ZUK Z1 vs OnePlus 2 vs LeTV Le1: Night camera sample shootout


zuk z1 op2 le1

As my body clock is all messed up and I have a brand new ZUK Z1 smartphone to play with, I thought I would take this night time opportunity to have a bit of a camera shoot out. Which do you think performs best, ZUK Z1, OnePlus 2 or LeTV Le1?

I always carry around my LeTV Le1 and as I am in the middle of a review I also have the OnePlus 2 with me, so when I was handed a ZUK Z1 when collected from the airport I thought what better time than to have an earlier camera shootout.

The photos below are all taken in the automatic or ‘normal’ mode. No filters or HRD or a night mode has been used. Each photo was shot without a flash too, and the sample I have tonight were shot both inside a hotel at night and around the hotel grounds.

Price wise the LeTV Le1 is the most affordable at 1499 Yuan. It is the only phone with here with a Mediatek chip and like the other two has a 13 mega-pixel main camera. The ZUK Z1 is 1799 Yuan with Snapdragon 801, and the OnePlus 2 is 1999 Yuan with Snapdragon 810.

Interestingly the 13 mega-pixel photos shot on the ZUK Z1 were snapped and saved the fastest of all three phones. The LeTV is a close second while the OnePlus 2 comes last. On the other hand the OP2 has the fastest auto-focus (thanks to laster focus), the LeTV once again is 2nd fastest then it is the ZUK Z1. Accuracy of low light focus goes to the OP2, ZUK Z1 in 2nd and LeTV Le1 last.

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zuk z1 op2 le

In use they are all fast to focus, shoot and save, and there is only a marginal difference between them, but what about the image quality?

It is also worth remembering that the official final build of Oxygen OS for the OnePlus 2 and the final international ROM for the ZUK Z1 have not been released, so whatever the results are below we can expect for improvements as OTA updates roll out.

Take a look and let me know which ou prefer in the comments below:

ZUK Z1 vs OnePlus 2 vs LeTV Le1: Night camera sample shootout

So which do you think is best? Which is worse? Or do you think they all have good and bad points? Which phone would you be happy to use as a camera ZUK Z1, OnePlus 2 or LeTV Le1?

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89 Comments

  1. August 19, 2015

    I would go for the OnePlus 2 (for picture quality). When i also look at the price, i guess i would go for the LeTV.

    • dazed1
      August 20, 2015

      Nope, if you want good price, you would go for the Xiaomi Note 2, BLOWS away everything ever created regarding price/performance.

      • Fly agaric
        August 21, 2015

        You could be right here, but the phone has not been released yet, so it’s way too early for judgments like this.

  2. sere83
    August 19, 2015

    Oneplus 2 winning all of them by the looks of things, LeTV a bit worse in low light

  3. Uzeir Mansuri
    August 19, 2015

    1+2

  4. Szymon Adamowski
    August 19, 2015

    OP2 best overall, but a bit too yellowish. Zuk is second imho, because LeTv have more noise/or lacks

    • Lars
      August 20, 2015

      Exactly my thoughts. OnePlus 2 seems to capture the most details although the colours are too yellowish. Can’t look past the noise on the LeTv.

    • Fly agaric
      August 20, 2015

      I am surprised how easily OPT outperformed the competitors. Even though, colors look not naturally warmed up (or yellowish if you prefer).
      I thought Le1 would do way better than that, bit of dissapointment here.

  5. Gal
    August 19, 2015

    Definitely OP2. A different level really.

  6. Nicola
    August 19, 2015

    Will be nice a comparison with meizu Mx5

    • Fly agaric
      August 20, 2015

      Exactly, but Andi doesn’t have it yet.

      • Georgea
        August 21, 2015

        Doesn’t have what man?!?!?!
        The MX5 is his daily driver!

        • Fly agaric
          August 21, 2015

          You think about Yash, not Andi. Andi uses LeTV and last week I asked, he was still waiting for MX5. Youre confusing two different persons.

  7. G'n'T
    August 19, 2015

    @Andi, is there a reason why in the second sample the ZUK’s photo seems to have a purplish tinge, while the others are more natural colour?

    The OP2 does seem to do low light better than the other two.

    • August 19, 2015

      Not sure why, but the ZUK does seem to like picking up purple. See the third sample, the purple light shown was actually very pale as in the OP2 and LeTV photos.

