Lenovo P90 phablet goes all-Intel with quad-core Atom (hands-on)
A new quad-core Intel processor lurks in the middle of this massive phone, and an extra-large battery too.
- Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
LAS VEGAS -- Intel has been lurking at the distant edges of the phone space, but one of Lenovo's phones debuted at this year's CES here goes all-in on Intel tech. It also has a massive battery, too.
Meet the Lenovo P90, the first phone to use Intel's new Z3560 processor: a quad-core, 1.83GHz 64-bit chip. That's paired with an Intel 4G LTE modem, too. The capabilities of both this processor and its LTE speeds aim to put it on par with other premium smartphones. It's available in three colors: pearl white, onyx black and lava red.
We got a look at a red model, which has a soft-touch finish and squared-off sides all around, with a generally plastic feel: the front display rises off the backing a bit.
The P90 boasts a 13-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization, a front-facing 5 megapixel wide-angle camera. This is a big phone: a 5.5-inch, 1,920x1,080 IPS display puts it up in iPhone 6 Plus and phablet territory, but according to Jessica Dolcourt's hands-on test, this phone feels pretty weighty for its size.
A very large (4,000 mAh battery) is onboard for the ride, although how power-hungry this Intel processor is remains a little unknown. There's 32GB of onboard storage and 2GB of RAM in the $369 model available February 2015. For now, it runs Android 4.4.4: no Lollipop yet. It won't be sold in the US, however, and there's no word on which specific countries it will appear. The dollar price converts to roughly £240 or AU$460.
In a world of stellar high-powered phablets, the Lenovo P90 looks capable, but it's facing some pretty stiff competition.