LeTV, a major player in the Chinese online video and consumer electronics markets, has made no secret of the fact that it plans to bring more products and services stateside, but the company has remained tight-lipped about just when that might happen. Now, the day seems to be nearly upon us, as LeTV has been teasing “something big” landing at its ecommerce website, LeMall, on Nov. 11, while Variety reports that the company has been busy getting approvals from the FCC for numerous products.
Among the products expected to land are a VR headset based on LeTV’s smartphone; two 4K Ultra HD smart TVs in 55 and 65 inch sizes that come with 3D glasses and microphone-integrated smart remote; and the LeTV Box U3 set-top box, which is capable of 4K video streaming. The products are showcased in the above video, alongside a GPS-integrated bike, and the Le1 Pro smartphone.
As LeTV looks to compete with U.S. companies, it’s interesting to note that the LeTV Box U3 currently only supports voice control for Mandarin-speakers. This could be indicative of plans to focus on native speakers in the U.S., Variety suggests.
Another possibility, however, is that the company believes that voice-activated control — while useful and certainly convenient — is not absolutely necessary as an update for English speakers. Consumers may be willing to make sacrifices in certain areas — if the price is right.
Although LeTV hasn’t developed widespread name recognition yet in the U.S., the company appears poised to enter the American electronics fray with a vengeance.
To give an idea of the size of the brand, LeTV’s 2014 revenue was estimated to be at $1.6 billion; 2015 has been a noteworthy year as well, with the launch of the Le 1s smartphone racking up 11 million pre-orders.
Currently, U.S. buyers can only purchase headphones and speakers from LeMall, so it will be interesting to see what exactly LeTV adds. Fortunately, Nov. 11 is almost upon us, so we won’t have to be curious for long.
Something big is landing at @LeMall soon. #ItsOn pic.twitter.com/R1UATL6h64
— Letv USA (@letvusa) November 10, 2015
