ASUS ZenFone AR (ZS571KL / ZS570KL)

Support for both Daydream VR and Google Tango ; Great display ; Impressive audio quality ; Surprisingly good camera ; Solid performance, even with Tango apps

ASUS's ZenUI feels like overkill ; Disappointing battery life ; Many Tango experiences miss the mark ; Not compelling if you're not interested in Tango

Lenovo's Phab2 Pro might have been first, but the ZenFone AR's superior hardware makes it the best Tango device yet. That's not really saying much, though: The Tango experience isn't much better than it was a year ago, and there still isn't much there...

Very good screen ; A great demo device for mobile AR and VR

Too expensive ; Not water-resistant ; Old processor

The Asus Zenfone AR’s camera array is one of the phone’s key features. There are three sensors, but only one of them seems to be used when actually taking pictures.

Nice, bright display ; Supports both Tango AR and Daydream VR ; Good camera

Poor battery life ; Not water resistant ; AR apps aren’t compelling

The ZenFone AR phone is a nice phone, and it’s impressive what Asus has managed to do with the Tango requirements. But the AR in the phone itself is just okay, and the “AR” attached to its name won’t have staying power. Soon phones will just have...

Fun AR apps and games. Sharp Quad HD display. Solid performance. Good battery life. High-quality audio. No bloatware.

Underwhelming Tango apps. Heavy UI layer. Pricey.

For $699, the Asus ZenFone AR is a solid phablet that serves as a showcase for the potential of AR. The slimmed-down design and relatively powerful hardware make it more accessible to the average user than the Phab 2 Pro, but it also costs $200 more....

Runs Tango AR and Daydream VR apps. ; Incredible screen with an array of color options.

Design is kind of meh, with big bezels and an old-school home button. ; Camera is disappointing for taking actual photos. ; Awful battery life, especially when using it for AR.

If it wasn’t for Tango, it would be hard to recommend the the Zenfone AR at all. At $650 through ( and unlocked through Amazon), it’s priced in line with the LG G6 and HTC U11, and significantly higher than OnePlus 5, all of which offer better designs,...

Nice looking and well-made smartphone ; Big bright screen ; Fast and fluid performance

Tango is essentially dead ; AR is moving beyond extra cameras and sensors ; Questionably button quality and Asus software

The Asus ZenFone AR came just at the wrong time. It's one of those strange cases where all of its technological advancement is redundant straight out of the box. As surprised as we are to see it launched, it's still kind of exciting to see what Tango...

AR and VR compatible ; high-quality sturdy case ; fast UFS 2.0 storage ; LTE Cat. 11 ; WQHD OLED display ; decent camera ; high performance

very expensive ; only few Tango apps available ; no hybrid Dual-SIM slot ; short battery life

No doubt: the ZenFone AR is the first smartphone to run Google’s augmented reality Tango apps smoothly. However, given the relatively low selection of apps (around 30) - most of which are gimmicks to boot - in its current state Tango is far from being...

Has a super bright and sharp display ; Unique camera system onboard (thanks to Tango spec req.) ; Phone body has a no-frills premium build ; Battery life is generous (when not using AR) ; Has Google Tango AR inside

Tango app selection lacking ; Retail price a bit high for non-AR users ; Some AR apps drain battery fairly quick

There are several versions of the ASUS ZenFone AR out on the market today. One has 6GB Ram and 64GB internal storage that costs $600. That version has GSM connectivity and is available through Amazon. Another version also works with GSM SIM...

So who is the phone for really? For AR and VR enthusiasts, it makes sense to wait for the technology to mature a bit, so that it becomes more affordable and has a wealth of offerings in terms of content. Daydream is not just a platform for “tasting” VR...