Of course, the CES 2017 was never going to be an event where major smartphone OEMs would have come in with their 2017 flagships, instead, it was used for launching a series of midrange handsets as well as showcase technologies expected to appear on flagship models that will be announced at the MWC 2017 event next month.
In fact, the MWC event is usually the main mobile phone show where major OEMs come in to showcase their flagships, among them Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, Sony and many others. Still, the CES 2017 didn’t end as another boring event for smartphone lovers, instead, they have something to smile about.
Even though the likes of Huawei Honor 6X, Honor Magic, and ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom were on the show, it is the latter company’s ZenFone AR Daydream-ready and Tango-enabled smartphone that for sure stole the show. Not so many were expecting to see such a masterpiece from the Taiwanese company, but it is indeed upon us and there is no doubt that we love it.
For starters, ASUS ZenFone AR is the world’s first phone to come with support for both Tango (AR) and Daydream (VR). The phone also comes with an impressive set of specs and features, but it is the idea of supporting both AR and VR that will blow out the rest of the competition. While many Android OEMs out there are looking to be part of these two worlds, not so many are thinking the ASUS way – making a device that supports both platforms – instead, you’ll find devices that support either of the two.
Google launched Daydream VR last year and as it appears, many OEMs are leaning towards this technology than they are towards Tango. In short, there are currently more devices coming in with support for Daydream VR than those that support Tango AR. Given that the ASUS ZenFone AR naming takes inspiration from the latter technology, it appears that support for Daydream VR is only coming in as a side note.
As far as the specs and features are concerned, the ASUS ZenFone AR has a 5.7-inch QHD display, meaning you get a 2560 x 1440 pixels resolution. Under the hood, the ZenFone AR has a powerful Snapdragon 821 processor running the show and this is paired with a massive RAM of 6GB. There is 32GB of storage, but there should be more storage options coming in alongside an even better 8GB RAM model in the near future.
The back of the ASUS ZenFone AR flagship will come with a 23MP snapper that ships with all the extra sensors needed to bring out the best of Tango AR while the front has an 8MP snapper. To keep the lights on, the AR-based phone has a huge 3300mAh battery that is supported by Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology. This battery is recharged via a USB-C port while Android 7.0 Nougat is at the heart of the software show.
At the time of launch, ASUS ZenFone AR was only confirmed to be coming somewhere in Q2 2017, but there was no mention of a specific date as to when this will be happening. Furthermore, the company said nothing about the possible price of the handset when it is released, but from the look of things, this should be one hell of an expensive phone, unless ASUS has other ideas in mind.
It is also unclear which markets shall end up seeing the just-launched ASUS ZenFone AR handset, but more details about the release date and price should appear in the near future. We will keep tabs on the matter and bring you the latest updates and news regarding this Daydream-ready and Tango-enabled ASUS smartphone.
What do you think about this ASUS ZenFone AR smartphone? Feel free to share your views with us via the comments section.