Today we will compare three contenders from INR 10,000, USD 150, or thereabouts bracket against each other. Competing in this no-nonsense shootout are the Asus Zenfone Max, LeEco Le 1s and the Redmi Note 3. Here we go!
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Round 1
Design and build
Starting with the Redmi Note, it is a well-finished, good looking phone with a premium unibody metallic construction. The Le1s, on the other hand is somewhat reminiscent of the iPhone 6s but looks and feels premium nonetheless. The Zenfone Max doesn’t get the unibody construction or full metallic construction like the other two contenders here, it features a plastic body that mimics metal but feels really well built and more rugged than the other two overall.
An important point to keep in mind here is that while the Redmi Note 3 and the LeEco get a fingerprint sensor, the Zenfone Max makes do without one. You cannot say that any of these phones are badly built. The LeEco looks visually pleasing, while the Zenfone Max feels solid and built to last, but the overall winner here will be the Redmi Note 3 with its premium finish and great construction.
Round 2
Specs and performance
The ASUS gets a Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, the Note3 gets a Snapdragon 650 hexa-core chip while the LeEco Le1s is packed with a Mediatek Helio X10 Octacore unit. So on paper, the 2.2 Mediatek of the LeEco has the edge. However, those are only numbers. The real world performance of these phones is somewhat different from what those specs may suggest.
To start with, the Antutu benchmarks for the three phones suggest that the Redmi tops the chart, followed by the LeEco with the Zenfone coming third. The difference in the scores is also quite large here to overlook.
On playing Asphalt 8 Airborne on all three systems we found out that the game somewhat lags on the Zenfone. The LeEco performs really well but tends to warm up within a couple of races. The Redmi Note 3, however, offers a smooth, lag free performance. It does warm up eventually but takes much longer than the other two before heating up.
Round 3
Camera
Zenfone Max
Redmi Note 3
LeEco Le1s
The Zenfone’s 13MP camera does a decent job of taking images but fails in capturing minute details, which the Redmi Note’s 16 MP manages to do well. It’s notable that the Zenfone is the only one here with a laser sensor. But the winner here is the Le1s as its 13 MP rear shooter produces slightly better images than its immediate rival.
Round 4
Battery
There is no argument here since the numbers convey the story rather honestly. The Zenfone Max with its huge 5000 mAh battery stands taller than the 4000mAh of the Redmi and the much smaller 3000 mAh of the LeEco Le1s. Having said that, both the Note 3 and 1S support fast charging, which the Zenfone doesn’t.
Verdict:
The Redmi Note 3 wins this shootout rather convincingly. It’s built surprisingly well for its price, offers great performance and has a capable shooter. It features a fingerprint scanner and delivers decent battery performance as well. That doesn’t mean the other two phones are bad in any way. Horses for courses, they say – so here is who should be buying the other two phones and why.
Asus Zenfone Max
If you want to buy a phone that does almost everything right, with a special emphasis on battery life, then the Zenfone Max is your go-to device. It is also the most economical phone to buy of the three.
LeEco Le1s
The LeEco offers the best camera of the lot. The battery on this phone is the smallest in comparison, but its charge time is the fastest of the three. If you can trade in the heating issues for a better cam, put your money on the LeEco.