The ‘Netflix of China’ just barged into the US with two high-value smartphones
Business Insider/Matt Weinberger
Chinese tech firm LeEco made its grand entrance into the US market on Wednesday, and among the various gadgets it showcased are a pair of new smartphones: the $399 LePro 3, and the $249 Le S3.
Both devices appear to be good value for the money.
The LePro 3, for one, appears to follow in the footsteps of similar $400 flagships from fellow Chinese companies OnePlus, Huawei, and ZTE.
It’s got a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 821 processor (the same that’s in Google’s high-end Pixel phone), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a massive 4,070mAh battery. A 16-megapixel main camera and 8-megapixel rear camera join that, and the whole thing is cased in an aluminum, relatively slim design.
The Le S3, meanwhile, appears to be equally competitive for the lower midrange market. That also comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p panel, but brings things down to a slower Snapdragon 652 chip, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage.
There aren't many immediately apparent weaknesses on those spec sheets, but one thing you won't find on either phone is a headphone jack. LeEco actually beat Apple to the punch by omitting the jack on these phones' predecessors, but you'll still have to use Bluetooth, a dongle, or one of the few USB-C headphones on the market to listen to music.
We'll also have to see how far LeEco's "eui" skin goes in modifying Android.
Business Insider/Matt WeinbergerLeEco has been dubbed the “Netflix of China” in the past, but it’s spent aggressively in recent years to expand beyond its popular “LeTV” video streaming service. Today, it’s in everything from televisions — a segment it bolstered after acquiring TV maker Vizio earlier this year — to self-driving cars.
It formally entered the smartphone market just last year, but now it's making a big push beyond its home country. These first two phones do look appealing, but it's worth noting that LeEco didn’t announce any plans to buy them through a carrier. This should limit their popularity, considering that's by far the dominant method of buying smartphones in the US.
Both phones only work on GSM networks, too — that's fine if you're an AT&T or T-Mobile users, but not so hot if you prefer Verizon or Sprint.
Nevertheless, both the LePro 3 and Le S3 will be available through LeEco's online store on November 2.