A few days ago I received in tests and one of the smartphones in the portfolio Leagoo .We speak of a phablet called entry-level Leagoo M8 . It is important that we hear in the future Leagoo name, and one of the first smartphones promoted the old continent is Leagoo M8. It is a 5.7 inch display terminal and starting price under $70.
Leagoo M8 wants to be a pioneer in the segment must be assessed phablet budget and courage. Personally I do not know another terminal so complex that fits the budget of this phablet. However it is not perfect, and below you will discover the good and the bad.
Leagoo M8 UNBOXING
In the box, you can find all the usual stuff and some extras include a pair of earphones.
The box includes:
- The Leagoo M8 phablet,
- A USB cable,
- A charger,
- Earphones,
- User manual.
Leagoo M8 Design
Leagoo M8 is sold in three colors: gold, white and gray. We received the test version of Gold. The phone is made of plastic but metal edges add even more elegance. We speak of a device that provides access to the battery, but behind the plastic cover which covers not the most successful. Here Leagoo M8 quickly reminds us that it is a cheap phablet. It is noted that inferior materials were used in terms of quality and overall look is simple but robust. The terminal is pretty impressive, good enough grip as you do not slip out of hand, and the normal size for a phablet 169 grams weight and 8.8 mm thick. Leagoo M8 proves to be a budget smartphone design and construction chapter, but stop saving metal frame of appearances.
Leagoo M8 Display and sound
Chapter display find a 5.7-inch IPS HD resolution (1280 x 720 pixels), 267 ppi density and 2.5D curved glass protection with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. I do not know how real is the presence of protective glass, but promotes intense Leagoo this feature. If it is real, then hats off. In addition Leagoo M8 has a protective film applied at the factory, so still a white ball in Chapter protective screen. In terms of screen quality, to mention a cheap IPS doing his job well. It has an unexpectedly good brightness, color fairly balanced, wide viewing angle and touch the very short response time. A budget screen also has its minuses that it might have to understand: white has a yellowish tint, the contrast is slightly faded and the sun is mirrored display. When I opened my phone I had a very pleasant surprise because I immediately noticed that the phone does not have those ugly black stripes on most mobile existing entry-level Chinese and even mid-range. The margins are very thin, almost imperceptible. The sound through the speaker on the back is good, to very good. Volume 100% quality is lost, the sound becomes distorted, and the end result is satisfactory. The loudspeaker believe could lead more volume, but perhaps the manufacturer has decided to set no limit to steal clarity. The bundled headphones are satisfactory, you can listen to some tunes if you are not very demanding.
Hardware, operating system and applications
Leagoo chosen older hardware in order to get a price so good for this phablet. Mention the processor MediaTek MT6580 quad-core processor with 4 x 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, Mali-400 MP2 GPU, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB of storage (in reality are available less than 10 GB) and support for microSD card up to 128 GB. If the top most smartphones uses a combo type or not at all offer space for an additional card, Leagoo M8 is a connectivity device that brings dual-SIM and microSD card slot. Beautiful.
Chapter retrieval software interface based on Android OS 6.0 Freeme 6.0 Marshmallow. There is a powerful interface that changes the native Android as a whole but seems to be more of a customization surface, a playful outlining the area of user interaction. There are possibilities to change own taste, but limited: some widgets, themes, backgrounds, and that’s some abbreviations. If you want a menu of applications and more customization elements you can find in Google Play Launch sufficient. In the few days that I tested the phone I could say Leagoo M8 moved by a seventh. There were times when I tried to make rapid transitions from one application to another and the system stood fractions of a second to think, lag slightly in certain tasks etc. If you do not put too many things at once to do well. This shows the age of the processor.
Preinstalled applications were not very many, and the existing ones were useful. Among the less popular we find:
- Power Saver – Energy saving mode where you can call, send SMS, check the agenda and set the alarm;
- Amenity Centre – an app with many themes for your phone;
- Dual Tag – allows the use of multiple accounts;
- App Store – an app store Leagoo own;
Theme – a kind application shortcut that immediately changes the smartphone theme.
Connectivity
Leagoo M8 has almost everything he needs: dual-SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, GLONASS, microUSB 2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio and fingerprint scanner. If you have not already noticed, the device knows 4G, which is another feature removed from another manufacturer to keep the price down. The fingerprint reader is located on the back just below the 13 megapixel camera and even if the exact fingerprint recognition, response time is quite slow. Audio jack is in the upper part, while the base and the microphone have microUSB port. We have nothing left side and the right side we find the power button and volume keys. The lid is removed through a hole that is in the lower left corner (as you look back) and provides access to the battery, SIM slot and the card. 3500 mAh battery is removable and can be replaced if needed.
I had no problems with regard to the internet via Wi-Fi or 3G voice calls or transfer via bluetooth. I think if you have 4G connectivity was a complete package.
Camera
On paper we have a 13 Megapixel sensor (interpolated) with autofocus, aperture f / 2.2, dual-LED flash and a front camera 8 Megapixel (interpolated) aperture f / 2.0. Just when you read the word interpolation can tell you that the results will be most successful. However the camera on the back has moments you can achieve decent pictures, usable social media. Not the most accurate autofocus May misfire, we also have some image noise, but like I said it can get clear images with little attention. Eventually mention an inexpensive sensor that probably more than that can not. Check Camera Pictures Sample Below:
Battery
Even if the processor is not very optimized to save energy, 3500 mAh battery manages to deal honorably on a screen of 5.7 inches. Do not think you catch two days, but cross the threshold of 24 hours with a minimum of effort. Fairly large screen makes its presence felt, so my recommendation is to avoid using the high brightness. A decrease the percentage of battery as fast as the last count 10 seconds before the new year. with the screen at maximum brightness, the Wi-Fi connection, Leagoo M8 lasted 5 hours and 57 minutes from charged battery to 100% and up to 5% of capacity. The result is average.
Conclusion
In the few days that I played with Leagoo M8 I saw it can do better phablet budget. Like any entry-level phone also has his sins, but you should expect from them when you decide to purchase. I do not remember seeing another Chinese manufacturer also a phablet with similar features and price, so we could say that Leagoo M8 is a pioneer in this niche. A user less demanding, low budget, but wants a big screen can always take into account this phone. For social networking, voice calls, browsing and games Looser is a perfect device.
Expect more surprises from Leagoo, especially that has already beaten entry into the European league.