LeEco Le Pro 3 and Le S3 Hands on!

LeEco, previously known as LeTV, is still quite new to the Android game, but some may know it as the company that released the first smartphone powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, earlier this year. In markets where they enjoy a big presence like China and India, LeEco is known for their high quality smartphones and peripherals that are very aggressively priced, and the company is hoping to replicate that success by bringing the same formula to the highly-competitive US.

At a launch event in California, LeEco introduced a flagship smartphone and a mid-range device, and we got to spend time with them. Here is the first look, as we go hands on with the LeEco Le Pro 3 and the Le S3!

We start with the flagship LeEco Le Pro 3, that features a 5.5-inch Full HD display, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor that is backed by 4 GB of RAM. The device comes with 64 GB of on-board storage, a 16 MP rear camera and 8 MP front-facing unit, and is powered by a large 4,070 mAh battery with fast charging capabilities that will allow for the phone to be charged up to 33% in just minutes.

Those familiar with LeEco's other smartphones will not be surprised at the fact that the Le Pro 3 doesn't come with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a trend that we are likely to see spread across the smartphone ecosystem. Instead you get to take advantage of Continuous Digital Lossless Audio (CDLA) through the USB Type-C port.

The Le Pro 3 retains a lot of the design language of its predecessor, but if you haven't come across the latter before, the LeEco flagship will remind you of the OnePlus 3. The device features a full metal unibody construction with a shiny, almost glossy, finish. It's a nice and sleek looking device, and does feel sturdy in the hand, and with a bit of heft to it.

The 16 MP and 8 MP cameras are found at the back and front respectively, and the setup does sound quite promising. A look at the camera app indicates that the picture-taking experience may be a touch simplistic, but we can only better judge the camera performance after spending a lot more time with this phone.

As is now expected from a Chinese smartphone, the software experience is vastly different from what is expected from Android. While the usual Android bells and whistles are available, LeEco's launcher includes a few unique features that not only make this software package stand out from stock Android, but from what is available from other Chinese OEMs as available.

What appears to be a button to open the app drawer is instead a "Live" button that takes you into the LeTV ecosystem. This is essentially the TV streaming service that LeEco was known for back when the company was still LeTV, and includes a slew of video streaming options, as well as access to their original dramas, that have garnered billions of views so far.

Tapping the Live button takes you to the live streaming service that includes a number of different channels that you can stream directly from and see all their content. An extra function that is available here is the ability to shrink the window, to let you see the live streaming content in the floating window while you continue to browse the rest of the service, or do anything else on the phone.

LeEco also brought out their latest mid-range offering, the Le S3, that also comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display like the Le Pro3, but comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of internal storage. The camera setup remains the same as its more premium sibling though, while it packs a smaller 3,000 mAh battery.

LeEco Le Pro 3

Despite featuring the same display size as the Le Pro 3, the Le S3 actually feels a lot lighter than the former, and comes with a full metal unibody construction without the glossy finish. The shine is quite less comparatively, and the Le S3 also won't be as much of a fingerprint magnet. The software experience is the same between the two LeEco smartphones as well.

 

LeEco Le S3

The best part about these phones by far is their price point, which is bound to disrupt the high-end and mid-range segments in the US, with the LeEco Le Pro 3 and the Le S3 priced at just $399 and $249 respectively. To sweeten the deal even more, if you buy these phones on November 2, you can avail a $100 discount by signing up for the LeMall Rewards program. While those in India and China will not be surprised an LeEco's aggressive pricing, the price announcement did elicit some gasps from the audience at the launch event.

The LeEco Le Pro 3 is definitely a device to look out for, despite the fact that it comes with a flavor of Android that many may not be used to. If the camera manages to be as good as it appears to be on paper, and the performance is as smooth as is expected from the Snapdragon 821, then the $299 price point on November 2, and even the $399 price tag after that day, makes this smartphone a great one to consider.

