Redmi Note 3 vs Le 1s:
A much awaited budget phone by Xiaomi is launched in India and here are a few features to be focused on vs the budget flagship by LeEco aka Letv which launched in India few weeks ago and got a tremendous response for their flash sales selling more than 200,000 devices in 30 secs making it a huge record! Build Quality: Le 1s comes with a brilliant premium build quality compared to Redmi Note 3. The Redmi Note 3 has the same old design except that it now has a metal body. The Le 1s has a full-metal unibody that feels really premium in this price range. Le 1s beats the Redmi Note 3 here. Display: Both the Le 1s and Redmi Note 3 come with 5.5-inch Full HD, 1920 x 1080 pixels displays which are the standard now. Battery: The Le 1s has a 3000mAh battery while the Redmi Note 3 comes with a 4050mAh battery. Both phones support fast-charging which helps you in charging your phone quickly. In today’s always-on, always-connected world, everyone needs a bigger battery and Redmi Note 3 scores here. RAM and Storage: The Le 1s comes in a single variant with 3GB RAM / 32GB ROM while the Redmi Note 3 has two variants with 2GB RAM / 16GB ROM and 3GB RAM / 32GB ROM. The Le 1s doesn’t support external memory but the Redmi Note 3 comes with a hybrid SIM slot where you can replace one of the SIM slots for a Micro SD card. While this is a good option, if you need both external memory and Dual SIM support, you’re out of luck. It's a tie here because the Le 1s comes with more memory on the base model than the Redmi Note 3 and the latter comes with external memory support. Camera; The Le 1s comes with a 13MP rear-camera and a 5MP front-camera which is pretty good in this price segment. But the Redmi Note 3 ups the ante with a 16MP rear-camera and a 5MP front-camera. Here it beats the Le 1s on specifications, but real world use can be subjective. Processor: Mediatek Helio X10 Turbo runs the show on the Le 1s compared to the Snapdragon 650 in the Redmi Note 3. Both processors are pros at handling day-to-day usage and is good at multi tasking. Fingerprint Scanner: The Le 1s comes with a fingerprint scanner that works pretty fast and is smooth - it helps you unlock your device within 0.15 secs and doubles up as a photo capture button. It is the best fingerprint scanner in this price segment to date and is the world’s first mirror-surfaced fingerprint scanner. The Redmi Note 3 also comes with a fingerprint scanner which does helps you in capturing the photos and app lock that the company claims is fast but the Le 1s beats the Redmi Note 3 on this with its dual-function fingerprint scanner. Software: The Le 1s has LeEco’s, relatively new, eUI (Ecosystem User Interface) built on-top of Android Lollipop and it feels like using an iPhone. OTA updates will optimize and improve performance of eUI (an update has already been released and Marshmallow is expected by the end of July/August). Just the same, Redmi Note 3 has Xiaomi’s famous MIUI on-top of Android Lollipop and it’s a smooth ROM. Both software layers feel similar with a missing App Drawer and convenient quick controls etc. Final Verdict: The Le 1s is aggressively priced at just Rs. 10,999/- and, along with it’s premium build quality, it brings some amazing features into this price segment including USB Type-C connector, Fast-Charging (with adapter), rear-mounted Fingerprint Scanner - emerging technologies that are usually spotted in way more expensive smartphones like the OnePlus 2 and Nexus 6P. The Le 1s is sleek, light and offers great in-hand feel unlike the Redmi Note 3 which is heavier and blocky (due to a bigger battery). Also, the base model (the only model) of the Le 1s comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM, so its is amazing value for money. Redmi Note 3 is also priced aggressively at Rs. 10,000 and 12,000 for it’s two variants and beats the Le 1s on the Camera and Battery parameters. Yes, for an extra 1,000 Rupees you gain an extra 3 MP in camera resolution and an extra 1000 mAh in battery capacity but the design and build quality of the Redmi Note 3 is not as good as the LeEco Le 1s which looks and feels premium. So, my suggestion? Le 1s is as close to a perfect device as you can get for now. Ps: When you pay more, you get more.
