Lenovo Mirage Solo — specification and verdict
The Mirage Solo put Google's WorldSense inside-out tracking into an all-in-one headset: two cameras, 6DoF head movement, no phone and no base stations. Per eye it shows 1280x1440 on a single LCD at 75 Hz across roughly 110 degrees diagonal, which is enough for large signage and machinery outlines but not for small labels, gauge faces or dense procedure text. Everything renders on a Snapdragon 835 with 4 GB of RAM, so content has to be built to 2018 mobile budgets. The bigger limit for training is input: the bundled Mirage Solo Controller is a 3DoF trackpad wand, so a trainee can point and select but cannot reach out with two tracked hands. Runtime is about 150 minutes on the 4000 mAh battery, and content lives on 64 GB of internal storage plus a microSD card.
There is no deployment path left. Google stopped certifying Daydream hardware in 2019 and the Daydream store and VR services were withdrawn afterwards, so a Mirage Solo taken out of a cupboard today has no place to get applications from except manual sideloading over USB-C. Lenovo publishes no fleet management or kiosk mode for it, offers no enterprise licensing, and its own product page no longer serves. Hygiene is a fixed foam facial interface with no swappable alternative, which is the wrong answer for a shared headset. In Poland and Germany it exists only on the used market, with no warranty and no spare parts channel.
Do not buy one for training, and do not budget for reviving a set you already own. Our courses need a current standalone Android headset with two 6DoF controllers; the Mirage Solo has neither the platform nor the input for them. As a museum piece it is interesting, as a 2026 training device it is not.
How it compares within its class
The axis runs from the lowest to the highest published figure among the VR — standalone devices in this catalogue. The grey tick is the median of that class.
Median for this class: $624, from 36 models that publish the figure.
Controllers and hand tracking
Mirage Solo Controller
3DoF
A Daydream controller in all but name — trackpad, two buttons, rotation only — on a headset whose own tracking was full 6DoF. A head that could move and a hand that could not is exactly what dated that generation.
In the boxHow it is tracked
Rotation only (IMU)
The controller knows which way it points but not where it is: it aims like a laser pointer and cannot reach into the scene.
The controller itself
- Controller inputs
- trackpad · face buttons · side buttons
Other controllers
This headset’s own controllers only
Bare hands
No hand tracking — a controller is the only way in.
Full specification
An em dash means the manufacturer does not publish that figure.
- ManufacturerWho makes it — and who you buy support from.
- Lenovo
- CategoryWhich kind of product this is. It decides which rows below make sense at all.
- VR — standalone
- Device typeWhere the computing happens, and therefore what you need to run it.
- Standalone VR
- AnnouncedThe day it was shown, which is not the day it shipped.
- 2018-01-09
- ReleasedYear the model went on sale. Older is not automatically worse in this category.
- 2018
- AvailabilityWhether you can still order it new today.
- Discontinued in 2019
- Support endsThe date the manufacturer stops supporting it. Decisive for a fleet you are about to buy.
- Support ends: not published by the manufacturer
- PanelThe screen type. micro-OLED gives deeper blacks and higher contrast; LCD is brighter and cheaper.
- LCD
- OpticsThe lenses in front of the panel. Pancake stays sharp closer to the edges than older Fresnel, which decides how much a trainee has to aim their head to read something.
- Optics: not published by the manufacturer
- Eyes coveredOne eye or both. Over a full shift this is a real difference in fatigue.
- Both eyes
- Resolution per eyePixels delivered to each eye. Higher means small text and labels stay readable.
- ≈1280x1440*VRcompare
- Refresh rateImages per second. Higher feels smoother and helps people prone to motion discomfort.
- ≈75 Hz*VRcompare
- Field of viewHow much of your view the image covers. Bigger is more immersive, not automatically better for work.
- ≈110° diagonal*VRcompare estimate
- Pixel densityPixels per degree of view — the honest way to compare sharpness between a headset and a pair of glasses. Higher is sharper. Only shown where somebody published it; we never compute it ourselves.
- Pixel density: not published by the manufacturer
- BrightnessIn a plant or outdoors, brightness decides legibility more than resolution does.