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Android Wear watches aren’t connecting to the iPhone 7 (Update: fixed)

Update #2 (10/25): It appears that the recently-launched iOS 10.1 update has resolved the connectivity issues plaguing ASUS ZenWatch 2, Moto 360 (2nd Gen.), Moto 360 Sport, TAG Heuer Connected and Fossil Q Founder owners. This news comes to us from 9to5Google, who got word from Google about the fix.

Update #1: Google has reached out to Android Authority for clarification on the devices affected by this bug. The watches that are currently having issues connecting to the iPhone 7 are the ASUS ZenWatch 2, Moto 360 (2nd Gen.), Moto 360 Sport, TAG Heuer Connected and Fossil Q Founder. Michael Kors watches are not affected by this bug. The ASUS ZenWatch and other Fossil watches aren't experiencing issues, either.

The product forum is now updated with the correct list of devices.

Original post: One of Android Wear's biggest strengths is it that the platform is designed to be cross compatible with Android and iOS. However, a number of consumers are reporting that they can't connected a range of Android Wear smartwatches up to the new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus.

What's happening is that customers aren't managing to get to the accept message screen when pairing their smartwatch to an iPhone 7, suggesting that the Bluetooth pairing function is failing somewhere. Google has officially acknowledged that there is an issue with the Moto 360 v2, ASUS ZenWatch models, Fossil, MK, and Tag Heuer watches. However, many more consumers, through the Google forums, are also reporting the same problem when using the LG G Watch and the first generation Moto 360. Here's what just some users are saying about the issue:

I've got a TAG Heuer Connected that was working fine with my iPhone 6 even after I upgraded to iOS 10, but then since I unpaired to connect to my new iPhone 7 I haven't been able to pass the pairing screen. I've tried with both phones, even tried to after downgrading the iPhone 6 to 9.3. I've also tried to a factory reset through the 'Android dead robot' as advised by TAG, but didn't help, none of the phones get the code from the watch. Thanks!

 

Just wanted to let you guys know I'm facing the same issue. Can't get my Moto360 2nd gen to pair with my iPhone7 (iPhone 6 and 6s with iOS10 was no problem).My iPhone7 sees my Moto360 2nd in the Android Wear App and in the bluetooth list when trying to pair but I never get the "accept message" on my Wear App when trying to pair so the pairing keeps failing.

The exact cause of the problem isn't yet fully understood, but it's looking increasingly like a hardware problem of some sort. Users don't appear to be running into the same connectivity problems while using iOS 10 on the iPhone 6 or 6S, so it looks to only be affecting iPhone 7 units.

Google has confirmed that it is looking into the issue, plans to fix it as soon as possible, and has reported the problem to Apple. Apple has not commented on the matter yet. So, if you really want to keep using your Android Wear smartwatch, it might be best to avoid picking up an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus for now.

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Sorry, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will not be launching early

An unnamed Samsung official has struck down a rumor that the company plans to launch its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, ahead of schedule. Some reports previously claimed Samsung might try to release the phone early in order to partially make up for the lost sales of the now recalled Galaxy Note 7.

See also: Here come the Galaxy S8 rumors151

According to ETNews, the Samsung official was quoted as saying, "Currently we do not have any plans to release Galaxy S8 early." The same official added, "Pushing release date forward all of sudden is something that is realistically impossible."

That is certainly very plausible, since Samsung has still not announce what caused the Galaxy Note 7's batteries to start burning and exploding, which lead to its complete worldwide recall earlier this month. The company doesn't want to rush a new phone into production before it can figure out what went wrong on its most recent product.

Indeed, recent reports claim that Samsung has delayed production of the Galaxy S8 by at least two weeks in order to concentrate its efforts on investigating the Note 7 flaws. Samsung normally announces the next phone in the Galaxy S series just before the start of the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain. The 2017 edition is slated to begin on February 27 and the phone itself is expected to launch in March, at least for now.

