Leagoo, the smartphone company which was established only a year back is growing pretty fast. The company recently unveiled its first generation of devices in the Lead lineup which includes four new smartphones, each designed with a specific set of users in mind.
Although Lead 1 is the flagship device, its brother Lead 2 is as powerful and capable as the flagship and the only major difference between the two is its screen size. While Lead 1 comes with a 5.5 inch IPS panel, Lead 2 is slightly smaller in size with a 5 inch display.
We recently got our hands on this value for money device and naturally we experimented with it to see whether it lives up to our expectations.
So, here’s our detailed review on Leagoo Lead 2 smartphone.
DESIGN
If we had to judge the phone just by its looks, then Leagoo Lead 2 would definitely be one of the best looking devices in its class. The phone comes with a sleek rectangular body with curved edges and a beautiful aluminum frame which gives it a premium feel.
The device is extremely thin, measuring only 5 mm in thickness. So, those who love slim phones are in for a treat. The overall dimensions of the phone are 145.3×71.2×6.9mm. The device just weighs 135 grams which makes it extremely light and easy to carry around. So, even with its large 5 inch screen, you won’t find it hard to operate the device.
The power button is situated on the right side of the device while the volume up down keys are on the left. You don’t get a dedicated camera button, but that’s something that we can live without.
DISPLAY
Lead 2 is tailor made for users who like large screens. The device comes with a 5 inch IPS panel with qHD resolution. While we would have loved to have atleast 720p display on the device, the 940 x 540 pixel resolution looks not too bad and images and videos turn out to be quite crisp and clear.
The pixel density count naturally falls down due to this low resolution, but even at 220 PPI, we were quite happy with the quality of display.
HARDWARE
The specifications of the phone are quite similar to Leagoo’s flagship model. The Lead 2 packs in a Quad Core 1.3 Ghz MediaTek MTK6582 SoC along with 1GB RAM and Mali 400 GPU. The Cortex A7 processor along with the Mali GPU is enough to run high end games on the device with ease. So, you’ll have a great time playing even graphic intensive games like Modern Combat 4.
You get 8GB internal storage, which is enough for storing your basic images, music and videos. However, if you feel that this isn’t enough for your needs, you can anytime upgrade the storage using an external MicroSD card which is expandable up to 64GB.
CAMERA
Camera is one of the essential components that consumers look for when buying a new smartphone and Leagoo Lead 2 won’t disappoint you in this area. Ofcourse, it’s no match for other high priced flagships in the market, but it also won’t be fair to compare this value for money device with them.
You get a 13MP Sony Exmor camera at the back which can capture pictures at a maximum resolution of 4128 x 3120 pixels. You can also take 720p HD videos at 60 fps.
On the front, there’s a 5MP shooter good for video calls and selfies.
As you can see, the phone manages to reproduce colors quite accurately. The image shown below is one of the samples that we took from the phone.
The blue color in the image is quite bright, just as it was in the real world and even in dim light, the phone managed to capture decent pictures. However, some of the pictures lost details especially in low light, but most of the times, the images captured were quite good.
CONNECTIVITY AND BATTERY
Lead 2 comes with standard connectivity features as seen in other smartphones in this price range. So, you have Wi-Fi, GPS, A-GPS, Micro USB, HSPA+, Bluetooth 4.0 and WCDMA / GSM Dual SIM dual standby support. You also get standard sensors like proximity, accelerometer and ambient light sensors.
Moving on, Lead 2 comes with a 2,200 mAh removable battery. This should be enough for a day at an average level of usage. The low power consuming Cortex A7 processors further increases its battery life, so you easily get around a day’s usage on the device.
SOFTWARE
Lead 2 comes with the latest Android 4.4.2 Kitkat version out of the box. There are certain OEM specific features too, like the on screen quick settings button that can be moved around. Clicking on that icon instantly opens up four different options namely Settings, Lock Screen, Favorites and Home.
Leagoo has also incorporated a special Wake Gesture feature on the device. You can access this feature from the phone’s settings menu.
Wake Gesture basically allows you to open up apps directly from the screen even when the display is not turned on. This will instantly give you access to your favorite apps like the camera app or your music player. All you have to do is draw the letter assigned to the app on the screen and the phone will recognize the gesture and take you to it.
For example, if you draw the letter ‘C’ on the display which is currently off, the phone will directly take you to the camera app. Similarly, ‘M’ takes you to the music player. You can even change these default apps to assign your favorite ones to these gestures.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Coming to the best part about the device, Leagoo has priced Lead 2 at $108 which is an insane price for a device with such specifications. We honestly feel you get much more than what you pay for the device and if you are looking for a good Android smartphone, you should definitely consider buying this one.
The phone is available in white and black colors and at present can be bought from Deal Extreme and AnteLife websites for the said amount.
OUR VERDICT
Although Leagoo may not be an established brand in the market, the company has proved that it can make competitive and value for money devices like the Lead 2.
We personally feel that Lead 2 offers good specifications and features for a device just over $100 and it would be a great purchase for anyone who’s entering into the world of Android for the first time.
Deal Extreme has listed this Leagoo Lead2 at $107.99. Leave a coment to get a coupon from us. Head over to Deal Extreme to buy the Leagoo Lead 2 smartphone.
Source: http://www.gizmochina.com/2014/09/01/leagoo-lead-2-review-a-great-android-phone-at-a-budget-pricetag/
