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With an aim to expand its footprint, the Chinese technology conglomerate LeEco on Wednesday made an official 'big bang' debut in Silicon Valley with a bevy of connected smart devices – smartphones, super televisions, smart bike, virtual reality gear and electric vehicles – to woo US consumers.
Addressing the launch event at Innovation Hangar, San Francisco, YT Jia, Founder, Chairman and CEO of LeEco, said: “We have created a new business model that will lead the next era of technology – the ecosystem era. We are disrupting several categories and changing the paradigm by breaking down barriers and boundaries between industries and screens to create a better experience and more value for both individuals and industries.”
Richard Ren, President of LeEco North America, said: “Following our success in China, we expanded to India last year, and, Russia in September. Today, we are pleased to officially launch in the US.”
New handsets
Pitching it as cost-effective smartphones, Rob Chandhok, Chief R&D Officer for LeEco North America, unveiled new handsets LePro S3 and Le S3 for the US market.
The company said Le Pro3, which is LeEco’s flagship model, comes with a 5.5-inch screen, sleek design and Corning Gorilla Glass screen with 2.5D curved edges. It sports premium audio features, including dual speakers, surround sound powered by Dolby Atmos® and Continual Digital Lossless Audio technology.
Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor (same as that of the Google Pixel), the phone features 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage, 4070mAh battery, a 16 MP rear-facing camera and an 8 MP front-facing camera. The Le Pro3, which comes in gold and gray, will be available at $399. It also includes a 3-month free EcoPass membership, the company said. (The Google Pixel range starts at about $650 in the US market).
Its entry-level Le S3 phone, which has Snapdragon 652 processor and 32GB of storage, will be available in grey, rose gold, gold and black with 16 MP main and an 8 MP selfie camera. It is available for $249, according to the company.
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, LeEco will ship 25 million smartphones and become the 11th largest vendor worldwide in 2016.
The tech major is not only focusing on small screens, but also turning its sights on big screens by launching the smart television uMax85 that boasts an 85-inch display with HDR, Dolby Vision, Fluid Motion 1920 Display Technology and Harmon Kardon® Audio. The uMax85 will be available at $4,999 and comes with a 12-month free EcoPass membership.
TV series
The company also introduced a line of ‘Super4 X Series’ televisions - the X43 Pro, a X55, X65 priced at $629, $899 and $1,399, respectively- with 4K and Harmon Kardon audio. These televisions feature 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage.
The new products will be on sale through its online marketplace LeMall starting November 2.
The company also showcased its Android-driven LeEco Super Bike, virtual reality gear the ExploreVR and electric vehicles - a self-driving LeSEE Pro and an electric vehicle LeSEE.
(The writer is in San Francisco, at the invitation of LeEco)
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