Asus Zenfone 10 (AI2302 Dual Sim 8GB RAM 256GB 5G)

Great phone! The camera is amazing and the battery life is great.

Smooth. Powerful. Speakers GREAT. Battery life ok. Phone call quality not that great.

When it comes to augmented and virtual reality on smartphones, it's been an either-or-case for nearly every device up until now. Not so with the Asus ZenFone AR, The first to combine Googles Project Tango AR technology with Google Daydream virtual reality, the ZenFone AR is a lean, mixed-reality machine. This ZenFone offers a whopping 6GB of RAM supplementing a powerful, though not top-of-the-line, Snapdragon 821 processor. That means smooth performance whether you're exploring virtual worlds, augmenting the physical plane or just kicking back and listening to some jams. Design: While other smartphone makers are using metal or glass to give their devices a premium look, Asus went for leather, and I love it. With the exception of the strip of metal holding the three ... MoreWhen it comes to augmented and virtual reality on smartphones, it's been an either-or-case for nearly every device up until now. Not so with the Asus ZenFone AR, The first to combine Googles Project Tango AR technology with Google Daydream virtual reality, the ZenFone AR is a lean, mixed-reality machine. This ZenFone offers a whopping 6GB of RAM supplementing a powerful, though not top-of-the-line, Snapdragon 821 processor. That means smooth performance whether you're exploring virtual worlds, augmenting the physical plane or just kicking back and listening to some jams. Design: While other smartphone makers are using metal or glass to give their devices a premium look, Asus went for leather, and I love it. With the exception of the strip of metal holding the three cameras at the top of the handset (more on that later), the rest of the panel is covered in black burnished leather. The material is soft to the touch, while still providing a solid grip. The sides of the phone are made from dark gray aluminum with a touch of pearlescence, giving it a pleasant shimmer. Two silver stripes along the top and bottom of the phone evoke faint remembrances of old HTC smartphones like the One M8. Along the right side of the phone, you'll find a long volume rocker and power button, while theres a dual SIM card/microSD slot on the left. Along the bottom sits the 3.5mm audio jack, a USB Type-C port and the speaker. The front of the ZenFone is primarily glass, though the 5.7-inch display is boxed in by some rather thick bezels along the top and bottom. The 8-megapixel front camera resides in the top-right corner, ceding the spotlight to the center-mounted Asus logo. The backlit capacitive Back and Recent apps buttons surround a physical home button. Weighing 5.9 ounces and measuring 6.2 x 3.1 x 0.35 inches, the ZenFone is heavier, taller, wider and thicker than the competition. The LG G6 (5.9 x 2.8 x 0.31 inches, 5.8 ounces) and Samsung Galaxy S8 (5.9 x 2.7 x 0.31 inches, 5.5 ounces) are the same thickness, but the Galaxy S8 is the lightest. And while the Zenfone is a tad large, it's nowhere near as big as the gargantuan Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, the first Google Project Tango phone. At 9.1 ounces and 7.1 x 3.5 x 0.4 inches, its essentially a tablet. The ZenFone's 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display offers vibrant, stunning colors bursting from every pixel. The touch screen can reproduce an incredible 219 percent of the sRGB color gamut, demolishing the 149 percent smartphone average. The GS8 and G6 were pale comparisons at best, with scores of 183 and 134 percent, respectively. The colors popped off the screen during the Black Panther trailer. The Dora Milaje's ruby-red uniforms held my eyes in rapt attention, allowing me to truly appreciate the intricate banding of the chestnut-brown leather straps and polished gold adornments. Details were so sharp that I could make out just about every detail of the tattoo inked on actress' Florence Kasumba's scalp. But vividness doesn't equate to brightness. The ZenFone averaged 314 nits when we measured the display, falling short of the 443-nit average. The GS8 produced 437 nits, while the G6 delivered an absolutely brilliant 557 nits. The ZenFone's dimness made it difficult to see the screen outdoors, especially in direct sunlight. Audio: With a single bottom-firing speaker, the ZenFone gets pretty loud for a smartphone. That's thanks to the phone's 5-magnet speaker and smart amplifier. Created specifically for mobile devices, the amp allows the new speaker to play audio at higher volumes without any distortion. When I listened to Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like," the synths and percussion were pretty clear, although the bass was a bit weak. I wish Asus would have fit two speakers along the bottom, as that lone mono speaker can't deliver the rich stereo quality I prefer. However, I do appreciate that Asus included an outside mode that kills off the bass (which will be lost in open air anyway) and focuses on the mids so the sound travels better. The ZenFone's audio really starts to shine when you pop in a pair of headphones. Using DTS' Headphone: X 7.1 Virtual Surround software, the phone simulates a 7.1-surround-sound home theater. The smartphone also supports Hi-Res audio, so you can stream Tidal or play some FLAC files. Daydream/Tango: When Two Become One The ZenFone is the first phone to feature Google Project Tango and Daydream VR. That means that this smartphone can offer both augmented and virtual reality at the touch of a button. Using Daydream VR is pretty straightforward: You just place and secure the ZenFone in Googles Daydream VR headset, sit through the 5-minute tutorial, and you're ready to go. To date, there are more than 150 games and apps available for Google Daydream. Many of them are free, but some range in price between 99 cents and $14.99.