There has been an upsurge of flagship smartphones coming with 8GB of RAM on some variants lately. Some erroneously think the Nubia Z17 is the first model to pack such but what is usually not known is that Taiwanese tech giant ASUS launched a flagship device dubbed Zenfone AR at CES 2017. Perhaps, the non-recognition of the ASUS Zenfone AR may be unconnected with the fact that since it was launched at CES, the device is yet to go on sale. Well, the Zenfone AR has now gone on sale in Taiwan and the price may surprise you.

The ASUS Zenfone AR retails for a whopping 24,990 New Taiwan Dollars which is about 5,600 Yuan or $825 USD. We’ll quickly compare it with the Nubia Z17 which equally has an 8GB version. The Nubia Z17’s 8GB RAM version comes with a price tag of 3999 Yuan ($587) even though sales is yet to commence for the topmost model. We expect the OnePlus 5 which also has an 8GB RAM version to sell for even less than the Z17. Mind you, the Zenfone AR is fired up by a Snapdragon 821 chip while the Nubia Z17 gets its juice from the latest Snapdragon 835 chip which is touted to be more efficient and powerful than the SD 821. OnePlus 5 is also coming with a Snapdragon 835 processor.

As for other specification, the Zenfone AR sports a 5.7-inch 2K display and there is also a 6GB RAM version. The smartphone comes in four expandable internal storage versions of 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB. The Zenfone AR also features a 3,300mAh battery and has support for dual SIM/ dual Standby. The Zenfone AR is also the world’s first Tango and DayDream ready smartphone. It features a 23MP high-resolution camera with Sony IMX sensor and f/2.0 aperture. The camera comes with features like 4-axis OIS, EIS, RAW photography and dual LED flash. There is also an 8MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and dual-LED real tone flash.

Read Also: ASUS ZenFone AR Launching in Taiwan in June, U.S. in July

The ASUS model runs on Zen UI 3 based on Android 7.0 Nougat and comes with a USB Type-C port as well as a fingerprint scanner. So, would you buy the Snapdragon 821-powered Zenfone AR for $825? What do you think about the price? Let us know your thought in the comment section.

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Asus is expected to unleash new smartphones at the upcoming CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2017 event. Qualcomm and a famous leakster have both revealed that the Asus ZenFone AR is slated to get announced on Jan. 4

Google Tango Augmented Reality platform has been developed by Google. The Asus ZenFone AR has been in the rumors since several weeks. Qualcomm has now spilled the beans on the key features of Asus ZenFone AR.

On the Qualcomm blog post that carries a publishing date of Jan. 4 reads that the Asus ZenFone AR is powered by Snapdragon 821 processor. It also revealed that it is the first mobile device ever to be enabled with Tango augmented reality as well as support Daydream mobile virtual reality.

The blog post has been taken down, but its cache image reveals the experience ZenFone AR will deliver. The post states that, “with Zenfone AR and the Daydream View headset and controller, you’ll be able to explore new worlds with apps like Google Street View and Fantastic Beasts, dive into your personal VR cinema with YouTube, Netflix, Hulu and HBO, and get your game on with Gunjack 2, LEGO BrickHeadz, Need for Speed and dozens other titles.”

Even the well-known leakster, Evan Blass (aka @evleaks) has tweeted Asus ZenFone AR press renders before its official announcement on Wednesday. In the press renders, the display of the smartphone carries Jan. 4 date. This is also an indication that the Asus ZenFone AR is slated for a Jan. 4 announcement.

Related: ASUS X00GD Shows Up AT TENAA: Sports 4850mAh Battery and Runs Android Nougat

The CES 2017 runs from Jan. 5 to 8 in Las Vegas. However, the press events will be on Jan. 3 and 4 which indicates that several announcements will be done on these dates.

The Asus ZenFone AR specifications are not available yet. However, with Daydream VR onboard, it is expected to come preinstalled with Android 7.0 Nougat. Asus CEO, Jerry Shen has stated that ZenFone AR will deliver advanced performance with competitive pricing.

The first Google Tango smartphone is the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro that was unleashed in November 2016 with features like 6.4-inch quad HD screen, Snapdragon 652 SoC and 4 GB of RAM.

Its other specs include Android 6.0 Marshmallow, 16-megapixel camera enable with features like PDAD, depth and motion tracking sensors, 8-megapixel frontal camera, fingerprint scanner, a 4,050 mAh battery with fast charging support.

The post Asus ZenFone AR Leaks: Press Renders Surface; Snapdragon 821 to Power It, Reveals Qualcomm appeared first on Gizmochina.