LeEco's Latest Android Smartphones Beat Apple to Removing the Headphone Jack

LeEco's Latest Android Smartphones Beat Apple
to Removing the Headphone Jack
Apr 20, 2016 8:39 am.

Apple's intention to remove the 3.5mm
headphone jack from this year's iPhone 7 has
been a well-publicized rumor since last
November , with the widespread belief that the
company would use a Lightning port to provide
both charging and as a source for audio output
on 2016's iPhone. Today, however, Chinese
company LeEco announced a line of smartphones
that will beat Apple's rumored removal of the
3.5mm headphone port, instead opting for a USB-
C input (via Engadget).
LeEco also has its hands in product categories
like smart TVs and electric cars, with offices in
Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, but the company
keeps most of its smartphone business focused
locally in China. The new line of smartphones --
dubbed the Le 2, Le 2 Pro, and Le Max 2 -- will
run the Android operating system, and users will
be able to purchase either in-ear or over-ear
USB-C headphones to go with the new phones.
No specific plans were divulged, but LeEco noted
that it intends to bring "at least one" of the
devices stateside in 2016.
Image via Engadget
Similar to other Android devices like the Nexus 6P
and the Huawei Mate S, all three of LeEco's new
devices have a rear-facing fingerprint scanner to
allow access into the smartphone. Each version
has a slightly curved backside that flows into
chamfered edges and an edge-to-edge,
"borderless" display, all housed in a metallic body.
The Le 2 and Le 2 Pro are analogues of the
iPhone 6s Plus, featuring 5.5 inch, 1080p
displays, but coming in slightly above Apple's
2750 mAh battery at 3000 mAh. Understandably,
the Le 2 Pro stacks up better against the Le 2 in
a few categories: it has a 21-megapixel rear-
facing Sony IMX230 sensor and 4GB of RAM,
whereas the Le 2 packs a 16-megapixel rear-
facing camera and 3GB of RAM. The Le 2 will
cost 1,099 yuan ($170), while the Pro version will
run for 1,499 yuan ($230).
The Le Max 2 has a bigger screen than the other
two devices at 5.7 inches, and includes
Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 820 processor, a
more "advanced ultrasonic" fingerprint scanner,
and a bigger 3100 mAh battery. That's in addition
to optical image stabalization, increased storage
capacity options, and a total of 6GB of RAM. A
32GB storage option of the Le Max 2 (with a
lesser 4GB of RAM) will cost users 2,099 yuan
($325), while the increased storage of 64GB (and
6GB of RAM) will sell for 2,499 yuan ($390). Pre-
orders for all three smartphones began today in
China.
Although nothing has been confirmed this far out
from the iPhone 7 event, which will most likely
take place in September, recent rumors have
suggested Apple could ship Lightning-enabled
EarPods with the smartphone to ready users for a
new shift in headphone inputs. One report
suggested recently that the company might even
adopt Bluetooth-enabled headphones for the
iPhone 7 to free up the Lightning port when
listening to music, but still be able to charge the
wireless EarPods through the iPhone when they
run low on battery.