By Star Chang, posted Jan 9, 2013 at 5:37 AM, 2,064 views,

CES 2013: Lenovo K900 Phablet Challenge Galaxy Note 2 with Intel Chip (Video)

Samsung’s reign at the top of the smartphone-tablet hybrid market could end this year, as many major manufacturers are expected to release their own big-screen mobile devices to challenge the Galaxy Note 2’s supremacy. Lenovo has just announced the K900 smartphone/tablet hybrid over at CES. The new phablet comes with a 1080p, 5.5-inch screen and powered by Intel Atom processor. Like the Galaxy Note 2, the K900 has a big 5.5-inch touchscreen, however instead of a 720p resolution, Lenovo claims it’s the first in the world to bestow such a display with 1920 × 1080 pixels; providing a 1080p resolution and a pixel density of more than 400ppi. A version of Google Android is installed, which is the latest 4.2 Jelly Bean …

A lot of us might be expecting Qualcomm latest chip to be running the CES show, but we are probably wrong, as the Lenovo K900 is Intel powered. It uses the dual-core Atom Z2580 processor, the latest to come from Intel’s Medfield family of chips, which has a clock speed of 2GHz, Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology and has been built using a 32nm process. All this is wrapped up inside a 6.9mm thick chassis, which has a unibody construction made from stainless steel and polycarbonate. It is slimmer than the iPhone 5, as it weighs in at 162 grams, also lighter than the 183 gram Galaxy Note 2.

The camera is suitably exciting too, as the 13-megapixel shooter has an f1.8 aperture, the widest seen on a smartphone so far, and uses a Sony’s Exmor R backside illuminated sensor. The front camera is joined by a 2-megapixel sensor and provides a very wide 88-degree viewing angle for video calls and self portraits. Other features include 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, microSD slot, Lenovo did not tell us what is the capacity of the battery and the radio network its should be supporting. We assume there would properly be no 4G LTE for the K900, and we are also curious about the performance of Atom CPU on smartphone device, especially its usage time and apps compatibility.

If you’re all excited about getting your hands on Lenovo’s impressive K900, we’ve got some bad news, as its release isn’t going to be as wide as many will hope. Currently, it’s scheduled to appear in China first in April, later Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Russia and Philippines. Lenovo has never given its smartphones a wide release in the U.S., Canada or Europe, something which fits in with Intel’s mobile chip strategy, as it’s concentrating on emerging markets. It’s a pity though, as not only is the K900 a real tech powerhouse, but it could finally persuade many enthusiasts to buy an Intel powered smartphone.

Intel provides the latest mobile processor that will power Lenovo’s latest flagship, K900. This smartphone exemplifies the close cooperation between Lenovo and Intel. The existing Lenovo smartphones are all based on ARM processors, the first attempt on Intel chip is LePhone K800, the phone doesn’t get too much market attention in China last year. There are too many choices on other mid-range model. A powerful flagship model that is more expensive than ‘good enough’ phones won’t be selling good in China or India. Look for those enthusiasts in America or Europe.

Hands-on Round up:
(1) engadget (2) GIZMODO (3) The Verge
(4) androidcentral (5) ANDROID COMMUNITY (6) SLASHGEAR

See what else happened this year at CES 2013.

SOURCE: The Verge, Digital Trends
Pictures: Cnet