The Lenovo Mirage Solo Headset Review

Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream, Standalone VR Headset with Worldsense Body Tracking, Ultra-Crisp QHD Display, Smartly Designed Mobile Headset
  • STANDALONE VR HEADSET: Stow away the phones, expensive PCs and cumbersome cables and just experience awesome VR--without the extra hassle. With Worldsense technology, you can move naturally and truly explore your virtual world, free from external sensors
  • COMFORTABLE DESIGN: Lenovo Mirage Solo's engineered to be so comfortable, you’ll forget you were wearing it. Artfully weight-balanced and coated with breathable, thick padding, it's adjustable to your precise measurements. Mirage Solo sports a stand-out look that begs to be worn, while gesturing to the future. VR has never been so appealing

I was looking for an affordable standalone headset for quite long.

With the Lenovo Mirage Solo, my search ends. The Solo promises a great VR experience without the need to spend big bucks on a top-end smartphone or a VR compatible pc.

If you’re a fan of Google phones, you will prefer this headset as it uses the same interface as Google’s phone-powered Daydream View mobile headset.

In this useful guide, I uncover the features of the device that make it stand out amongst its peers.

Things to Consider Before Buying the Lenovo Mirage Solo Headset

In the mobile Vr category, the Mirage Solo shines bright. It gives a smooth virtual reality experience with the classic six-degrees of freedom (6DoF). Its inside out sensors allow you to easily move around
using the convenient Google Daydream platform.

If you prefer using just the headset to immerse yourself into your favorite virtual reality game or movie, you will like the Solo. It is a great option for all those extended gaming and movie binge watching sessions as its battery power is one the best in the category. Its weight may become an issue though. The Mirage Solo is one of the heaviest headsets that currently sit on the market, weight in at 22.7 ounces.

The affordable price coupled with high quality mobile VR is quite hard to miss. If you want to try out VR, then the Solo is a good option as it’s a package in itself. If you are looking for a fantastic standalone VR experience, the Solo qualifies quite well. No need to get other accessories such as a pricey vr compatible pc or smartphone to power the headset.

The headset has two front-facing cameras that allow you to enable WorldSense tracking.

The area in which you can move is limited though. If you go beyond the standard area of one square meter, the game will pause until you are back inside the perimeter.

Presenting the Lenovo Mirage Solo

Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream, Standalone VR Headset with Worldsense Body Tracking, Ultra-Crisp QHD Display, Smartly Designed Mobile Headset
  • STANDALONE VR HEADSET: Stow away the phones, expensive PCs and cumbersome cables and just experience awesome VR--without the extra hassle. With Worldsense technology, you can move naturally and truly explore your virtual world, free from external sensors
  • COMFORTABLE DESIGN: Lenovo Mirage Solo's engineered to be so comfortable, you’ll forget you were wearing it. Artfully weight-balanced and coated with breathable, thick padding, it's adjustable to your precise measurements. Mirage Solo sports a stand-out look that begs to be worn, while gesturing to the future. VR has never been so appealing

Google and Lenovo collaborated to come up with this wireless headset. The headset is convenient to use and connects to the Google Play Store where you can get all the games and apps you want.

Get a strong screen resolution of 2560 x 1440 with picture perfect graphics. The Mirage Solo comes with a robust Snapdragon 835 processor that is a leg up on the Oculus Go model.

What’s in The Box

When unboxing the Lenovo Mirage Solo Headset, you should see the below items:

Apart from all the accessories, you will find the below items to help you get started:

Specification

The Lenovo Mirage Solo Headset comes in the color white and grey with dimensions of 10.6 x 8 x 7.1 inches with a 5.5” screen size. It’s operating system is Daydream 2.0 with a screen resolution of QHD 2560×1440. You get 4GB of RAM and can expand the memory by inserting in a microSD card in the given card slot.

Key controls are positioned on the headset so you can use the Volume key, adjustment dial, and quick release button quite easily.

Pros
Cons

The Solo offers a customized audio jack to fit in the 3.5mm VR optimized earphones included with the headset.

Features and Benefits

Battery

When it comes to VR devices, battery life is a big deal. The Lenovo Mirage Solo comes with a 4,000-mAh battery and is said to last 2.5 hours with continuous use. I used it for watching vr videos and also played some games and it lasted for a full 3 hours.

