Lenovo has released a new pair of smart spectacles at CES 2021: the ThinkReality A3 smart glasses. The long-rumored Apple Glass may have some stiff competition with ThinkReality A3.
ThinkReality A3 is Lenovo's new line of augmented reality (AR) eyewear meant to allure enterprise markets seeking to strengthen the collaborative spirits of their work-from-home employees.
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CES 2021: Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses specs
The Lenovo ThinkReality A3 can be tethered to a PC or a Motorola phone via USB-C cable. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 CPU for high-quality performance. It's worth noting that the Snapdragon XR1 chip also powers the Glass Enterprise Edition 2, an enterprise-focused pair of spectacles that's similar to ThinkReality A3.
Lenovo's smart glasses feature stereoscopic 1080p displays, an 8MP RGB camera that provides 1080p video for remote use cases, and dual fish-eye cameras for room-scale tracking.
“Whether working in virtual spaces or supporting remote assistance, the ThinkReality A3 enhances workers’ abilities to do more wherever they are,” said Jon Pershke, Lenovo's Vice President of Strategy.
PC Edition
The ThinkReality A3 PC Edition smart glasses can tether to an AMD or Intel-powered laptop, enabling users to position multiple, large virtual monitors in their field of view. Users can also use Windows apps and software tools with the ThinkReality A3 smart glasses.
Industries such as finance, architecture and engineering can benefit from Lenovo's ThinkReality A3 smart glasses, ensuring more productivity, privacy and immersion for workers.
Phone Edition
The phone version of Lenovo's new enterprise smart glasses, officially called "ThinkReality A3 Industrial Edition," tethers to select Motorola smartphone devices to enable a hand-free, AR-supported experience.
The Industrial Edition of the ThinkReality A3 is powered by the ThinkReality software platform and enables users to build, deploy and manage mixed-reality applications and content. Lenovo foresees the ThinkReality A3 benefitting workers in certain environments such as factory floors, laboratories, busy retail settings, hospitality spaces and more.
CES 2021: Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses design
Lenovo says the ThinkReality A3 head-mounted display is "versatile, portable and comfortable." Users also have access to enhanced, industrial frame options for safer, more durable use. The ThinkReality A3 has a sleek, all-black design and fits just like a pair of sunglasses.
On one stem of the glasses, you'll find the word "ThinkReality." Sporting a red dot on the first "I," it's reminiscent of the logo stamped on Lenovo's beloved ThinkPad line.
Bottom line
Tech giants such as Google and Lenovo have zoomed in on the enterprise market for smart glasses as more avant-garde, technology-focused companies seek to increase their workforce's productivity and "cool factor" using AR and VR, but I also can't wait to see more companies target the average consumer for their smart-glass inventions.
Seeing a phone notification before your very eyes — without even having to move a muscle — could be an alluring concept for the general public. Apple is reportedly cooking up a pair of smart glasses as we speak. Whether Lenovo, Apple or Google is the next company to put out consumer-friendly AR glasses, I can't wait to see the public's reception.
The Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses will hit store shelves in select markets worldwide starting in mid-2021.
