Asus just quietly released the ZenFone Ares in
Taiwan without holding an event or even issuing a press release about it. The
device emphasizes on AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) with specs
almost identical to last year's ZenFone AR.
We've got a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with a
standard 16:9 aspect ratio and QHD resolution (1440 x 2560 pixels). The display
comes with a few familiar features as well - Tru2life technology for improved
outdoor visibility and oil-repellent coating.
Driving the ZenFone Ares is the well-known
Snapdragon 821 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.0 expandable
storage. The hardware appears to be compatible with Google's ARCore technology.
The camera department once again boasts a 23MP
sensor with high-res PixelMaster 3.0 lens. Of course, the camera is capable of
motion tracking and depth sensing for those cool AR three-dimensional effects.
The front-facing camera settles for an 8MP sensor.
Interestingly, the device runs on Android Nougat but
the battery capacity doesn't disappoint - 3,300 mAh with Quick Charge 3.0
support. To make the multimedia experience complete, the phone features
SonicMaster 3.0 Hi-Res Audio 384 kHz audio decoder, and supports DTS Headphone
with 7.1 surround.
The ZenFone Ares is limited to Taiwan for now and
will be available for purchase at the local retailers with a starting price of
TWD 9,999 (US$ 333).
