CES 2017
Asus Zenfone AR hands-on
Introduction
Asus is one of few manufacturers which had more serious smartphone announcements at CES 2017.
We got our hands on the Zenfone AR and we are eager to share our first impressions. The most important thing you must know is the device is equipped with Tango, the Augmented Reality platform that adds an information layer on top of the physical surroundings in 3D using a set of cameras on the back. Tango is Google's technology and Asus are only the second manufacturer to make a phone with it - the first one was the Lenovo Phab2 Pro, which we reviewed recently.
Asus takes the technology a step further with support of Daydream, Google's Virtual Reality, which is built into Android Nougat. Yes, the Zenfone AR supports both AR and VR. So this actually makes it the first flagship with such combination of features.
The Taiwanese manufacturer is also first on the mobile market with 8GB RAM device. Qualcomm supplied them with Snapdragon 821 in order to run effortlessly.
Zenfone AR at a glance:
- Project Tango Augmented Reality
- Daydream Virtual Reality
- 5.7" Super AMOLED display, 515ppi
- Snapdragon 821 chipset: Quad-Core (2x2.35 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6GHz Kryo) CPU, Adreno 530 GPU
- 4/8GB RAM
- 32/64/128/256GB of built-in storage, expandable via the microSD card slot
- 23MP main camera; OIS (4-axis), depth & motion track sensors, 2160p video capture, 8MP selfie camera
- 3300mAh removable battery, QuickCharge 3.0
- Android 7.0 Nougat OS
As you see, all this hardware makes the Zenfone AR a rather intriguing device so you will understand our curiosity. Join us on the next page as we go into further detail.
Asus Zenfone AR hands-on
Asus went all in with this flagship device. The Snapdragon 821 and 8GB RAM is just the beginning - there are lots of features we would like to highlight. Zenfone AR has designated slots for two SIM cards and another one on the side for microSD. You may not even end up using the microSD slot as the phone will be sold with up to 256GB of internal storage.
The main camera is 23 MP and it looks like Asus finally decided to implement one that is worth it. It has depth & motion tracking sensors that come with the integration of Tango. The sensor is 1/2.6" and videos can be recorded in 4K.
The selfie camera is 8MP and this seems enough at this point.
Top • microSD slot • Power & Volume keys • Front
The Super AMOLED display of the Zenfone AR is 5.7" with WQHD resolution (2560x1440) and Gorilla Glass 4.0. The plastic back has a leather-like texture and looks high-tech with all the Tango sensors positioned next to the camera. It doesn't have the Zenfone 3 Deluxe design but at least Asus tried their best to have both good looks and impressive technology. Kudos for that.
Display • Back side • Leather-like texture
Asus went bold with Zenfone AR. Display, RAM, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Camera - everything is done the way we would expect it to be from a flagship phone. Let's just hope it stands the test of time (and our review routine).
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