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

AndiAugust 19, 2015

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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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

View gallery (3)

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?

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

About the author
Andi

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.

sere83
August 19, 2015
Oneplus 2 winning all of them by the looks of things, LeTV a bit worse in low light
Uzeir Mansuri
August 19, 2015
1+2
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.

Gal
August 19, 2015
Definitely OP2. A different level really.
Nicola
August 19, 2015
- Fly agaric
  August 20, 2015
  - Georgea
    August 21, 2015
    - 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.

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 ?
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.

sere83
August 19, 2015
Oneplus 2 winning all of them by the looks of things, LeTV a bit worse in low light
Some person
August 19, 2015
1+2
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.

Gal
August 19, 2015
Definitely OP2. A different level really.
Tuan Dinh Ngo
August 19, 2015
- 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.

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 ?

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.
Coinphone
August 20, 2015
OnePlus 2 the One. ZUK didn’t suk. LeTv le last.
R. Tina
August 20, 2015
i have pre-order a Z1, i hope i can receive it soon
Mario84
August 20, 2015
Winner: OnePlus 2
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.

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.
Guest
August 20, 2015
OnePlus 2 the One. ZUK didn’t suk. LeTv le last.
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
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.

Aeonia
August 20, 2015
One plus 2 comes out ahead..The LeTV has a poor camera at night compared to the rest
R. Tina
August 20, 2015
i have pre-order a Z1, i hope i can receive it soon
Mario
August 20, 2015
Winner: OnePlus 2
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.

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.
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

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.

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

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.
Boni M.
August 20, 2015
One plus 2 comes out ahead..The LeTV has a poor camera at night compared to the rest
Muhammad Yasir
August 20, 2015