Yezz (remember them?) announced the launch of the Andy 5VR and Andy 5.5VR smartphones, which are Android devices that seemingly offer a smooth virtual reality experience out of the box by providing all the accessories needed.
Yezz is offering two different starting models: the Andy 5VR and Andy 5.5VR. Each bundle will include a Google Cardboard V2.0 viewer, and both devices feature a 1.3 GHz quad core processor and 8 GB of internal storage with optional configurations of up to 64 GB. GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi come standard with both devices, and the phones come preloaded with Android Lollipop version 5.1.
The two offerings are vastly different from there, with the Andy 5VR offering a more budget-friendly configuration with an 854 x 480 pixel (FWVGA) 5-inch IPS screen, a 2000 mAh battery, and 3G connectivity. The Andy 5VR also features a 2 MP front camera and 8 MP rear camera.
Scaling up on the feature set, the Andy 5.5VR instead offers a slightly larger and better-quality 5.5-inch HD IPS screen, a 3000 mAh battery, and 4G LTE bandwidth. The cameras on the Andy 5.5VR are also more powerful, with a 5 MP front camera and an impressive 13 MP rear camera, both with flash.
Although a 1.3 GHz quad core processor is a decent amount of power under the hood, bundling a smartphone with a Google Cardboard viewer hardly makes it “VR ready,” especially considering the relatively low screen resolutions. Yezz is also offering a software package that includes a 360-degree video player, but nothing else that really indicates these phones are going to run smooth with VR content.
The Andy 5VR and Andy 5.5VR smartphones will be available online from Yezz, and at participating retail stores where Yezz products are currently sold, with models ranging from under $99 to $249.
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