LeEco Le Max 2 (X820) Review

Le Max 2, a.k.a. Le X820 is the current flagship smartphone from LeEco, which has been announced two months ago together with the other devices from the second Le generation - LeEco Le 2 and Le 2 Pro. If anyone has had any doubts over time about LeEco smartphones, Le Max 2 is here to wipe them all out. It has top design, features, and hardware coupled with LeEco's intuitive EUI and a very compelling price. Moreover, the device supports a plethora of network bands, making it suitable for almost any part of the world. Obviously the company quickly establishes itself as a serious contender for the top market places among Chinese companies. Currently LeEco is a hot brand on home grounds and if it continues to provide devices of substantial quality, it will definitely find a firm place in the international smartphone market.

Specifications

LeEco Le Max 2 boasts a 5.7-inch LTPS display with an IPS panel that has a 2K QHD resolution (1440 x 2560) and a pixel density of 515 ppi. It covers 95% of the NTSC color space and has a typical brightness of 450 cd/sq.m. The device is also equipped with a 21-megapixel rear camera that has а Sony IMX230 Exmor RS CMOS sensor, a 6-element lens with an f/2.0 aperture, phase-detection AF, dual-tone LED flash, and OIS. It is capable of shooting 4K video. The selfie shooter packs an 8-megapixel OV8865 sensor with a 1.4μm pixel size and an f/2.2 lens. As long as it concerns the audio, the model features a customized digital music processing chip and in-house developed CDLA tech coupled with Dolby Atmos sound. Power is supplied by a 3100 mAh Li-Pol battery, which is non-removable and arrives with a Quick Charge 3.0 + PD dual charging protocol for faster and safer charging. Hardware-wise, LeEco Le Max 2 is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 chipset. Built after the 14nm process, it includes 2x 2.15GHz Kryo and 2x 1.6GHz Kryo cores as well as a 624MHz Adreno 530 GPU. In terms of RAM and storage, the model has three versions 4/32GB, 4/64GB, and 6/64GB of RAM/internal memory. The RAM is dual-channel LPDDR4, clocked at 1.866GHz. The UFS 2.0 internal memory is generally four times faster than eMMC5.0 in random reading capability. There are several sensors on board the smartphone, including a proximity, light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, Hall, and fingerprint sensor. The model supports a wide range of networks, including 2G GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 2.5G CDMA (800 and 1900 MHz), 3G W-CDMA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), 3G TD-SCDMA (1880-1920 and 2010-2025 MHz), 4G FDD-LTE (700 MHz Class 17, 800, 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2600 MHz), 4G TDD-LTE (1900, 2300, 2500, 2600). A plethora of connectivity options is provided as well dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with 2x2 MU-MiMO, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C, USB OTG, infrared emitter, GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, and BeiDou. Additional information can be found in the list of detailed LeEco Le Max 2 specifications.

What's in the box

LeEco Le Max 2 is placed in a rectangular black box with the company's logo in silver on its top. Inside, the compartments, which house the device and accessories, are in black too, while the lining is silver, like the logo. In a black envelope are placed two booklets and a pin for the SIM tray. The accessories include a micro-USB to USB Type-C cable, a 3.5 mm jack to USB Type-C adapter, and a 5V/3A; 9V/2.7A fast charger. The latter is a US standard one, meaning you can use it in the USA, Canada, some countries in Latin America. It has two flat pins for plugging in the electric socket, without a third one for grounding. If your local electric system uses a different socket standard, you will need an adapter. A hard silicone protective case for the back is also included in the package.

