It has been a long time since we heard anything new occur in the AR scene, especially with mobile phones. Project Tango was a highly-anticipated feature and many were hoping to finally see it in action on phones. People won’t have to wait any more now, the new ZenFone AR will be among the first phones apart from Lenovo to come equipped with Google’s AR solution.
Asus Zenfone AR
Google had confirmed to press that the phone will be launched in the summer of this year, which means that people hoping to get their hands on the device will have to wait a little more patiently. Thanks to Project Tango, the device will be able to map out an entire room and place objects to scale more efficiently, that offer a sense of depth to the users. Google is also hoping to use the ZenFone in their classroom initiative – Expeditions AR, which should be beneficial to those learning in school and especially for the architectural backgrounds.
The new ZenFone will be released with Verizon and will feature a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with 2K resolution. Protecting the display is a Gorilla glass 4 layer, and the front of the phone is expected to be covered by 79% by the display alone. The phone is not only AR capable but also VR capable, making Project Tango and Daydream work seamlessly. The computing power is made possible thanks to the Snapdragon 821 processor with 8GB of RAM so that the applications can keep up with the demanding power of the phone.
But camera and power are not the only biggest selling points of the phone. In fact, the phone is also said to feature a 5-magnet speaker with Hi-Res Audio and DTS Headphone:X technology along with DTS HD Premium sound. There is also a built-in AMP by NXP to provide high-level volume output, meaning that the phone will be a blast to listen. Considering the ample specifications, it seems like great flagship contender. However, it has not been confirmed as to whether the phone will be made available carrier-free as well, perhaps making an international release impossible.
It would be possible for the phone to come with Android O installed out of the box instead of Nougat, but it is highly unlikely that any third-party manufacturer will be able to configure Android O that fast. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro was the first mobile platform to offer both Project Tango and VR capabilities and the ZenFone may have well perfected the body of such a device in its iteration, considering the massive screen size and the power it holds.
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