If you haven’t heard of the company, you’re not alone, and no, it’s not a French company, despite the “le” in front of its name. LeEco is a Chinese firm that has been around since 2004 under the name Letv, and it’s one of the largest online video companies in China. Its nickname is “Netflix of China.” Not too long ago, LeEco began selling smartphones to push content, and these aren’t your average budget devices. The Letv Max Pro was the first smartphone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor.
Now that the show is done, here are all the devices LeEco announced today. Stay tuned for hands-on coverage on Digital Trends.
LePro3
LeEco’s first big
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The phone boasts a 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie snapper, which should produce good photos. You can capture
You’ll be able to snag a Lepro3 for $400 in the U.S. on November 2, and LeEco offers a $100 rebate to bring the price down to a mere $300. That’s very cheap for a phone with these specs, especially when you consider the Pixel XL’s starting price of $770. To sweeten the deal even further, LeEco is throwing its EcoPass service for free. That means you get offers unlimited photo and video storage, 5TB of cloud storage, an extended warranty, and news about LeEco’s sales. The LePro 3 comes in gold and silver and you can check out all the details at LeMall, LeEco’s online store.
LeEco S3
The mid-range LeEco S3 features an “ultra light” metal body and a 5.5-inch Full HD, 1,920 x 1,080-pixel screen shielded by Gorilla Glass. Under the hood, it sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 652 processor and 3GB
The Le S3 also boasts a bevy of other differentiating features, too, including a 16-megapixel rear camera that’s capable of capturing
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You’ll be able to snag a LeEco S3 for $250 in the U.S. on November 2, and LeEco offers a $100 rebate to bring the price down to a mere $300. That’s very cheap for a phone with these specs. To sweeten the deal even further, LeEco is throwing its EcoPass service for free. That means you get offers unlimited photo and video storage, 5TB of cloud storage, an extended warranty, and news about LeEco’s sales. The LeEco S3 comes in gold, rose gold, and silver and you can check out all the details at LeMall, LeEco’s online store.
Streaming
Each of the new TVs is pre-loaded with familiar apps like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Sling TV, and others, but LeEco wants to draw customers into its own ecosystem. The company announced several launch partners today — some of whom, like Lionsgate and Vice — had presenters at the show, along with others like
These companies will provide video content via a number of built-in apps, like Live, which LeEco says offers nine streaming channels at any given time, offering a channel surfing analog. Le, on the other hand, is an on-demand service loaded with content from LeEco’s partners. Another app, Le View, attempts to learn your tastes as you watch content.
Finally, the company unveiled EcoPass, a service somewhat similar to Amazon Prime, which buyers of a LeEco uMax 85 TV get free for one year, along with a three-year warranty. The service offers unlimited photo and video storage as well 5TB of online storage for whatever users want, as well as discounts on the company’s LeMall store and unlimited monthly viewing of Fandor — an online independent film streaming service.
Four TVs
LeEco showed off four TVs. The star of the show is the company’s latest flagship, the 85-inch uMax85. As expected in such a sizeable TV these days, the uMax85 supports
It uses a vast array of local dimming zones to make for darker blacks and thus better contrast, as well as more uniform brightness. In the case of the uMax85, a total of 448 separate partitions. The TV also features Fluid Motion for sports fans and claims to provide one of the
The suggested retail price for the uMax85 will be $5,000, but a rebate program promises that amount drops to $4,000 at checkout. As such, this appears to be one of the least expensive TVs of its size and capabilities on the market.
The company also announced its Super 4X UHD TVs would be coming to the U.S., though details were all but entirely absent. The TVs will be available in 43-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch screen sizes, priced at $1400, $900, and $650 MSRP respectively. Rebates on these TVs will also be offered and, like the uMax85, LeEco promises best-in-class performance. For the time being, additional specs are not available.
LeSee Electric car
LeEco has automotive ambitions. Its concept car the LeSee is an eco-friendly, electric, autonomous car. The company hopes to end smog in China with its ambitious car project. The car was supposed to roll into the show, but it was delayed en route to the event. We don’t have many details about the car yet, since it’s a concept, but it sure looks cool.
