Ever heard of LeEco? If not, you will soon. The company that made its name as the "Netflix of China" is now making a big push for the U.S. market. And it's not just about entertainment and media streaming, but LeEco is bringing the devices that people use to enjoy that media, both at home and on the road. At a press event in San Francisco in October, the company unveiled a new flagship smart phone and 85-inch UHD TV, both now available in the US market. But they didn't stop there. The company also showed off a self-driving electric car, a new streaming service and an Android-powered bicycle.
At the event, CEO Yueting ("YT") Jia, told reporters that he had wanted to drive out on stage in the company's LeSee Pro electric car, or technically have the car drive him onto the stage. But due to delivery problems, the car did not arrive in time for its big debut. Apparently one of the two prototypes in the world was badly damaged while being shipped to San Francisco and the other one had been in England as a prop in the upcoming "Transformers" movie. So instead, YT simply jogged onto the stage, spent some time sharing his vision and let us see the car a little later in the day. It was an impressive-looking vehicle, for sure, and we look forward to seeing it move toward production.
So why is the company pushing forward with phones, TVs and electric cars? These are the primary places that consumers enjoy their TV shows and movies. Well at least the phones and the TVs are, but what about cars? The hope is that when cars become truly autonomous, relieving the driver and all the passengers from their driving and navigation duties, the car will become the ideal mobile A/V environment. Weary commuters will be able to binge watch their favorite shows or movies on the way to and from work. So LeEco wants to get us to this bright future quicker, hence their investment in autonomous electric vehicles.
Also important to YT is that we move forward with electric vehicles in order to wean ourselves from fossil fuels, with all of their inherent environmental and health risks. At the event, the executive showed a photo of Beijing on a typical day, immersed in a cloud of deadly smog. YT's vision is to bring blue skies back to Beijing, and to the rest of the world. And electric cars are a step toward that goal. The company has partnered with (and YT is a major investor in) automotive start-up Faraday Future and that company has reportedly been instrumental in designing and building LeEco's prototype automobiles.
But back on the entertainment side, LeEco is launching its own media streaming platform in the United States called "LeEco Live" with content being provided from partners such as Showtime, Lionsgate, MGM, SlingTV, Vice and The Travel Channel, among others. LeEco Live will be available from the company's phones and televisions, but where else one may be able to use it is not yet clear. The company is also building out the user interface so that it's consistent across devices. LeEco's eUI (Ecosystem User Interface) provides a uniform interface for large and small screens, in an attempt to make it easier for users to access their favorite content on any device. Presumably, the eUI will also drive the infotainment systems on the upcoming LeSee cars, assuming they make it to market.
The flagship phone - the LeEco LePro 3 - is fairly interesting. It's available unlocked for $400 ($300 if you get it during a "flash sale") and features some pretty impressive hardware. The CPU is an SoC Snapdragon 821 quad core processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of on-board storage (with no microUSB port for additional storage, unfortunately). The screen is a large 5.5 inches diagonal with Full HD 1080p resolution. Compared to a Samsung OLED screen (Galaxy S7 edge), the LePro's LED/LCD screen is a bit paler, with less saturated colors. But it's plenty bright even in bright sunlight. There are cameras in front and rear, as well as NFC support, a fingerprint sensor, USB-C port for charging, data transfer and headphones and an IR port. Although the LePro 3 is sold unlocked, it only offers GSM-LTE support (no CDMA) so while it works with T-Mobile and AT&T, it's not an option for Verizon or Sprint customers.
But perhaps the coolest thing about the LePro 3 is the massive 4070mAh battery. This is significantly higher capacity than anything currently being offered by Samsung, Apple, or anyone else. They say it's good for two days of LTE usage. And I can verify that it lasts for hours of Pokemon Go playing (which is saying something - that app is a total battery drain). The phone also takes advantage of Qualcomm's QuickCharge 3.0 charging system. Using the factory charger and cable, you can get about 50% charge in 40 minutes, which is like a full charge on most other phones. If you're looking for a "super phone" that runs Android, with a massive battery and an affordable price tag, the LePro 3 is worth a look.
And as for the big(ger) screen experience, the company's uMax85 TV pushes the boundaries for TV screen sizes at 85 inches diagonal. This wall-sized Ultra HD TV offers 4K Ultra HD resolution (3840x2160 pixels) as well as support for both HDR10 and Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range for compatibility with most HDR sources. The set offers full array LED backlighting so it can produce deep blacks and excellent contrast. LeEco actually says that the set features a full 448 local dimming zones, which is more than we've seen on any other set. This backlight specifity should produce less haloing and lighting artifacts than dge lit sets or even full array local dimming sites with fewer lighting zones.
Like their phones, LeEco's TV's feature the eui (Ecosystem User Interface) to navigate the TV's menu as well as streaming options. The price tag is actually a bit lower than you'd expect for a high performance huge screen like this - $4,999 - and it was offered last month during "flash sales" on LeEco's LeMall shopping web site for a full $1,000 cheaper ($3,999). The set was apparently too popular during Black Friday weekend as it's no longer in stock on LeMall.
Speaking of LeMall, the company offers most of its products on its own e-commerce web site, (LeMall.com) and offers a buyer's reward program to make purchases even sweeter. But this month the company has also expanded its sales to Amazon, in order to make LeEco products available to a wider audience. The uMax85 is still exclusive to LeMall, but LeEco TVs from 43 inches to 65 inches, Le Eco phones and other gear can currently be purchased on Amazon.com.
Earlier this year, the company announced plans to acquire US TV maker, VIZIO in a deal valued at approximately $2 Billion. But that deal is still pending approval by from Chinese government. If it goes through, LeEco would become one of the top three TV makers in the US.
Will LeEco be able to follow through on its ambitious goals to become a driving force in technology and entertainment in the U.S. market? And will its sleek self-driving electric car ever see production? Only time will tell.
