The Lenovo Explorer had been my very first Windows Mixed Reality headset and until now it is still one of my favorites. There is a lot of like here and for lots of consumers the Lenovo Explorer will make for a fantastic entry into Virtual Reality at a price point that is hard to beat.
Just like all other Windows MR headsets except the Samsung Odyssey the Lenovo Explorer boasts a resolution of 1440 * 1440 pixels per eye. A very noticeable improvement over both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, which come in at 1080 * 1200 pixels per eye. And even though we are not looking at OLED panels like both Rift and Vive have built in, the visual quality of the Lenovo Explorer is very comparable. And thanks to the better lenses that have far less problems with god rays, overall the visuals look much better than compared to both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
One of the biggest advantages of the Lenovo Explorer over the Windows MR competition is the comfort of the device. Thanks to its minimal weight of only 380g and its high quality padding and PSVR-style architecture, the Lenovo Explorer is an extremely comfortable device and without a doubt the most comfortable of the Windows MR headsets.
Also in terms of FOV the Lenovo Explorer is one of the better Windows MR headsets, only matched by the Asus offerning and surpassed by the Samsung Odyssey. The company claims 110° but probably this claim cannot be uphold, because in direct comparison with the Samsung Odyssey the FOV is smaller here.
Unfortunately the Lenove Explorer does not come with a manual IPD adjustment, so the headset can only be recommended to consumers with an average eye distance of around 64mm. A few millimeters more or less will still be okay, but for more severe deviations from the norm, one should go for a headset that allows manual IPD adjustment, like the Samsung Odyssey, Oculus Rift or the Vive headsets. Also, you will not find headphones and a microphone here, so external solutions must be considered as additional purchase here.
Overall, the Lenovo Explorer is still easy to recommend and without a doubt the best of the cheaper Windows MR headsets.
TheLys
A great device, really. If it wasn’t for the Odyssey I would have kept it. And I wouldn’t say that the difference is worth the difference in price (particularly now), but hey, I could afford it so I changed.
However, even if the Odyssey has an OLED display and so better/brighter colors, the screen of the Lenovo has far less SDE. Don’t be scared by the price drops, it’s one of the best VR devices on the market and ahead of the other non-Samsung WMR headsets in quality.