- Brightness: not published by the manufacturer
- WeightThe device alone. Anything above roughly 150 g is felt within an hour.
- Weight: not published by the manufacturer
- Visible field of viewWhat the eye actually sees through the optics, by axis.
- Visible field of view: not published by the manufacturer
- Rendered field of viewWhat the device draws. Never smaller than what you see.
- Rendered field of view: not published by the manufacturer
- Binocular overlapWhere both eyes see the same thing — this is where depth happens.
- Binocular overlap: not published by the manufacturer
- Average pixel densityPixels per degree across the image. More is sharper.
- Average pixel density: not published by the manufacturer
- Peak pixel densityThe sharpest point, usually the centre of the lens.
- Peak pixel density: not published by the manufacturer
- Subpixel layoutHow the coloured dots sit in a pixel. A stripe looks cleaner on text than PenTile.
- RGB stripe · 3 subpixels per pixel
- Foveated renderingWhether detail is dropped outside where you look, to save performance.
- Foveated rendering: not published by the manufacturer
- PassthroughWhat the front cameras give you: colour, grayscale, or nothing.
- Passthrough: not published by the manufacturer
- Passthrough camerasResolution, density and frame rate of that camera feed.
- Passthrough cameras: not published by the manufacturer
- IPD adjustmentMatching lens spacing to the eyes. Motorised is fastest when one headset passes between people.
- IPD adjustment: not published by the manufacturer
- IPD rangeHow far the lenses travel to match eye spacing. A narrow range excludes part of any group of adults, which matters when one headset is shared.
- IPD range: not published by the manufacturer
- Works with glassesWhether people who wear glasses can use it — fits over them, or takes prescription lens inserts.
- Works with glasses: not published by the manufacturer
- Vision correctionHow somebody who wears glasses uses it, and in what dioptre range.
- Vision correction: not published by the manufacturer
- DimensionsWidth, height and depth of the device itself.
- Dimensions: not published by the manufacturer
- Weight with strapWith the strap it ships with — the weight you actually wear.
- ≈645 g*VRcompare
- Head strapSoft band or a rigid one. Decides how the weight sits over an hour.
- Rigid halo strap
- MaterialsShell and facial interface, in the vendor’s words.
- plastic · foam facial interface
- ColoursColours the manufacturer sells it in.
- White · Black
- Haptics in the headsetVibration in the headset itself, not in the controllers.
- No
- TrackingWhether content stays put in the room (6DoF), follows head rotation (3DoF) or is simply fixed.
- inside-out 6DoF (Google WorldSense)
- Base stationsWhether boxes have to be mounted on the walls before it works.
- Not needed
- Tracking camerasHow many cameras it uses to know where it is.
- 2
- Tracking rateHow often position is recalculated. Higher is steadier.
- Tracking rate: not published by the manufacturer
- Depth sensorA dedicated sensor for distance, on top of the cameras.
- Depth sensor: not published by the manufacturer
- Hand trackingWhether bare hands can operate the interface, without a controller or the phone.
- No
- Eye trackingThe headset knows where the trainee is looking. Enables sharper rendering where they look, and attention analytics.
- No
- Face trackingTracks facial expression — for avatars, not for training scenarios.
- No
- Body trackingHow much of the body the device knows about. Estimated legs are not tracked legs.
- None
- Controllers includedWhether motion controllers come in the box, or are bought separately — or the device is hands-only.
- Yes
- Controller modelThe manufacturer's own name for the controller.
- Mirage Solo Controller
- Controller tracking6DoF controllers track position and rotation, so a hand reaches in space; 3DoF only point. “None” means hands only.
- 3DoF
- Controller tracking methodWhat establishes where the controller is. It decides whether the controller keeps working behind your back or down at your hip — “6DoF” on its own does not say.
- Rotation only (IMU)
- Other controllersWhether the headset works with controllers other than the ones it ships with.
- This headset’s own controllers only
- Finger tracking on the controllerWhether the controller senses individual fingers, and how.
- Finger tracking on the controller: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller inputsButtons, sticks and triggers the controller offers.
- trackpad · face buttons · side buttons
- Controller hapticsVibration feedback in the hand.
