Last year at CES in Las Vegas. ZTE announced their first mobile hotspot slash mobile projector all in one. It was a rather unique device. However, it didn’t sell all that well for ZTE last year. In fact, at one of their events this past fall, they asked us, as well as other journalists from other sites why it didn’t sell well here. And what they could do to improve it. The biggest thing we told them was, exclusivity. And that wasn’t just targeted at the Spro (or the Sprint LivePro here in the US) but all of their products. It’s also hard to gauge what type of customer would buy a smart projector, seeing as it’s really just a project0r. Yes it has a hotspot built in, but so does your phone.
The Spro 2 has just been announced. It’s currently going to be available unlocked – which means no exclusive, yay! It can stream 1080p content from Google Play apps, SD cards and more. It’s native resolution is 1280×720. It’s got a 6300mAh battery inside, and also runs on Android 4.4.2. As a mobile hotspot, it can connect up to 8 devices on 4G LTE. With it being unlocked and off contract. It likely will work with T-Mobile and AT&T, but it could also work with Sprint and Verizon out of the box since it’s using 4G LTE and not 3G (which is CDMA on Sprint and Verizon and don’t work with unlocked devices).
“The Spro 2 is the only mobile projector powered by the Android platform or includes a mobile hotspot,” said Jeff Yee, Vice President of Technology Planning and Partnerships at ZTE USA. “You can have an impactful presentation or entertainment experience on a big-screen without planning around a destination. Instead, it’s always with you, from the boardroom to the living room or even outdoors.”
This is still a pretty interesting device here from ZTE. One that might or might not do well. They are targeting the executives that would use projectors for their pitches and such. But I have a feeling that market is pretty small. How many of you would buy a Spro 2? Let us know in the comments below.
