The smartphone industry is vast and there are uncountable set of popular and not-so-famous players. While shopping for a smartphone, brands like Samsung, Apple, Sony and now OnePlus, Xiaomi, Meizu and LeEco come to our minds. But the smartphone industry is not just limited to them, but there are players that are lost in the shuffle.
Leagoo, for one, is a Chinese smartphone brand with a strong portfolio of smartphones. We received the company's Elite 1 (still under review) and recently got the Shark 1 premium budget smartphone. We will share our first impressions of the Shark 1, which is not available for direct purchase in India but can be bought through some untraditional methods.
GearBest has listed the Leagoo Shark 1 for sale on its website for $181 (around Rs. 12,000), which can be shipped to India for free under flat rate shipping (7-25 business days) or standard shipping (6-8 business days) by paying $26.40 (Rs. 1,760).
Interested buyers can take a look at the key specs of the Leagoo Shark 1 before placing the order. We are sharing our first impression view of the Shark 1 before we proceed with the review of the handset.
Key Specifications
Display: 6-inch Full HD display by LG with 368ppi and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Camera: 13MP primary camera with PDAF, LED flash and f/2.0 aperture, 5MP front snapper with f/2.4 aperture.
Processor: 1.3GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6753
RAM: 3GB
Storage: 16GB
Battery: 6,300mAh with quick charging technology
Software: Android 5.1-based Leagoo OS 1.2
Add-ons: Fingerprint sensor, Dual SIM and 4G LTE, power sharing feature, IR remote control.
Weight: 240 grams.
Dimensions: 158.6x82.8x8.5 (LxWxH)
Design and Display
Leagoo Shark 1 is no less than any other branded smartphone in the market in the sub-Rs. 20,000 price range. It comes with a sturdy metallic frame sandwiched between high-quality plastic at the back and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the display. The 2.5D display glass gives the Shark 1 an edge-to-edge premium look.
Turning over the handset, there is a fingerprint scanner on the top, camera sensor with dual LED flash above that. At the bottom, there is a speaker grille and the edges of the rear panel are slightly curved to offer a comfortable grip.
On the right side of the Shark 1 handset, there is a power/lock button and volume rocker keys. A microUSB slot is at the bottom and a 3.5mm headphone jack sits at the top along with IR blaster sensor. The Shark 1 has a sealed unibody and the dual SIM card tray can be ejected using a pin from the left side of the handset.
The Shark 1 display has a Full HD 1080p resolution, which brings vivid colours and good visibility. Using the handset outdoors did not affect the readability.
Camera
Leagoo Shark 1 has a surprisingly good camera. The specs of the camera are quite impressive and its real-world quality is at par with most handsets in its range. The rear camera has a 13-megapixel sensor with PDAF, f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash. The interface is kept simple so that it is easy for users to access all settings and modes easily.
On the front side, there is a 5MP sensor with 79-degree viewing angle with f/2.4 aperture and an LED flash for low-light selfies. We will be testing the camera capabilities of the Shark 1 in detail in our full review.
Performance
We haven't been able to get to the core of the Shark 1's performance, but the specs it packs sound decent enough to deliver reliable experience. It has 3GB RAM combined with an octa-core processor to keep multi tasking issues at bay.
What's good, what's not?
Pros
- Great build quality
- Unique design (not another iPhone-like product)
- Good camera
- Massive battery
- LED flash for selfie camera
- Power-sharing feature
- Accurate fingerprint scanner
Cons
- Too big and heavy
- Fingerprint scanner placement makes it hard to reach at once
- Dual SIM or microSD card (can't use both simultaneously)
- Fingerprint not quick to scan
- Non-removable battery.