- Controller haptics: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller powerDisposable cells or a built-in rechargeable — a fleet question.
- Controller power: not published by the manufacturer
- Controller weightOne controller, as the vendor weighs it.
- Controller weight: not published by the manufacturer
- Other input methodsWays in beyond controllers and bare hands.
- Other input methods: not published by the manufacturer
- PerformanceHow much the headset can run — sharper scenes, more objects, smoother mixed reality. Higher is better.
- Dated — we no longer recommend it
- ProcessorThe processor and memory inside. This is what the performance grade above is derived from.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
- CPUCores and clocks, where the manufacturer publishes them.
- Octa-core Kryo 280 (4 x 2.45 GHz + 4 x 1.9 GHz)
- GPUThe graphics part of the chip.
- Adreno 540
- MemoryRAM on the device. Together with the chipset it sets how complex a scene can be.
- 4 GB
- PlatformThe platform an application is built against — and what an MDM has to speak.
- Android (Google Daydream)
- StorageOn-board space for downloaded courses. More matters for an offline library in several languages.
- ≈64 GB*Notebookcheck
- SD card slotWhether storage can be added with a card.
- Yes
- BatteryRuntime as the manufacturer states it. A hot-swappable pack matters more than the figure.
- ≈150 min*VRcompare
- Battery capacity (Wh)Energy in the cell. Bigger is longer, given the same power draw.
- Battery capacity (Wh): not published by the manufacturer
- Battery capacity (mAh)The same fact in the other unit vendors use. We never convert between the two.
- 4000 mAh
- Charge timeFrom empty to full. Rarely stated by the manufacturer, so it usually comes from whoever timed it.
- Charge time: not published by the manufacturer
- ChargerPower of the supplied charger — it decides the charge time above.
- Charger: not published by the manufacturer
- External batteryBattery on a cable or a puck instead of on the head.
- External battery: not published by the manufacturer
- Charging caseExtra runtime carried in the case the glasses ship with.
- Charging case: not published by the manufacturer
- Hot-swap batteryWhether a charged battery can replace the empty one without ending the session. This is what decides if a headset can hold an all-day training station.
- Hot-swap battery: not published by the manufacturer
- Runs Skillsive appsOur own statement about whether Skillsive training applications run on it today.
- No
- Suitable for trainingOur judgement on whether it survives real deployment: comfort, hygiene, fleet management.
- No
- Kiosk mode / MDMVendor tooling to enrol devices, push an app and lock the headset to it. Practically required above ten devices.
- No
- Business tierAn official business tier, so devices belong to the company rather than to employees’ personal accounts.
- No
- Swappable facial interfaceRemovable, wipeable face padding. A consumable, and the difference between shared use and complaints.
- Swappable facial interface: not published by the manufacturer
- CertificationsIndustrial certifications stated on the manufacturer's own page. Empty means unconfirmed, never "probably fine".
- Certifications: not published by the manufacturer
- PortsPhysical sockets and charging contacts.
- USB Type-C · headphone jack
- Wi-FiThe Wi-Fi generation — it decides how well wireless streaming holds up.
- Wi-Fi
- BluetoothFor controllers, headphones and accessories.
- 5.0
- Video from a computerWhether a computer can drive it, over a cable or wirelessly.
- Video from a computer: not published by the manufacturer
- AudioBuilt-in sound. Matters most where somebody has to hear a remote expert while working.
- Headphone jack
- MicrophoneBuilt-in microphone — the other half of talking to a remote expert.
- Yes
- MicrophonesHow many. An array picks a voice out of a noisy hall; one does not.
- 2
- Price bandThe band it sits in, rather than a price that goes stale.
- Mid range
- Launch priceThe manufacturer's launch price. Fixed history, so it never goes stale.
- $400
- Price by configurationWhat each configuration cost at launch.
- Price by configuration: not published by the manufacturer
- Price todayApproximate current net price in USD — a general figure, since these barely differ between regions once tax is stripped out. A snapshot from the date shown, not an offer.
- Price today: not published by the manufacturer
- Comfort (from reviews)How it wears over a full session. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers, not from our own testing.
