Xiaomi to Launch ARCore with Google in China

Last night, Xiaomi announced on its Weibo account that it partnered with Google to manufacturer one of the first mobile phones with Google ARcore functionality. Xiaomi mobile phone users will be the first to experience ARcore.

ARCore is a new augmented reality (AR) feature for smartphones, designed to provide unprecedented AR experience for Android smartphone users. A promotional video released by Google shows that the AR function, which requires headsets, now is available on Android smartphones.

In China, Xiaomi, Huawei and Samsung are the first smartphone makers to support ARCore technology. Globally, smartphones with ARCore functionality include Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2/2 XL, Samsung Galaxy s8/s8+, Note8, S7/S7 edge, LG v30/v30+ (Android O), Zenfone AR and OnePlus 5.

This year, more phones produced by Samsung, Huawei, LG, Moto, Asus, Xiaomi, HMD, ZTE, Sony, Vivo and other manufacturers will support the function.

Developers can download the ARCore 1.0 development package from Google’s developer website. Well-known gaming companies including NetEase, Wargaming and Game Insight are developing AR games based on ARCore 1.0.

ARCore 1.0 seems to have incredible potential, and the effect is remarkable. In order to achieve high quality ARCore functionality, the smartphone must be high-performance. Android phones may need Snapdragon 835, Kirin 960 or more advanced versions to run ARCore functions.

This article originally appeared in LeiTech and was translated by Pandaily.