After a PR blunder that involved comparing Apple to Nazism, Chinese firm LeTV is announcing something that's actually worth some attention.
The company's Le Superphone will be among the first to use a USB Type-C connection (also known as USB-C) for charging and data transfer. This is the same type of fully-reversible connector that debuted recently in Google's new Chromebook Pixel and Apple's new MacBook. As more devices include USB-C, users will be able to connect them all with a single cable and power adapter.
Why this matters: Given that LeTV hasn't announced a price or release date, it's entirely possible that another USB-C smartphone may hit the market first. Either way, it's good to see the new connectors popping up on smartphones already, bringing us ever-closer to the dream of a universal cable that you can never plug in the wrong way.
A phone with a reputation to repair
LeTV put itself on the map in an offensive way last month when CEO Jia Yeuting released an animation on China's Weibo social network, depicting Adolf Hitler with an Apple logo on his armband. Yueting later apologized and retracted the video.
Aside from the new connector, LeTV's phone will have a metal chassis and a "bezel-free" display custom-manufactured by Sharp. The company is also touting "wireless HDMI," though it's unclear how this will work. The software appears to be Android, with a modified "Ecosystem User Interface" on top.
For tech specs, LeTV is promising a Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB of memory, a 21-megapixel camera, a 3000-mAh battery, and dual 4G SIM card slots. There's no word on screen size or storage for this model, which LeTV wants to bring to the U.S. market later this year. (For the China market, LeTV is launching two more phones with 6.3-inch and 5.5-inch displays, but neither match up precisely with the Superphone's spec sheet.)
