After weeks of teasing, Asus finally announced the launch details of the company's Google Project Tango v2.0 smartphone Zenfone AR in India.

Asus India has started sending invitivations to the media for the product launch on July 13 with the message, "PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF YOUR IMAGINATION" followed by hashtag "#DareToDream", highlighting the device's Augmented Reality (AR) capability.

Also read: Google's Triangle app lets you monitor data-consuming apps; available in select regions on Play store

Prior to the announcement, Asus India had released a poster on Facebook saying that the company will soon launch a new smartphone with 8 GB RAM. Zenfone AR is the only Asus mobile with this physical memory capacity.

Salient features of Asus Zenfone AR:

Google Project Tango (1st Gen) was developed by Lenovo and was dubbed as Phab 2 Pro. For the second generation, the search engine giant collaborated with Asus, and they named it Zenfone AR.

The new Zenfone AR boasts 23MP feature-rich snapper on the back and comes equipped with Google's Project Tango TriCam system featuring Motion tracking camera that lets the phone track its location as it moves through space. It also houses a depth-sensing camera with an infrared (IR) projector that lets ZenFone AR measure its distance from real-world objects.

Asus Zenfone AR, Zenfone AR coming to India, Zenfone AR launch in India
Google Project Tango v2.0: Asus Zenfone AR with 3D camera sensor all set for debut in India next weekAsus India

It also comes with a set of advanced sensors and computer-vision software developed by Google that enables unique AR (Augmented Reality) user experiences on a smartphone, such as AR gaming, AR utilities, and indoor navigation. The phone also supports Google's Daydream platform for high quality, mobile virtual reality and Daydream VR (Virtual Reality) apps.

With such sophisticated software and hardware, Asus Zenfone AR owners will be able to enjoy immersive 3D-shopping experience on e-commerce websites.

For instance, in the US, Wayfair's in-house AR app allows shoppers to visualise furniture and décor in their homes at scale before making a purchase, tackling one of the biggest barriers in online shopping — the inability to get a good sense for a product's aesthetic and how it would fit in.

With AR technology, WayfairView app users can select a furniture from an extensive 3-D catalogue, and virtually preview items in any of their rooms through the lens of a smartphone.

Asus has promised that there will be more than 1,000 such AR and VR-ready applications on Google Play store.

The new Asus phone features top-of-the-line hardware. It comes with 5.7-inch WQHD screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core with 6GB/8GB RAM, 32GB/63GB/128GB/256GB internal storage, 8MP front camera and a 3300mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.

Keep an eye on this space for latest updates on Google and Asus products

Key specifications of Asus Zenfone AR:

Models Asus Zenfone AR
Display 5.7-inch WQHD (2560x1440p) super AMOLED screen
  • 79% screen-to-body ratio
  • Tru2life technology for high contrast and outdoor readable
  • Bluelight Filter for Eye Care
  • Corning Gorilla® Glass 4 (Super Anti Scratch)
  • NTSC over 100% /3,000,000 : 1 dynamic contrast

Touch:

  • 10-finger capacitive touch
  • Fingerprint and smudge-resistant oleophobic coating
  • Support glove touch
OS Android 7.0 with brand-new ASUS ZenUI 3.0
Processor 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (Kryo cores x 4) quad-core
GPU Adreno 530
RAM 6GB/8GB LPDDR4
Storage 32GB / 64GB / 128GB / 256GB (UFS v2.0), expandable up to 2TBSpecial offer:
  • ASUS WebStorage: 5GB free for life
  • Google Drive: 100GB free space (2 years)
Camera Main:
  • 23MP camera with f/2.0 aperture, 6 P Largan lens m Fix Focus, Auto Focus,
    0.03 second laser auto-focus, 32 second long exposure, Close-up macro photography (5 cm),
    3X optical zoom / 12X total zoom,
    4-axis, 4 stops Optical Image Stabilization for steady photos,
    0.03 sec Ultrafast TriTech auto focus,
    Ultra-fast 0.03 sec, TriTech Focus System, Phase Detection AF / 2nd gen Laser AF / Continuous AF
    Color correction (RGB) sensor for the best white balance and natural-looking colors, RAW file support, Blue Glass IR Filter, Zero Shutter Lag, LED flash, Dual-LED real tone flash, 4K video recording

TriCam System for Tango:

  • 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.

Front:

  • 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture 85˚ wide-viewing angle
    Fix Focus
    Auto Focus
    Dual-LED real tone flash
Pixel Master 3.0 camera mode Back Light (HDR) Mode, Low Light Mode, Manual Mode (for DSLR-like camera detail settings), Real Time Beautification Mode, Super Resolution Mode (for up to 4X resolution photos), Night Mode, Depth of Field Mode, Photo Effect Mode, Selfie Panorama, Selfie Mode, GIF Animation Mode, Panorama Selfie Mode, Miniature Mode, Time Rewind Mode, Smart Remove Mode, All Smiles Mode, Slow Motion Mode, Time Lapse Mode, Panorama Mode
Battery 3300mAh (non-removable)
  • BoostMaster Fast Charging : 60% battery capacity in 39 minutes (18W)
  • PowerDelivery 2.0
  • Quick Charge 3.0
Network 4G-LTE
Add-ons Google's Daydream VR platform compatible Fingerprint sensor, dual-SIM (type: nano), Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band: 5GHz & 2.4GHz 2x2 MIMO support), A-GPS, GLONASS/BDS, USB Type –C 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC (Near Field Communication)Audio:
  • Built-in Mono speaker
  • "New" 5 magnet speaker for up to 40% better performance
    ASUS
  • SonicMaster 3.0
  • DTS Headphone:X™ for virtual 7.1 surround sound
  • Hi-Res Audio 192kHz/24-bit standard that is 4 times better than CD quality
  • NXP Smart AMP technology delivers up to 4X sound volume
Dimensions 158.67 x 77.7 x 4.6 ~ 8.95 mm
Weight 170g
Colours Leather-like finish : Charcoal Black
Premium-crafted metallic diamond-cut