Review: LeEco Super3 X55

UPDATE: There were issues about the TV not showing any visual when trying to output at 4K from an HDMI-connected source (PS4 Pro specifically). The recent firmware update that was pushed to Indian units now resolve this issue. We’ve personally tried the PS4 Pro and it outputs at 4K.

The easiest category for Chinese companies to enter India is smartphones. And while many companies play in the same category, there are a few likes Xiaomi and more recently, LeEco that expand into other businesses. Xiaomi recently announced their first air purifier for the Indian market whereas LeEco has made its move into televisions. LeEco introduced three TV sets in India and this time, we are taking their entry-level 55-incher Super X55 for a spin.

The USP of these TVs are price, smart features and 4K quality playback. Coming back to the X55, as the name suggests, the screen size of the TV is 55-inch and comes in huge box nicely packed for protection. The box needs a special mention because of the design that keeps the huge TV safe for the delivery.

Hardware and Looks

The X55 is an attractive looking TV. It’s actually the base that accentuates its design, which LeEco calls the Yoga stand. Despite its asymmetrical design, the aluminium alloy base stand seems sturdy and secure. X55 is not a bezel-less TV, but sports very thin silver colour bezel that looks neat around the black display. LeEco TVs use the LG IPS display panel.

Being a Smart TV, the X55 is powered by A7 quad-core 1.4GHz CPU, 2GB RAM and 8GB ROM. In terms of connectivity, it features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3 x HDMI 2.0 inputs, 2 x USB3.0 ports and 1 x USB 2.0 port. All these connections are located at the left side of the panel and the right side features the buttons. The back casing of the TV is of plastic and we believe that the quality used for the same could have been improved. The X55 is just 15.5mm slim.

The 55-inch display supports a resolution is 3840 x 2160 pixels. As you can imagine, such a large number of pixels provide an impressive pixel density which is perfect for watching high-definition movies and gaming.

The X55 comes with a Super Remote Control 3.0 that features four-directional navigation buttons. It can also be used as an air mouse or gamepad while playing some games. Additionally, the remote also comes with a built-in mic to support voice commands but does not work in India as it only supports Mandarin instructions.

Performance

Every time you start the TV, it will take 15 seconds to boot-up. The boot-up visual is also pretty that masks the background process required for the Android-powered TV to start instead of some boring loading splash screen.

But all things said, the main purpose of the TV is to enjoy the pictures relayed on the screen and we’re happy to tell you the X55 does not disappoint. Although out-of-the box, the X55 offered a very bright picture, a few tweaks to contrast, brightness and you’ve got the perfect viewing experience. The colours, sharpness are pretty good for a TV at this price. On the downside, X55 does not support HDR, this is also one of the reason for an affordable price of the 4K TV.

The TV also features Dolby Audio and DTS Premium Sound. This is handy and useful if you’ve got a Dolby Audio supported DTH operator like Videocon D2H that allows watching regular TV shows and movies in Dolby on its two 10W speakers.

Like the LeEco phones, the TV as well runs on eUI – LeEco’s own skin atop Android 5.1. Recently, LeEco released an update to the eUI that irons out few bugs and adds some improvements. For instance, it has solved the login issue to the Live app that provides live TV access as well as made icons smaller that make it look crisper.

LeEco bundles lot of online content for TV buyers. It gives access to at least 2000 high definition Hollywood and Bollywood movies, more than 100 satellite TV channels, 3.5 million songs (coming soon via a software upgrade) and more than 50 live concerts. The Live TV is powered by Yupp TV and the curated online content is offered by Levidi (Eros Now content).

You can also download various app from the LeTV store, for instance, we downloaded YouTube app, Speedtest and more. You can even sideload apps (copying apk through a USB drive) and install it. However, few of them worked, few of them didn’t.

Should I buy?

One can argue that 4K content is not that common. Although DTH providers offer 4K STB, the content is not regularly streamed and is only available when offered. However, with all other features of a Smart TV, good performance and 4K support offered at a price of Rs.59,970, the X55 is a good entertainer. Also the icing on the cake is that LeEco offer 4 years warranty on the panel and 2 years warranty on the TV.