Coolpad has unveiled its first device in collaboration with LeEco, Cool 1 Dual, which has the dominating genes of the latter tech company.
LeEco's CEO Jia Yueting took over as Coolpad's chairman in August after becoming the largest shareholder in the company and the Cool 1 Dual marks the first device under this new partnership. The device was officially launched in India on Wednesday for Rs 13,999, keeping in mind the budget-conscious buyers in India.
At that price, Coolpad Cool 1 Dual has a lot to offer, but its software and design is reminiscent of LeEco's Le 2 smartphone. The dual camera set-up at the back is the standout feature in the phone, taking the edge over other phones in its price range and striking an appeal to avid photographers.
Here's our quick review of the handset.
Design
We have no complaints with the handset's design, except that it looks a lot like other LeEco phones, which is not a bad thing. But those who are looking for something refreshing might be disappointed.
Read: LeEco Le 2 Review
The Cool 1 Dual has robust design with a full metal body, rounded corners and an edge-to-edge glass covering the ultra-slim bezels. On the rear side, we find the dual camera in a vertical set-up, a dual LED flash and a fingerprint scanner just below it. There is Coolpad branding at the bottom of the phone and a tag line, which reads "LeEco Inside."
The handset is 8.2mm thick, which is quite bulky, but gives a good grip on the device. The speakers at the bottom are just like the ones we have seen in the Le 2 smartphone, and there is a USB Type-C port at the centre. Yes! There's a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top of the device, something which was removed from Le 2 smartphone.
The volume and power buttons are on the right and the SIM card tray is located on the left side of the device.
Display
Coolpad Cool 1 Dual features a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display with 401ppi, which is same as the Le 2 smartphone and delivers great quality, true colours and low reflection. The glossy finish on the display's glass makes it reflect in broad sunlight, but it is not something you can't handle by adjusting the brightness levels.
Camera
Coolpad Cool 1 Dual's camera is the biggest differentiator from other LeEco smartphones. This is one of the most-affordable smartphones with a dual camera set-up on the rear. We had a little time experimenting with the camera and the results were impressive. The camera is capable of capturing fine details, especially in macro shots. Landscape shooting is just as good, but cannot be compared with high-end dual camera smartphones like the Huawei P9.
Cool 1 Dual features a dual rear 13-megapixel camera with dual-tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture. One of the lenses takes care of the colour, while the other one captures depth, detail and brightness. On the front, there is an 8MP snapper with f/2.2 aperture and an 80-degree wide-angle lens.
Avid photographers can take advantage of the Pro mode in the camera to take more detailed and customised shots. There are filters and various modes to add a unique touch to your photos. Interestingly, there is a new watermark mode in the phone, which lets you put funny watermarks before shooting photos.
We will be sharing photo samples shot using Cool 1 Dual in our detailed review, but we can easily say that the camera is better than what we saw in the Le 2.
Performance
Coolpad Cool 1 Dual is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC, 32GB storage and option to choose between 3GB and 4GB RAM variants. There is no microSD card, which is a setback for many. On the connectivity front, it supports 4G VoLTE (Jio users note this), dual SIM support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1.
Given this spec-sheet, we are hopeful to get a powerful performance. So far, we haven't witnessed any lags or unexpected crashes, and it is likely to continue.
Battery
Cool 1 Dual houses a large 4,000mAh battery, which comes with fast charging support. We are yet to test the battery life on the phone. Given our prior experience with phones with similar specs, the Cool 1 Dual is expected to survive a day of calls, messages and internet use before needing another charge.
Fingerprint scanner
The rear-facing fingerprint scanner is same as any other sensor, which is snappy and accurate. The mirror-finish on the sensor leaves a fingerprint mark, but that won't compromise security of your phone.
