At Lenovo’s New Product Release Event in Shanghai on Tuesday, the company unveiled the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT, a souped-up version of the Lenovo Z5 Pro slider.
As smartphone manufacturers work towards notchless, bezel-less displays, sliding designs are making a comeback. In October, Xiaomi and Honor both released devices with rear slide-up mechanisms that allow components like the camera and top speaker to be placed somewhere besides the screen. Last month, Lenovo also joined the movement with the launch of the Z5 Pro. This week, however, the company outdid themselves with the announcement of the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT.
This new slider moves in the same way as the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 and Honor Magic 2: the back half of the phone slides up just enough to expose the front camera and speaker. Though the design closely resembles that of the Z5 Pro, the GT edition shown off on Tuesday really pumps up the specs.
The newest model retains the same size display and camera specs as its predecessor, but the RAM is doubled to 12GB, the storage is multiplied to 512GB, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 is replaced with the 855. Despite this device coming with industry-leading features, there’s no 5G support even though the mobile communications standard begins shifting at the start of the new year.
Aesthetically, the only difference between the two models is that the Z5 Pro GT edition has bright red accents that frame the screen and both rear cameras. Instead of the smooth finish that the Z5 Pro dons, the GT has a glossy carbon fiber pattern under the exterior glass.
Putting the front camera and speaker on a mechanism that slides out from behind the display is great for those who want that full-screen experience, but it also forces owners to slide the screen down to take a phone call. Maybe it’s worth it, maybe it’s not.
The Lenovo Z5 Pro starts at 2,698 yuan (about US$390) and is already available to the Chinese market, while the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT starts at 4,398 yuan (about US$640) and launches January 24 with pre-orders beginning on January 15. – Relaxnews
