Many smartphone makers have their own set of accessories such as headphones, power banks and charging cables. Chinese phonemaker LeEco has come up with a funky-looking Bluetooth headphone called LeEco LeMe (Rs.2,499).
Design: Colourful, but poorly built
This headphone will be available in five eye popping colours such as hot pink, white, red, orange and blue. In some of the variants, the entire unit has the same colour, while in some others, there is a dual colour theme which could mean a different colours for the outer shell and the inside of the frame. Our review unit is the latter type, with a hot pink on the outside and black on the ear cups and under the headband. While the headband is made of plastic, the headset has quite a polished feel, at least at first glance. Look closely, and you will see that under the headband, the finish is cheap and the rubber cushion on the headband is held with an adhesive which starts to fall apart after only a few hours of use. Also, you can’t fold the headset, which could be a bit of an issue while travelling. That said, the rubber cushions on the ear cups feel soft and comfortable.
Features: Works wirelessly
The headset works wirelessly with any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone or tablet. It pairs by pressing and holding the power button until the light indicator next to it changes colour from red to blue. This means the device is ready to pair. To connect it with a smartphone, head to the settings and Bluetooth menu and select the LeMe to pair the two. Once the connection is set, you can listen to anything on your phone on the headset, including phone calls. To crank up the volume, press and hold the volume key. To play the next song, just press the volume key once. The keys are placed on the side but they are not very prominent. We had to take off the headset to access them properly.
Performance: Meant for casual users
The headset is equipped with 40mm audio drivers, which blast out the music. The bass sounds a bit weak on most tracks we tried this with. However, the LeMe handled the transitions from low frequency flute to high frequency trombone music, for example, very smoothly. At higher volumes, the sound feels a bit too sharp on the ears. The amount of detailing in the vocals is pretty crisp and clear for the most part. The shape of the ear cups prevents it from isolating sound, and not only do you hear a lot of your immediate environment, but even someone sitting next to you will be able to listen in if you are listening to David Guetta or Justin Bieber.
The headphone has a built-in battery which lasts six to eight hours on a single charge.
Verdict
The LeMe is strictly meant for casual users, who are looking for an affordable headphone, and something that looks quite cool. However, the build quality issues suggest to us that this will not be able to take too much rough use.