Design and build

LeEco Le Max 2 follows the company's style of elegant symmetrical design. Meticulously crafted with attention to detail, the device creates the feeling of being a perfect cast - display and body in one. Glossy details, such as the chamfered frame edges, LeEco's logo, the metal rim around the home button and camera, are put together with large matte surfaces in a visually balanced combination. The body is made of metal, except for the hard plastic plates covering the antenna areas. For its manufacturing a special three-step anodizing process has been used. The precise cutting of the chamfered edges makes the handset look even slimmer than its 7.99 mm in waistline. The metal frame is extremely thin (0.3 mm) and meets the protective glass of the display perfectly, creating what LeEco calls "rimless design". The screen's surface rises by 20% compared to the previous generation of the model and its big size (5.7 inches in diagonal), coupled with the frame, which is rarely thin for the industry, creates an "infinite vastness vision". However, the actual bezels exist and are not that thin, so don't set your expectations too high. The back of the device is only slightly curved towards the frame to provide a more comfortable grip. Le Max 2 is 3.4 mm wider than the Le 2, measuring 77.6 mm in width, and 5.7 mm taller, reaching 156.8 mm in height. These dimensions can be deemed as typical for displays with smaller diagonal size, so for its size-class, the smartphone is relatively compact and definitely suitable for one-hand operation. The smartphone is also not so heavy with a weight of 185 grams, including the non-removable battery. The physical buttons - home, power and volume, are finely crafted, with the latter being of metal too. All are tactile, with the power and volume once being made of metal and unlike the LeEco Le 2's, are not placed in a furrow, yet they do not protrude much. The model has three color variants - a rose-gold, gray and silver one. We are reviewing a rose-gold unit.

Controls

Following LeEco's revolutionary idea of removing the 3.5mm jack and providing an opportunity of enjoying music with better quality, the LeEco Le Max 2 arrives only with a USB Type-C Port, which is compatible with the in-house developed CDLA ear/headphones. Still, if you want to use ear/headphones that are only 3.5 mm compatible, the device arrives with a short 3.5 mm to Type-C cable to ensure you can hook them somewhere. The Type-C port is centrally positioned at the bottom frame of the device and to its left and right there are symmetrical holes for speakers. However, only the left one houses a speaker. The top frame of the model is where the IR blaster is. With it you can use the smartphone as a remote control for LeTV sets or for other TVs and home appliances. This can be properly adjusted from the Remote Control app or the corresponding section from the Settings menu. The SIM tray is placed on the left hand side of the model, while on the right are the volume and power buttons. The top front area of the device is where the LED notification light, light sensor, earpiece, and front camera are positioned. The LED light can be managed from Settings > Display > Pulse notification light. Below the display is placed a capacitive navigation bar. When it is not engaged, the backlights are off and the buttons are invisible. However, if you tap on the area, where they should be, the backlights switch on. The navigation bar's arrangement from the left to the right is Menu, Home button, and Back. You can switch the Menu and Back places by choosing the Left Hand Mode from the Accessibility menu in the Settings. Also, for each button you can assign a task of your choice. By default, a tap on the Menu opens the Quick Menu settings, while a long-press opens the Widgets menu. A long-press on the Home button opens a Search, and a long-press on the Back button dims the display (if you're on the Home screen) and you'll need to switch it back on from the power button. The back of the device is where the primary camera is placed - centrally, with a dual-tone LED flash to its right. Below them is the square fingerprint sensor with rounded edges. Further down, towards the lower end you can see LeEco's logo.

