Asus ZenFone Ares was quietly introduced by the tech giant as the upgraded version of the ZenFone AR that was introduced last year. This new version comes with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), there’s been a significant drop in price as well.
The ZenFone Ares is a perfect smartphone for mobile gamers and heavy users, thanks to the 8GB RAM on board. However, I’m a little bit disappointed the phone retained the Snapdragon 821 chip which is more than two years old.
Asus ZenFone Ares Key Specs and Features
・5.7-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 1440 x 2560 pixels
・Android 7.0 Nougat with 8GB RAM
・Quad-core 2.35GHz Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821
・128GB built-in storage, upgradeable up to 400GB
・23MP rear camera and 8MP front camera
・3300mAh non-removable Li-Ion Battery
Asus ZenFone Ares Design
We can see a little improvement with the design obviously. Asus made sure it looks more modern and classy in 2018, even though it retained a few rear features. The Polycarbonate and Metal body look exquisite and classier than last year’s version.
There’s a foundation at the top middle that houses the usual features. When you turn over to the sides, it’s quite bulky just like most gaming smartphone, it measures just 9mm in thickness and weighs 170g.
Asus ZenFone Ares Display
The screen isn’t what I will call “modern”, the company didn’t bother about the front here. You still get the same amount of screen on the ZenFone Ares with the same thick bezels as well. However, the Tru2life technology on the screen should improve outdoor visibility.
The 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen on the Asus ZenFone Ares is one of the best screens I’ve seen on mobile. It has 2560 × 1440 pixels in resolution and 515 pixels per inch density offering immersive visuals. The screen has 100% NTSC with the Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on top as well.
Hardware And Software
The Snapdragon 821 chip here was built on a 14nm process technology, power efficiency might not be on par with modern 10nm. There’s a Quad-Core processor here which has a speed of 2.35GHz. While the Adreno 530 graphics processor handles graphics.
There’s 8GB of RAM space available to handle all your heavy multitasking. In the storage department, it has 128GB space to store games, apps and files. Furthermore, you can upgrade up to 400GB and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat.
Asus ZenFone Ares Camera
The ZenFone Ares is equipped with a single 23MP camera from Sony. It has f/2.0 aperture, 1/2.6″ Sensor size and 1µm pixel size. The camera has premium features like 4-axis OIS, 3x zoom, phase detection autofocus and shoots 4K videos @24fps as well. While the 8MP selfie camera has f/2.0 aperture with 85-degree wide-viewing lens.
Network and Connectivity
The device supports 4G LTE and It has a SIM tray by the side, it houses a Nano SIM, Micro SIM and a microSD card. It supports Bluetooth 4.2, USB type-C, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS and FM radio.
Battery
The Asus ZenFone Ares is powered by a non-removable Li-Ion 3300mAh battery with fast charging technology.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
Asus ZenFone Ares is available on shopping stores, starting from $299 to $349, that’s about (N100,000 – N120,000).
Asus ZenFone Ares Full Specs
LAUNCH
・Announced: June, 2018
・Status: Available. June, 2018
NETWORK
・Network Technology: GSM / WCDMA / LTE
・3G Support: 850/1700/1900/2100
・4G Support: LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 26(850), 28(700), 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2500)
・Number of SIM Card: 2 (Nano + Micro)
・Dual SIM Support: Yes
DESIGN
・Material Type: Metal + Polycarbonate
・Dimensions: 158.7 x 77.7 x 9 mm
・Colour: Black
・Weight: 170g
DISPLAY
・Screen Type: Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
・Size: 5.7-inch
・Resolution: 1440 x 2560 pixels
・Pixel Density: 515ppi
・Screen to Body Ratio: 72.6%
SOFTWARE
・Operating system: Android 7.0 Nougat
・Processor: Quad-core 2.35GHz
・Chipset type: Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821
・Graphics Processing Unit: Adreno 530
STORAGE
・Memory Card slot: Yes, up to 400GB
・Internal storage: 128GB
・RAM: 8GB
CAMERA
・Back Camera: 23MP
・Front Camera: 8MP
・Back Flash: Yes, dual-LED
・Front Flash: No
FEATURES
・WiFi Hotspot: Yes
・Bluetooth: Yes
・Fingerprint Sensor: Yes (Front)
・Sensors: accelerometer, proximity, ambient light, compass, barometer, gyroscope
・USB: Yes
・GPS: Yes
・3.5mm Audio Jack: Yes
BATTERY
・Capacity: 3300mAh
・Type: Li-Ion
・Standby Time: –
・Talktime: –
・Fast Charging: Yes
