At a media event in New Delhi, ASUS has launched the ZenFone 3 series in India. All three models in the series — the ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Deluxe, and ZenFone 3 Ultra — will be going up for sale shortly. The highlight in the series is the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, which is the first phone to ship with the Snapdragon 821 SoC and 256GB internal storage.
ASUS has had remarkable success with the ZenFone line in India, selling over 4 million units to date. Here's what you get with its latest offerings:
| Category | ZenFone 3 | ZenFone 3 Deluxe | ZenFone 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 1080p 5.5-inch SuperIPS+ LCD 77.3% screen to body radio |
1080p 5.7-inch SuperAMOLED 79% screen to body ratio |
1080p 6.8-inch IPD LCD 79% screen to body ratio |
| Construction | Front and rear Corning Gorilla Glass panels with 2.5D contoured edges and metal frame | Full aluminum alloy unibody with "invisible antenna" | Full aluminum alloy unibody with "invisible antenna" |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Octa-core 14nm 8x1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A53 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 Octa-core 28nm 4x1.8GHz ARM Cortex-A72 4x1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Adreno 506 | Adreno 530 | Adreno 510 |
| RAM | 4GB | 6GB | 4GB |
| Main camera | 16MP ASUS PixelMaster 3.0 (Sony IMX298 sensor) f/2.0, 6-element Largan lens 0.03 second TriTech autofocus 4-axis OIS 3-axis EIS Color correction sensor Dual-tone LED flash |
23MP ASUS PixelMaster 3.0 (Sony IMX318 sensor) f/2.0, 6-element Largan lens 0.03 second TriTech autofocus 4-axis OIS 3-axis EIS Color correction sensor Dual-tone LED flash |
23MP ASUS PixelMaster 3.0 (Sony IMX318 sensor) f/2.0, 6-element Largan lens 0.03 second TriTech autofocus 4-axis OIS 3-axis EIS Color correction sensor Dual-tone LED flash |
| Front camera | 8MP, 85-degree wide-angle lens | 8MP, 85-degree wide-angle lens | 8MP, 85-degree wide-angle lens |
| Wireless | 802.11ac Wi-Fi: 5G/2.4G, MIMO Cat 6 LTE |
802.11ac Wi-Fi: 5G/2.4G, MIMO Cat 13 LTE + 3CA |
802.11ac Wi-Fi: 5G/2.4G, MIMO Cat 6 LTE |
| Fingerprint sensor | Rear sensor, 5-finger registration, 360 degree recognition | Rear sensor, 5-finger registration, 360 degree recognition | Below screen sensor, 5-finger registration, 360 degree recognition |
| Connectibity | Bluetooth 4.2 Type-C USB 2.0 |
Bluetooth 4.2 Type-C USB 3.0 |
Bluetooth 4.2 Type-C USB 2.0 |
| SIM/SD slots | Slot 1: MicroSIM (4G) Slot 2: NanoSM (3G) or MicroSD |
Slot 1: MicroSIM (4G) Slot 2: NanoSM (3G) or MicroSD |
Slot 1: MicroSIM (4G) Slot 2: NanoSM (3G) or MicroSD |
| GPS | GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU | GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU | GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU |
| OS | Andorid 6.0 Marshmallow ZenUI 3.0 |
Andorid 6.0 Marshmallow ZenUI 3.0 |
Andorid 6.0 Marshmallow ZenUI 3.0 |
| Battery | 3,000mAh | 3,000mAh with Quick Charge 3.0 | 4,600mAh with Quick Charge 3.0 |
| Audio | Hi-Res Audio New 5-magnet speaker NXP Smart AMP |
Hi-Res Audio New 5-magnet speaker NXP Smart AMP |
Hi-Res Audio New 5-magnet speaker NXP Smart AMP DTS Headphone: X 7.1 DTS HD Premium Sound |
| Video Processor | ASUS Tru2Life+ featuring PixelWorks 4K TV Grade processor DisplayPort over USB Type C |
||
| Other features | Always on panel | Power bank capability with 1.5A rapid charge | |
| Colors | Shimmer Gold Aqua Blue Sapphire Black Moonlight White |
Titanium Gray Glacier Silver Sand Gold |
Titanium Gray Glacier Silver Rose Pink |
As always, ASUS is launching several configurations of each handset, so here's what you need to know about the pricing of the ZenFone 3 in India:
- ZenFone 3 Laser (ZC551KL) - ₹18,999 ($285)
- ZenFone 3 (ZE520KL) - 5.2-inch FHD display/3GB RAM/32GB storage - ₹21,999 ($330)
- ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) - 5.5-inch FHD display/4GB RAM.64GB storage - ₹27,999 ($420)
- ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL) - ₹49,999 ($745)
- ZenFone 3 Deluxe - Snapdragon 820/64GB storage - ₹49,999 ($745)
- ZenFone 3 Deluxe - Snapdragon 821/256GB storage - ₹62,999 ($940)
The ZenFone 3 Deluxe with the Snapdragon 821 SoC will be costlier than the Galaxy Note 7 in the country, which has a street price of ₹59,900 ($900). You're getting a lot for your money with either phone, but it is unlikely ASUS has the brand cachet to entice buyers. That said, it is great to see the Taiwanese manufacturer bring the highest spec variant of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe to India (looking at you, Xiaomi).
The ZenFone 3 is up for sale on Amazon India right now, and other variants will be available from next month.
