The first version of the Asus Zenfone was received well in India. It was a smartphone under Rs 15,000, that performed seamlessly.
Now Asus plans to roll out the next instalment of the Zenfone, and guess what?
Zenfone 2 will offer 4GB of RAM! We got a glimpse of the smartphone and here are our first impressions of the device.
Asus says that they will offer the Zenfone 2 in multiple variants and the company assures us that it will do its best to make consumers aware of the difference in the models.
The one that we got our hands on, was the top of the line Zenfone 2 which is powered by an Intel Chip and has 4GB RAM.
The design of the smartphone is pretty intimidating. From the back it reminds you of the HTC one M8. The smartphone will also be available in three colors – silver, gold and red.
Zenfone 2 also has metallic volume rockers that are located at the back of the phone, below the camera.
This makes the Zenfone 2 look like the LG G3. There is Asus and Intel branding at the back panel of the smartphone as well. The back panel is removable, but you only find slots for two micro SIM cards.
One SIM will support 4G LTE while the other will only support 2G network. There is also a micro SD card slot if you wish to expand the memory of the smartphone. The battery is sealed and non-removable.
The Display on the Zenfone 2 is big. At 5.5 inches (diagonal), the Zenfone 2 is by no measure, small smartphone. Its display offers wide viewing angles and brightness levels. The touch response is also very smooth. For the brief time we used it, the display seemed pretty good for a smartphone that could be priced under Rs 20,000.
Zenfone 2 will offer a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP wide-view selfie camera. Low light images were impressive with the rear camera.
The phone runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with Asus’ new Zen UI skin. It offers different user modes like, guest, user, secret and kids mode.
The top-end variant of the Zenfone is powered by a 2.3 GHz Intel Atom quad core Z3580 processor backed by 4 GB RAM.There will be three storage options of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.
Addressing the battery issues that the first Zenfone had, Asus has loaded the Zenfone 2 with a 3,000 mAh battery. The smartphone also supports fast charging. The battery charges up to 60 percent in a little over 40 minutes.
Asus did not reveal the price of the Zenfone 2 but the base variant might start at $200 which is Rs 12,400 approximately.The 4GB RAM version should land a price tag of Rs 20,000.
We’ll be getting you a full review of the Asus Zenfone 2 very soon on The Quint.
Watch: A Preview of the Asus Zenfone 2
Key Specifications: Asus Zenfone 2
Display: 5.5 Inch HD IPS Display
Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Atom Z3560 Quad Core
RAM: 2GB/ 4GB
Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G LTE, 2G, WiFi, Bluetooth
Rear Camera: 13 MP With LED Flash
Front Camera: 5MP
Battery: 3000 mAh
Expected Price: Rs 12,500 to Rs 20,000
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