We are currently facing an era where the full screen with 18: 9 ratio and the double camera dominate, not to mention the current design trend without bevels. This is well known by Chinese industries and little by little they are manufacturing devices with these characteristics. Leagoo is one of them and although the past we have already talked about some phones like the Leagoo T5C (the first phablet with CPU SC5893i), the truth is that today we bring you an analysis of a device that caught our attention, it is of the Leagoo S8. Although obviously sold as a clone of the Samsung Galaxy S8, the truth is that it can be a good option to choose.
We’ve known the Leagoo brand for a long time and, in this house, it’s not the first time we’ve tested a signature mobile phone. It has been a long time since we were able to try one of the cheapest mobile phones in the market, the Leagoo M5. Now, with a much riskier bet, the Leagoo S8 comes to our offices to postulate as a viable alternative to the highest range of Samsung. Will he get it?
Obviously, first of all, I must clarify that the Leagoo S8 and the Galaxy S8 compete in different leagues but having used the same model name gives us the odd clue as to where this terminal is going. If we take the name and analyze it, we understand that Leagoo is synonymous with a very robust brand with very low prices and the S8 tagline lets us see that it will be based on the design of Samsung’s flagship, one that has managed to reap a good handful of sales. this year. Can the Leagoo S8 deal with its name? Stay with us, we tell you in the following lines. If you like it, remember that you can buy it for only $129.99. Leagoo S8 Review unit Provided by Banggood
Unboxing
Leagoo S8 comes in a white box with dimensions of 7.48 x 7.48 x 1.77 inches and has a weight of 430 grams. Inside this box we will find the following products:
- 1 x Leagoo S8 Smartphone
- 1 x Earphones
- 1 x Power Adapter
- 1 x Silicone Case
- 1 x USB Cable
Design
There are signatures that, when put on, make very good mobiles and in this sense, Leagoo has not done anything wrong. On a very tight budget has created a very nice smartphone with several peculiarities that will make us forget that we are in front of such a cheap mobile. Of course, it is not perfect either, since there are some details to mention with respect to your design that you might not like as much. In addition, thanks to its screen format, the mobile is very compact and has a correct size despite its large diagonal.
When we hold the phone for the first time the feeling will be very beautiful and its design feels great, also thanks to its double curve back, which adapts well to the metal framed with a CNC design that makes the grip and adapts to the hand more comfortable. In addition, it is bright, which makes it more attractive, but unfortunately, it makes a magnet fingerprints, so we may have to clean it constantly.
Now we have to talk about its dimensions 153.5 x 70.7 x 8.8 mm, with a weight of 185 grams. The mobile is quite comfortable and in fact feels very good in the hand but is thicker than a Galaxy S8 and that feels to the touch. In turn, it is also somewhat heavier than other phones and although you quickly get used to it is not that it is super light as a mobile phone. Thanks to this it enjoys metallic frames and a rear that looks like glass, even if it is not. The mobile is very beautiful and its design feels great.
On the front, we have a double camera for selfies and 3 soft keys (without start button), in addition to the screen. On the back, we have another double camera, LED flashlight and a fairly agile fingerprint sensor. The latter can unlock the phone in less than 0.1 seconds with a 97% success rate. It also recognizes up to 5 different tracks at different angles.
The buttons for volume control and the power button are on the right side of the phone, while the tray for inserting the SIM card is on the left side. The Leagoo S8 accepts two types of SIM being the Nano SIM + Micro SIM configuration or you can use the second slot to insert a microSD card. The speaker is located on the bottom edge, next to the USB charging port.
Display
If we take into account the first impressions, then the Leagoo S8 made a typical one. The screen of this phone is made by Sharp, but it looks yellowish if we look at it from certain angles. It has a size of 5.7 inches and is capable of offering HD + resolution (1440 x 720 pixels), something quite typical, although it seems smaller even than a 5.2-inch. The main reason for this is the width of the screen that has remained unchanged and only the length has increased. The advantage of this is that, without sacrificing experience in grip handling, the viewing area is now larger and suitable for a single hand. The contrast ratio is 1500: 1, while the phone comes with a pixel density of 282.
The colors of the screen may seem quite washed, but the images are decent given their low resolution for the size of the screen. It also has good viewing angles and a fully responsive panel. In general, it is a pretty decent screen, of the type that would be expected for a smartphone in this price range.
In view, the screen is curved by the sides and produces a small optical effect of a curve but the truth is that, in reality, the screen is flat. It is a very interesting trick that we have seen in other manufacturers and, although it gives the hit, we can not forget that we will not be facing a really curved screen. Regarding the panel quality, despite being HD +, it is quite good. The mobile looks very good both inside and outside and it is difficult to realize that we are not facing a Full HD panel, Sharp screens are always a good choice. What we did not like at all is the screen protector that it brings and that stays like a centimeter of the edge, it is advisable to remove it because it is horrible. It can be solved with an extra one that includes and the gift sleeve that allows us to protect the phone.
The screen, on the other hand, is not curved like the Galaxy S8, although they have used a Chinese trick that we have already seen in the Elephone S7. Since creating a curved screen is a very expensive and laborious process, Leagoo has created a slightly thicker glass that has somewhat pronounced curved edges.
Hardware & Performance
The Leagoo S8 has an eight-core MediaTek MT6750T processor working at a frequency of 1.5 GHz 4 of its ARM Cortex-A53 cores, while the other 4 operate at a frequency of less than 1.0 GHz. This processor is accompanied by a Mali GPU T860MP which works at 650 MHz.
