Should you buy the Lenovo K4 Note or LeEco Le 1s? – Comparison, What Matters, What Doesn’t

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If you frequent tech circles, that is the million dollar question these days. Whether to go with the new Killer Note coming from a familiar brand or to trust a new entrant trying to make a powerful statement with its pilot launch (Company has already registered 530,000 buyers for first flash sale). Now that we have spent quality time with both K4 Note and Le 1s in our own space, we are better equipped to enumerate strengths and drawbacks of both.

Also Read: Should you buy the Honor 5X or LeEco Le 1s? – Comparison, What Matters, What Doesn’t

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Key Specifications and Features:

Model Le 1S Lenovo K4 Note
Display 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) IPS TFT LCD display with 401ppi, Gorilla Glass 3 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) IPS TFT LCD display with 401ppi, Gorilla Glass 3
Processor 64-bit class 2.2 GHz Mediatek Helio X10 Octa-Core CPU, Power VR G6200 GPU (700 MHz) 64 bit MediaTek MT6753 Octa core, Mali T720- MP3
RAM 3GB 3GB
Internal Storage 32GB, No MicroSD card support (25.53GB Free) 16GB (10GB Free), 128GB MicroSD card support
Software Android Lollipop based EUI Android 5.1 Lollipop based Vibe UI
Primary Camera 13 MP Isocell sensor, LED Flash, PDAF, F2.0 aperture lens 13MP ISOCELL Sensor, F2.2 lens, Dual Tone Flash, PDAF
Secondary Camera 5MP Front-Facing Camera, F2.0 aperture lens 5MP, Wide angle lens
Dimensions and weight 151.1×74.2×7.5 mm and 169 g 153.6 x 76.5 x 9.2 mm and 158g
Battery 3000 mAh, Fast charging 3300 mAh
Others Dual SIM (Nano + Micro), 4G LTE, Fingerprint sensor, USB OTG, USB Type C port 4G LTE on both SIM, TheaterMax, 2 x 1.5W Dolby Atmos front speakers, USB OTG, Fingerprint sensor
Price Rs. 10,999 11,999 INR/ 12,499 INR (With ANTVR headset)

Points in favor of Le 1s

  • Better performance, K4 Note lags
  • Better video recording
  • Fast charging support
  • Better build quality with premium chamfered metallic side edges
  • IR Blaster is an added advantage, Universal remote works great

Points in favor of Lenovo K4 Note

  • Better display, Le 1s display is dim
  • Better camera performance, Le 1s doesn’t trail by a margin here
  • NFC support

Design and Display

Le 1s is metal (except for two strips on the rear), K4 Note is plastic (yes all of it, including the side frame). Use of metal isn’t synonymous with good design though. So let’s elaborate further. The Le 1s is slimmer, looks more premium thanks to its neat, chamfered metallic side edges and feels more compact than Lenovo K4 Note (though dimensions aren’t much different) but it is noticeably heavier.

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Lenovo deserves some credit for fitting in dual frontal speakers rather elegantly, but as far as design goes, Le 1s feels better.

Display panels of both K4 Note and Le 1s have their flaws. The Le 1s display has blue tints (unless you are using soft mode) and is quite dim, which makes indoor scenes in videos look unnaturally darker. The display is however sharp and crisp, and color calibration is good as well. The K4 Note display on the other hand has very warm color tones and appears soft while you are navigating through the UI. However, the display on K4 Note is quite good for consuming multimedia content. Out of the two, we would say the K4 Note display feels better.

Also Read: All Le1s Questions Answered – FAQ, Benchmark Scores and Photo Gallery

Fingerprint Scanners and Audio

Fingerprint sensor has finally become a mainstream feature. The Le 1s and Lenovo K4 Note both have rear-mounted fingerprint sensors which are fast and accurate, but still, the fingerprint sensor on K4 Note has slightly better accuracy. The difference is minute one and shouldn’t affect your usage experience. But the software implementation will make a difference.

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The K4 Note allows you to scan and store maximum 2 fingerprints. So if you want to keep index finger of both hands (which is a pre-requisite for me) there is no option to provide access to any other trusted acquaintance.  K4 Note also allows you to set tap action on fingerprint sensor as back-key (or home key), but that has only been an inconvenience so far because of accidental touches. (Except for when I am using Theatremax).

Also Read: Lenovo Theatremax Review – All You Need To Know

The Dolby Atmos on speakers isn’t of much practical relevance, but still the dual frontal speakers on K4 Note are louder and audio sounds a bit better when compared to Le 1s. Le 1s doesn’t trail far behind as far as audio quality and loudspeaker loudness goes, so this shouldn’t be a very important deciding factor either.

Performance and Software

As far as performance goes, Le 1S is clear winner. The EUI is well optimized with Helio X10 and together they deliver a snappy performance. Multitasking feels better too. Lenovo K4 Note in comparison feels mediocre. After 5 to 6 days of usage, it often stutters even with routine activities and High-end gaming shows heavy lag.

