China’s already crowded smartphone market just got more packed, with new devices from Letv — a Chinese internet company relatively unknown to many westerners — netting 1.2m pre-orders in a single day.
The company, which runs one of China’s better known video streaming websites, launched the Le1, Le1 Pro and LeMax smartphones. Letv is offering free internet and free video content to its smartphone users, as well as a relatively low price of $245 for the Le1.
Xiaomi, an internet company that branched out into selling phones, adopted a similar strategy four years ago. Its device was intended to be a “gateway to an ecosystem” rather than merely a device on which to make calls and surf online.