      • G'n'T
        August 20, 2015

        Yes see the same. Hopefully they fix this in an OTA update…

      • Gilles
        August 20, 2015

        Hi Andi,
        Which one do you prefer ?

  8. Raoul Teeuwen
    August 19, 2015

    I would go for the OnePlus 2 (for picture quality). When i also look at the price, i guess i would go for the LeTV.

    • dazed1
      August 20, 2015

      Nope, if you want good price, you would go for the Xiaomi Note 2, BLOWS away everything ever created regarding price/performance.

    • Fly agaric
      August 21, 2015

      You could be right here, but the phone has not been released yet, so it’s way too early for judgments like this.

  9. sere83
    August 19, 2015

    Oneplus 2 winning all of them by the looks of things, LeTV a bit worse in low light

  10. Some person
    August 19, 2015

    1+2

  11. Szymon Adamowski
    August 19, 2015

    OP2 best overall, but a bit too yellowish. Zuk is second imho, because LeTv have more noise/or lacks

    • Lars
      August 20, 2015

      Exactly my thoughts. OnePlus 2 seems to capture the most details although the colours are too yellowish. Can’t look past the noise on the LeTv.

    • Fly agaric
      August 20, 2015

      I am surprised how easily OPT outperformed the competitors. Even though, colors look not naturally warmed up (or yellowish if you prefer).
      I thought Le1 would do way better than that, bit of dissapointment here.

  12. Gal
    August 19, 2015

    Definitely OP2. A different level really.

  13. Tuan Dinh Ngo
    August 19, 2015

    letv

  14. Nicola
    August 19, 2015

    Will be nice a comparison with meizu Mx5

    • Fly agaric
      August 20, 2015

      Exactly, but Andi doesn’t have it yet.

    • Georgea
      August 21, 2015

      Doesn’t have what man?!?!?!
      The MX5 is his daily driver!

    • Fly agaric
      August 21, 2015

      You think about Yash, not Andi. Andi uses LeTV and last week I asked, he was still waiting for MX5. Youre confusing two different persons.

  15. G'n'T
    August 19, 2015

    @Andi, is there a reason why in the second sample the ZUK’s photo seems to have a purplish tinge, while the others are more natural colour?

    The OP2 does seem to do low light better than the other two.

    • Andi Sykes
      August 20, 2015

      Not sure why, but the ZUK does seem to like picking up purple. See the third sample, the purple light shown was actually very pale as in the OP2 and LeTV photos.

    • G'n'T
      August 20, 2015

      Yes see the same. Hopefully they fix this in an OTA update…

    • Guest
      August 20, 2015

      Hi Andi,
      Which one do you prefer ?

  16. HBK
    August 19, 2015

    Same Comparison, Same Scenes. OP2 with MX5, S6 and G4 would be awesome.

    OP2 easily Killed these new kids in town.

  17. Coinphone
    August 20, 2015

    OnePlus 2 the One. ZUK didn’t suk. LeTv le last.

  18. R. Tina
    August 20, 2015

    i have pre-order a Z1, i hope i can receive it soon

  19. Mario84
    August 20, 2015

    Winner: OnePlus 2

  20. Tim Watts
    August 20, 2015

    My OPT arrived yesterday and the cameras the nicest surprise for me, a big improvement from the OPO, the photos above clearly show the improvement particularly in low light.

  21. Guest
    August 20, 2015

    Same Comparison, Same Scenes. OP2 with MX5, S6 and G4 would be awesome.

    OP2 easily Killed these new kids in town.

  22. Guest
    August 20, 2015

    OnePlus 2 the One. ZUK didn’t suk. LeTv le last.

