Just after meeting with Lenovo at CES 2016, we were told that the company would be producing the first Project Tango smartphone for Google (Lenovo Deluge Led by OLED Notebook). Project Tango is a 3D-sensing concept, which Google first talked about in 2014 (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 9).
At Lenovo Tech World, the company unveiled the Phab2 Pro: a phone that can be used for motion tracking, depth perception and ‘area learning’ (literally building a 3D map of the area it is in). Sensors in the handset can capture more than 250,000 measurements per second, meaning that it is also well-suited for augmented reality applications.
Although full specifications have not been shared yet, we know that the ‘phone’ is more aptly called a phablet, as it boasts a 6.4″ display with 2560 x 1440 resolution. The unit is 8.9mm thick, with an aluminium chassis, rear fingerprint scanner and 2.5D cover glass.
A Snapdragon 652 ‘Tango Edition’ processor runs Android, with 64GB of storage, 4GB of RAM and a 4,050mAh battery: a very large battery for a phone, but considering the screen size and constant scanning, it makes sense.
Three models will be launched initially, although only the Phab2 Pro (September, $500) will sport the Tango camera array. The Phab2 Plus and Phab2 will be sold for $300 and $200, respectively. Lenovo will launch the phone with 22 Tango apps available, and estimates that there will be 100 by the end of 2017.
