ASUS ZenFone AR

Asus ZenFone AR (www.asus.com)

Developed by Asus, the ZenFone AR is one of the first phones in the world to boast compliance with Google’s Tango and Daydream standard, making it an attractive gadget for both AR and VR enthusiast. WIth an innovative tri-cam technology that provides great AR/VR immersive experience, Asus ZenFone AR was released in August 2017 in the United States, with a price of $599.

ZenFone AR Display

The ZenFone AR boasts a 5.7 inch, 2560 x 1440 OLED display with great performance and pixel density that rivals Samsung’s smartphones. By default, the display was configured to Super Color mode, that made the color appear more intense than what you perceive in the real world. Users can switch the display to the Standard Color mode for a more realistic appearance of the visuals.

ZenFone AR Software

Powered by Android 7.0 and Asus’ own proprietary Asus ZenUI software, the ZenFone AR lacked the simplicity that Android devices are known. Instead, the phone is preloaded with utilities and apps from ASUS like themes and icon pack. Users can easily remove these additional apps if they find that they are excessive to their requirement.

Zenfone AR Performance

At the heart of Zenfone AR is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. While it is a high-end processor, it is still slightly inferior compared to the Snapdragon 835 processor used in many of its peers like Samsung Galaxy S8 and HTC U11. When pushed to the limit in AR/VR application the ZenFone does show some slight glitch in the frame rate. This may be linked to the Adreno 530 that it is using which is 25% less powerful than the Adreno 540 of its competitors.

ZenFone AR Camera

What truly made ZenFone AR unique is the innovative tri-cam camera that enables the phone to provide accurate tracking for immersive AR experience. The 3 camera system consists of a motion sensing, depth tracking and a 23 MegaPixels main camera. The Main camera features optical image stabilization and phase detection autofocus.

Besides usage in AR application, the back camera has a decent speed of focusing and shooting. It maintains a reasonably well performance in a night shot. The ZenFone AR also has an 8 MegaPixel camera that performs adequately well in taking selfies, even in a dimly lighted environment.

ZenFone Design And Hardware

Unlike its high-end competitors, the physical design of the ZenFone AR is nothing to shout about. It has a plain and conventional design, missing curved glasses commonly spotted in luxurious high-end smartphones. Aesthetic value aside, the phone is not water resistant and a raised home button that also functions as a fingerprint scanner.

The ZenFone AR has a decent capacity of storage, with 64MB built in memory and a MicroSD slot. Its battery is rated at 3300 mAH, and lasted about 4 hours in 3D gaming, much quicker than its peers.

ZenFone AR’s single speaker audio system is remarkably good, producing substantial sound with minimal distortion. It also features a standard headphone jack that is not commonly seen in today’s high-end smartphones.

Technical Specifications

Finish/Color

Black

TriCam™ System

Motion tracking camera lets ZenFone AR track its location as it moves through space
Depth sensing camera with an infrared (IR) projector lets ZenFone AR measure its distance from real-world objects
High-resolution 23MP camera lets you view virtual objects in your actual environment in stunning detail

Capacity

Internal storage	UFS 2.0 64GB / 128GB
MicroSD card	Supports up to 2TB
Google Drive	100GB free space (2 years)

AsusZenFoneAR Dimension

Weight and Dimensions

Dimensions	158.7 x 77.7 x 9 mm (6.25 x 3.06 x 0.35 in)
Weight	170 grams (5.99 ounces)

Display

WQHD (2560 by 1440) Super AMOLED display
79% screen-to-body ratio
Tru2life technology for high contrast and outdoor readability
Slim bezel (1.73mm)
Over 100% NTSC high color gamut display
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4
Bluelight filter for eye care
10-finger capacitive touch
Fingerprint and smudge-resistant oleophobic coating

Processor

CPU	64-bit Qualcomm® Quad-Core Processor Snapdragon™ 821 @2.35GHz, optimized for Tango
GPU	Adreno™ 530

Memory

Up to 8GB LPDDR4 RAM / Up to 128GB ROM

Main Camera

23 megapixels PixelMaster 3.0 camera
f/2.0 aperture
SONY IMX 318 sensor (1/2.6" large sensor size, 1.0 µm pixel size)
Focal Length 27mm
6p lens
4-axis, 4 stops Optical Image Stabilization for steady photos
3-axis Electronic Image Stabilization for shake-free videos
Ultra-fast 0.03s instant focus and subject tracking TriTech AF system (2nd-gen laser auto-focus, phase detection auto-focus and continuous auto-focus)
4K UHD (3840 by 2160) 30 frame per second video recording
Color correction (RGB) sensor for the best white balance and natural-looking colors
Dual-LED real tone flash
Raw file support
Blue Glass IR Filter
Zero Shutter Lag