  23. baba
    August 20, 2015

    Why would you test night picture quality without using the camera’s designated “night” mode? The engineers surely worked hard to optimize for these scenarios… it’s like testing a race car without using the highest gear ^^

    • eliHd452
      August 20, 2015

      majority of people will have set their camera on auto mode to take pictures. This is why iphone 6 camera is one of the best out there (even thought i hate apple so much) If i was smash out of my face drunk in a night club with some whores, i mean my female friends, and want to take pictures i do not want to go through the f***in’ settings to find the night mode! The girls probably fvcked off before i can take the pictures!! lol

      • David
        August 20, 2015

        you deserve more ups

    • August 20, 2015

      Because only the LeTV has a dedicated night mode

  24. ibd
    August 20, 2015

    OnePlus 2 is the clear winner: It has most shadow detail and nice, saturated colors. I would say LeTV is second: the colors are a bit more washed out, but overall still has impressive performance. ZUK is last: it has strong noise blurring, resulting in washed out details. It also has the most shots with shakiness (visible in the light dots becoming wiggly lines).
    Still, any of these phones offer really impressive camera performance! The differences are small.

    • Eric
      August 21, 2015

      Very oversaturated colors. Color reproduction of the zuk is much more realistic which allows for easier color correction. Check the first photo and look at the red lamp shades. The zuk comes out an easy winner. The OP2 may be brighter but that’s because it goes into low light mode and hence the slowest photo to photo times.

      • ibd
        August 21, 2015

        The lamp shades in the first photo are virtually identical… even if I go pixel-peeping, the differences are only marginal. I don’t agree that ZUK has better color reproduction, in fact I think it’s the worst. The white balance is very inconsistent across these 5 shots (3 of them are cold, 1 is warm and 1 seems to be confused by the purple lighting) and since these phones output jpegs, not raw files, this will be harder to correct, not easier. Your argument about the OP2 having brighter (=better) exposure really just speaks for the OP2’s automatic mode.

  25. Aeonia
    August 20, 2015

    One plus 2 comes out ahead..The LeTV has a poor camera at night compared to the rest

  26. R. Tina
    August 20, 2015

    i have pre-order a Z1, i hope i can receive it soon

  27. Mario
    August 20, 2015

    Winner: OnePlus 2

  28. Tim Watts
    August 20, 2015

    My OPT arrived yesterday and the cameras the nicest surprise for me, a big improvement from the OPO, the photos above clearly show the improvement particularly in low light.

  29. Steven Fox
    August 20, 2015

    Man the LeTV Le1 Camera is awful at low-light, My 3 years old Xperia Z1 compact manages better shots than this, my Jiayu S1 does equal shots at low light, jeez.

  30. Guest
    August 20, 2015

    Why would you test night picture quality without using the camera’s designated “night” mode? The engineers surely worked hard to optimize for these scenarios… it’s like testing a race car without using the highest gear ^^

    • eliHd452
      August 20, 2015

      majority of people will have set their camera on auto mode to take pictures. This is why iphone 6 camera is one of the best out there (even thought i hate apple so much) If i was smash out of my face drunk in a night club with some whores, i mean my female friends, and want to take pictures i do not want to go through the f***in’ settings to find the night mode! The girls probably fvcked off before i can take the pictures!! lol

    • David
      August 20, 2015

      you deserve more ups

    • Andi Sykes
      August 21, 2015

      Because only the LeTV has a dedicated night mode

  31. Guest
    August 20, 2015

    OnePlus 2 is the clear winner: It has most shadow detail and nice, saturated colors. I would say LeTV is second: the colors are a bit more washed out, but overall still has impressive performance. ZUK is last: it has strong noise blurring, resulting in washed out details. It also has the most shots with shakiness (visible in the light dots becoming wiggly lines).
    Still, any of these phones offer really impressive camera performance! The differences are small.

    • Eric
      August 21, 2015

      Very oversaturated colors. Color reproduction of the zuk is much more realistic which allows for easier color correction. Check the first photo and look at the red lamp shades. The zuk comes out an easy winner. The OP2 may be brighter but that’s because it goes into low light mode and hence the slowest photo to photo times.

    • Guest
      August 21, 2015

      The lamp shades in the first photo are virtually identical… even if I go pixel-peeping, the differences are only marginal. I don’t agree that ZUK has better color reproduction, in fact I think it’s the worst. The white balance is very inconsistent across these 5 shots (3 of them are cold, 1 is warm and 1 seems to be confused by the purple lighting) and since these phones output jpegs, not raw files, this will be harder to correct, not easier. Your argument about the OP2 having brighter (=better) exposure really just speaks for the OP2’s automatic mode.

  32. bily
    August 20, 2015

    You could also have taken pictures with the flash on. In real life scenario, most people will leave the flash on when taking pictures at night in auto or normal mode.

