Reliance LYF Earth1 #ExpressReview: Nice design but the camera fails to impress

Reliance LYF Earth1

Reliance LYF Earth1 is being pitched as a camera-centric smartphone and it features a dual-camera setup

I must admit that Reliance has not named this product right. There is LYF and Earth and I don’t understand how they are connected. Reliance could have opted for simpler branding. The unsettling name aside, Earth1 is a direct competitor (in terms of price-point) to Google’s Nexus 5X and formidable OnePlus Two. It’s a tough space to enter but I am sure Reliance knows what it is getting into.

Specs: 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 pixels display | 1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor | 3GB RAM | 32GB storage (expandable up to 32GB) | 13MP + 2MP rear camera | 5MP front camera | Li-Ion 3500 mAh battery | Android Lollipop OS | 4G (VoLTE)

Price: Rs 19,399 (Reliance Digital)

Watch: Reliance LYF Earth1 First Look

What is good?

Honestly, I am surprised that Reliance has managed to build such a beautiful looking smartphone, coming from nowhere. The use of metal and glass makes it a really unique offering. Reliance LYF Earth1 is a perfect sandwich of iPhone and Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series, and I appreciate this rather than criticise the design policy. Picasso said ‘good artists copy; great artists steal’ – Reliance wants to be in the league of greats.

Reliance LYF Eath1’s design seems more like a mixture of iPhone and Redmi Note series

Reliance LYF Earth1’s full HD display has to be one of the best-looking smartphone display in a long time. Considering that most smartphones in this price range have been using LCD (not OLED) panel, I wouldn’t hesitate in calling this one as good. The display is crisp and colours have nice vibrancy. It offers very good viewing angles too. In short, it’s a good enough display to save your YouTube videos offline and have fun.

Let me admit, I am not a selfie-obsessed guy, but Reliance LYF Earth1 forced me to think otherwise. It has one of the finest front-facing cameras among all smartphones that I have tested in the recent past. The 5MP image sensor is enough for any kind of situation, and it also comes with flash. While most smartphones tend to over-expose subjects with flash ON, here the case is totally different. Reliance calls it Chroma flash and I must say it is so well-balanced that every selfie clicked with this one is worth getting many likes on social media.

Very few companies have managed to build a great ecosystem on top of Android and Reliance has played it very safe in this department. Reliance LYF Earth1 runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with very little customisation. The customisation includes changes to the icons and addition of Reliance’s own Jio Chat app. Not a bloatware heavy operating system for sure. While the OS is unobtrusive, I would have loved to see Android M here.

Reliance LYF Earth1’s power button also doubles up as notification light and it is kind of neat addition to the device

Reliance must have done their homework really well. It’s LYF Earth1 is one of the best performing smartphone money can buy at this price point. The combination of 3GB RAM and Snapdragon 615 makes for a really smooth experience. From gaming to multitasking, I didn’t really notice any redundancy.

I will mention two more things that are fine about Reliance LYF Earth1. First it incorporates the notification light into the power button – the modest way to show the arrival of a notification. Second the 3500mAh battery lasts more than one full day. It lasted me exactly a day and a half of moderate use and I feel this one is a fine performing device in all respects.

Reliance’s LYF branded smartphones are future ready in terms of network optimisation. The phone supports VoLTE and VoWi-Fi which promises better internet-based calls. I see this as one extra feature worth having on your smartphone.

What is not good?

Reliance LYF Earth1’s camera is not bad but it is not exceptional either. It does fail to reproduce colours accurately at times

Reliance is pushing this one as a camera-centric smartphone but I am not really convinced. Most users will end up being happy with the results, but I don’t really see a reason for that dual camera setup. When HTC launched its first smartphone with dual cameras, it really added depth to the subject, but that’s not the case here.

In normal mode, you use just one image sensor to click a picture of 10MP resolution and with dual mode turned on the subjects are expected to gain depth. I didn’t witness any radical change in my pictures. I feel there is just no need yet for us to add depth to our subject. Smartphone cameras are supposed to replace point and shoots, and not awfully mimic the abilities of DSLR.

A sample image shot with dual camera on Earth1. While the details are nice, the camera fails to add depth which it is supposed to do

What makes iPhone a really great point and shoot camera? Simple you point and shoot, that’s all. It doesn’t ask you to enable anything from the software or trick yourself into do adventures with the camera software. Same goes with many budget smartphone cameras too these days. But Reliance wants to defy the notion and has failed miserably.

Is the camera the worst among smartphones? No definitely not, it produces decent pictures, the flash is one of the best and even has a useful software-based optical zoom. But I am not convinced with dual rear camera setup. Lenovo tried something similar with its Vibe S1 but had dual setup for front camera and not rear. Reliance could have tried something similar in my opinion.

Should you buy?

Reliance LYF Earth1 offers a great display and undisputedly one of the best selfie camera. Its performance is good and the near-stock Android assures you of possible software updates in the future.

A sample image shot with Reliance LYF Earth1. Click on the image to see in full resolution

With Internet’s takeover of our life, we have almost stopped making voice calls and Reliance LYF Earth1’s hidden trick is just that. With VoLTE and VoWi-Fi support, it can change the whole world of telephony and Reliance Jio’s entry will force players like Airtel and Vodafone to pull their socks too.

I don’t see a reason why Reliance LYF Earth1 shouldn’t be on your buying list, but just don’t fall for the marketing trap of LYF Earth1. Reliance LYF Earth1’s camera is good but not as spectacular as OnePlus 2 or Google Nexus 5X.