LeEco, formerly known as LeTV is all set to reveal its new line-up of phones in China today.
Expected in the line-up are the Le 2s, Le 2 and 2 Pro.
The event is scheduled to start at 2 PM China time, or 11:30 AM India Time.
WATCH THE LIVE TRANSMISSION BELOW
https://www.facebook.com/LeEcoHK/videos/1755015104780999/
and
https://www.facebook.com/LeEcoHK/videos/1755042004778309/
UPDATE – 3 Phones were launched today – 2, 2 Pro and Max 2. The entry-level, Snapdragon 652-based 2s has not been launched today.
The company said it will launch the devices in India ‘soon’, without giving any specific date. We expect a launch in May, probably in the second half.
The following are the specifications and prices of the launched models.
SPECIFICATIONS OF LE 2
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DISPLAY – 5.5 inch, FHD
RAM – 3GB
CAMERA – 16 MP + 8 MP
CHIPSET – HELIO X20 2.3 GHz
CHINA PRICE – Rs 13,000 appx
BATTERY – 3 Ah
STORAGE – 32 GB
SPECIFICATIONS OF LE 2 PRO
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RAM – 4 GB
CAMERA – 21 MP Sony IMX230
CHIPSET – HELIO X25
DISPLAY – 5.5 inch FHD
RAM – 4 GB
CAMERA – 21 + 8 MP
BATTERY – 3 Ah
STORAGE – 32 GB
PRICE – Yet to be announced
SPECIFICATIONS OF LE MAX 2
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CHIPSET – SD820
DISPLAY – 5.7 QHD (515 PPI)
CAMERA – 21 MP
RAM – 6 GB
STORAGE – 64 GB
BATTERY – 3.1 Ah
PRICE – Yet to be announced
Be warned, however, that even if there is a live transmission, Indian viewers are unlikely to make much of it because of the language problem.
The two phones scheduled for India — Le 2s and 2 Pro, are likely to create a ripple in the market due to their superior specifications and affordable price.
LE 2S vs REDMI NOTE 3
One of the advantages that Redmi Note 3 possessed over the 1s was a more up-to-date processor with support for advanced LTE and powerful Cortex A72 core design. In comparison, the 1s had to make do with the slightly dated Helio X10 chipset that supported only LTE Category 4 with no support for LTE Voice.
The Le 2s will not only negate the advantage that Redmi Note 3 enjoyed, but will surpass the Note 3 in many ways.
While the Snapdragon 650 inside hexa-core the Redmi Note 3 does come with Cortex A72, it has only two of these.
In comparison, the Snapdragon 652 inside the Le 2s (or whatever LeEco decides to call the model) has four Cortex A72 processors.
This gives the 2s a serious bump up in power.
While the Snadragon 650 scores around 3,500 points on Geekbench 3, the 652 scores 5,200 points — a difference of around 50%.
In addition, the 2s comes with a 16 MP camera at the back and an 8 MP shooter on the front. While Redmi Note 3 also has a 16 MP unit at the back, the camera’s performance has been reported to be very disappointing by users. In addition, the device comes with only a 5 MP sensor on the front.
There could be other advantages too for the 2s, but we don’t know much because of the specifications have not been revealed yet. One of the possible ones that could make a real difference would be support for external memory cards, something that was missing in its predecessor.
LEECO 2 PRO
The second model slated for an India launch is the premium flagship Le 2 Pro (also written 2Pro).
LeTV seems to have learnt a lesson from the low-volume sales of its Max phone in India. At six inches and a price of Rs 36,999, the phone did not exactly set the counters ringing with its sales.
As a result, this time, the company is likely to go for the Rs 27,000-29,000 price range with its flagship offering, the Le 2Pro.
The 2 Pro is also smaller at 5.5 inches, but packs the same ultra-high QHD resolution that with twice as many pixels as a regular full HD screen.
In some ways, the device will take on the recently launched Xiaomi Mi5, priced Rs 25,000 in India.
Like the Mi5, the Le 2 Pro will also come with the latest Snapdragon 820 chipset, but unlike it, the LeTV model will have 4 GB of RAM. In fact, there is also supposed to be a 6 GB RAM variant as well.
And unlike the Mi5, which has a 16 MP camera, the 2 Pro has a 21 MP unit supplemented by an 8 MP front shooter. It also comes with 64 GB of internal memory, twice that of the Mi5. The device will also come with Dolby Audio and USB Type C support.
One of the slightly disappointing aspects of the 2 Pro is the rumored 3.1 Ah battery. However, one must keep in mind that the chipset and RAM used in the device is about twice as efficient as the ones that you find in last year’s flagships.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the phone will consume only half the power, as a significant part of the power requirements of a phone comes from the display.
Still, the 3.1 Ah battery should give as much juice as a 4 Ah battery with last year’s chipsets and RAM. Xiaomi too has gone with a 3 Ah battery for its Mi5 even though the Redmi Note 3 has a 4.05 Ah unit.
Before concluding, however, we must give one fair warning — those expecting the Le 2s to be priced at Rs 10,990 will be disappointed. Instead, according to our information, LeEco will price the model closer to the Rs 15,000 range as it is being brought to India early in its lifecycle, unlike the 1s which was brought in six months after it was launched in China.
Still, the launch of the devices in India will mark an epoch in the era of affordable smartphones in India.
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