Asus has introduced its new smartphone Asus Zenfone AR along with Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom at an event at the CES 2017. Asus Zenfone AR is only the second ever device to come with support for Tango, Google’s augmented reality (AR) system after Lenovo Phab2 Pro. But the Zenfone AR also supports Google’s Daydream VR platform built into Android Nougat that makes it the first ever smartphone in the world that is compatible with both Tango AR platform and Google’s Daydream VR platform. This device is designed around machine vision with a camera and sensor setup that provides motion tracking, depth perception, and area learning.
The Zenfone AR features a 5.7-inch (2560 × 1440 pixels) Quad HD Super AMOLED display, which is likely to play major role in virtual reality, with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The phone is powered by a 2.3GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 821 processor coupled with a whopping 8GB/6GB of RAM and Adreno 530 GPU. It runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat) with Zen UI 3.0 out of the box. It comes in different storage variants – 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4 RAM along with 32GB / 64GB / 128GB / 256GB (UFS 2.0) internal storage. It also supports further storage expansion via the hybrid microSD card slot (up to 128GB). To avoid overheating, it has vapour cooling system. It packs 3300mAh non-removable battery.
Asus Zenfone AR sports a 23-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX318 module with TriTech+ autofocus system, dual-PDAF, OIS, EIS, and 4K video recording. The phone has an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with a f/2.0 aperture and an 85-degree wide angle lens.
Asus Zenfone AR (ZS571KL) Specifications
- Display: 5.7-inch (2560 × 1440 pixels) Quad HD Super AMOLED display, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection
- Processor: 2.3GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 821 processor with Adreno 530 GPU
- RAM & Storage: 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4 RAM,32GB / 64GB / 128GB / 256GB (UFS 2.0) internal storage, expandable memory with microSD
- Operating System: Android 7.0 (Nougat) with Zen UI 3.0
- SIM Slot: Hybrid dual SIM (micro+nano/microSD)
- Rear Camera: 23MP camera with dual-tone LED Flash, Sony IMX318 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 6P Largan lens, 4-axis OIS, 3-axis EIS, Laser AF
- Front Camera: 8MP camera, f/2.0 aperture, 85-degree wide viewing angle
- Fingerprint sensor: Yes
- Connectivity Options: 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac5 GHz 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, USB Type-C
- Other Features: Built-in Mono 5 magnet speaker, ASUS SonicMaster 3.0, DTS Headphone: X for virtual 7.1 surround sound Hi-Res Audio 192kHz/24-bit standard, NXP Smart AMP technology
- Dimensions: 158.67 x 77.7 x 4.6 ~ 8.95 mm
- Weight: 170g
- Battery: 3,300mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
- Color Options: Charcoal Black color with leather finish
Price And Availability
The company has not disclosed anything yet about the pricing for the Zenfone AR handset. It is expected to be available starting from Q2 2017.
