging feature and will love using it.

Letv Le 1s Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have, the Letv Le 1s. I had really high expectations from this phone and it delivers in a lot of aspects.

The Le 1s has a great design and build quality, awesome display, great and constantly improving software (if you use the official Chinese ROM and install Google Play services manually), fast and accurate fingerprint scanner and good audio quality.

However, while the camera is one of the best in this price category of phones, it feels that there is a slight downgrade in terms of the overall image quality over its predecessor – the Le 1.

While the battery life it is not necessarily bad, the Le 1s will most likely last you a full day on a single charge but not more. Hopefully, this is what the Letv has in the priority list of software updates to improve that.

Finally, the Letv Le 1s is a great phone as it has a lot to offer for the price. However, the battery life could be better given the current state of software and it can’t be overlooked before making a buying decision. Well, unless you don’t mind  charging your phone more often.

The post Letv Le 1s Review – Le Superphone or Not? appeared first on Gizmochina.

It seems that Letv has just announced their trio of “Le Superphones” but we already have the Letv Le 1s – the successor of the cheapest device from the company’s portfolio. A lot of things have change, some remained the same. Find out more in our unboxing and first impressions article.

Thanks to Giztop for sending Letv Le 1s for a review. 

Letv Le 1s: UNBOXING

Letv Le 1s comes in a box, which has some design inspirations from Apple. However, it does not look that premium as the first generation Letv phones.

Still, the contents are very well made and they include a fast charging brick (up to 2.7A), USB Type-C cable, documentation and a fancy SIM ejector pin.

Letv Le 1s: DESIGN

When it comes to the design, we are looking at all-metal phone, which is an upgrade over the previous generation Le 1 model. The device definitely looks and feels like a high-end phone due to a very good construction and some quality materials.

As the majority of the Letv smartphones, the Le 1s comes with a 5.5″ display, which has become a standard nowadays.

On the top we have a 5MP selfie snapper, earpiece and LED notification light. On the bottom, there are 3 nicely backlit capacitive buttons.

On the back there a 13MP main shooter with a single LED flash and right underneath it you can find a fingerprint scanner, which works very well and setting it up is a breeze.

USB Type-C port takes care of charging/syncing and it sits next to the speaker grill and the mic.

Letv Le 1s: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Overall, Letv Le 1s is well built metal phone and it sits comfortable in the hand. As I just wrote in the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 first impressions article, I am very happy about the evolution of budget smartphones – premium looks and great specs for affordable price.

I am familiar with the LeUI, which comes with the Letv phones and the Le 1s is no exception. Everything is running smoothly, apps are opening/closing fast and there are no major hiccups during the daily use. However, I am keeping a final judgment for a full review.

All in all, my first impressions are only positive at this stage. Still, it’s been just a day I’ve been playing with the Le 1s (as well as the Redmi Note 3) and there are many aspects that require a thorough testing. Stay tuned to Gizmochina for upcoming full review.

The post Letv Le 1s Unboxing and First Impressions appeared first on Gizmochina.

Xiaomi is back with a bang! The company has just unveiled the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 mid-range flagship and its brings tremendous value for your money. However, at this price range, this Redmi Note 3 isn’t the only device which offers bang for your buck. Both Meizu M1 Metal and the LeTV 1S can boast of all metal design with powerful specs. So, we decided to compare these three devices to see whether any one of these have an edge over others.

So, without wasting any more time, lets take a look at this comparison.

Redmi Note 3 vs Meizu M1 Metal vs LeTV 1S

DESIGN

Despite being smartphones from three different companies, they have taken the same approach for developing their mid-rangers. All the three phones feature metal build, which is something that’s quickly catching on. There was a time, when only a few flagships could boast of such premium build quality, but things have changed for the good in the past few months.

While Xiaomi has taken a similar route as Meizu for its Redmi Note 3, LeTV has continued with their own unique design philosophy for the Le series. Its really hard to say which one comes out as the best as all three feature quite impressive build quality.

As far as thickness goes, LeTV 1S is the thinnest of the lot, measuring just 7.5mm, as followed by 8.2mm on M1 Metal and 8.65mm on Redmi Note 3.

However, LeTV model is the heaviest, weighing 169 grams as compared to Note 2’s 164 grams and Meizu Metal’s 162 grams.

Meizu Metal has the maximum color options which includes, White, Blue, Gray, Golden, and Pink. The Redmi Note 3 has gold, silver and dark grey colors while the LeTV 1S comes in just two options, gold and silver.

SPECS

Unsurprisingly, these three models have very similar specifications. They are powered by the Helio X10 MT6795 octa-core chip. While the Meizu M1 Metal and Redmi Note 3 come with MT6795 clocked at 2.0GHz, the LeTV 1S features a 2.2GHz MT6795T (turbo) edition, which is slightly faster than the former variant.

As for RAM, the Meizu M1 Metal features 2GB, while the other two have 3GB RAMs (high-end variant of the Redmi Note 3). For storage, all three have 32GB editions, however, only M1 Metal comes with MicroSD card slot. So, in case of Note 3 and LeTV 1S, you are stuck with the internal storage that you get.

Display is similar, measuring 5.5-inches with FHD 1080p resolution. At the back, all three have 13MP camera sensors with PDAF. Meizu and Xiaomi have dual LED color temperature flash while LeTV model comes with single LED flash. Up front, you have a 5MP shooter on all the three models.

When it comes to the USB connector, only the LeTV 1S can boast of the new age reversible USB Type-C. Other two have standard connectors.

All three have fingerprint sensors, with Xiaomi and LeTV placing it at the back of their devices, and Meizu on its home button. Also, all three have dual SIM dual standby support with 4G LTE enabled.

Now coming to the most distinguishing feature of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. If you were finding it difficult to decide which one suits you better, the Xiaomi’s battery capacity is where the balance is lost. Xiaomi has outdid itself by incorporating a large 4000mAh capacity battery inside the new Redmi Note 3. In comparison, both the LeTV 1S and Meizu M1 Metal feature only 3000mAh and 3140mAh respectively. There’s no way that these two can compete with the Xiaomi device in this segment. Moreover, all three feature fast charge as well, making sure that your phone is charged in just an hour or more.

Both LeTV 1S and Redmi Note 3 feature IR Blasters on top. But the Meizu M1 Metal doesn’t.

Finally, coming to the software, these models feature Android 5.1, with Meizu Metal, Redmi Note 3 and LeTV 1S running Flyme 5.1, MIUI 7 and EUI OS respectively.

PRICING 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 was just launched today for an amazing price tag of 899 Yuan ($140). To be fair, we had considered the 3GB RAM variant in this comparison, which is priced 1099 Yuan ($172). But that’s exactly the same price that both Meizu M1 Metal and LeTV 1S retails in China.

CONCLUSION

To be honest, all the three devices are great. But if we had to make conclusions based on the specs on paper, the Redmi Note 3 comes out on top with such a large battery. Xiaomi has definitely released a winner, at least on paper and there’s no doubt about it. Its one of the biggest reasons why most customers will choose Redmi Note 3. Lack of MicroSD is probably its biggest drawback, but then you get 32GB of storage on the 3GB variant, which usually is enough.

So, what do you think? Which one would you pick among these three?

The post Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Meizu M1 Metal vs LeTV 1S: A Detailed Comparison appeared first on Gizmochina.

I wanted to share my thoughts about the just released Letv Le 1s, which is just an amazing smartphone for incredibly low price as it costs just $172 in China. I’m just amazed how much you get for such a low price. Naturally, the phone will cost a bit higher via the third-party resellers.

Letv Le 1s Preview VIDEO: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

It all start with a premium all-metal unibody symmetrical design and the Le 1s is just 7.5mm thick.

The new Le Superphone comes in gold and silver colour options and they both look stunning.

As far as the processing power, the Le 1s is powered by the octa-core Mediatek Helio X10 chip, which is clocked at 2.2Ghz and this chip has already proven to be quite a powerhouse. To make sure that the performance is buttery smooth there is 3GB of RAM on board and 32GB of storage for the base model.

Other key features include a high-end fingerprint scanner, 13MP camera on the back, which has a PDAF system, which helps achieving blazing fast auto-focus speeds of just 0.09s.

The Le 1s has a 5.5” 1080p panel which is said to be brighter than its predecessor. The display uses a floating glass technology and it has the bezel less design.

The phone also has the reversible USB Type-C port, which is slowly becoming a new standard but more importantly, Letv implemented a super fast charging speeds, which are said to give you 3 hours of talk time with just 5 minutes of charge the embedded 3000mAh battery.

All in all, the new Letv Le 1s shapes up to an amazing phone for the price and honestly, I can’t wait to make a full review of it.

It is just incredible what the Chinese companies are making at the moment and the Letv Le 1s is one of the best examples out there.

I hope to get the Le 1s for a review as quickly as possible but in the meantime you may want to check out the reviews of the previous generation Letv smartphones down below.

Please use the comment section below the video to tell me what you think.

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