ASUS unveils Zenfone 3 Zoom with a dual Camera setup, 2.3X optical zoom and 5000 mAh battery at CES 2017

ASUS has unveiled the successor of Zenfone Zoom , the Zenfone 3 Zoom at CES 2017. Continuing on its legacy the USP of the phone is its camera albeit in different terms from its predecessor. The Zenfone 3 Zoom retains the optical zoom feature however its lowered to 2.3X while the original Zoom had an optical zoom of 3X. On brighter side other parts of the phone are much improved and a major of such improvements is its 5000 mAh strong battery and slim design. To give you an idea the new Zoom is around 3mm thinner than the previous Zoom. 

Zenfone 3 Zoom

Zenfone 3 Zoom is a much better device overall in terms of design, build and compactness of the device. ASUS has really heard the feedback about its design and made a mark with entire Zenfone 3 series. The Zenfone 3 Zoom comes with a dual camera setup, where in one is  for 2.3X optical zoom while another one is 12 megapixel wide-angle lens with f/1.7 aperture. ASUS claims that these two lenses can also work in conjunction to produce depth-of-field bookeh effect which we are sure it can as we are witnessing the same on Honor 6x review unit.

An improved TriTech+ autofocus system automatically chooses among three autofocus technologies — Dual Pixel PDAF, subject tracking autofocus, and second-generation laser focus — depending on the situation to achieve accurate focus in just 0.03 seconds, even when photographing moving subjects.

ZenFone 3 Zoom is also the first ASUS smartphone with SuperPixel camera technology that enables it to focus incredibly quickly and capture clear photos at night or in low-light environments. ASUS-exclusive hardware and software enhancements boost sensor light-sensitivity by up to four times by intelligently adjusting ISO levels while shooting and applying noise reduction in post-shot processing. SuperPixel technology enables the camera on ZenFone 3 Zoom to have 2.5-times (2.5X) greater light sensitivity than Apple iPhone 7 Plus as claimed by ASUS.

ZenFone 3 Zoom has a high-capacity 5000mAh battery that is sculpted to fit in the phone’s super-slim, 7.9mm full-metal body. The phone weighs just 170 grams, yet with its large battery and powerful, efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor it provides users with up to 42 days of standby time. The high-capacity battery also complements ZenFone 3 Zoom’s photographic capabilities, allowing users to shoot more photos, enjoy power-intensive operations like time-lapse photography, and capture up to 6.4 hours of continuous 4K UHD video on a single charge. ZenFone 3 Zoom can also double as a high-speed power bank for charging other devices.

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ASUS showcases world's first Tango Enabled and Daydream Ready phone Zenfone AR at CES 2017

ASUS Zenfone AR is also World's first 8 GB RAM phone.

ASUS today showcased its innovative products in CES 2017. ASUS displayed its first Dual Camera setup phone Zenfone3 Zoom and other devices, but the show stopper for the day was Zenfone AR. As you might have got it with the name AR has something to do with the Augmented Reality. The term which has picked up a lot more meaning by now than just a fun feature. So, ASUS Zenfone AR is the world's first Tango Enabled and Daydream Ready phone (The world's first Tango Enabled phone is Lenovo Phab 2 Pro). For those who are unaware of Google Tango project, it is a project by Google which enables you to combine objects from real world onto your phone screen and you can play around with it. The technology enables you to measure your surroundings, re-imagine your home with virtual furniture and so on.

ASUS Zenfone AR

Unlike Lenovo Phab 2 Pro , which comes with relatively inferior specifications for a device which is supposed to do power intensive tasks, Zenfone AR comes with promising hardware specifications and make this device more of a Flagship Tango smartphone. ASUS Zenfone AR runs on Snapdragon 821 SoC and packs in 5.7 inch , 2560x1440 QHD display. The phone also comes with 8 GB of RAM which is highest in a smartphone as of today. Though I am not a fan of massive RAM in smartphones when you don't actually need them but here it is absolutely required as Tango will need all the power you have packed in your smartphones. With that power you don't have to worry much about heating as the smartphone comes with an advanced Vapor Cooling system.

The smartphone comes with a Tricam setup at rear, which includes a 23 MP rear camera, one camera for motion sensing and another one for depth-sensing. The placement of these three cameras is also quite interesting and despite so much on board it does not cover most of the space at back (remember how Zenfone Zoom had a massive camera at back?).Unlike three-camera systems in other devices, the design of the ASUS TriCam system clusters its array of cameras to reduce their footprint within the phone, enabling the entire phone to be thinner and lighter.

ZenFone AR features a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor that is optimized for Tango, and is the world's first smartphone with 8GB of RAM. ZenFone AR's powerful performance and innovative camera work in conjunction with Tango to enable smooth and compelling smartphone AR experiences. A beautiful, 5.7-inch WQHD Super AMOLED display and a new five-magnet speaker makes Daydream VR apps, games, and videos more immersive and entertaining. Android 7.0 ‘Nougat’ lets users get the most out of ZenFone AR with new multitasking features and other enhancements that deliver a great mobile experience.

“The Snapdragon 821 processor is a perfect fit for a flagship Tango enabled device like the ZenFone AR,” said Amon. “You need a powerful heterogeneous computing and power-efficient chip to handle the intensive processing and complex features needed to optimize and deliver rich augmented reality experiences. We congratulate ASUS on this exciting new product and are excited to now have Snapdragon processors powering devices across their lineup.”

Also onstage to reveal more about ZenFone AR and Tango, as well as demonstrate some of the amazing augmented-reality experiences available through innovative mobile apps and games were Erik Hermanson, Head of Content & Brand Marketing at ASUS, and Johnny Lee, Director of Engineering for Tango. “Our phones already assist us in our day-to-day lives, but we believe they can do even more. We’re excited to see Tango technology incorporated into ZenFone AR, making its capabilities available to more people,” said Mr. Lee. Jeff Kirwan, Global President of Gap, then demonstrated DressingRoom by Gap, an augmented reality app that allows Gap customers to model clothes on a virtual mannequin and view it from any angle.

Following the announcements, ASUS hosted a demo area showcasing ZenFone AR, ZenFone 3 Zoom, and the latest lineup of lifestyle, business, and Republic of Gamers (ROG) gaming products. New lifestyle and business products include the ZenBook UX490 laptop, VivoPC X desktop PC, ProArt PA32U monitor, and ASUSPRO B9440 business laptop. New gaming products include the ROG Maximus IX Extreme motherboard, ROG Gladius II mouse, ROG GR8 II gaming PC, ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 router, and ROG Strix Magnus gaming microphone. Additionally, several desktop and laptop PCs updated with the latest 7th Generation (‘Kaby Lake’) Intel^® Core^™ processors were also shown, including the Zen AiO ZN270 desktop, ROG GT51CH gaming desktop, and the ROG GX800VH and G752 gaming laptops.

ASUS won eight CES 2017 Innovation Awards, with products across four competitive award categories honored for outstanding design and engineering innovation. The award-winning products include: ZenFone 3 Deluxe, Designo Curve MX34VQ, Vivo AiO V221, ZenBook 3, ROG GX800, ROG Maximus IX Apex and ROG Maximus IX Hero, and an upcoming powerful ROG gaming laptop.

All ASUS and ROG products will be on display at the ASUS Media Suite at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, from 4:00pm–6:00pm on January 4th, 2017, and from 9:00am-6:00pm on 5th-7th January, 2017.

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