Leagoo’s Elite 1 impresses in the specification department even if some of the hardware isn’t what it seems.
Leagoo’s main selling points for the Leagoo Elite 1 are its fingerprint ID, octacore chipset and FHD 1920 x 1080 JDI display. Well at least those are the main features they point out on the included product leaflet, but there are other worthwhile features at play too.
The fingerprint ID comes built-in to a physical button with Sapphire Glass Surface, there is 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, RGB LED notification, customisable gesture controls, metal chassis, micro SD card memory support, dual LED flash and even a physical button for taking photos.
There are also some suspect features on the Leagoo Elite 1 specifications sheet too. Apparently the rear camera is a 16 mega-pixel shooter while the front is a 13 mega-pixel. I think we are all well aware of what this means, and what we are actually looking at are interpreted figures. The actual sensors are still good though, the rear being 13MP and front 8MP. Also that front camera has auto-focus. A rare feature for a front camera especially so on a phone costing less than $200.
Leagoo Elite 1 Design
Leagoo have tried to make their 5-inch phone look like a bezel-less device, but once you turn on the screen you can see that there is a few mm of black around the JDI panel. It’s personal taste whether you can put up with it or not, I personally can live with this (just).
The metal chassis gives the Leagoo Elite 1 a sturdy feel, while keeping weight down to a minimum. The chassis has bevels top and and bottom for a nice transition to the screen and rear panel, plus we find additional physical controls here too.
The right side has a total of 4 controls. There are two for volume, the middle button is for power, and the final ‘circle’ button is used as a shortcut for the music player or a physical shutter button when in the camera app.
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On the left there is a single tray that is dual sided. A sim lays on one side while a SD card can fit in the opposite side.
On the top the Leagoo Elite 1 has a 3.5mm headphone jack and microphone. While in the base there appears to be dual speakers, microphone and standard micro USB. I say ‘appears’ because only the speaker on the left is functional, the right is just a dummy.
Leagoo have kept the rear of the Elite 1 nice and neat. It has a glossy finish with subtle silver logos and branding. 13 mega-pixel camera in the left corner and dual LED flash to the right of it.
Leagoo Elite 1 first impressions
Im a little at odds with the Leagoo Elite 1. In my brief time with it I’m impressed with the specifications, the build is good and the design isn’t bad either. But I am confused as to why Leagoo felt it is necessary to list the wrong specification details. The actual mega-pixel rating of the sensors is very good for the money (13mp rear, 8mp front) they didn’t need to embellish the truth with interpolated specs. Also the dimensions list the phone at 6.9mm when it is quite clearly more (I measured 8mm), and the use of a false speaker is a silly inclusion too.
These falsifications actually detract from a rather good value device and have me question other parts of the spec. Does the fingerprint scanner really have sapphire glass protection? Is the display really from JDI? The answers to these questions wont affect usage, but they are worries that needn’t be there.
Searching around the web the Leagoo Elite 1 can be found on sale through resellers from between $170 – $180. In my full review I’ll try to answer it the Leagoo Elite 1 is worth the money.
Leagoo, yall messing things up. The truth doesn’t hurt. Who knows? Maybe their 2300mah battery is just 1800mah. Yet again, why 2300mah in an 8mm thick phone. I’ve seen pictures and an official video. I couldn’t help but notice that the device actually looks thick. Thanks Andi for spotting those silly lies.
Actually the back looks like my Huawei Honor 6!
It doesn’t worth the chips I tell you
I will never ever use another Leagoo phone ever in my life. I have the Elite 2 and it’s the worst smartphone I have ever used, everything about it are lies. The metal frame is not metal I have got no idea what it is. I noticed this the first time the phone fell to the ground there was a massive dent I then thought that can not be right. So I did a little experiment, I used sewing needle and with just my thumb and index finger I managed to push the needle through for a little distance and made a hole in the supposed metal at this point I then realized that it’s not metal so I tried to bend it and there it was bending left, right and centre and can be twisted as well. Please, Please, Please people of this forum STAY AWAY FROM LEAGOO
I don’t care if it is 6,9 or 8,5mm thick. 8,5 is fully acceptable if the battery is 3000mAh+. But with 2300mAh that is just poor. Sorry but in 2015 3300mAh would have been the mimimum. And I mean minimum. They should take a few more bucks and invest into an Ampirus battery and then that would turn out to be a pretty great phone.
I own a Lead 2 and it’s a terrible phone. I pains me to think that valuable resources were used to produce what really is just e-waste.
For whatever reason you’re cost justifying the purchase of a Leagoo phone… don’t. It’s bound to annoy the heck out of you in the long run.
