Remember the ZTE SPRO 2 projector that made its way into AT&T’s catalog last week? Chances are, you probably didn’t get too hyped up about a portable projector. But these things seem to be growing in number and popularity these days that you can no longer ignore their presence. At the IFA 2015 press conference last week, ZTE took the chance to show off the Android-powered smart projector, and we took a hands-on spin just to see for ourselves what the device is all about.
Who doesn’t need a pico projector? Honestly speaking, unless you’re always giving presentations on the go or want to be able to quickly set up a video or presentation anywhere, you probably won’t. That is why most of the time, these devices are billed as multi-talented portable devices. In the case of the SPRO 2, it is a 2-in-1 pico projector and mobile hotspot all rolled into one handy package. Here’s how ZTE Senior Director of Technology and Partnership Waimman Lam tries to sell the device.
As a projector, the SPRO 2 supports a resolution of 1280×720 pixels and promises 200 lumens of brightness, which probably isn’t going to do wonders for bright scenarios but should be fairly decent indoors. As a Wi-Fi hotspot, the device comes pretty much with the functionality you’d expect. All of these is managed by Android, of course, accessible through a 5-inch touchscreen. Here’s our full hands-on of the little black box.
As you can see, the SPRO 2 runs quite fast and smooth. That is thanks to the 2.0 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 running inside, assisted by up to 2 GB of RAM. There 16 GB of internal storage, which is expandable with a microSD card. Of course, you’d probably be streaming content over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi anyway.
The ZTE SPRO 2 Smart Project admittedly makes an interesting proposition, though devices of its kind seem to be following a cookie cutter pattern in terms of features, so ZTE will have to do a bit of heavy marketing to make the device stand out from the crowd. Right now, the projector is available from AT&T among others, retailing for $499.99 without a contract, or $399.99 with a two-year commitment.