This processor obtains acceptable results in the benchmark tests, but for casual users, it will be more than enough. AnTuTu scores 39,567 points in 6.xxx Version and 51,042 Points in 7.xxx Version, while Geekbench rates the performance of a single core in 607 and multi-core in 2093. As we mentioned these results are not amazing, but the 3 GB of RAM helps to keep it in daily activities, there are few opportunities where there is a delay.
In the section of games, the Leagoo S8 is quite modest. With titles like Asphalt 8, it will run well with graphics in between. Of course, some frames will be omitted, but without significant delays during their use. As for the multi-task, you will not have any problem to perform your daily activities. Finally, we have 32 GB of internal storage, a bit scarce, but for an average user, it is enough. But we can also expand that space using a microSD card of up to 128 GB.
Leagoo S8 OS
Like most of its Chinese rivals, the Leagoo S8 has Android 7.0 as the operating system. However, it could present certain delays with the default launcher and the fluidity of the animations that Leagoo has chosen, to solve this we can use another launcher and thus the performance of the device will be much more uniform.
In terms of pre-installed applications, the Leagoo S8 comes with the basics Apps. There is an FM radio, sound recorder, backup application and file manager. It includes the complete set of Google applications, such as Gmail, YouTube, Chrome, Google Maps and Plays Music, although the phone also has the native Android browser, music player and installed gallery.
Camera
When talking about phones for this sector of the market it would be normal for them to have a “meh” camera, mediocre, but in fact, the characteristics of the image are really good for the amateur user or for someone who likes taking photos to share in social networks. We have two sensors on the back and two others on the front. The rear has a configuration of 13 MP + 2 MP with a Sony lens and an aperture f / 2.0, standing vertically in the upper part of the phone. The flash above them, while the square-shaped fingerprint scanner is underneath them.
It is relatively easy to capture decent photos during the day or in conditions where there is good lighting. It also has a useful assistant to take panoramic images that shows how to do it correctly and the same applies to video capture. However, when the sun sets, problems appear, such as VERY low ISO, an increase in digital noise in the photos and a reduction in the frame rate in the videos.
The autofocus function works well, it is fast and you can take a picture in just 0.1 seconds. The front camera has a setting of 8 MP + 2 MP, dual OV comes with the 4P lens, aperture f / 2.0 and its own soft flash that can be useful in low light conditions. Regarding the two front cameras, Leagoo, again falls in the same error and offers us two cameras, the main one of a quite remarkable quality to make selfies and that also available front flash, ideal for practically dark photographs and a secondary directed to make portraits, using the same method as the rear camera, blurring the edges of the photograph and leaving only the center to place us for the selfie.
However, all of the above is typical for this type of phone, and the final verdict is that with the Leagoo S8 you will be able to capture decent photos in daylight conditions, but will not take impressive photos in low light conditions. The LED flash works well in approaches or distances of up to 70-80 cm, but it will not do you any good if your subject is a little further away. Below you can see a small gallery.
Connectivity
The Leagoo S8 comes with 4G dual connectivity due to the integrated chip, a Cat. 6 LTE radio modem (FDD / TDD, DC-HSPA +, TD-SCDMA, CDMA2000, EDGE) with WiFi 802.11n and Bluetooth. On the modem side, the MT6750T covers the worldwide 4G and enables advanced 4G LTE Cat-6 (LTE FDD / TDD R11) features with 2x Carrier Aggregation, along with the capability for VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWiFi and fast RCS data transfers.
One of its most positive features is the performance of your GPS / A-GPS receiver and this is where the device really shines. It can connect to more than 11-12 available satellites at all times, offering impressive geographic location performance, while navigating with Google Maps or registering with Facebook and other applications.
Overall the Leagoo S8 is a 4G / LTE smartphone with good performance when it comes to LTE networks, achieving average data speeds of 45-55Mbps that surely offer a decent feel when you use it, along with great performance in daily use. It has good reception of GSM / WCDMA / LTE signals with impeccable transfers and no missed calls.
Battery
The battery of this device offers a capacity of 2940 mAh being quite adequate for a day of intensive use. Between the approximation of durations, we have 8 hours of video playback, 20 hours of continuous calls, 36 hours of regular use and 10 days of waiting. Obviously, these are the times that Leagoo offers, so we can choose not to believe them.
During our tests, the Leagoo S8 managed to obtain almost 18 hours of use, until its battery reached 1% and went to sleep. What is interesting is its loading speed, which can take this beauty from 0% to 100% in about 39 minutes, which is really good, I guess if you’re in a hurry and want to get some “juice” as quickly as possible.
Conclusions
Despite being a clone phone of the Samsung Galaxy S8, the Leagoo S8 is a good Smartphone at a very low price. There are some negative aspects to consider: there is no NFC, the camera is deficient in low light environments. However, these aspects are compensated with an attractive design, fast loading, features added to the operating system and good overall performance.
The screen almost without 5.7-inch bezels is not the best of all, but it is able to offer a good experience. Finally, we can say that this device is a good alternative to acquire, although if we are of those extremely demanding users we do not recommend it.
Price & Where to buy it
If you are interested in buy this smart mid-range Leagoo S8 Smartphone for a good price, you can do it through Banggood.com at $129.99.
Leagoo S8 Review unit Provided by Banggood