ASUS ZenFone AR, being the world’s first smartphone with 8 GB RAM, is also the first device ever made that incorporates both Google’s Project Tango AR (Augmented Reality) and support for Google’s Daydream VR (Virtual Reality). With a total of three rear cameras having motion tracking and depth sensing abilities, ASUS has stepped into the Augmented Reality platform. This is the start, a smartphone that can change everything, ASUS ZenFone AR is not just a smartphone, but because of its extraordinary capabilities, it is futuristic. We got you 5 awesome facts about the ASUS ZenFone AR and here they are.
1) ASUS ZenFone AR is among the world’s most powerful smartphones
Wondering this power-packed smartphone with 8 GB RAM is powerful enough for all the tasks you throw at? Definitely, yes. The ASUS ZenFone AR is among the world’s most powerful smartphones, packed with a fast 14nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC consisting of four Kyro 280 cores clocked up to 2.34 GHz and Adreno 530 for all those graphic intensive tasks. While Qualcomm has another Snapdragon 835 powerhouse which is the octa-core version of the Snapdragon 821, the latter is ideal and still considered to be very respectable.
Digging deep in the specs, and you will find that the 8 GB RAM uses the faster LPDDR4 type and a 128 GB ROM with UFS 2.0 storage. The storage extends up to 200 GB via microSD and ASUS offers 100 GB Google Drive free space along with 5 GB ASUS WebStorage, lifetime free.
ASUS ZenFone AR specifications:
- CPU: 2.34 GHz Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor
- RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4
- GPU: Adreno 530
- Operating System: ASUS ZenUI 3.0 based on Android 7.0 Nougat
- Display: 5.7-inch QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) Super AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 4 and Blue light filter
- Rear Camera: 23 MP PixelMaster 3.0 with f/2.0 aperture, 6P lens, 4-axis Optical Image Stabilization, 3-axis Electronic Image Stabilization, Depth of Field, 4K video recording at 30 FPS, laser auto-focus, PDAF and dual-LED flash
- Front Camera: 8 MP with f/2.0 aperture and Screen Flash
- Internal Storage: 128 GB UFS 2.0 (also comes with 100 GB Google Drive storage valid for 2 years)
- External Storage: Expandable up to 2 Terabytes via microSD card
- SIM: Dual Hybrid (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM / Nano-SIM + microSD card)
- Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 3.5 mm headphone jack, USB Type-C
- Other: Fingerprint Scanner, IR Sensor, Daydream VR, Tango AR, 5-magnet speaker with NXP Smart Amp, DTS Headphone:X ™ virtual 7.1 surround sound, Dual internal mic with ASUS Noise Reduction Technology
- Battery: 3300 mAh with Power Delivery 2.0, Quick Charge 3.0 and 18W Fast Charging
2) ASUS ZenFone AR is Google Daydream ready
To accomplish the Google Daydream VR compatibility, ASUS has put a 2K AMOLED panel in a 5.7-inch display i.e. it supports a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels which qualifies the Daydream support.
For those who are unaware of the Daydream, Google’s next generation of VR is the Google Daydream. Forget the cardboard, the Daydream is a device that lets you experience the virtual reality even neatly. The Daydream headsets come with their own motion controller remote that connects with smartphones via Bluetooth.
ASUS has put a high-end display on the ZenFone AR, with a contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1 and, 1 ms response time and 2 ms persistence time. Response time refers to how fast the pixels light up and power down as the display changes and Persistence refers to how fast the images take to fade from the pixels. For Virtual Reality, these extremely fast timings are essential ensuring that the scene changes rapidly without blurring since the movements of the user’s head is fast enough. This also prevents motion sickness or headaches caused by it.
3) ASUS ZenFone is Google Tango Certified
The ZenFone AR features Tango AR, a technology by Google that promises to change the way we shop, interact with products, and much more. AR is simply a way to fuse virtual objects into the real world, imagine you put a BMW i8 virtually in your garage using the AR and walk around the car, take a look inside, even change options like the color, seat materials, or add on accessories, everything in real time. It does sound awesome, right?
Similar to human eyes, the ZenFone AR can detect how far are the floors, walls, and objects at a distance and remember the key visual features of a physical space into 3D space. The ZenFone AR can then augment it with graphics or objects that take you to a wonderful new world of entertainment, learning and experiencing life.
This isn’t the first Tango device we have seen, the midrange 6.4-inch Lenovo Phab2 Pro phablet was able to get into the Tango space early, however, we can’t deny the fact that the ZenFone AR is the most powerful Tango device as well.
4) ASUS Tricam – 3 rear cameras empowering Tango
The ASUS next generation camera tech – TriCam combines every technology required for fluid VR and AR experience. There are a total of three rear cameras on the phone being the primary one is 23 MP Sony IMX318 Exmor RS camera that takes incredible shots. Each camera plays a distinct role to empower the Tango.
The 23 MP is the main camera that lets users view virtual objects in the real world with stunning details, the other two are focused on motion tracking and depth sensing abilities. The motion tracking camera tracks the location of the object as it moves through 3D space while the depth sensing camera aids the ZenFone AR to sense its distance from the real world objects by shooting an infrared beam and calculating the time it takes for it to reflect objects and return back.
There are a number of Tango apps available on Google Play store to experience the AR. Augmented Reality is surely a fun if used well if you know what I mean.
5) Immersive Audio experience with DTS technology, NXP AMP
When everything comes premium with ZenFone AR, the audio experience doesn’t compromise. The ZenFone AR offers immersive audio experience with its DTS Headphone:X technology for virtual 7.1 channel surround sound on headphones. For the external speakers, the sound is delivered through a powerful 5-magnet speaker driven by NXP amplifier to squeeze out even louder music without distortion. Music lovers will be excited about its 24-bit Hi-Res Audio. That’s something crazy high-tech audio stuff when it comes to mobile phones.
With all that said, the ASUS ZenFone AR is an impressive smartphone and the company has managed to take it to newer heights.
