Qualcomm Just Revealed Asus Zenfone AR, The Second Tango Smartphone

Chip maker Qualcomm has accidentally revealed the Asus Zenfone AR ahead of its debut at CES 2017. The upcoming Android smartphone will officially be the second Google Tango phone following 2015’s Lenovo Phab 2 Pro.

Qualcomm revealed the Zenfone AR on a blog post earlier today which carried a publishing date of Jan. 4, according to GSM Arena. The blog post has now been taken down and it seems as though someone within the company inadvertently published the post in advance.

The blog post detailed that the Asus Zenfone AR will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 processor, the very same chipset that’s in Google’s Pixel phones and Asus’s own Zenfone 3. A lot of people were expecting that the handset would come with the new Snapdragon 835, but Qualcomm says that the Snapdragon 821will be enough for the upcoming handsets’ Tango features, according to 9To5Google.

Although it’s already been known previously that the Zenfone AR will be Tango-enabled, the blog post also revealed that it will be Daydraam VR-ready as well. This will make the Zenfone AR the very first handset to support both of Google’s Tango and Daydream software for Android.

For the uninitiated, Google Tango is a tech platform that allows users to map out indoor environments through a smartphone’s dual-camera setup. The software uses augmented reality technology allowing a smartphone to see the world and detect distances without using on GPS and other external signals. Daydream VR on the other hand is Google’s own virtual reality platform which is baked right in the Android mobile operating system.

Following Qualcomm’s accidental reveal of the Asus Zenfone AR, leaker Evan Blass also shared a press render of the upcoming handset on his Twitter page. Up front, the handset looks a lot like the Zenfone 3 with the exception of the physical home button and the Asus logo just beneath the earpiece. On the back, the Tango-enabled dual cameras and its array of sensors are clearly seen.

Asus is expected to officially reveal the Zenfone AR at CES 2017 which kicks off this Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada.