Lenovo has a new pair of AR smart glasses. However, the ThinkReality A3 is not for the average consumer but for enterprise users and it needs to be connected to a Motorola smartphone powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor or a PC to work.
The design of the ThinkReality A3 gives it
a smaller form factor than the HoloLens 2 which is actually a Mixed Reality
glasses but it is still bulkier than your regular glasses. Lenovo says that it
“fits like sunglasses and can be enhanced with an industrial frame for a safer
and more durable use”.
There is a Snapdragon XR1 processor inside
the glasses which helps it able to present the user with up to 5 virtual
displays. There is an 8MP RGB camera that records in 1080p for remote expert
use cases and a pair of fish-eye cameras that provide room-scale tracking.
If you want to use it with a PC, then you
have to get the ThinkReality A3 PC Edition that connects to your laptop or workstation
so that you can use multiple virtual monitors. Lenovo says the smart glasses
cater to professionals in industries such as finance, architecture, and
engineering and those who may be working in a place where space is limited and
privacy is important.
The Industrial Edition is the one that
connects to Motorola phones powered by a Snapdragon 800 series processor and
has DisplayPort support. Lenovo says in its press release that this version is
“supported by the ThinkReality software platform that allows commercial
customers to build, deploy, and manage mixed reality applications and content
on a global scale and with global support”. This version of the glasses is
designed for workers in factories, laboratories, and hospitality and the
ThinkReality platform allows for remote assistance, guided workflows, and 3D
visualizations.
Lenovo didn’t reveal the price tag of both
versions of the ThikReality A3 but it says that will be available in select
markets by the middle of the year. We expect it to be expensive but the fact
that there are two variants that can be used interchangeably is disappointing.
