Asus today unveiled its Zenfone 3 series smartphones in India at its grand ‘Zenvolution’ event in New Delhi.
This is the same trio that the Taiwanese smartphone maker first announced at the Computex 2016 event held in Taipei. The new Zenfone Lineup includes the Asus Zenfone 3, Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe and Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra.
All the three new Zenfones feature full metal unibody design, a fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication, Hybrid Dual SIM card Support, Latest Android Marshmallow based redesigned Zen UI and USB type-C connectivity.
That’s just scratching the surface, though. Multiple variants with barely distinguishable model numbers add to the complexity of the lineup, precisely as Asus likes it to be.
Asus Zenfone 3
The Zenfone 3 lies on the bottom rung and is available in two different display sizes – 5.2-inch and 5.5-inch – each sporting Full HD resolution and layered with 2.5D glass. The 5.2-inch Zenfone 3 ZE520KL comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, while the bigger ZE552K variant includes 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.
Both the Zenfone 3 Models are powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 625 chipset and house a 3000mAh battery.
Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe
The Zenfone 3 Delux is the first Snapdragon 821 powered handset, but that’s just the high-end model that we are talking about.
A Snapdragon 820 option with 64GB onboard storage will also be available for a lower price.
Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra
Fortunately, the Zenfone 3 Ultra will be available in just one, single variant. At least for now.
Asus puts Snapdragon 652 in the lead for this 6.8-inch FHD display Calling Tablet/Phone and adds a proportional 4600mAh battery.
Zenfone 3 Series Specifications and Features
| Model | Asus Zenfone 3 | Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra | Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe |
| Display | 5.5 inch/5.2 inch IPS+ LCD, Full HD, 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3 | 6.8 inch, Full HD | 5.7 inch, Super AMOLED, Full HD, Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Processor | 2GHz Snapdragon 625 octa-core based on 14nm process with 506 GPU | 1.2GHz Snapdragon 652 octa-core with 510 GPU | 2GHz Snapdragon 820/Snapdragon 821 quad-core with 530 GPU |
| RAM | 3GB/ 4GB | 4GB | 6GB |
| Internal Storage | 32GB/64GB(expandable via microSD card) | 64GB(expandable via microSD card) | 64GB/256GB(expandable via microSD card) |
| Rear Camera | 16MP, dual LED flash, Sony IMX318 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 4-axis OIS, 3-axis EIS, Laser AF,PDAF,6P Largan lens | 23MP, 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/2.0 aperture,4-axis OIS,3-axis EIS |
| Front Camera | 8MP, F/2.0 aperture | 8MP,F/2.0 aperture | 8 MP,F/2.0 aperture |
| Software | Android marshmallow based Zen UI 3.0 | Android Marshmallow based Zen UI 3.0 | Android marshmallow based Zen UI 3.0 |
| Battery | 3000 mAh | 4600 mAh, Quick Charge 3.0 | 3000 mAh, Quick Charge 3.0, Boost Master Fast Charging |
| Others | 4G LTE, Fingerprint sensor, dual SIM (Hybrid) | 4G LTE, Fingerprint sensor, dual SIM (Hybrid) | 4G LTE, fingerprint sensor, Dual SIM(Hybrid) |
| Price | 5.5 inch-27,999 INR and 5.2 inch 21,999 INR | 49,999 INR | S820 SoC-49,999 INR and S821 Soc-62,999 INR |
Naturally, Asus isn’t skimping on specs for the third generation Zenfones. The new Zenfones aren’t competing in the aggressive affordable Android market. Asus shifts the game to mid-tier.