Display

LeEco Le Max 2 features a 5.7-inch LTPS display with a whopping 2K QHD resolution (1440 x 2560) and a pixel density of 515 ppi. It is not by chance that LeEco has gone for a Low Temperature PolySilicon screen. Compared to the other two technologies for active matrix displays - a-Si (Amorphous Silicon) and IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) - the LTPS one allows achieving higher resolution due to the higher speed, with which the electrons move through the grains of polysilicon. At the same time, it is also excellent for larger pixel densities (>200 ppi) as it makes physically possible to place the pixels closer to each other due to reduced wiring between them. Finally, LTPS screens generally consume less power, while providing higher brightness, which is crucial for the battery life of devices with large displays. The screen is incredibly responsive, very fast, and simply beautiful. Colors are deep and vivid, without being over-saturated. Text appears sharp and despite the high resolution is quite readable, even if you choose to have a small font. If you are visually impaired, you can take advantage of the large font, the Scale View option, which lets you enlarge the content, as well as the magnification gestures from the Accessibility menu. Nowhere in the official information about the display we could find information about the type of protection or if there is any at first place. LeEco states the display is made of very durable glass, but recommend that you use a screen protector and a back protector of your choice as they will correspond to your customization needs and tastes. Le Max 2 has an IPS panel, which, according to the specifications, covers 95% of the NTSC color space and has a typical brightness of 450 cd/sq.m. Indeed, the luminance, measured at 100% brightness, is even more - 486.630 cd/m², but typically it drops almost twice to 296.368 cd/m² at 75% brightness level. The black luminance values decrease proportionally, which means that the static contrast level remains almost unchanged at all brightness levels. Its value is very good - 1276-1288:1 and even at 0%, due to the 0 black luminance, it cannot be measured. The color temperature varies from 8075 K to 8502 K, from the lowest to the highest brightness level and its value is average for a mobile device's display. Due to its high color gamut coverage, it is expected that the colors will deviate more than average almost in the whole color spectre (check the CIE diagram). The Settings > Display menu allows you to change the color mode to one that suits your liking best. If we have to compare Le Max 2's display with the one of the Le 2, it has a little higher contrast ratio, which is consistent at all brightness levels, while the white and black luminance values are a mixed affair - some higher, some lower. The color temperature is lower, but not with a lot, while the color space coverage is much wider. It also has better viewing angles.

Brightness	White luminance	Black luminance	Contrast	Color temperature
100 %	486.630 cd/m2	0.381 cd/m2	1277 : 1	8502 K
75 %	296.368 cd/m2	0.232 cd/m2	1277 : 1	8345 K
50 %	148.012 cd/m2	0.116 cd/m2	1276 : 1	8222 K
25 %	50.243 cd/m2	0.039 cd/m2	1288 : 1	8127 K
0 %	5.115 cd/m2	0.000 cd/m2	-	8075 K

