After an year (or more) of witnessing the same Zenfone 2 design on a number of similarly named products, we are glad to see the new Zenfone 3 series being rolled out. Asus today announced three new Zenfones – the Zenfone 3, the Zenfone 3 Delux and the Zenfone 3 Ultra.
Also Read: Zenfone 3 Delux officially Launched
The Zenfone 3 Delux is the top end one, where asus resolutely flexes its full hardware musle. The Zenfone 3 makes some compromises to make almost the same design and experience available for a lower price, and the Zenfone 3 Ultra is a large display handset aiming to deliver fine multimedia experience.
The new Zenfones use tried and trusted Metal + Glass construction. There is gorilla glass on front and back (2.5D one on the front), sandwiching a sandblasted aluminum side frame. Keeping up with the modern trends, the rear-mounted volume rocker in Zenfone 2 is replaced by a fingerprint reader. Navigation keys and volume rocker are once again placed conventionally. The handset will be available in gold, blue, black, and white.
The Zenfone 3 includes a 5.5-inch IPS+ LCD display and is powered by Snapdragon 625 octa-core chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Other hardware includes 16MP rear camera with Laser AF, PDAF, an 8MP front facing camera and a 3000 mAh battery.
The Zenfone 3 Ultra includes a much-much larger 6.8 inch display with 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution and boasts of a 79 percent screen to body ratio. The display is powered by ASUS-exclusive Tru2Life+ Video technology which optimizes every pixel in each frame. While for embellished audio experience, there are two new powerful five-magnet stereo speakers and a NXP smart amplifier, and virtual 7.1-channel surround sound with DTS Headphone:X.
The 23MP rear camera integrates Asus TriTech autofocus system that automatically chooses between 2nd generation laser AF, PDAF, or continuous autofocus. Other features include Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and a 4600 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support.
Zenfone 3 and Zenfone 3 Ultra Specifications And Features
| Model | Asus Zenfone 3 | Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra |
| Display | 5.5 inch IPS+ LCD, Full HD, Gorilla Glass 3 | 6.8 inch, Full HD |
| Processor | 2GHz Snapdragon 625 octa-core | 1.8GHz Snapdragon 652 octa-core |
| RAM | 3GB/ 4GB | 4GB RAM |
| Internal Storage | 32GB/64GB | 64GB/ 128GB |
| Rear Camera | 16MP, dual LED flash, Sony IMX318 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 4-axis OIS, 3-axis EIS, Laser AF | 23MP, dual LED Flash, Sony IMX318 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 4-axis OIS, 3-axis EIS, Laser AF |
| Front Camera | 8MP, F/2.0 aperture | 8MP |
| Software | Android Lollipop based Zen UI 3.0 | Android Lollipop based Zen UI 3.0 |
| Battery | 3000 mAh | 4600 mAh, Quick Charge 3.0 |
| Others | 4G LTE, Fingerprint sensor, dual SIM (Hybrid) | 4G LTE, Fingerprint sensor, dual SIM (Hybrid) |
| Price | $249 (32GB variant) | $479 (64GB variant) |
