Asus had quite the showcase for CES 2017 with motherboards, PCs and monitors from their ROG gaming line carving up a big chunk of their presence. But that wasn’t all. Asus also took the opportunity that CES 2017 afforded them to unveil two new smartphones, the Asus ZenFone AR and the Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom.
ASUS ZenFone AR is the latest phone to be Tango enabled, the first being the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. Furthermore, the ZenFone AR will also be Daydream-ready. This is due to a close collaboration between Asus and Google.
The ZenFone AR also holds the title of being the thinnest and lightest Tango-enabled device. This breakthrough in size and weight is made by possible the innovative ASUS TriCam system, a three-camera system consisting of a 23MP main camera, motion-tracking camera, and depth-sensing camera. Unlike three-camera systems in other devices, the design of the ASUS TriCam system clusters its array of cameras to reduce their footprint within the phone, enabling the entire phone to be thinner and lighter.
When it comes to processing power, the ZenFone AR features a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor that is optimised for Tango and is further backed up by 8GB of RAM. Meanwhile, a beautiful, 5.7-inch WQHD Super AMOLED display and a new five-magnet speaker makes Daydream VR apps, games, and videos more immersive and entertaining. Coming with Android 7.0 ‘Nougat’, users get the most out of ZenFone AR with new multitasking features and other enhancements that deliver a great mobile experience.
“The Snapdragon 821 processor is a perfect fit for a flagship Tango-enabled device like the ZenFone AR. You need a powerful heterogeneous computing and power-efficient chip to handle the intensive processing and complex features needed to optimise and deliver rich augmented reality experiences. We congratulate ASUS on this exciting new product and are excited to now have Snapdragon processors powering devices across their lineup.”
– Cristiano Amon, Executive Vice President, Qualcomm Technologies.
Meanwhile, ASUS also unveiled the ZenFone 3 Zoom. The ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom is a 5.5-inch smartphone designed to excel at photography with a dual-camera system that captures gorgeous photos and videos. Boasting a 5000mAh battery it gives users extended usage times without compromising style and portability.
On the camera side, the ZenFone 3 Zoom’s sports a dual-camera system comprised of two 12MP cameras, one with a f/1.7-aperture, 25mm wide-angle lens and a second with a 59mm lens. Users can instantly switch from the 25mm primary camera to the 59mm camera, giving them a 2.3X optical zoom that is perfect for portraits and capturing distant subjects. An improved TriTech+ autofocus system automatically chooses among three autofocus technologies — Dual Pixel PDAF, subject tracking autofocus, and second-generation laser focus — depending on the situation to achieve accurate focus in just 0.03 seconds, even when photographing moving subjects.
The ZenFone 3 Zoom is also the first ASUS smartphone with SuperPixel camera technology that enables it to focus incredibly quickly and capture clear photos at night or in low-light environments. ASUS-exclusive hardware and software enhancements boost sensor light sensitivity by up to four times by intelligently adjusting ISO levels while shooting and applying noise reduction in post-shot processing. SuperPixel technology enables the camera on ZenFone 3 Zoom to have 2.5-times (2.5X) greater light sensitivity than Apple iPhone 7 Plus and 10-times (10X) that of an average smartphone.
The phone weighs just 170 grammes, yet with its large battery and powerful, efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor it provides users with up to 42 days of standby time. The high-capacity battery also complements ZenFone 3 Zoom’s photographic capabilities, allowing users to shoot more photos, enjoy power-intensive operations like time-lapse photography, and capture up to 6.4 hours of continuous 4K UHD video on a single charge. ZenFone 3 Zoom can also double as a high-speed power bank for charging other devices.
