CES 2015 attendees didn't have to go far to find new android smart phones. More than a handful made
their debut from the likes of Lenovo, Asus, and ZTE, which took advantage of the spotlight in Las Vegas
to introduce their latest and greatest. Samsung and Sony, however, chose to sit CES 2015 out.
Lenovo offered two Android smart phones: the P90 and the Vibe X2 Pro. The P90 is significant
because it is the first to use Intel's Atom 64-bit Z3560 processor and LTE-Advanced XMM 7262 modem.
One reason Intel continues to trail Qualcomm in the smart phone space is because Qualcomm offers a
broader array of integrated application processors and modems. The Z3560/XMM 7262 aims to fight
Qualcomm head-on in that respect. The P90 features a 5.5-inch full HD display, a 4,000mAh battery, a
13-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front camera, and support for a wide range of LTE networks.
The Lenovo Vibe X2 Pro is a lesser device. It has a 5.3-inch full HD screen but switches to Qualcomm's
64-bit octa-core processor. It also includes a 13-megapixel camera with LED flash and sports a
lightweight metal design. Both phones will go on sale this year, but it is unlikely they'll reach the US.
(Lenovo has said it will use its Motorola brand to target US consumers.)
Asus followed Lenovo with two new android smart phones. The more impressive of the two, the
ZenFone Zoom, targets the shutterbug crowd. It features a 13-megapixel main camera with a 10-element
lens capable of 3x optical zoom. That's quite unique for a smart phone camera, which typically relies on
digital zooming. Asus boosted the capabilities of its camera application, too, giving it a full manual mode
with control over exposure, white balance, and focus. The front camera rates 5 megapixels. The Zenfone
Zoom has a 5.5-inch full HD screen and a 3,000mAh battery. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and is
compatible with the LTE network operated by AT&T. It costs $399.
Android smart phones were plentiful at CES, but some of the industry's biggest players didn't show up.