OS, UI and software

The second batch of LeEco superphones is advertised as receiving the EUI 5.8 this June. While we've been reviewing the Le 2, there has been no update and now the Le Max 2 arrives with the same latest stable version of the custom UI: 5.6.014S(Stable) from June 3rd and no signs of receiving the 5.8 soon. Similar to the Le 2, we have received the Le Max 2 with a webshop ROM, which we changed with the original ROM from LeEco's website. The 5.6 version of the EUI is based on Android 6.0.1. Marshmallow. It retains the basic features of the OS, while optimizing the looks and accessibility and adding several new features that connect every device with EUI with LeEco's Ecosystem. The first and foremost feature that proves this is the LeLive icon. Centrally placed in the docked apps on the home screen, instead of an App Tray, it allows access to various TV broadcasters. When switched on, the phone automatically switches to landscape mode and the default screen launches nine channels simultaneously. It can reach three-way live stream broadcasting. Besides visual content you may enjoy a huge library of online music and moreover, if you have a superTV (LeTV that is), you can synchronize it with your smartphone and enjoy the same content on both devices. LeLive is also accessible if you swipe the home screen to the right. Another major source of content as part of Le Ecosystem's Supertainment package for mobile devices is the LeEco Membership app. It arrives pre-installed and provides access to premium content online. From the Lock Screen you can access the Camera and you can choose whether the Quick Menu to be available from there or not. Besides the docked row of apps on the Home Screen - Dial pad, Contacts, LeLive, Browser and Camera, there are three rows of pre-installed apps. If you swipe to the left you access a second screen with other three rows of apps. In case you install additional apps, they will appear on successive screen when this one is filled up. Unlike in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the apps are directly installed and accessed and appear on several screens, not only one that is scrollable. If you like to customize the appearance of the UI to suite your taste better, you can choose from three offline themes. There are many more, which are available online - for free or paid ones. You can access the themes either from the Settings menu, or from the Widgets, Themes, Wallpapers and Sort Icons options. The latter appears when you long press on an empty space between the docked apps on the Home Screen or you long-press the Menu button. It gives you several tools for customization, including rearranging the icons on the Home Screen (automatically or manually), changing the theme and wallpaper, adding/removing widgets. The Notifications menu is accessed as per standard by swiping downwards from the top of the screen. With it you get a shortcut to the Notifications management in the Settings. A short tap on the Menu button from the capacitive navigation bar opens the Quick Menu, which is enriched and besides the standard shortcuts to tools and apps includes music controls for quick access and several tools, which cannot be accessed in any other way, e.g. the torch. From the Settings > Control Center you can toggle the icons from the Quick Menu. Another typical LeEco software feature is the PanoSearch, which is accessed by long pressing the home button from the navigation bar. The latter can be managed from the Settings > Accessibility menu, from where you can change the functions of the buttons or switch their placed with the Left Hand Mode option. The Volume options are accessed from the Volume button and include the standard media, system and ringer levels. The Power Off menu opens up by long pressing the power button and is the typical EUI one with a stylish overlay screen with slight opacity. The way the Settings menu is structured makes its features and options quicker to find, easier to access that ultimately leads to a more user-friendly experience with the UI. It is obvious that most of the changes are done with this in mind. Yet, the structure does resemble an original Marshmallow one, so you can easily find your way around it. From the Wireless & networks set of options you get direct access not only to the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and SIM settings, but also to Airplane mode and Personal hotspot. The More... folder hides features that are not used very often. Under Common are listed the Display, Wallpaper and theme, Sounds and vibration, Notification management, Control Center, DND Mode, Dual-app feature. The Display settings provide you with all standard options coupled with color adjustment and content scaling. The Sounds settings is where you enable the Dolby Atmos and CDLA headphones features besides all else. The Notifications settings let you manage the LED Notification Light behaviour and apps notifications. The Control Center allows you to toggle the Quick Menu shortcuts and you can opt-in or out for it to be accessed from the Lock Screen. As a frequently used feature the DND mode is brought up as a separate feature as well as the Dual-App function. It lets you use two different logins in two different versions of one and the same app - WeChat in this case - thus separating your personal and business contacts. The Personal set of options is where you manage your LeEco account (if you have one) and all other ones along with the Fingerprint and Password manager, Location and App permissions. Finally, the Other set of options, a.k.a. System, includes the System menu, Language & input, Date & time, Power on & off settings, Application management, Battery, Storage, Factory data reset, Accessibility, Printing service, and About phone. All these are self-explanatory and only the Accessibility menu is more interesting by including options for managing the Navigation Bar, switching on/off captions and magnification gestures. Though based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, EUI 5.6014S has very little to do with it regarding the apps layout. While in Android M, all apps are accessed via a home-screen-pinned App Tray and are listed alphabetically on a single screen that can be scrolled down and back up, LeEco's UI lists all apps on successive screens accessed by swiping directly from the home screen. You get all the classic apps a modern smartphone needs - Browser, Calendar, Camera, Clock, Contacts, Dialer, File Manager, Gallery, Messenger. The Le Ecosystem is represented by several Le apps like the Le Mall, LeMe, My LeEco, Le Sports, Le Store, Game Center and of course Music. You can either access huge online sources or enjoy the music stored in your smartphone. You also get a Tools folder that contains Calculator, Compass, Contacts, Downloads, Email, SIM toolkit, Video Player, and Voice Recorder. There is a WPS Office pre-installed, which is a handy tool in case you work with documents. It can open, edit and store MS Office and Adobe PDF files. A Super manager app is on board as well and includes several features that optimize the device's performance, including its battery stamina. More on this will follow in the Battery section of this review. There's a Feedback app as well, via which you can send information about your user experience with the device and EUI. A Map and a Weibo app are available, too, but suitable for those of you who know Chinese. In addition, you get a Remote Control app, with which you can turn the device into a universal remote control for home appliances via its infrared emitter, a Wallpaper app as yet another tool to customize the appearance of your lock and home screen, a Notes app, if you use such a tool, and a Weather app. Besides the Settings menu, there is a separate App settings menu, which combines all apps in one list and clicking on each opens its own specific set of options, which are otherwise accessible directly from the app, when it is open.

