ZTE unveils an Android tablet that doubles up as a portable projector

Chinese manufacturer ZTE is at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to present its latest range of devices, including one curiosity -- the Spro Plus -- a hybrid gadget that's a portable projector and a touchscreen tablet all rolled into one.

 

As a successor to the Spro 2 -- ZTE's Android pico projector with built-in touch screen -- the ZTE Spro Plus has the form factor and power of an Android tablet. Presented at the Barcelona trade fair and due to go on sale by summer 2016, the device has an 8.4-inch screen (2560x1440 pixels), 3GB of RAM, 32 to 128GB of memory (depending on the version) and a microSD card slot

The Spro Plus has a built-in laser projector with brightness up to 500 lumens, which can project an 80-inch image from a distance of 2.4 meters. The projector will be available in WiFi and 4G/WiFi models but there's no word yet on how much this two-in-one might cost. Note that ZTE counts over 500,000 unit sales of its Spro 1 and 2 projectors.

Alongside the Spro Plus, the Chinese manufacturer unveiled its new generation of Blade smartphones -- the V7 and V7 Lite -- at MWC 2016. These are stylish 5.2-inch and 5-inch mid-range Android handsets, expected to land in the spring in selected countries.

ZTE also presented an original accessory, in the form of a connected ring. Dubbed the iCharming, this micro wearable can be used for activity tracking or to take photos via a smartphone camera, and has an SOS function to send an emergency message to a selected contact. As yet, no official release date has been announced.