ASUS getting back into phones in the UK starting with Zenfone AR

ASUS getting back into phones in the UK starting with Zenfone AR

After a few years away, ASUS has announced it will begin selling smartphones in the UK again.

It begins with the Google Tango powered Zenfone AR which will be up for pre-order from ASUS directly beginning on July 21.

ASUS isn't coming back with a budget phone, then. The Zenfone AR will cost a fairly hefty £799, and the premium is certainly added with having Tango. Folks who pre-order will also get a Google Daydream View included for free, while the first 30 will get a swanky box full of goodies.

Those super early orders will come in a wooden chest with the phone, Daydream View, some headphones, a case, screen protector and a whole lot of style.

The Zenfone AR has plenty of hardware to go with the price, too. You're getting a 5.7-inch QHD display, 8GB of RAM, Snapdragon 821 processor and 128GB of internal storage.

More: Early hands-on with the Zenfone AR

It's also not the last phone Brits will be seeing from ASUS. While the U.S., Asia and even other parts of Europe have seen the more recent Zenfone launches, the UK hasn't had anything since the very first Zenfone. Which wasn't very good.

The next one we'll be expecting to see hasn't been announced yet, but it doesn't take a genius to imagine that will be the Zenfone 4, since 4 comes right after 3. Nevertheless, it's good to see another name throwing its hat into the British smartphone ring, even if the Zenfone AR isn't probably going to attract the mass market.