The major sore points of the phone I purchased are:
– The responsiveness of the screen is terrible. Out of the box it was bad, over time it’s become unusable. The bottom right side of the screen doesn’t respond to touch at all anymore (I have to turn the phone horizontally to hit the keys I want when typing messages.)
– The speakers and mic are absolute rubbish. Speakerphone is mandatory not only to hear the person I’m speaking to, but also because I have practically stick the mic in my mouth otherwise the person I’m speaking to can’t hear me. Fail… it’s a phone, did Leagoo forget the fundamental aspect of the device is to make calls?
At the time I purchased the phone, on paper it looked like good value for money and was relatively stylish.. subjectively speaking. From the moment I turned the phone on I knew I’d made a bad decision.
I’m convinced Leagoo focus on the main “sell point specs” cpu, ram etc.. and then CHEAP hard on everything else that few people look into.. speakers, touch screen etc..
I guess the thing I can thank Leagoo for, is awareness. I’ll ensure I’m much more discerning with regards to the lesser acknowledged features next time I purchase a phone.
I have the Elite 2 and as you said I have to put it on speakerphone to hear the phone ringing at the other end. Now I have no privacy because the phone as to be on speakerphone for people to hear me verse versa
Looking forward to having one…
I just want to buy a fingerprint ID phone, I think that is!
It’s really a good phone! Thanks! I love LEAGOO
between $170 – $180 is a good price
I have one Leagoo phone, it’s the best phoen I’v used!
It’s so thin…
plz dont lie Leagoo !
I’m so glad I crossed out Leagoo from my next phone list. After reading this review and all of the comments, now I don’t have any doubts for decision I made.
It is one of the best buying decisions you will ever make.
why?
don’t know where you got 6.9 mm, officialy it’s 7.5 mm as stated from their website. the camera is where they lied, but they did in many occasions say it’s interpolated. not saying it is any good actually but you gotta write things as they are..and every reseller i saw lists that the mpx are interpolated
I always take manufacturers measurements with a grain of salt. They usually measure at the thinnest possible point and pass that off as the overall thickness. The bigger manufacturers (Huaweii, Meizu, Xiaomi etc) arent a problem but these smaller ones almost always are.
I am waiting for the full review on this website and on youtube from gizchina 🙂
Im an Elite 1 user. For the most part i agree that it had a very poor battery life, but it depends on how you use the phone itself . When im on the data the battery could last for about 9 hours before you need to worry about finding a plug or power bank. I usually use snapchat , instagram,facebook, whatsapp,and other social media site.
For the camera , i dont know if it a lie or not (about the front and back camera ) but it does take a sharp picture and the coloring was good . And the front camera blows my mind. It was not perfect but it rival my old phone OPPO N1 Mini . The downside is that it did not take a good picture when in low lighting but does not bother me since it has a flash in front. Some of my friend were a bit jelly with my phone camera.
The storage were a big turn on for me since it was 32GB internal storage and you can add a micro sd if you want. I dont know about the 3GB ram being true or not but i guess my phone was fast enough it rival my old phone doesnt feel any different .
The heating problem are true but i guess all big screen smartphone have this kind of problem. I also encounter this problem with my old phone OPPO N1 Mini . But the heating problem are manageable. Maybe the phone is heating because it want people to stop looking at phone so much and go socializing .. haha..
Overall it was a good phone and i guess for me it was worth the price in my country . Not to cheap not to expensive below RM1000 (you cannot expect the phone to be perfect with the cheap price ) . In my country Elite 1 has the best specs for now . It a good start for LEAGOO .
FYI : Im not an expert when it comes to processor,phones and so on…. but this is from my POINT OF VIEW as an average user. You all could buy Iphone’s , ASUS’s, or SAMSUNG’s smartphone if you want .
Hey Andi, is that review still coming?
Apart from the Leagoo Elite 1, you also may like these other 6 device.
Oukitel K6000 Pro VS Ulefone power VS Leagoo Elite 1 VS Elephone P8000 VS Umi Touch VS Jiayu S3+ VS Doogee F5: https://youtu.be/32ZLIYQfAfY
GPS signal test of Ulefone Power, Oukitel K6000 Pro, Umi touch, Doogee F5, Jiayu S3+, Elephone P8000, Leagoo Elite 1: https://youtu.be/4ZkRcVlhAAw
This device is good, but I prefer the new model of vkworld. I found a very interesting video, they drop the budget 6.0-inch vkworld T1 Plus to the mud and clean it directly with running water, and the result is that the device still works well, very impressive.