    • Eric
      August 21, 2015

      I never use flash, why would you except if you want to create the ugliest photos known to man.

      • bily
        August 23, 2015

        Are you saying you don’t use flash in default normal mode at night? Most people who don’t use flash at night usually make use of form of night mode not the default normal/auto mode

  33. Ivo001
    August 20, 2015

    On the first photo the ZUK is best. Oneplus 2 too much yellow.
    All the other photos are better on the Oneplus 2 though.

  34. Boni M.
    August 20, 2015

    One plus 2 comes out ahead..The LeTV has a poor camera at night compared to the rest

  35. Muhammad Yasir
    August 20, 2015

    Andi … Do these shootouts with MORE phones !

    • August 20, 2015

      Sorry I only tend to carry 3 phones with me at a time, need more pockets

  36. xi7
    August 20, 2015

    op2

  37. Steven Fox
    August 20, 2015

    Man the LeTV Le1 Camera is awful at low-light, My 3 years old Xperia Z1 compact manages better shots than this, my Jiayu S1 does equal shots at low light, jeez.

  38. Guest
    August 20, 2015

    You could also have taken pictures with the flash on. In real life scenario, most people will leave the flash on when taking pictures at night in auto or normal mode.

    • Eric
      August 21, 2015

      I never use flash, why would you except if you want to create the ugliest photos known to man.

    • Guest
      August 23, 2015

      Are you saying you don’t use flash in default normal mode at night? Most people who don’t use flash at night usually make use of form of night mode not the default normal/auto mode

  39. Ivo001
    August 20, 2015

    On the first photo the ZUK is best. Oneplus 2 too much yellow.
    All the other photos are better on the Oneplus 2 though.

  40. raj
    August 20, 2015

    No wide angle shot provided in front camera of 1+2, this is most required & common feature,after spending this much if I don’t get this wide angle shot on front camera than no meaning, very very disappointed 1+2…..

  41. Guest
    August 20, 2015

    Andi … Do these shootouts with MORE phones !

    • Andi Sykes
      August 21, 2015

      Sorry I only tend to carry 3 phones with me at a time, need more pockets

  42. xi7
    August 20, 2015

    op2

  43. Guest
    August 20, 2015

    No wide angle shot provided in front camera of 1+2, this is most required & common feature,after spending this much if I don’t get this wide angle shot on front camera than no meaning, very very disappointed 1+2…..

  44. Kenny Chiam
    August 24, 2015

    Andi, Maybe you could add the Xiaomi Mi Note to the comparison too ? I want to see that! thanks 🙂

  45. Kenny Chiam
    August 24, 2015

    Andi, Maybe you could add the Xiaomi Mi Note to the comparison too ? I want to see that! thanks 🙂

  46. Muzamil Sarfraz
    August 25, 2015

    Helio x10 or the trusty SD801 which is the better of the two overall Letv L1 or Zuk Z1 both are a lot similar Andy

  47. Muzamil Sarfraz
    August 25, 2015

    Helio x10 or the trusty SD801 which is the better of the two overall Letv L1 or Zuk Z1 both are a lot similar Andy

  48. Ahmed
    August 30, 2015

    Guys apart from the comparison of this night shootout, how would you compare letv le 1 against zuk z1. Any comments please?

  49. Guest
    August 30, 2015

    Guys apart from the comparison of this night shootout, how would you compare letv le 1 against zuk z1. Any comments please?

  50. FritsK
    September 12, 2015

    OP2 is clearly the winner here.

    @Gizchina:disqus : How about the UX (user experience) of these phones? Which phone gives the best performance, build quality, sound quality, reception, GPS and (OR) overall impression? Or are you planning to compare these devices? (say “yes” please.;-))

  51. FritsK
    September 12, 2015

    OP2 is clearly the winner here.

    @Gizchina:disqus : How about the UX (user experience) of these phones? Which phone gives the best performance, build quality, sound quality, reception, GPS and (OR) overall impression? Or are you planning to compare these devices? (say “yes” please.;-))

  52. Luis Amaral
    January 21, 2016

    Is it possible to take 16:9 pics at full resolution 13M with the Letv?

  53. Luis Amaral
    January 21, 2016

    Is it possible to take 16:9 pics at full resolution 13M with the Letv?