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Asus ‘ZenFone AR’ Google Tango, Daydream VR Phone Launched, Specs Revealed

    Categories: Android DaydreamAugmented RealityCES 2017Google DaydreamGoogle TangoGoogle VRNews

Asus have officially unveiled their new Google Tango and Daydream VR certified phone at a press conference at CES 2017 in Las Vegas and the new device packs some impressive hardware inside it’s sleek exterior. Here’s the specs in full.

As per leaked details which made their way on to the web yesterday, Asus has now officially unveiled their Google Tango and Daydream VR certified smartphone to the world, all at a special press conference at CES in Las Vegas and it’s an attractive package. Here are the specs announced thus far.

Asus ZenFone AR Specs:

  • OS: Android 7 (Nougat)
  • RAM: 8GB
  • Screen: 5.7″ 1440 x 2560 AMOLED
  • Cameras: Asus ‘TriCam’ Comprising 3 Rear Sensors.
    • Primary Camera 23mp ‘Sony IMX318’ Image sensor.
  • Processing: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC with Adreno 530 GPU

Asus claims the ZenFone AR is the first to ship with a hefty 8GB of RAM. Along with that, the company talked up those Google Tango credentials, as the phone ships with 3 onboard image sensors, a primary RGB 23MP affair as well as 2 additional depth sensing devices. This array of course provides the necessary data for Google’s Tango computer vision augmented reality to map real environments with spatial information, captured such that the scanned data can be realised and manipulated instantly inside the phone or pulled out to use in other applications. Augmented reality applications can leverage the TriCam array for SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) inside out tracking which allows the device to gauge its movement through 3D space, allowing augmented imagery to be overlaid convincingly on to a real-world environment. That’s the theory at least.

Finally, the ZenFone AR joins the exclusive Daydream VR certified club, offering a nice alternative to Google’s Pixel phone series. ZenFone AR’s screen is 5.7 inches, larger than the Pixel XL’s with the same resolution, 1440p. Thanks to that Daydream certification though, it’ll work just fine inside Google’s ‘View’ VR headset, launched alongside the Pixel last year.

Up until now Google’s Tango has been an awkward curio, originally relegated to bulky unattractive phones and tablets. The Asus ZenFone AR, now offers both Tango and Daydream functionality in an attractive, every-day package hopefully giving both initiatives a boost with potential mainstream audiences.

There’s no launch date or price yet set for the Asus ZenFone AR.