Budget smartphones are the ruling segment in the smartphone market, thanks to the affordable price tags and great specs. They offer the latest features to the users without burning a hole in their pockets, which is why the sub-$300 segment is booming nowadays.
Two competitive beasts in this segment are the newly launched Lenovo K4 Note and the hardly old LeEco Le 1s. Both the phones are competitors in terms of pricing, features, specifications, as well as brand value. So let’s see which phone is the better one here.
Design and Display
In one look, the LeEco Le 1s is the clear winner in terms of aesthetics. The all-metal body, the thin profile, the premium matte look, and the well-curved edges are all that make the Le 1s one of the best looking budget phones today. It carries a 5.5-inch FullHD screen.
Meanwhile, we are not suggesting that the Lenovo K4 Note looks bad. It looks well and sober and is for those people who don’t want a “loud”-looking phone. The matte black plastic device with a metal frame around it looks sleek, and the camera+fingerprint module made out of chrome offers some stylization. This phone too gets a 5.5-inch FullHD display.
Hardware and Software
The LeEco Le 1s carries an Helio X10 chipset with a Turbo octa-core 2.2GHz CPU within. This, coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, offers amazingly smooth performance for heavy multi-tasking. It runs on Android 5.0 with LeEco’s own UI on top of it.
On the other hand, the Lenovo K4 Note isn’t really a beast in terms of CPU clock rate. It is powered by a 1.3GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6573 CPU and gets 3GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. Though it cannot beat the Le 1s when it comes to heavy gaming and extremely heavy multi-tasking, the K4 Note won’t disappoint the regular average users at all. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with Vibe UI on top.
Camera, Battery, and Other Features
The Lenovo K4 Note sports a 13MP rear and a 5MP front camera. The LeEco Le 1s gets a similar 13MP/5MP camera setup, but it performs better in low-light and comes with 4K video recording.
The Le 1s gets a 3,000mAh battery, while the K4 Note gets a larger 3,300mAh battery. Both the phones get fingerprint sensors, but the Le 1s gets USB Type-C too. The K4 Note, however, offers its TheatreMax technology that lets you convert any content into VR content for an immersive media experience.
Price and Verdict
The Lenovo K4 Note and the LeEco Le 1s cost approximately $176 and $162 respectively. So it is clear that the Le 1s is a better phone overall. Go for it, you won’t regret it.