Letv is expected to mark its Indian debut with its Le 1S smartphone on 20 January, which closely competes with Lenovo K4 Note, launched on 5 January. Both smartphones offer top features at an affordable price, so here's a comparison of the devices to know which one will succeed in India.
Lenovo K4 Note has been received well so far by consumers and critics alike. LeTV recently launched new products in India — Le 3D Helmet, Super Cycle and LeMe Bluetooth headset — and plans to unveil Le 1S and Le Max on 20 January.
We are comparing the specifications of Lenovo K4 Note and Le 1S, which is a close rival of Lenovo's smartphone, to see how they fair against each other.
Display and design
Lenovo K4 Note features a metal frame, a polycarbonate back cover and two front-facing speakers. Lenovo's selection of material in the K4 Note gives the device a solid grip. The handset also features a 5.5-inch Full-HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, 441ppi and 178-degree viewing angle, which offers a crisp and vibrant viewing experience.
Letv Le 1S sports a full metal unibody that adds a premium touch to the device. It is just 7.5mm thick and weighs 169 grams. Le 1S has a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display with 401ppi and has a peak brightness of 500 nits.
Camera
Lenovo K4 Note packs a 13-megapixel ISOCELL camera sensor with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF and dual LED flash on the rear and a 5MP snapper on the front. Letv Le 1S also has the same camera sensor. The front-facing camera in the Le 1S is a 5MP sensor with 85-degree wide angle.
Based on the specs, it looks like both phones have identical cameras, but real-world usage will reveal a better picture (no pun intended).
Processor, RAM and storage
Lenovo K4 Note is powered by a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor paired with 3GB DDR3 RAM and Mali T720 GPU. There is 16GB onboard memory, which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card.
On the other hand, Letv Le 1S has a much improved processor under its hood and twice the storage capacity. Le 1S is powered by a 64-bit 2.2GHz MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core processor, 3GB RAM and has 32GB storage. There is no microSD card slot for further expansion.
Letv Le 1S, with its superior specs, has the potential to beat Lenovo K4 Note. But the lack of microSD card slot in the Le 1S makes the K4 Note appealing to those who do not like limits on how much data they can store on their smartphones.
Battery
Lenovo K4 Note packs a 3,300mAh battery, which is expected to deliver up to 23 hours on 2G talktime. Letv Le 1S, on the other hand, has a slightly smaller 3,000mAh battery. Given the specifications of both phones, users can expect convincing results.
Fingerprint scanner
Fingerprint scanner in affordable smartphones is the new trend. After Coolpad, Lenovo and Letv offer the high-standard biometric security feature in their respective phones. Letv Le 1S and Lenovo K4 Note feature fingerprint sensor at the back of the device just below the camera sensor.
Virtual Reality integration
Lenovo K4 Note was launched with an AntVR virtual reality headset, which takes advantage of the integrated TheaterMax technology in K4 Note. The bundle is priced at Rs 12,499. Lenovo K4 Note with AntVR brings large-screen cinematic experience by converting your media content automatically.
Le 1S and 3D Helmet is a similar combination as that of Lenovo K4 Note and AntVR, which makes both handsets equally competitive. The prices of both devices are to be announced on 20 January, which will decide how well Letv compares with its rivals in India.
Software and add-ons
Lenovo K4 Note runs Android 5.1 Lollipop and has its own Vibe UI skin to offer a personalised experience. Similarly, Letv Le 1S runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop but has its own EUI interface.
Lenovo K4 Note offers some extras, such as front-facing dual speakers (1.5W each) with Dolby Atmos integration, which is a first of its kind, and NFC. Letv Le 1S lacks both features.
Both phones have dual SIM slots and 4G LTE support.
Verdict
It is hard to differentiate between the two closely-resembling devices without an official price comparison. But if we must choose, Lenovo K4 Note and Letv Le 1S have their own pros and cons.
Lenovo wins with its sound system, battery and virtual reality bundle, while Letv Le 1S has a better processor and full metal body. Camera, fingerprint scanner and other add-ons remain constant in both devices.
