In brief: It’s been a decade since the 3D hype fizzled out, but Chinese consumer electronics company Nubia is seemingly trying to usher in a comeback – this time without glasses. The new RedMagic Tablet 3D Explorer Edition has just launched, boasting a “naked-eye 3D” display that lets you view 3D content without any special eyewear.
It achieves this using a combination of dual 3D cameras on the front that track where you’re looking and something Nubia calls the “micron-level liquid crystal lens” that’s built into the display.
Basically, the tablet uses its integrated eye-tracking to project separate 3D images into each of your eyes, just like Samsung’s Odyssey 3D monitor. It’s able to do this thanks to the special display which can produce a binocular parallax effect to create real depth perception.
Perhaps the coolest part is that this tablet doesn’t require that photos support 3D right out the gate. It can even convert standard 2D images into 3D on the fly thanks to its Magic Vision engine.
Beyond the 3D tricks, the RedMagic 3D Explorer Edition packs plenty of premium specs under the hood. It’s rocking a buttery smooth 12.1-inch 2560×1600 display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. A bit aged but still fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip powers the experience, paired with up to 16GB RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage.
Besides the two 3D cameras at the front, the tablet also features a similar duo at the back. The rear cameras can capture 3D photos/videos in real-time HDR, and even output in the SBS 3D format. Other goodies include a big 10,000mAh battery with 66W charging, quad speakers, 5G, a full USB-C port, and dual X-axis linear motors for crisp haptics.
The only bad news is that all this tech doesn’t come cheap, starting at around $915 (¥6,499) for the base model or around $1,030 (¥7,299) for the higher storage config. Nubia hasn’t announced global availability either, though there’s still hope considering some of their gaming phones do make it to the US, like the RedMagic 9S Pro.
Of course, the elephant in the room is content. While major franchises like Marvel and Star Wars continue to dabble in 3D movies, the format was never really more than a fad. But Nubia assures buyers that they “don’t have to worry about the lack of 3D sources and content.”
