The Asus Zenfone AR is based on Google's much talked about Project Tango platform.
Asus’ Zenfone AR has long been awaited in the country and as per the latest reports, the smartphone will debut in India this month. The smartphone has been teased by Asus over social media channels repeatedly, hinting that the formal announcement is not far off. The Asus Zenfone AR is a premium smartphone and as the name suggests, focuses on augmented reality (AR). The phone was originally announced at CES 2017 and is the only smartphone that supports both, Tango and Daydream. The phone is now said to be coming to India as early as next week – on July 13.
While there is yet no official word from Asus regarding the device, an IANS report claims that the phone is arriving in the country on July 13. While initial rumors suggested that the phone will launch in August, looks like the announcement will now be made earlier. Along with the Asus ZenFone AR, Asus is also expected to announce five other smartphones in the country. While the ZenFone AR was initially believed to be the first smartphone with 8GB of RAM to launch in India, the feat has already been accomplished by the OnePlus 5.
Asus ZenFone AR specifications
The highlight of the Asus ZenFone AR is the rear camera, which comes with three sensors to support Google Tango as well as Daydream functionality. Of the three cameras, the main camera comes with a 23-megapixel resolution and supports optical image stabilization (OIS) with 4K recording. The other two cameras come with motion tracking and depth sensing functionalities. Combined together, the three cameras create a 3D effect to an object. The 3D image blends into the background on the smartphone and creates an immersive experience. The main camera comes with a f/2.0 aperture and all the three cameras come with Sony sensors. The front selfie shooter is 8-megapixel. ALSO READ: Asus ZenFone 3 Max (ZC520TL), ZenPad 3S 10 (Z500M) start receiving Android 7.0 Nougat update
The device comes with a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED QHD display and runs Android Nougat 7.0 OS out-of-the-box. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 821 SoC and 6GB/8GB RAM. Internationally, during launch, the smartphone was announced in multiple internal memory variants - 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. However, it is unclear which of the variants will be announced in India. As the teasers shared over Twitter mentioned just the 8GB RAM variant, it is likely that Asus will announce just the single RAM version in India along with a limited internal storage options. The storage can further be expanded to 2TB using external memory card slot. The phone comes with 3,300mAh battery.
Asus ZenFone AR will compete with the flagship smartphones in India and be priced in the premium segment. Recent leaks have suggested that the smartphone will be priced at RM3,799 in Malaysia, where it will be announced before India, on July 10. That places the approximate price of the smartphone at Rs 57,250 in India. ALSO READ: Asus ZenFone AR hands-on and first impressions: Future of Augmented reality seems bright