Google confirms the Project Tango smartphone, Lenovo Phab 2 Pro lands in November

posted by Cosmin V. / Oct 05, 2016, 4:52 AM

Google confirms the Project Tango smartphone, Lenovo Phab 2 Pro lands in November

Google has recently taken the wraps off its new flagship Android smartphones, the Pixel and Pixel XL. Both are supposed to hit shelves in the 2-3 weeks, but that depends on the country.

In the meantime, the search giant confirmed that the long-delayed Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, world's first commercial Project Tango smartphone, will be available in November, a few weeks after the Pixel phones are supposed to hit shelves.

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro was supposed to hit shelves earlier this summer, but for some reason the Chinese company decided to push the release date to September. Last month we reported that the September launch date was replaced with a more vague “fall” deadline, but we now have more info about the Project Tango's upcoming launch.

It appears that during the Pixel launch event, Google's head of VR, Clay Bavor, confirmed that Lenovo's Phab 2 Pro smartphone will be available for purchase beginning November. The phablet will be launched in the United States for $499 and it will sell unlocked. It's likely to be available through Best Buy, Lowe and other authorized retailers.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro

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The mention of the Phab 2 Pro's release date in the US comes with another interesting piece of information, and that's the fact that the smartphone will not be compatible with Google's new Daydream VR headset since it does not meet the requirements like a compatible AMOLED screen.

Hardware-wise, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is a cross between a phablet and a tablet. The device comes with a huge 6.4-inch LCD QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) display. It also packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 chipset inside, along with 4GB of RAM.

Also, Lenovo included a GPU specifically created for Tango functionality, as well as the Infineon's Time-of-Flight sensor. This is world's first smartphone that can capture 360-degree sound of live recording via Dolby Audio 5.1 sound capture, Dolby Atmos and a 3-microphone array with noise cancellation. The back side features a 16-megapixel camera, which can capture 4K videos.

Project Tango has been created to develop phones and tablets that can recognize a room or an environment where another similar device was. These devices use learning technology in order to recognize areas where other similar devices passed through. The Phab 2 Pro can sense the shape of the world around it with the help of the depth perception technology thanks to the time-of-flight sensor that we mentioned earlier. Also, the smartphone can position itself in a room via motion tracking since it uses the fisheye camera to identify edges and corners.

source: CNET

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7 Comments

1. ash21411

Posts: 2; Member since: Oct 05, 2016

Cosmin

posted on Oct 05, 2016, 5:26 AM 0

2. ash21411

U said it was a 1st smartphone to have 360 degree audio capture and have u forgotten that The King Has Made it Long time Back not just 3 microphones with 4 Microphones with Dolby Digital 5.1 Support I.e Nokia Lumia Icon Or 930

posted on Oct 05, 2016, 5:31 AM 1

3. Marslander

Posts: 160; Member since: Jan 08, 2015

By releasing it at the same time Google is releasing the Pixel phones and the VR hardware definitely confirms they intended for the Phab Pro 2 to be a niche device. It will get lost in the shuffle and only enthusiasts will be buying it.

posted on Oct 05, 2016, 8:52 AM 0

4. ShadowHammer

Posts: 201; Member since: Mar 13, 2015

Well, it is meant for enthusiasts, or business, since it has very specific sensors/hardware. The biggest thing about it, IMO, is the ability to build a 3D model of actual landscapes and places. You can walk through a building and get a model of its interior using its sensors and a points cloud. It's similar to LiDAR in some respects. Pretty cool for a $500 device.

posted on Oct 05, 2016, 9:47 AM 2

5. benodiktine

Posts: 2; Member since: Jun 29, 2015

It says it's unlocked but will it work on Sprint and it's MVNOs or only GSM carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, etc...). If it works on Sprint, I'll wait for it, if not, I'm considering the Pixel XL.

posted on Oct 05, 2016, 1:03 PM 0

6. MrElectrifyer

Posts: 3960; Member since: Oct 21, 2014

It's kinda odd that this google project isn't integrated with google's own phone. I'd expect the phone made by google would pack everything google has to offer...

posted on Oct 05, 2016, 6:36 PM 0

7. isprobi

Posts: 797; Member since: May 30, 2011

I am hoping developers will find ways to use Tango for more than just games. It seems to have allot of potential uses. I have been looking for a high-end replacement for my Xperia Z Ultra for over a year. I like my Z5 Premium but I want the 6.4 inch screen, Dolby sound recording and what looks like more powerful stereo speakers. So I will likely buy this phone for the hardware since I do not see anything equivalent being released in the USA any time soon.