Asus’ latest smartphone, the ZenFone AR, has had its details leaked ahead of its CES 2017 unveiling tomorrow and the new device packs hardware certified for use with on both Google’s Android Daydream VR and Tango platforms.
CES isn’t officially underway yet but traditionally the eve of the show (that’s today folks) is a time ripe for leaks, early sneak peeks and all manner of rumours before the shop proper starts. We’ve already heard about the new Qualcomm mobile Snapdragon 835 SoC which seems set to power mobile VR and AR devices for the next generation, but according to a leaked blog post (yes, another one) the latest Asus ZenFone AR will feature the firm’s older 821 chipset.
According to the now removed blog post and spotted by GSMArena (among others), the latest Google Tango capable phone has been revealed accidentally in a blog post leak which, along with some snippets of information, also give us a sneak peek at the front and rear of the phone. Based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 mobile processor, the Asus Zenfone AR is the first phone to be both Google Tango and Daydream VR certified – sporting the requisite cameras, IMUs and raw grunt to deliver the goods for both platforms.
Google’s Project Tango is an augmented reality focused initiative which uses depth cameras, motion tracking and positional information to create real-time, 3D maps of your environment. Daydream is of course the new virtual reality platform integrated with the latest Android 7.1 OS release. Daydream is Google’s next generation VR platform which it launched in November alongside the first smartphone certified for use with Daydream and the ‘View’ VR headset designed specifically for utilising it.
