Earlier this week, Qualcomm accidentally published a blog post that leaked the Asus ZenFone AR ahead of the phone's launching at this year's CES 2017.
The Asus ZenFone AR will be the first-ever Tango smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 821 processor. The ZenFone AR will also be compatible with Google's Daydream View headset, so that one can play virtual reality games.
The accidental post has already been deleted, but a cached version can still be viewed online.
According to Qualcomm's now deleted post, the Asus ZenFone AR will be "the world's first Tango-enabled and Daydream-ready mobile device." An image of the phone has also been leaked by known tipster @evleaks today.
ASUS ZenFone AR (2nd Google Tango phone) pic.twitter.com/ctKQ9IKfeC
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 2, 2017
The Tango Project is Google's venture into augmented reality and 3D mapping using a smartphone's camera. Tango provides camera hardware that can in turn provide 3D sensing capabilities. It can also measure objects and overlay digital images on top of the real world. The first phone that was launched under the project was the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro.
AR And VR Combined In The New Asus ZenFone AR
What makes the Zenfone AR different is its ability to combine augmented reality and virtual reality in one place. This is made possible with the phone's Tango 3D depth-sensing camera sensors, which can track movements in a room and place objects over reality combined with Google Daydream capabilities.
And since the phone will be equipped by a very capable Snapdragon 821 chipset, it should be able to provide better, realistic-looking graphics, and be able to perform better than the Phab 2 Pro, which received a rather lukewarm reception.
The ZenFone AR can be used to view Google Street View, YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and HBO in Daydream VR. Games such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Need for Speed, and Gunjack 2 can also be played using the phone.
Asus ZenFone AR Will Be Launched Today At CES 2017
Combining the two technologies into one phone will allow users to expand their universe beyond their small screens. How this combo will play out remains to be seen; but it should be interesting to note how well the Tango sensors will perform under the Snapdragon chipset, and how the VR graphic overlays will match up with one's actual physical surroundings.
With its expected launch at ASUS's press conference today, the Zenfone AR could prove to be a standard as to where Android's next-generation phones will go next, if these combined technologies will prove to be successful.
