As the name suggests, it’s a massive phone, but it also has four cameras, a metal unibody, and nearly everything else you could ask for in a flagship. Moreover, inside of the Phab 2 Pro is an impressive collection of internal components, including a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, four cameras (more on them later), 4,050mAh battery (allowing for four hours of continuous Tango use), fingerprint sensor and dual SIM slots.
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When made available in September, it will run on Android Marshmallow 6.0 and feature a 16MP shooter at the rear with auto-focus, HDR, panorama, and phase detection along with an 8MP lens on the front. It is a phablet with 6.4 inch QHD 2K screen.
We should start off by saying that to our knowledge, the PHAB2 Pro will be the first commercially available Lenovo smartphone in the United States. Here’s what you need to know about all three, although the Pro is the important model. Built into this phone you’ll have a collection of sensors that can sense and map its surroundings to create the same cutting-edge augmented reality experience that has been seen on Google’s Project Tango tablets. The list of potential use cases for this is endless, but one that Lenovo highlights is using a PHAB2 Pro to lead a guided tour through a museum with AR elements giving information and directions throughout the building.
At 6.4 inches, this is a massive device, much bigger than nearly any Android or iOS smartphone I’ve held in the past.
“This has a chance to become pervasive because it’s integrated into a device that you already have with you all the time”, says Jeff Meredith, a Lenovo vice president who oversaw development of the Tango device. The $299 Phab2 Plus, on the other hand, is being positioned as a midrange device that doesn’t skimp on the camera. The Lenovo Phab2 Pro is priced $499 (roughly Rs. 33,500).
Lenovo also launched a smartphone mod program for developers, enticing them with a million-dollar prize for a mod that best integrates handsets with services hosted in the Internet cloud.
The Phab2 Pro doesn’t have a headset component, so users won’t actually be able to augment reality in the “real world”, as with the under-development Magic Leap, for instance.
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Finally, a pair of games were also touted by Lenovo, in the form of the tamagotchi-like Raise and the scary Phantogeist. It is the first device to come equipped with Project Tango. Audio aspects of the phone include Dolby Atmos 5.1, triple array microphone and active noise cancellation.
