It’s been a long time coming, but its finally here. Asus has finally pulled back the curtains on the Zenfone 3 series of smartphones.
Much like the Zenfone 2, the Zenfone 3 comes in three basic variants: the vanilla Zenfone 3, the Zenfone 3 Ultra, and the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. For now, let’s talk about the Zenfone 3. Asus’s basic Zenfone 3 model will feature a 5.2″ Super IPS widescreen display that has a 2.1mm slim bezel. Said screen will also feature a 500cd/m2 brightness, allowing the screen to be perfectly visible even under direct sunlight. Upon launch, the Zenfone 3 will come in four different colours as well as three different back covers.
In terms of performance, the Zenfone 3 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 and up to 4GB of RAM. The camera on the Zenfone 3 is no slouch either, as the device sports a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera. The cameras will support HDR and 4K recording and comes with Optical Image Stabilization, Electronic Image Stabilization, a Tri-Tech auto-focus system, dual LED flash, advanced low light technology and DTI technology.
The next step up above the Zenfone 3 would be the Zenfone 3 Ultra. As the name implies, the Zenfone 3 Ultra is the biggest of the Zenfone 3 series of smartphones, coming with a 6.8″ FHD IPS display that has a 95% NTSC Colour Gamut. The display on the Zenfone 3 Ultra comes with Tru2life+ Technology, allowing the phone to optimize contrast and sharpness of images, giving the phone a 4K TV grade optimization.
To further build on the Zenfone 3 Ultra’s media capabilities, the phone will feature the new Dual Five-magnet Stereo Speaker system. This system allows the Zenfone 3 Ultra to be 2.4 times louder than the normal smartphone speaker with 42% less distortion. As for power, the Zenfone 3 Ultra will sport a 4,600mAh battery and will come with Quick Charge 3.0 technology as well as a Powerbank mode.
Finally, we come to the flagship of the Zenfone 3 series: the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. In terms of design, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe will come with a full metal unibody while measuring just 4.2mm in thickness. Much like the Zenfone 3, the Deluxe will come with three different designs available.
For the screen, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe will sport a 5.7″ Super AMOLED display that has a dynamic contrast of three million to one and a NTSC Colour Gamut of ver 100%. THe bezel between the screen and the device is minimal as it measures just 1.3mm.
Performance is where the Zenfone 3 Deluxe stands out. The device sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Another plus point is the phone’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology that allows you to charge up the Deluxe’s battery to up to 60% in just 39 minutes. The phone will also be utilising USB Type-C, enabling a data transfer rate that is 10 times faster than the standard.
The camera on the Zenfone 3 Deluxe is nothing to sneeze at either, as it comes with a 23MP rear shooter that uses Sony’s own IMX 318 sensor. It is encased in a Sapphire cover glass and sports DTI technology and is capable of 4K recording. Much like the Zenfone 3, the camera on the Deluxe comes with the Tri-Tech Auto Focus System, Optical Image Stabilization and Electronic Image Stabilization.
All three devices will be running on the new ZenUI 3.0 that Asus promises would provide a responsive experience. Some of the features that will be available on ZenUI 3.0 includes a Game Genie app that would allow you to livestream your mobile games on to YouTube & Twitch, as well as an in-game search window and a system booster. The mobile manager has also been updated and now comes with a Super Boost that will speed up your system. It also comes with cloud intelligence that will help extend battery life.
No release date was given as to when to expect the Zenfone 3 to be available for purchase, but Asus did reveal that the Zenfone 3 will retail for USD 249 (RM 1,024), the Zenfone 3 Ultra for USD 479 (RM 1,970), and the Zenfone 3 Deluxe for USD 499 (RM 2,052).