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The Vibe UI feels a bit overwhelming and tacky as compared to EUI. The EUI, on the other hand, takes some getting used to, but the effort put in is worth it. Talking of software, Lenovo has provided with Theatremax feature which is something new and fun. Theatremax creates illusion of big theater screen using a Ant-VR headset.

Call quality is good for both handsets. As far as battery back-up goes, we are getting slightly more mileage with K4 Note, but fast charging on Le 1s makes it more convenient option in day to day usage.

Camera Shootout

The camera performance of both Le 1s and K4 Note is quite close. The Le 1s clicks 4:3 aspect ratio images (at 13MP) and the K4 Note shoots 16:9 images by default. With K4 Note, more grains creep in when lighting is inadequate, but color reproduction is more faithful. The Le 1s compromises on details to keep noise at bay. Checkout the some samples below. With still photography, we would say Lenovo K4 Note performs better.

With video recording, Le 1s gives you more options, including the option to record slow-motion videos (120 fps) and 4K videos.

Camera Samples

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Conclusion

We have listed the difference which should matter your buying decision. Since I am a heavy user, smooth performance in the long run is top priority, which makes me more inclined towards Le 1s. The K4 Note is capable of rendering decent experience (we only wish it had a better processor), and if you are a basic or moderate user, your inclination might understandably be different. If you have any more questions regarding the two, ask us in the comment section below.

Deepak SinghDeepak Singh
Deepak has more than 8 years of experience in covering technology for several eminent publications in India. He currently leads an enthusiastic team of young writers at Smartprix and tries to uphold the highest quality standards.

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Discuss

8 Comments
User
KESHAV
Anonymous
7 years ago

Which one is better yu yureka note (launch shortly) or lenovo k4 note and I saw on amazon. In the lenvo k4 is also support quick charge 2.0. Which we already saw in lenovo vibe p1. Could you please tell which one is best in terms of camera performance, battery. software and sound.

Reply
User
Deepak Singh
Anonymous
7 years ago

Hi keshav, We haven’t tested Yu Yureka Note yet, so it’s hard to comment or compare. You can read my view on K4 Note on the following page https://www.smartprix.com/bytes/lenovo-k4-note-full-review-price-and-specifications/

User
Rahul
Anonymous
7 years ago

I want for good music, video and camera..i am person who opts to watch lot of movies on my phone..also VR will be used by me..i am also inclined towards the antvr of k4 note but can wait for helmet from letv if all the above aspects are worth it in le 1s..also i have heard that k4 note has some lags during video..so please recommend or advice me whether sound quality and video quality is good in le1s and whether there is 4k recording in k4 note

Reply
User
Deepak Singh
Anonymous
7 years ago

Video recording in K4 note is not up to the mark. Le 1s doesn’t have a gyroscope so VR doesn’t work well. Sound quality is good for both handsets. Video quality too. Xiaomi’s Redkmi Note 3 32GB should work better for you.

User
Mohit Mendiratta
Anonymous
8 years ago

Hello, Good day to all Lenovo vibe S1 or Lenovo K4 note, hows the two in battery backup and also.. is S1 really worth spending 3000 more as i read its price is 15k compared to 12k of K4 MY MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO GET A GOOD BATTERY BACKUP PHONE AND LOOKS ( I GUESS S1 IS BETTER IN LOOKS RIGHT )

Reply
User
Deepak Rajawat
Anonymous
8 years ago

Hi Mohit, Lenovo Vibe S1 and Lenovo K4 Note both offers a decent smartphone experience at this price.However, i would recommend you to go with Lenovo P1 which comes with 5000mAh battery or Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 which will be launched in India today.

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User
Akarsh Prabhu
Anonymous
8 years ago

I have heard there is a lot of battery issues with le 1s.. Is it true?? How bad is it? Can you give me some more stats?

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User
Sumit
Anonymous
8 years ago

what about heating issue, i prefer buying le 1s bt heating issue scares me

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User
Sumit
Anonymous
8 years ago

What about heating issue, i prefer buying le 1s but heating issue scares me

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User
chintan
Anonymous
8 years ago

I m moderate user , but my main concern is i want reliable and smooth performance , i believe Le 1S does not have a app drawer , so if we install a launcher , would the phone performance slow down . Also I believe Specification is not the only thing on which we should purchase a phone , i had bought Xiaomi mi4i but for me it lacked a user experience or ease of using the UI . so wanted to know if UI of LE 1S is good and practical , For eg can i sync my contacts with their FB pics easily or can i sort and manage my contacts with ease. My main usage would be multimedia experience, so had three mobile phones in my mind Lenovo K4 note , One plus X and Letv Le 1S can you please advise if Le 1s would be better that one plus X or not ? Also how many finger prints can be stored in Le 1S

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User
T.K.Srinivasan
Anonymous
8 years ago

A very basic question. Is there torch light in Le1s and K4 Note.

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