So, here are the six new phones that Asus just launched
Asus has just
announced the Zenfone 4 range at an event in Taipei, Taiwan, consisting of six
smartphones. The handsets were introduced alongside the tagline “We love
photo,” so, as you would expect, these devices all have a particular focus on
camera tech. We’ve got specs and price details for most of the handsets,
as well as some well-produced video promos for all but one of them. Here’s the
lowdown on what was introduced.
Zenfone 4
Beginning with the
Zenfone 4, this is the main device in the series and likely the one which will
be sold in the most locations. It features a 120-degree wide angle lens for
broader images and is said to perform well in low light thanks to its 1.4µm
large pixels and f/1.8 aperture lens. Like a number of the other devices on the
list, it comes in a couple of flavors, both of which offer much the same tech
save for different processors and different amounts of RAM.
- Display: 5.5-inch, 1080p, IPS
- Processor: Snapdragon 630/660
- RAM: 4 GB / 6 GB RAM
- Internal Storage: 64 GB
- Battery: 3,300 mAh, USB Type-C
- Rear Camera: 12 MP + 8 MP main camera with a wide f/1.8 aperture, Sony IMX362 sensor with 1.4µm pixel size, OIS, 4K recording.
- Front Camera: 8 MP, f/2.0 aperture
- NFC: Yes
- MicroSD: Yes, up to 2 TB
- Fingerprint scanner: Yes
- Software: Android Nougat, ZenUI 4.0
- Price: Starts at $399
Zenfone 4
Pro
This is the most expensive of the recently
introduced phones, a suped-up version of the Zenfone 4. The handset makes use
of a Sony IMX362 image sensor like the Zenfone, with 1.4µm pixels, but has a
slightly larger f/1.7-aperture lens. It also has dual 16 MP + 12 MP camera that
can provide 2x optical zoom, 10x digital zoom, and has OIS. Asus also says it
makes use of its proprietary “SuperPixel Engine” that “effectively increases
captured light by up to 8x” — we’ll have to wait until we get it in our
hands-on to put that to the test.
The Pro model also comes with more native
storage space, a faster processor, and larger battery for the extra $200 you’ll
be paying for it.
·
Display: 5.5-inch, 1080p, AMOLED
·
Processor: Snapdragon 835
·
RAM: 6 GB RAM
·
Internal Storage: 64 GB / 128 GB
·
Battery: 3,600 mAh, USB Type-C
·
Rear camera: 16 MP + 8 MP camera with a wide angle F1.7 aperture lens, 2
x optical zoom, OIS, 4K recording (@30 fps)
·
Front camera: 8 MP
·
NFC: Yes
·
Fingerprint scanner: Yes
·
Software: Android Nougat, ZenUI 4.0
·
Price: Starts at $599
Zenfone 4
Selfie
The Zenfone 4 Selfie swaps the dual rear
cameras of the Zenfone 4 and Zenfone 4 Pro for dual front-facing cameras. These
include 20 MP + 8 MP sensors, the latter of which has a 120-degree field of
view for wide-angle selfies. The rear camera should be no slouch at 16 MP, but
you’ll have to settle for slightly lower performance compared to the other
Zenfone 4’s thanks to the Snapdragon 430 chipset.
- Display: 5.5-inch 2.5D display (resolution TBC)
- Processor: Snapdragon 430 chip
- RAM: 4 GB RAM
- Internal Storage: 64 GB
- Battery: 3,000 mAh, MicroUSB
- Rear camera: 16 MP
- Front camera: 20 MP + 8 MP with 120-degree wide-angle lens, f/2.0 aperture.
- NFC: No
- MicroSD: Yes, up to 2 TB
- Fingerprint scanner: Yes
- Software: Android Nougat, ZenUI 4.0
- Price: $279
Zenfone 4
Selfie Pro
The pro version of the Zenfone 4 Selfie
shoots 4K video via the front facing cameras and produces HDR selfies. It
houses a 12 MP + 12 MP camera with Sony IMX362 dual pixel image sensor, and
Asus is boasting “2x brighter low-light selfies” from the camera. It also
features electronic image stabilization (EIS) and a 120-degree wide-angle
camera like the other handsets. You’ll find a higher performance processor in
the Selfie Pro compared to the standard Selfie too.
- Display: 5.5-inch, 2.5D, 1080p AMOLED display
- Processor: Snapdragon 625 @2.0 GHz
- RAM: 3 GB / 4 GB
- Internal Storage: 64 GB
- Battery: 3,000 mAh, MicroUSB
- Rear camera: 16 MP
- Front camera: 12 MP + 12 MP dual-camera with 120-degree wide-angle lens. F/1.8 aperture, Sony IMX362 sensor, 1.4µm pixel size, 4K recording
- MicroSD: Yes, up to 2 TB
- NFC: No
- Fingerprint scanner: Yes
- Software: Android Nougat, ZenUI 4.0
- Price: Starts at $379
Zenfone 4
Max
The Zenfone 4 Max might be the least costly
of the devices (according to information from CNET) but, along with the Zenfone 4 Max Pro, it also
has the biggest battery at 5,000 mAh. This comes with a dual camera setup, but
without many of the bells and whistles of the other devices, and features the
most options in terms of storage and RAM variations.
- Display: 5.5-inch, HD, IPS display
- Processor: Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 / Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
- RAM: 2 GB / 3 GB / 4 GB
- Internal Storage: 16 GB / 32 GB / 64 GB
- Battery: 5,000 mAh, MicroUSB
- Rear camera: 13 MP + 5 MP, f/2.0 aperture, 120-degree wide angle lens
- Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.2 aperture
- MicroSD: Yes, up to 256 GB
- NFC: No
- Fingerprint scanner: Yes
- Software: Android Nougat, ZenUI 4.0
- Price: about $235
Zenfone 4
Max Pro
And so we finish up with the Zenfone 4 Max
Pro. This device has a lot in common with the Zenfone 4 Max but improves upon
it in terms of camera capabilities. It includes higher resolution sensors on
both the front and back, meaning the overall quality should be slightly better
(particularly in low-light conditions when taking photos with the front camera,
thanks to the bigger lens size).
- Display: 5.5-inch, HD, IPS display
- Processor: Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 / Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
- RAM: 2 GB / 3 GB
- Internal Storage: 32 GB
- Battery: 5,000 mAh, MicroUSB
- Rear camera: 16 MP + 8 MP, f/2.0 aperture, 120-degree wide angle lens
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.0 aperture
- MicroSD: Yes, up to 256 GB
- NFC: No
- Fingerprint scanner: Yes
- Software: Android Nougat, ZenUI 4.0
- Price: TBC
The smartphones all come in a variety of colors,
and will first be available in Asia before launching elsewhere (specific
release dates aren’t yet known). Note that some specs may differ by region too.
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