Asus ZenFone AR India Launch Set for July 13

Asus launched its ZenFone AR smartphone with 8GB of RAM and support for Google's Tango augmented reality platform at CES 2017 earlier this year and it seems like the company is now ready to bring the handset finally to India. After teasing the smartphone's India launch on social channels last month, the company has now started sending out press invites for a launch event on July 13.

As the company has used "#DareToDream" on teasers for ZenFone AR as well as the launch invite, it is safe to assume that the smartphone will be launched in India on the aforementioned date. In its launch invite, Asus says "Push the boundaries of your imagination," further indicating the augmented reality capabilities offered by the smartphone.

To recall, Asus ZenFone AR comes with support for Google's Daydream VR and Tango AR platform as well. The smartphone comes with a camera arrangement and sensors that allow motion tracking, depth perception, and area learning.

In terms of specifications, the Asus ZenFone AR runs Android 7.0 Nougat and sports a 5.7-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) Super AMOLED display and is powered by a Snapdragon 821 SoC that has been claimed to be customised for Tango by the company. As mentioned earlier, the handset comes with an impressive 8GB of RAM.

In terms of optics, Asus ZenFone AR comes with a 23-megapixel Sony IMX318 module with TriTech+ autofocus system, dual-PDAF, second-gen Laser Focus, and continuous-focus. The rear camera supports 4-axis OIS (optical image stabilisation) as well as 3-axis EIS (electronic image stabilisation) for video recording alongside support for 4K video recording. At front, there is an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an 85-degree wide angle lens.

The ZenFone AR comes with up to 256GB of built-in storage, which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB) in a hybrid dual-SIM (Micro+Nano) configuration. It houses a 3300mAh battery and connectivity options offered by the smartphone include USB 2.0 Type-C port, Bluetooth v4.2, and Wi-Fi 802.11ac connectivity.

The Taiwanese company has previously confirmed that the Asus ZenFone AR features vapour cooling system to avoid overheating. We will not have to wait very long for the Asus ZenFone price in India and availability as the launch date is not far away.

Nubia N2 Sports 5000mAh Battery and 16-Megapixel Front Camera

The Nubia N2, first unveiled in China back in March, will be launched in India on Wednesday. The smartphone is expected to be exclusively available via Amazon India, where it is already listed as "currently unavailable". The smartphone will also go on sale in India on Wednesday itself, from 12pm IST - something the company confirmed in a tweet on Tuesday.

The Amazon listing of the Nubia N2 pretty much cements the specifications of the India variant, and they appear identical. The highlight feature of the Nubia N2 is its 16-megapixel front-facing camera, and the company is highlighting this in its teasers leading up to the launch. The smartphone was priced at CNY 1,999 (roughly Rs. 19,000) at its launch in China, and the Nubia N2 price in India can be expected to be around the same.

The dual-SIM Nubia N2 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Nubia UI 4.0 skin on top, and sports a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) AMOLED display. It is powered by a MediaTek octa-core SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM. Apart from a 16-megapixel front camera, it bears a 13-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash.

The Nubia N2 comes with 64GB of inbuilt storage that's expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB), and standard connectivity options including 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, USB Type-C, fingerprint scanner, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It is powered by a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support that’s rated to deliver up to 60 hours of talk time.

The smartphone had been launched alongside the Nubia M2 and Nubia M2 Lite back in March, of which the latter was launched in India in May.