PixelMaster 3.0 camera modes:

Back Light (HDR)
Low Light
Manual (for DSLR-like camera detail settings)
Real Time Beautification
Super Resolution (for up to 4 times resolution photos)
Night
Depth of Field
Photo Effect
Selfie Panorama
Selfie
GIF Animation
Panorama Selfie
Miniature
Time Rewind
Smart Remove
All Smiles
Slow Motion
Time Lapse
Panorama

Video Recording

4K video recording (3840 by 2160) at 30 fps
1080p HD video recording at 30 fps
720p HD video recording at 30 fps
3-axis electronic image stabilization
Take still photo while recording video

Front Camera

8 megapixels photos
OV 8856 sensor (1/4", 1.12um)
f/2.0 aperture
Screen Flash

PixelMaster 3.0 camera modes

Back Light (HDR)
Low Light
Manual (for DSLR-like camera detail settings)
Real Time Beautification
Super Resolution (for up to 4X resolution photos)
Night
Depth of Field
Photo Effect
Selfie Panorama
Selfie
GIF Animation
Panorama Selfie
Miniature
Time Rewind
Smart Remove
All Smiles
Slow Motion
Time Lapse
Panorama

Audio

Speaker	5-magnet speaker with NXP Smart Amp for up to 4 times better performance
Audio Output	Hi-Res audio 384kHz DTS Headphone:X ™ virtual 7.1 surround sound
Mic	Dual internal mic with ASUS Noise Reduction Technology VoLTE supported

Wireless Technology

802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.2
Wi-Fi direct

Navigation

GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDSS

SIM Cards

SIM 1: 2G/3G/4G Nano SIM Card
SIM 2: 2G/3G/4G Nano SIM Card
Dual SIM dual standby
SIM 2: Only use the Nano SIM card or the MicroSD card at a time
Both SIM card slots support 3G WCDMA / 4G LTE network band. But only one SIM card can connect to 3G WCDMA / 4G LTE service at a time.

Network Standard

FDD-LTE, TD-LTE, WCDMA, UMTS

Data rate	LTE Cat11: DL 600 Mbps, 3CA LTE: UL 75 Mbps HSPA+: UL 5.76 / DL 42.2 Mbps
WW version	FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28) TD-LTE (Bands 38, 40, 41) WCDMA (Bands 1, 2, 5, 6, 8) GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
NA version	FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 20, 29) WCDMA (Bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 8) GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

ASUS phone 4G/LTE band compatibility varies by region, please check compatibility with local carriers.

Sensor

Accelerator, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Hall sensor, Ambient light sensor, RGB sensor, IR sensor (Laser Focus), Fingerprint, Barometer

External Buttons and Connectors

Fingerprint sensor
On/Off (Sleep/Wake)
Volume up/down
Fingerprint sensorOn/Off
Sleep/WakeVolume up/down3.5mm audio jack (1 Headphone / Mic-in)
Built-in speaker
USB-C connector (DisplayPort supported)

Battery

3300mAh (non-removable)
BoostMaster Fast Charging: 60% battery capacity in 39 minutes (18W)
PowerDelivery 2.0
Quick Charge 3.0

Power Adapter

Output: 9V 2A 18W

Operating System

Android™ 7.0 with ASUS ZenUI 3.0

In the Box

ZenFone AR with Android™ 7.0 and ASUS ZenUI 3.0
ASUS ZenEar S with Mic, Hi-res supported
USB-C Cable
Ejector Pin
USB Power Adapter
Documentation (User Guide, Warranty Card)

Note

Specifications and configurations vary by region
Check carrier compatibility here: https://www.asus.com/us/site/zenfone-compatibility/ASUS_ZenFone_Network_Compatibility.pdf

Apps For ASUS ZenFone AR A list of apps and games that leverage on the AR/VR capability of Asus ZenFone AR

Phantogeist
Hot Wheels Track Builder
Fantastic Beasts
Wall Street Journal’s AR stock checker
Wayfair AR App, BMW Visualizer

Using Google Daydream With Asus ZenFone AR

To enjoy the best AR/VR experience with the ZenFone AR, a set of Google Daydream is needed. The Google Daydream is a headset where the ZenFone is mounted on. Users are able to experience seated virtual experience with the Google Daydream. The Google Daydream is not included in the ZenFone AR package and needs to be purchased separately.

History

Jan 2017 - Asus ZenFone AR revealed in CES 2017
August 2017 - Asus ZenFone AR Released in US.