Networks, calls and connectivity

LeEco Le Max 2 is a dual-SIM smartphone, equipped with a double-blind SIM tray, meaning that you can insert your card either way. Both slots are for nano-SIM cards and support 4G networks. Actually, the model supports a very wide range of networks, making it suitable for world-wide use. More specifically, it supports the following network bands: 2G GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 2.5G CDMA (800 and 1900 MHz), 3G W-CDMA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), 3G TD-SCDMA (1880-1920 and 2010-2025 MHz), 4G FDD-LTE (700 MHz Class 17, 800, 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2600 MHz), 4G TDD-LTE (1900, 2300, 2500, 2600). The device actually provides what is called 4G+ services along with VoLTE. Theoretically, 4G+ provides download speeds of up to 534 Mbps, while VoLTE offers voice calls with HD quality. Furthermore, the smartphone supports dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with 2x2 MU-MiMO, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, and Wi-Fi Display. The Multi-User multiple-input and multiple-output set of technologies for Wi-Fi, which provides more powerful signal reception, more remote connections, and creates a stable and fast internet experience. The rest of the model's connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.2, USB OTG and infrared emitter. LeEco Le Max 2 works with all satellite navigation systems - GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, and during our testing period has been capable of detecting lots of satellites very quickly and with good accuracy.

Performance

LeEco Le Max 2's performance relies on a Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 chipset. Built around the 14nm, the latest top-notch SoC from Qualcomm provides ultra-low power consumption, while increasing efficiency. The chipset includes two custom Kryo cores clocked at 2.15GHz and other two custom Kryo cores clocked at 1.6GHz. An Adreno 530 GPU clocked at 624MHz is handling the graphics. The unit we are reviewing has 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM (dual-channel, clocked at 1.866GHz) and 32GB of UFS 2.0 memory, which is four times faster than eMMC5.0 in terms of random read capability. We got an amazing AnTuTu score of 137549, which places the device in the top three of AnTuTu's database, just after another, a bit higher score of the same device. Geekbench 3's and PCMark's results are at the top as well. We also played Asphalt 8 at the top graphics level and it was running impressively smoothly. The RAM is definitely helping a lot at multitasking and you can even have all of the apps open and running in the background and still not feel any glitches, while working with the phone. The UFC 2.0 type of storage really delivers to expectations providing the highest sequential and random read/write speeds of devices we have tested up to now and more importantly, higher than Xiaomi Mi 5's results, which has the same chipset and type of internal memory. On board the smartphone you'll find many sensors, some which are proximity, light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, Hall, and a metal fingerprint sensor. The latter is positioned on the back of the device under the camera and according the LeEco it works in rainy and dusty environment, even if it is dirty. The company also specifies that some of its functions will develop in the future. Setting up a fingerprint ID is very easy and unlocking the device is ultra-fast.

Cameras

LeEco Le Max 2 is equipped with a 21-megapixel rear camera that features a Sony IMX230 Exmor RS image sensor. This is a 1/2.4" CMOS BSI sensor with high signal to noise ratio and support for 4K videos @ 30 fps. It is combined with a 6-element lens with 4.67 mm focal length and an f/2.0 aperture along with a dual-tone LED flash and optical image stabilization (OIS). The camera uses phase detection AF and a closed-loop motor. How does the latter work? The sensor is pointed at the subject and its auto-focus system calculates what changes have to be done in order for the subject to be in focus, then it send this info to the lens without waiting for it to move. This process is repeated several times, so quickly that we don't even notice it, till the sensor sees that the subject is in focus and the system confirms it. This multi-measurement method provides high-precision auto-focus. The front camera of the Le Max 2 packs an 8-megapixel OmniVision OV8865 sensor with a 1/3.2" size and a 1.4μm pixel size along with an f/2.2 lens with a focal length of 3.66 mm. The camera app has all the options you'd expect from a mobile camera: it lets you manage the ISO, white balance, exposure, resolution and other parameters, while shooting with the rear camera and add several beautification features if you're shooting with the front-facing snapper. If we have to compare it with Le 2's camera, Le 2's is better.

