Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro phablet revealed: 6in QHD screen, 16-megapixel camera, Snapdragon 801
Lenovo aims for the high-end with the flagship Vibe Z2 Pro - a smartphone with every feature we've come to expect from a flagship
Lenovo isn’t exactly known for its smartphones here in the UK, having yet to release a handset since purchasing Motorola from Google earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t capable of producing some impressive high-end devices. Its latest, the Vibe Z2 Pro, ticks all the boxes for a flagship handset in 2014, including a QHD display, 16-megapixel camera and massive battery – making us hope it will get a release outside of Asia.
The company confirmed the Vibe Z2 Pro’s existence on the official Lenovo Google+ page this morning. It’s a 6in handset that will likely go up against Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 and the recently-leaked LG G3 Stylus as a seriously desirable phablet, rather than a mainstream smartphone. The QHD 2,560×1,440 resolution sits inside a 7.7mm thick unibody chassis, finished with a metallic brushed-weave, although it’s not clear from the limited reveal video whether it’s actually made from metal, or is merely using treated plastic.
Inside, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor runs at 2.5GHz and is paired with 3GB of RAM – meaning it should compete favorably with existing flagship handsets from the likes of Samsung, Sony, LG and HTC. On the back, a 16-megapixel camera compete with optical image stabilsation and a dual LED flash should mean the Vibe Z2 Pro is also capable of excellent images. Based on the video, it seems Lenovo has borrowed its Pro camera mode from Nokia’s Lumia 1020, with sliders for controlling ISO, white balance and shutter speed.
The only downside we can see? There’s no room inside for a microSD card slot, meaning you’re limited to 32GB of onboard storage. Otherwise, you’ll get dual SIM card slots and a massive 4,000mAh battery, which should hopefully mean over 24 hours of use from a single charge – the Galaxy Note 3 managed 15 hours and that only has a 3,200mAh battery. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat, with Lenovo’s own Vibe UI 2.0 on top,
The Vibe Z2 Pro is set to launch in September, in a choice of Titanium, Gold or Black colours, although Lenovo has yet to confirm an exact release date or how much the phone will cost. We expect to learn more at IFA in Berlin, so be sure to check back next month for some first impressions – if it makes an appearance on the show floor.