Asus launches Zenfone AR smartphone featuring Google Tango technology

Asus is now competing other leading brands such Samsung, Apple, LG and Sony to be known as the best smartphone maker that makes it more interesting.

Cristiano Amon, Executive Vice President of Qualcomm, stressed the processor was a flawless fit for “a flagship Tango enabled device like the ZenFone AR”.

ASUS has just announced the ZenFone 3 AR, which implements both Google’s DayDream VR API as well as Google’s Tango AR platform.

Powering the ZenFone 3 Zoom is a Snapdragon 625 processor and a 5.5-inch FHD AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla 5 protective layer.

The ZenFone 3 Zoom will be available starting February 2017 and prices for different variants will be announced at the time of local release. However, the smartphone is not restricted only to photography and also comes with a massive battery. Users can switch between the two to achieve a 2.3X optical zoom. The camera has a few special modes: 4-axis OIS photo, 3-axis EIS video stabilization, Super Resolution (92MP photos by capturing and combining four native 23MP photos), low light, and 4K video recording.

That’s the Zenfone AR, a phone with up to 8GB of onboard RAM, although that will apparently vary depending on the localisation of regional models. On the software front, it runs on Android 7.0 Nougat wrapped under Asus ZenUI on top. The device takes advantage of the company’s “TriCam” system, which includes motion tracking, depth perception, and a 23-megapixel sensor. The app is called DressingRoom and it will allow the Tango phone users to place clothes on virtual mannequins to see and experience how the clothes would look like in the real world scenarios.

Zenfone AR comes with a Fingerprint sensor placed on the Home button and also Built-in Mono 5 magnet speakers.

Regarding the camera system, Asus built two sensors into the back of the ZenFone 3 Zoom. However, the company claims that the Snapdragon 821 processor has been customised for Tango. The new phone is reminiscent of the iPhone 7 Plus at some level though.

Google Daydream on the other hand converts the Zenfone AR into a VR device.