- Comfort (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer
- Edge clarity (from reviews)Sharpness away from the centre of the lens. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers.
- Edge clarity (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer
- Tracking reliability (from reviews)How tracking holds up in poor light and fast movement. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers.
- Tracking reliability (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer
- Hand tracking quality (from reviews)How usable controller-free hand tracking is in a training scenario. Scored from agreement between reviewers.
- Hand tracking quality (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer
Who this device is for
Relevant only to two groups: people documenting the standalone VR generation that preceded today's headsets, and schools or training centres that bought Mirage Solo units in 2018 and need a clear answer that the fleet is finished rather than fixable. Anybody planning new VR training should read this entry as a warning about platform risk, not as an option.
What is missing, and what the manufacturer does not publish
Lenovo's own product page and pressroom release both return 403 and no archived copy was reachable in this session, so every figure here rests on level-2 sources. Lenovo never published dimensions, a headset-only weight without the halo strap, or a lens type — reviewers describe custom Fresnel lenses, but that is not the maker's own word. There is no IPD range because the headset has no IPD adjustment at all: the single shared panel leaves nothing to move, as Road to VR and Tom's Hardware both note. No brightness figure in nits was ever quoted for the 5.5-inch LCD, and the passthrough through the two tracking cameras is described nowhere in colour or resolution terms. Battery claims disagree: 2.5 hours of use against a separate up-to-7-hours figure, and we kept the shorter one. No official end-of-support date for Daydream on this headset was ever announced.
Lenovo Mirage Solo in independent reviews
Reviews we consider worth your time, each with a note on what the reviewer actually tested and why it matters for a training rollout. We do not own this hardware, so the tests are theirs — the reading of them is ours.
- Adam Savage’s Tested2018
Focuses on WorldSense, the inside-out tracking that gave this headset six degrees of freedom without external sensors. That was genuinely new in a standalone at the time and is why the Mirage Solo is worth remembering at all.
Watch on YouTube - MRTV - MIXED REALITY TV2018
A review built as a direct comparison against the Oculus Go, which is exactly the choice institutional buyers faced in 2018: three degrees of freedom and cheap, or six and not.
Watch on YouTube - Engadget2018
The mainstream press verdict on a Daydream headset in the year Google's platform was already losing momentum. Useful as the outside view on a device whose fate was decided by software support rather than hardware.
Watch on YouTube
Nothing is sent to YouTube until you press play. Once you do, Google receives your IP address and device data and may process them outside the EEA — see our privacy policy for the details.
Lenovo Mirage Solo — frequently asked questions
- Does the Lenovo Mirage Solo still work now that Google shut down Daydream?
- The hardware boots and the WorldSense tracking still works, but the software side is gone. Google stopped certifying Daydream devices in 2019, removed Daydream titles from the store, and later stopped letting new users install Google VR Services. In practice you get a headset that can only run whatever was already installed on it or an APK you sideload yourself over USB-C.
- Why does the Mirage Solo track the head in 6DoF but the controller only in 3DoF?
- WorldSense uses the two cameras on the front of the headset to track the headset itself, and Lenovo never gave the bundled Mirage Solo Controller anything to be tracked by. The controller is the Daydream trackpad wand with face and side buttons, so it reports rotation only. That is why a trainee can look around a scene and point at it, but cannot pick anything up with two hands, which is what our courses are built around.
- Our school bought Mirage Solo headsets in 2018, what do we replace them with?
- Treat them as end of life rather than as a fleet to rescue. A Snapdragon 835 with 4 GB of RAM and a 1280x1440 per-eye LCD is below what current training content targets, and the 3DoF controller rules out hands-on tasks regardless of the processor. Move to a current standalone Android headset with two 6DoF controllers and a vendor-supported fleet management tool, and keep the Mirage Solo units only for 360-degree video you already hold locally.
Compare this device
Consider these too
The nearest devices in the same class, ranked by availability and launch price — not by our opinion of them.
The manufacturer publishes no specification page for this device, so the figures were checked against a third-party database on 2026-08-10. Third-party specification database
Product and company names used here are the trademarks of their respective owners and appear only to identify the hardware being compared. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any of these manufacturers. Illustrations are our own.