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+ LCD77.3% screen to body radio | 1080p 5.7-inch SuperAMOLED79% screen to body ratio | 1080p 6.8-inch IPD LCD79% 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 625Octa-core 14nm8x1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A53 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 652Octa-core 28nm4x1.8GHz ARM Cortex-A724x1.4GHz 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 lens0.03 second TriTech autofocus4-axis OIS3-axis EISColor correction sensorDual-tone LED flash | 23MP ASUS PixelMaster 3.0 (Sony IMX318 sensor)f/2.0, 6-element Largan lens0.03 second TriTech autofocus4-axis OIS3-axis EISColor correction sensorDual-tone LED flash | 23MP ASUS PixelMaster 3.0 (Sony IMX318 sensor)f/2.0, 6-element Largan lens0.03 second TriTech autofocus4-axis OIS3-axis EISColor correction sensorDual-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, MIMOCat 6 LTE | 802.11ac Wi-Fi: 5G/2.4G, MIMOCat 13 LTE + 3CA | 802.11ac Wi-Fi: 5G/2.4G, MIMOCat 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 4.2Type-C USB 2.0 | Bluetooth 4.2Type-C USB 3.0 | Bluetooth 4.2Type-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 MarshmallowZenUI 3.0 | Andorid 6.0 MarshmallowZenUI 3.0 | Andorid 6.0 MarshmallowZenUI 3.0 |
| Battery | 3,000mAh | 3,000mAh with Quick Charge 3.0 | 4,600mAh with Quick Charge 3.0 |
| Audio | Hi-Res AudioNew 5-magnet speakerNXP Smart AMP | Hi-Res AudioNew 5-magnet speakerNXP Smart AMP | Hi-Res AudioNew 5-magnet speakerNXP Smart AMPDTS Headphone: X 7.1DTS HD Premium Sound |
| Video Processor | ASUS Tru2Life+ featuring PixelWorks 4K TV Grade processorDisplayPort over USB Type C | ||
| Other features | Always on panel | Power bank capability with 1.5A rapid charge | |
| Colors | Shimmer GoldAqua BlueSapphire BlackMoonlight White | Titanium GrayGlacier SilverSand Gold | Titanium GrayGlacier SilverRose 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.
