China’s LeEco has today launched its latest smartphone — Le Pro 3 AI Edition. As with every flagship smartphone nowadays, this one too comes with an AI-powered assistant. With this, the Chinese upstart is hoping to take on the likes of OnePlus 3T and other similar inexpensive devices.
The Le Pro 3 AI Edition will be available in two different versions — one with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and another, the Eco variant, with 64GB of storage and a better processor. It features a 5.5-inch full HD display with a max brightness of 600 nits.
While the Le Pro 3, launched last year was powered by the Snapdragon 821, LeEco switched to MediaTek processors this time around. The phone comes with a 2.3GHz Helio X23 in the standard AI edition, and the more powerful Eco version gets a deca-core 2.6GHz Helio X27 chipset.
Both models will come with a 13-megapixel dual rear camera. On the front, it features an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 76.5-degree wide-angle lens. In the dual camera setup, one captures monochrome info while the other captures color info. The sensors are coupled with f/2.0 aperture lenses and also feature PDAF autofocus and dual-LED flash. It uses Le IMAGE AI engine to stitch images together.
The highlight of the LeEco Le Pro 3 AI Edition is the AI-based voice assistant. Called as LeLe Assistant, it can be activated even when the screen is turned off. It is integrated with LeEco’s as well as some third-party apps. Like every other AI-based assistant software, it is supposed to learn from the user and get better with time. But, it is being suggested that the assistant is not as powerful as the likes of Siri or Google Assistant.
The dual-SIM smartphone runs EMUI 5.9, based on Android Marshmallow. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth, USB Type-C, and NFC. The smartphone is powered by a 4,000mAh battery, which is actually quite decent for a smartphone this size.
The LeEco Le Pro 3 AI Edition will cost roughly $260 for the standard edition and around $350 for the Eco model. However, the phones are announced in China only, and there is no information about its availability in other regions. It will go on sale from this Friday, April 14.
