Lenovo unveils world's first Project Tango smartphone

While the event is believed to be predominately focusing on mobile devices, some reports have suggested Lenovo could also reveal new laptops.

Lenovo Group Ltd unveiled an augmented-reality-enabled smartphone, as the Chinese tech giant struggles to revive faltering smartphone business and declining personal computer sales. Almost six months past the announcement, we finally have a closer look on the debut device of Google's Augmented Reality project. The phone has an all-metal aluminum body and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 652 system on a chip. A Tango-enabled app created by home improvement company Lowe's will let users make such decisions using their Phab 2 Pro phones. Nonetheless, Tango could raise fresh concerns about privacy if controls aren't stringent enough to prevent the on-the-fly maps from being shared with unauthorized apps or heisted by hackers.

If you want a massive Lenovo phone that isn't Tango-enabled, the more affordable PHAB2 and PHAB2 Plus devices might be worth a look.

The Pro uses a fish-eye camera with a wide viewing angle in conjunction with the regular camera sensor to understand motion and identify where the Pro is within a 3D space. Area learning feeds location information to the smartphone, and depth perception allows the smartphone to analyse the environment.

It also has 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 4,050mAh battery, a fingerprint scanner on the back and a 16-megapixel main rear-facing camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, according to BGR.

Indeed, Lenovo's pricing may put Tango in more hands. After all, it still has to be a phone. The Phab 2 Pro will be globally available in September for $499 unlocked.

The PHAB2 Plus is all about the camera and is packed with dual 13-megapixel rear cameras that feature instant laser focus, f/2.0 apertures and a Fujitsu Milbeaut image processor that's notably used to power certain Leica cameras.

Lenovo, which owns and operates smartphone maker Motorola, also announced two other smartphones during the event, the PHAB2 Plus, which has dual 13 megapixel rear-facing cameras, and the PHAB2 - created to be an entry-level device that will cost less than 200 United States dollars (£138), but comes with a large 6.4-inch screen. All these products will be available worldwide beginning in September.

Source: Lenovo unveils world's first Project Tango smartphone