Priced at over 3,000 yuan, can Le Max prove the “super name” of LeEco phones?

LeEco launched three new models at a press conference in mid-April, announcing its entry into the increasingly competitive mobile phone industry. After Le 1 and Le 1 pro were unveiled, after several twists and turns, Le max finally went on sale this month. As another phone challenging the iPhone, how does Le max, LeEco's flagship phone, perform?

Unboxing: It's amazing right from the start

Le Max packaging still uses the iPhone 6 style design of the previous two mobile phones, which is different from the previous white packaging. As the flagship, Le Max uses black and gold as the main colors to highlight its low-key luxury.

The first feeling after unboxing was quite amazing. The 6.33-inch glass screen and the three-stage design of the all-metal body instantly attracted the attention of everyone around. In addition, the overall dimensions of the machine are 167.1×83.5×8.95mm. Compared with Samsung, which is famous for its large screen, Le Max is obviously much larger, more like a cross-border device between a mobile phone and a tablet.

The mute button, one of the most praised features on the iPhone, has now been introduced on Lemax. You no longer have to worry about being in a mess during a meeting because you forgot to set the ringtone.

The wireless HDMI interface seems a bit abrupt, destroying the beauty of the integrated body. The right side of the body is shown in the picture from left to right, which are the wireless HDMI transmitter, card slot and lock screen button unique to LeTV Super Phone.

Above the camera is the signal line in the three-section body design. Looking closely, the material and design are much better than those of the iPhone 6. The only difference is the color. Why not make the back black?

Below the camera is the fingerprint recognition module of Le Max. The actual test shows that the index finger can just fit into the touch slot for one-handed operation. The ease of use and usability are quite high.

In the past, people have always thought that large screens are heavy and cannot be operated with one hand. However, after purchasing the Le Max, it did not feel as heavy as imagined. The 6.33-inch customized Sharp screen on the front and the all-metal body feel great, and the weight makes it possible to operate it with one hand.

At the same time, LeTV's touch screen optimization ensures that misoperation will not occur due to contact between the edge of the palm and the screen.

Le Max also uses the future-oriented type-c interface. When you open the bottom of the box, you can see that the data cable is packaged like headphones. LeTV uses a double-sided copper contact design on the USB end, which is very user-friendly and avoids the problem of always plugging the data cable in the wrong direction in daily life, and also extends the service life of the data cable. However, the premature promotion of type-c, especially the Type-C data cable used by LeTV super phones, is only the USB2.0 standard, and does not have the speed of USB3.1 in data transmission. It only improves the plug-in experience, but requires users to pay for the universality of the data cable.

LeEco has been promoting its mobile phones as borderless, creating a real borderless effect on a black background. However, after the launch of Le 1 and Le 1 Pro, they were criticized by many netizens because they did not appear borderless on a light background but had borders on the top, bottom, left and right. The "borderless" Le 1 is only slightly larger than the actual screen size of the iPhone 6 plus, which also has a 5.5-inch screen and a border.

Compared with the previous two mobile phones from the same brand that were complained about because of the bezel problem, although Le max also has the problem of built-in bezel, it is far from the degree of being criticized. Compared with its senior brother 5.5 inches 1.6mm bezel, Le max 6.33 inches 0.8mm is undoubtedly closer to the borderless design concept. Even when observing from the side, the existence of the bezel is completely imperceptible.

This leads to a new topic. After the initial large-capacity battery, hi-fi sound effects, ultra-high-pixel front camera, 64-bit processor, 2k screen, and fingerprint recognition, borderless design has become another selling point for smartphones. But do consumers really care about borderless design? What kind of user experience can borderless design bring to consumers?

Hardware: A powerful performance hidden under the good-looking appearance

Le Max uses a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor + 4GB memory combination, and runs extremely smoothly with the 64-bit Android system, saying goodbye to the lag label of previous Android phones. The screen is equipped with a 6.33-inch Sharp 2k custom screen (2560*1440 pixels), and it also has a built-in 32GB storage and a 3400mAh battery. The camera is a 4-megapixel front camera (OV4688 front camera) and a 21-megapixel rear camera (Sony IMX230).

The running score is close to 60,000, far exceeding other models of the same price.

The test environment is AnTuTu v5.7.1, and the running score is 59993. At least in terms of running score, Lemax is worthy of its name of max.

Le Max has two energy-consuming devices, a 2k screen and an 810 processor, but only has a 3400mah battery, which is a bit stingy. Without any power-saving optimization, it consumes more than 60% of power overnight when connected to WiFi and in lock screen mode. However, after a few days of actual use tests, charging once a day with the power saving mode turned on can still fully meet the battery life needs in daily life, but its type-c interface also limits its battery life to a certain extent - are you sure you can borrow a Type-C data cable to charge in the office?

Nowadays, the demand for mobile phone music has changed from "listening to the sound" to "appreciating music", and the requirements for sound quality are getting higher and higher. Compared with other products claiming HIFI sound quality, Le Max is not inferior in accessories, and the industry-renowned AKG is used for tuning. The instrumental music has high resolution, the female voice is clear and the male voice is powerful, the high frequency extension is good, the low frequency dive is sufficient, the sound transient is good and not dragged, the low-pitched sound is warm, and the high-pitched sound is cold, and the listening tolerance is quite high. After turning on the LEHIFI sound effect, it instantly improves to a higher level, with full thrust.

In the actual proofs, the Le Max's shooting effect is full of details. Compared with the iPhone 6, the color exposure feels more sufficient, and the colors appear brighter and closer to reality.

The camera interface is almost copied from the iPhone, it is easy to use and the focus animation effect is gorgeous, but the focusing time is slightly delayed due to the animation effect.

The test video is "The Garden of Words" compressed in 1080P x264 flac format. During the playback, there is no lag and no obvious heating. The viewing experience brought by the 6.33-inch large screen is unparalleled. Le Max can also make the video window small to handle other things besides the video.

The interactivity with LeTV TV through wireless HDMI also means that sharing audio and video entertainment with friends no longer requires any wiring equipment, you only need one click.

Summarize

LeTV is not the first video provider to launch a mobile phone. IQiyi launched a mobile phone before but it eventually came to nothing. As a company with strong strength and content, LeTV was the first to elevate the competition of mobile phones from simple hardware performance to the level of content service competition. Le Max, as the flagship of LeTV's super phone series, is also a touchstone for LeTV to enter the mobile phone industry. Although it has some flaws, the flaws do not outweigh the merits. If LeTV can handle those details better, I believe Le Max will still be very competitive at the price of 3,000 yuan.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.