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LeEco Beats Apple…But Why?

China’s LeTV rebranded itself as LeEco earlier this year, marking a change in focus for the firm to both the environment and its ecosystem. Four new products have been revealed at an event in Beijing, including phones and a TV.

Three smartphones (which LeEco calls ‘Superphones’) were shown off, each featuring USB-C and LeEco’s Continual Digital Lossless Audio (CDLA) technology. LeEco seems to have been trying to beat Apple to the punch by stripping out a 3.5mm audio jack – an unusual decision, as there is room for one. Instead, the USB-C port (with a converter) will double as a headphone jack.

The Le2 (CNY1,100 ($170)) is described as the world’s first smartphone with Mediatek’s 10-core Helio X20 chip; Meizu might disagree, though (Meizu is First With 10-Core Chip). The phone has 3GB of RAM, thin bezels and supports fast charging. The display is 5.5″, with 1920 x 1080 resolution. A larger version of the Le2, the Le 2Pro (CNY1,500 ($230), uses the Helio X25 processor and 4GB of RAM.

Building on the Le Max phone line, LeEco introduced the second-generation Le Max2 (CNY2,100 ($325) for 32GB, CNY2,500 ($385) for 64GB). It is a 5.7″ model with 2560 x 1440 resolution and 4GB or 6GB of RAM, depending on your storage option. A Snapdragon 820 SoC powers the device.

The Cool1 VR headset (LeTV Celebrates Automotive Partnership) was also on show, as was a concept electric vehicle.

LeEco founder and CEO Yueting Jia