Pantech Vega Secret Up announced – high end specs, fingerprint reader and “privacy protected” display

Pantech is ending the year with a high-end phone that will sure turn heads. The device comes with great specs on a 5.6-inch display, essentially making this a “phablet”. The most interesting features go beyond just raw specs, though. This is a bit of a special device, and not only because of its odd name.

Pantech Vega Secret Up specs

• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 5.6-inch 1080p display
• 2.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor
• 2 GB of RAM
• 16 GB of internal storage
• 13 MP camera (with front-facing shooter)
• 3,150 mAh battery

Not bad at all, right? Large screen, powerful processor, and awesome battery life. What else can we ask for? Let’s jump into what makes this smartphone truly unique.

Fingerprint reader

To start things off, the device comes with a fingerprint reader. We haven’t seen this feature being well-implemented yet. Even the iPhone’s fingerprint reader is faulty, according to our very own Kevin Krause. Does this mean the Secret Up’s will be as bad? We don’t know, but we have a hard time believing they can do a better job than Apple, Motorola and HTC.

Privacy protected display?

The next feature is that one that strikes me as odd. Pantech is touting the Secret Up’s “privacy protected” display. The screen is said to only show content to the person using the phone. We are not sure what this means, but it sounds to me like a sorry excuse for covering up lack of good viewing angles.

Nothing is for sure, though. Maybe Pantech really has something up its sleve.

Sound-improving flip case

To finish things up, Pantech will also be selling a flip case that is said to amplify the device’s sound. Vibration is taken into account and it’s supposed to being a concert hall experience to the device. Again… odd, but we won’t judge until we get to test this bad boy.

Pricing and availability

Price is not yet announced, but we can’t expect the Pantech Vega Secret Up to be very affordable. We do know it will be available this month in Korea, though. The phone’s availability in other markets is still anyone’s guess, but we are almost sure this phone will not make it to the US. Most of these devices focus on Asian and European markets.

Would you get a phone with all these odd features, though? I am a bit skeptical about it.

[ZDNet Korea]