VR Experience

I have to say that the Solo has robust visuals with good detailing and color display.

With the WorldSense Motion Tracking technology, I was able to conveniently move around in my virtual reality world with six degrees of freedom.

Although the space is limited, you do get a one square foot area for moving around.

Design

One great thing about the Lenovo Mirage Solo Headset is the fact that it’s wireless.

You can connect the headset with your Wifi and download all the games, apps and other content that you need.

The headset is designed to be light and is adjustable with a balanced load distribution.

There is no friction or strain against your nose when you wear it. You can also adjust the headset to make sure it’s a comfortable fit for your head.

I quite like the feature of the thick foam cushion on the set made of breathable fabric.

Its shape has a curve that nicely rest on the natural curve of your forehead.

Display

The headset is 5.5” with a LCD display type. There are two Fresnel-Aspheric 110-degree FOV lens and it offers a color depth of 16.7 million. The resolution is the most impressive thing about the headset since it’s a QHD 2560×1440. The display resolution is the same as that in the the Oculus Go.

There are dual 6-Degrees-of-Freedom Tracking cameras built-in that help track every movement you make while wearing the headset.

Audio

The device comes with a pair of 3.5mm VR optimized earphones. This is great because the earphones are specially designed for this headset and make the audio very immersive.

Controller

It comes with a single 3DOG controller. Though it is quite lightweight, you get only rotational directions.

I found the touchpad to be extremely responsive. It allowed me to return to the home screen with a single press. To reset the headset setting and orientation, give the touchpad, a single long press.

There is a set of volume buttons that sit along the right side of the controller and a USB Type-C port at the bottom of the controller so you can easily charge it.

Contents

With the Lenovo Mirage Solo headset, you have over 250 Daydream apps that you can use within the headset.

The apps include gaming to VR travel and even live events. Some of the most notable apps include:

Creating your content on the Lenovo Mirage solo is easy. If you get the Mirage Camera, you can create your content and upload it to the Solo to view. Once content is ready, you can send it directly to friends or upload it onto YouTube. The Mirage camera comes in a separate bundle that you can purchase separately.

Contents

Setting up the headset is relatively simple. Since it is a standalone headset, you don’t need to attach any other pc or smartphone to it. To set up your headset, you need to do the following:

What Other People Think about It?

I noticed that many reviews were quite positive about the Lenovo Mirage Solo. Most reviewers liked the robust battery life, smart design and the fact that it is a standalone headset. Many users appreciated the Daydream platform and its user-friendly interface.

They found that the device fit well and didn’t move around on the head too much. Other reviewers enjoyed that the headset had a long battery life that lasted between two to three hours, which is rare for a VR headset.

Alternatives

When it comes to headsets that are comparable to the Lenovo Mirage Solo Headset, you have three options. Let’s know more about each of them.

PlayStation PSVR

Sale
Sony PlayStation VR
  • Contains: PlayStation VR headset, Processor unit, PlayStation VR headset connection cable, HDMI cable, USB cable, Stereo headphones, AC power cord, AC adaptor, PlayStation VR Demo Disc
  • Games Come First - With gamers in mind, PlayStation delivers a new world of unexpected gaming experiences through PlayStation VR

The PlayStation PSVR transports you into a new world and spoils you for choice with its more than 200 games and apps library. You can add in the controllers that are similar to the ones that come with the Mirage Solo, though you will need to get the bundle at an additional cost.

The PSVR differs from the Solo as it requires the Playstation Console to operate and the DualShock 4 controller to use it.

With key specifications like a 5.7-inch OLED screen, integrated microphone, accelerometer, and gyroscopes the specs for the PSVR would delight you if compared to the Lenovo Mirage Solo headset. The 100-degree field of view helps to get an immersive experience.

The PSVR has some of the top-rated games when it comes to virtual reality games. Majority of the apps and games are free, similar to the Lenovo Mirage Solo app library. Few of them include:

 

PSVR

Lenovo Mirage Solo

Controller

Yes

Yes

Wireless

No

Yes

System Required

Yes

No

Headphones included

Yes

Yes

 

PSVR is an excellent headset for anybody who loves both gaming and using a variety of apps. PSVR is a total package if you prefer using controllers and playing on a tethered console.

You can find most of the newly released top-rated games on the PSVR, so get your hands on one if you are an avid gamer. You will require a bigger budget though as the PS4 console and the VR controllers, both will be needed with the headset to get a fantastic VR experience.

Oculus Go

Oculus Go Standalone Virtual Reality Headset - 64GB
  • Personal Viewing: The littlest, big screen. Crystal clear optics and state-of-the-art 3D graphics make your headset feel more like a personal theater
  • Viewing with Friends: Watch with friends. Meet up in VR with friends and fans from around the world to catch live sports, concerts, or just your favorite TV show

The Oculus Go is a standalone headset, similar to the Mirage Solo. It offers 3 degrees of freedom with a resolution of 2560×1440 on a 5.5-inch screen. I found it to be a useful feature for enhancing the resolution, but it did make the headset quite jerky, even nauseous at times.

With a weight of 468g, the device is lightweight and easy to wear for a prolonged period. When it comes to storage space, the Oculus Go gives you two options, 32GB or 64GB.

You get high-quality video and audio on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 mobile platform. It also consumes less power and can easily become your must-have travel accessory. It is portable and can be easily lugged around without the need to pack in any additional wires or other equipment.

The unique feature of the Oculus Go is the built-in audio. Spatial audio is the sound system that comes with the device. It elevates the immersive sound experience without the addition of any headphones. If you’re not a fan of the built-in headphones, the Oculus Go also comes with a 3.5 mm audio jack where you can plug in your favorite pair.

The Oculus Go comes with over 1000 apps, movies, games, and short-form VR experiences, that scores over the Lenovo library. Some of the best apps and games to use for the Oculus include:

 

Oculus Go

Lenovo Mirage Solo

Controller

Yes

Yes

Wireless

Yes

Yes

System Required

No

No

Headphones included

No

Yes

Both Oculus Go and Mirage Solo are standalone headsets with prices positioned in the same range. I found their controllers to be quite similar too.

If you love hanging with your friends, then you can take advantage of the Viewing with Friends feature, which allows users to meet up with their buddies in a virtual world. You can also view live sports or television shows on the go.

HTC Vive Pro

Sale
HTC VIVE Pro Virtual Reality Full System
  • STEAM VR 2.0 TRACKING - From seated to standing to full 22’11”’ x 22’11” room-scale. Ideal for multi-user environments for sub-millimeter tracking accuracy
  • HIGH RESOLUTION DISPLAY - Dual-OLED displays with industry leading resolution of 2880 x 1600 pixels for unparalleled visual fidelity of graphics, text, and textures

The HTC Vive Pro is a remastered and pricier version of the Vive. You get an OLED display with 1440×1600 and comes with a 100-degree field of view, which is standard for most headsets.

It is lightweight and easy to wear. To get the perfect fit with the Vive Pro, you use a small knob on the back of the headset to tighten or loosen it into place. A great addition to the Vive Pro is the built-in headphones. I like the fact that they have comfortable padding to allow for extended gaming sessions.

You can buy the two HTC Lighthouse sensors and VR controllers separately, though it can become steep.

Enjoy loads of apps, games, and video in the VivePort subscription. It comes with the Pro and includes:

 

HTC Vive Pro

Lenovo Mirage Solo

Controller

Yes

Yes

Wireless

Yes

Yes

System Required

No

No

Headphones included

Yes

Yes

The HTC Vive Pro is a fantastic headset with a lot of great features, but the high price tag may disappoint.
The comfort factor and extended hours of game time are the best things in the Vive Pro.

If you have willing to spend your dollars on a good headset to get a great VR experience, get the Vive Pro.
With the headphones’ built-in in the headset, your experience will undoubtedly be delightful, every time you get them on.

Conclusion

The Lenovo Mirage Solo Headset offers you an immersive VR experience without being tied down by wires.

If you prefer using standalone devices, then this is perfect for you since it doesn’t require any other equipment or accessory to operate.

Due to the adjustable straps and lever that helps secure the headset to your face, it offers a comfortable fit for everyone without the issues of continually having to adjust. The battery life is one of the best features for this headset since it can hold a charge for two to three hours, something we typically don’t see with other VR headsets.

If you want to try the Lenovo Mirage Solo Headset out for yourself, click here.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Articles:
Got Virtual Reality Questions? Search This Site!
Search
Scroll to Top
Scroll to Top