Asus to launch ZenFone AR Google Tango smartphone at CES 2017

Taiwan based computer hardware and smartphone maker Asus will be announcing its first ever AR-enabled smartphone called the ZenFone AR. The announcement expected to be made at the upcoming CES 2017. The smartphone will also support Google Tango, making Asus the second OEM to come with AR capability apart from Lenovo . The news comes directly from Asus CEO Jerry Shen. According to the CEO the ZenFone AR will come with advanced functionality and performance at a competitive price. A quick recap, Google’s Project Tango is based on machine vision that uses a camera and a bunch of sensors to provide motion tracking, depth perception, and area learning. With this AR apps can fully utilise and make use of indoor navigation, gaming and more. Asus is also planning to launch all-in-one (AIO) VR devices in Q3 of 2017 featuring built-in cameras, sensors and controllers which will completely different from the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift. The ZenFone 4-series will also be announced in Q2 of 2017. Shen also acknowledged the fact the company’s handset business unit suffered losses in the Q3 of 2016 due to lower shipments. However he believes that profits should improve during the October 2016 to March 2017 period.