There are certainly plenty of rumors about what kinds of features will be in the Galaxy S8, including a very recent one that claims it will have a 5.5-inch QHD Super AMOLED display and 6 GB of RAM. Other unconfirmed reports state it will have either Qualcomm's Snapdragon 830 chip or Samsung's own Exynos 9985 processor, depending on where it is sold. It may also support Google's Daydream VR platform as well.

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Sprint says majority of Note 7 users opting for another Samsung device

I've seen a lot of articles reporting 40 percent of consumers have indicated that they would not be buying another Samsung device after the Note 7 fiasco. That figure comes from Branding Brand's survey, and as I've pointed out in my previous article, the statistics are questionable for various reasons. At any rate, it seems like at least for Sprint, that number does not hold true. According to Marcelo Claure, Sprint's CEO, the majority of Note 7 customers are sticking with another Samsung device, mainly the Galaxy S7.

As we all know, Samsung's latest phablet went through not only just one global recall, but two. After Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy Note 7 would be discontinued, various lawsuits were filed, reports of the company's harsh work culture started to surface, and analysts speculated that Samsung would be losing billions of dollars due to this mishap. There's no arguing here: what happened to Samsung's latest phablet is undeniably damaging to Samsung's reputation worldwide.

However, despite the two recalls, it seems like Sprint customers are sticking with the Samsung brand. In a conference call with reporters, Marcelo Claure explained that most Note 7 users are proving to be loyal to the brand:

Most of them are basically switching to a Galaxy S7. Even with [the recalls], they begrudgingly gave back their Note 7. I'm a believer that Samsung will recover.

As reported previously, Samsung is offering $100 to those who turn in their Galaxy Note 7 devices and get another Samsung device, and this is without any doubt a huge incentive. And indeed, T-Mobile seems to be seeing a similar trend with many Note 7 users opting for another Samsung smartphone.

Samsung is offering $100 to those who turn in their Galaxy Note 7 devices and get another Samsung device, and this is without any doubt a huge incentive.

It's abundantly clear that Samsung is doing everything it can to retain its customer base – in fact, in South Korea, its home turf, Samsung is offering an unprecedented discount on future Galaxy devices (i.e. Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8) on top of the existing Note 7 exchange program. While these financial incentives may work short-term, it will take the South Korean conglomerate a significant amount of time to recover from all the negative public perception.

See also: Rumor: Galaxy S8 specs to include 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED and 6 GB of RAM80

Did you buy the Note 7 and exchange it for another Samsung smartphone? Let us know why in the comments below!

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BlackBerry announces its latest Android phone, the DTEK60

The BlackBerry DTEK60 is now official. The company's third Android-based smartphone is available for the price of $499.

The 5.5-inch smartphone, which comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, has a Quad HD display. Inside it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage, along with a microSD card slot that can support up to 2TB of additional storage. It also comes with a 21-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, along with a 3,000mAh battery.

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BlackBerry is emphasizing the security features on the DTEK60, which it says make the phone more secure for businesses to use compared to other Android devices:

Our manufacturing process makes use of a unique technique known as the Hardware Root of Trust, which adds security keys to the chipsets inside the DTEK60 to prevent the device from being spoofed or counterfeited. Our Secure Bootloader uses multi-stage verification to ensure that the Android OS hasn't been tampered with, in order to protect business data against hackers rooting the device. We also harden Android to make things more difficult for attackers, protect all data stored on the DTEK60 with FIPS 140-2 encryption, and offer the DTEK app to monitor and fix privacy violations.

The BlackBerry DTEK60 also comes with a fingerprint sensor which will offer a more secure way to unlock the phone without a password, and it can also be used to make online purchases via Android Pay. The phone is compatible with GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile, but not with networks such as Verizon and Sprint.

The new phone is currently available online at BlackBerry's website in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and The Netherlands. If you buy it online on or before November 8 in the US and Canada, you will get a free Soft Shell case and Rapid Charger for the phone. The other countries will get the Rapid Charger for fee, along with a Pocket Case for the DTEK60. Will you be checking out the new BlackBerry DTEK60, especially if you are security conscious?

Check it at BlackBerry

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