There has been considerable speculation surrounding the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and its implementation into devices in 2016. But some details came to light at CES 2016 Tuesday when an obscure Chinese company announced the first smartphone running the Snapdragon 820 chip.
The Le Max Pro is a flagship device by the Chinese manufacturer LeTV, which was formerly focused on online video streaming. However, the company released devices including the Le 1 Pro in July and the Le 1S in October, which were met with positive reviews in the tech community, particularly for their all-metal designs.
The Le Max Pro takes the reputation of this new mobile hardware company a step further, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. Thanks to its device, LeTV is a finalist for Engadgets best of CES award.
The system on a chip is able to power cameras up to 28-megapixels, 4K Ultra HD video capture and playback and 4K display support as well as several mobile protocols, including Quick Charge 3.0 and USB 3.0 connectivity; 802.11ac, MU-MIMO and Tri-band Wi-Fi; UFS 2.0; eMMC 5.1 and SD 3.0 (UHS-I) storage, LPDDR4 memory, Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC. The Snapdragon 8210 also supports native immersive VR.
The previous Snapdragon 810 is notorious for heating issues that causes manufacturers like Samsung to pass on using the chip for its 2015 flagships. However, Qualcomm claims the 820 is 40 percent more powerful than the Snapdragon 810.
In addition to the Snapdragon 820, the LeTV Le Max Pro features a 6.33-inch Quad HD display, 4GB of RAM and 32, 64 or 128GB of internal storage, a 21-megapixel rear camera, a 3,400 mAh battery Quick Charge 2.0 Technology, Android 6.0 Marshmallow with a custom user interface and a fingerprint scanner.
Currently, there is no word on whether the Le Max Pro will be available in the U.S.; however, LeTV is expected to open a U.S. office in Hollywood, California. Price speculations for the Le Max Pro have also leaked, Chinese website Mobile-Dad claims the device will sell for CNY 3,500 ($530).
Check out our hands on shots of the LeTV Le Max Pro smartphone below.
