LeEco enters US smartphone market with $399 Le Pro3 flagship
Chinese tech giant LeEco is making its entrance in the US smartphone market. The first device to be officially available is its high-end Le Pro3, which features cutting edge hardware at an appealing price. It costs $399, but on launch day the Le Pro3 will actually be offered for just $299, after a $100 rebate is applied.
LeEco's approach is no different to that of other Chinese vendors, like Xiaomi, as it also delivers flagship-grade hardware at a price that undercuts its premium rivals by hundreds of dollars. But, unlike many of its home rivals, LeEco will soon have an official presence in US, which will make a big difference when it comes to consumer trust and sales in the country.
The Le Pro3 is an impressive smartphone, featuring a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1,080 by 1,920. Power comes from Qualcomm's latest mobile processor, the Snapdragon 821, which is paired with 4GB of RAM and a 4,070mAh battery. It supports QuickCharge 3.0, to speed up charging times.
On the back, Le Pro3 packs a 16MP camera, while on the front it features an 8MP shooter. The device is capable of 4K video recording, which is to be expected in this category. For content, it comes with 64GB of internal storage.
It also has a fingerprint sensor, which is another feature consumers expect nowadays. It is positioned right below the main camera, which means that you will have to pick it up from a table to unlock it with your finger; on the front there are three capacitive buttons, so you will be able to use all of the display space.
Other features worth mentioning are Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.2, and 4G LTE connectivity, but also USB Type-C port. Worth noting is that LeEco has skipped the 3.5mm headphone jack, and is instead supplying an adaptor for folks who want to use their existing headphones. There is also a case in the box. Oh, and it only supports a single nano SIM card.
The software on the Le Pro3 is a LeEco-branded, Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based distribution, called eUI 5.8.
The Le Pro3 will go on sale on November 2.