Primary camera

Secondary camera

Audio

LeEco Le Max 2 is equipped with a customized digital music processing chip and scores very good in our audio test made by using the RightMark Audio Analyzer software and the TASCAM US-2x2 audio interface. Yes, many devices have a Very good overall result, but it is the separate scores and their exact values that make the difference. This model has a wider frequency response range, the best stereo cross talk so far and excels in both together with the IMD + Noise. It also has one of the best noise levels, THD and dynamic ranges of the devices we've tested and has an Average score for THD + Noise. All this means that you'll enjoy high-quality audio. This will be even further enhanced, if you possess LeEco's proprietary CDLA headset. The company's Continual Digital Lossless Audio technology has been patented and approved as a global innovation standard. The headset has an independent CPU plus other 100 components making it an intelligent device. Each headset has a unique identification tag and when it is connected to the phone it will automatically recognize it. The CDLA headset also automatically adjusts the sound quality according to the type of music, based on each user's musical preferences. LeEco promises more intelligent functions to come. Even if you don't have this type of headset, you can still enjoy improved audio quality via your existing headset with a standard 3.5 mm jack (well this depends on the headset of course). The model includes a 3.5 mm to Type-C connector, which is designed in such a way by using an ultra-high isolation technology as to prevent losses, decrease stereo cross talk and provide more accurate sound field reduction. Last but not least, the device arrives with Dolby Atmos tech on board, which by default is switched off from the Settings > Sound and vibration menu. From the same point you can also manage the CDLA headset, if you have one. The speaker sound is also very good as well as the one from the video recording.

Test	Value	RMAA rating
Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB	+0.04, -0.05	Excellent
Noise level, dB (A)	-92.9	Very good
Dynamic range, dB (A)	93.1	Very good
THD, %	0.0074	Very good
THD + Noise, dB (A)	-79.6	Average
IMD + Noise, %	0.0079	Excellent
Stereo crosstalk, dB	-93.9	Excellent
IMD at 10 kHz, %	0.015	Very good
General performance		Very good

Battery

Le Max 2 packs a 3100 mAh Li-Pol, non-removable battery coupled with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 + PD dual protocol for fast charging. The device arrives with a fast charger with an output power of 5V/3A and 9V/2.7A. It is a relatively bulky item with two flat pins as per the US standard for electric sockets. Have this in mind and prepare an adapter, if your local standards are different. The fast charger is fast, indeed. It took 1 hour and 8 minutes to load the battery from 0% to 100%. Most of the time the charging output power has been 6.5V/2.5A-2.9A, and after reaching 90% it has dropped to 6.5V/1.2A. 50% of the charged has been reached in 30 minutes. The PCMark Work battery life test showed a result of 7 hours, which, though not excellent, is a very good result for a device with a large screen and powerful CPU. The test has been performed complying with Futuremark's recommendations of calibrating the brightness to 200 nits. You can tweak your battery's performance by using the integrated Power saving management tool. It includes an Ultra-long standby during sleep option, which is switched on by default; a Lock-screen cleanup option, a Battery saver, which you can set up to automatically switch on at a desired battery level, Scheduled power on & off and Align wakeup for optimizing the number of times the screen is on. Of course, there is Battery Usage monitor, which lets you know which components consume most power and provides additional information and options.

Final thoughts

LeEco Le Max 2 is a powerful device. Fast and reliable, it has a beautiful large screen, elegant design and very good audio. The interface is quick and user-friendly, providing options that make everyday life easier and more pleasant. Moreover, it supports a plethora of network bands and other connectivity options, which guarantees you will stay connected anytime, anywhere. Finally, it is very competitively priced and has one of the best features/performance/price ratios at present. Le Max 2 is one of those things that are made with attention to detail and the user in mind, which over time prove to be worth investing in.