Lenovo PHAB2 Pro: World’s first smartphone with Google’s Augmented Reality tech

With VR becoming mainstream for smartphones, Lenovo is now entering a new space with Augmented Reality (AR). The Lenovo Phab2 Pro was just announced and it is the first smartphone to feature Google’s Tango technology. Using 3 cameras along with the phone’s motion sensors, this smartphone can map your surroundings in real time. Basically, it is like having a Xbox Kinect 3D camera on a mobile device.

So what can you do with Tango? One of the best uses is that you can find map out the entire room with the exact dimensions. Lenovo used Lowe’s Home Improvement as an example where you can see how does your new fridge would fit in your kitchen.

Unlike other augmented reality apps, this is much more accurate as it senses better with depth. For gaming, you can play AR games in real world environments. So you can be killing monsters or playing with a virtual pet in your own home setting. There are Tango apps available and obviously they are quite limited at the time being.

As a phone, the Phab2 Pro is a huge step up from its former PHAB series. It gets a large 6.4″ Quad HD display which is slightly less humongous and it’s encased in an 8.9mm aluminium body. Powering the device is Qualcomm’s Octa-Core Snapdragon 652 processor with 4GB of RAM and on-board it gets 64GB of storage.

At the front, it gets an 8MP camera for selfies and the back is where it gets a bit more interesting. For normal photos, it gets a 16MP main camera placed in the middle for all your normal shots. To enable its AR magic, it gets additional 2 cameras on top for depth and motion sensing. For better audio for your videos, it also comes with Dolby Audio Capture 5.1 which claims to record 360 degree sound. Right underneath the camera the Phab2 Pro also gets a fingerprint scanner as well.

Keeping this phablet powered is a 4,050mAh battery with Turbo Charging and the Phab2 Pro comes in either Champagne Gold or Gunmetal Grey. This phablet is expected to hit global markets in September with a retail price tag of US$499 (about RM2,018). For more information, you can check out the Phab2 Pro page.

You check out the promo and Google Project Tango video below: