Stuff knows Chinese brand Dreame as a manufacturer of robot vacuum cleaners. The company has revealed (for the second time) its Aurora lineup, which doesn’t feature the company’s typical tech. The range is supposed to comprise three smartphones, and from any other company, we’d think that was incredibly weird.
But since Dreame also has designs on action cams and hypercars, perhaps it can pull off a smartphone launch too. Only, the Aurora range is supposed to be three phones. Revealed to the Western world at an event last week, the phones talk a big game.
Aurora sighted?
Whether the Aurora or its Nex and Lux variants ever make it to market remains to be seen. The brand’s original Chinese announcement detailed some impressive features for the Nex LS1, which is an already-risky design. Modular phones have been tried before, but a detachable camera sensor could find a few fans. The Nex LS1’s proposed sensor looks like a hockey puck (or a miniature version of one of Dreame’s vacuum cleaners), but it might confer decent camera capabilities on a phone.
The Lux model is exactly what it sounds like — a luxury phone. If only one of these is dropped from the lineup, it would be this one. Dreame promises “heirloom-grade” materials for this model, with pricing projected to start from around R165,000. That would be the precious metals and gems the Chinese brand envisions here, but there seem to be no significant tech advantages.
Detailed specs for Dreame’s Aurora lineup are scarce. What we’ve been able to find doesn’t come from anywhere we’re used to looking, but it all seems… believable? The trio is supposed to run Dreame’s Android-based Aurora OS 1.0, with the base model featuring a 200MP main camera and 1in sensor capable of 8K video. A 7,000mAh battery should be in the back.
The Nex LS1 ups this with a series of modular attachments, like an action cam, 50MP telephoto, cooling fan, or an AI agent display, among other features. The Lux will, presumably, follow the Nex LS1’s specs (minus the modular attachment point).
So far, though, all that has been seen are engineering samples. Launching a new smartphone brand has, historically, been an uphill battle. Perhaps Dreame can pull this off. We’ll believe it when we see it, though.
