14 DAY TRIAL // We've been hearing about LeTV’s ambition to take the smartphone world by storm for quite a while now. Well, the big day has come and the video content provider has finally lifted the veil off three bezeless handset models.
Say hello to the LeTV One, LeTV One Pro, and LeTV Max - the first three phones to arrive with a USB Type-C port, a standard which is expected to soon go mainstream. For the time being, only Apple's new Retina MacBook and Google Pixel 2 Chromebook take advantage of USB Type-C.
On top of releasing the phones, the company is also launching the full bill of materials (BOM) that will allow customers to actually see how much the phones cost to make.
This is an interesting strategy of transparency, and LeTV hopes it will help customers make better informed decisions - a far cry from what Apple or Samsung are doing.
LeTV's One Max is the high-end model
You’re probably very curious to see what the new LeTV phones bring to the table, so let’s begin with the LeTV One Max, which is a phablet measuring 6.3 inches in diagonal with QHD resolution and a Snapdragon 810 processor under the hood, fitted with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
The high-end phone packs a 21MP main camera with OIS and dual-tone flash, as well as an Ultrapixel (4MP) selfie snapper. There’s also a fingerprint scanner placed on the back and WHD connectivity.
LeTV's One Pro still offers very strong specs
Moving down the line, we find the LeTV One Pro, which arrives with a 5.5-inch QHD display and the same Snapdragon 810 chip with 4GB of RAM. Unlike the One Max, the One Pro features 32/64GB of internal storage.
In the camera department, things have been toned down a little bit, so you’ll now find a 13MP camera with OIS and dual-tone flash on the back, and the same UltraPixel (4MP) unit up in front.
We should also point out that the One Pro and One Max come equipped with a “hi-fi” audio processor which promises to deliver excellent sound quality.
Unlike in the case of the high-end model, we do have a price for the LeTV One Pro. The device will go on sale for approximately $400 / €378 for the 32GB model (almost half the price of other flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 or iPhone 6) and $435 / €411 for the 64GB one.
LeTV One is the “low-end” model
Last but not least, we have the LeTV One device, which takes advantage of a 5.5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and a MediaTek MT6795 octa-core chipset fitted with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.
LeTV also offers a 13MP / 5MP camera setup onboard, and we’re told the smartphone makes use of a 3,000 mAh battery. The LeTV One will go on sale for only $240 / €227.
The phones run the company’s Android-based operating system called EUI which will connect owners with TV, films, and internet at the same time.
The good news is that LeTV won’t be marketing the phones only in China, as they will also be available for purchase in the US, where the company has held a parallel launching event.
