Asus To Launch New ZenFone 2 Series With Qualcomm and MediaTek Chipsets

By Anuj

| Published: Saturday, February 14, 2015, 10:50 [IST]

It hasn't been much more than a month since the launch of the ZenFone 2, but the Taiwanese tech giant is already set to release more versions of the smartphone.

The company on Friday announced that it will sell its newest flagship smartphone in more versions to expand Asus' reach amongst target buyers. Asus will add Qualcomm and MediaTek to the chipset supplier list of its ZenFone 2 range.

Asus aims to double its smartphone shipments to 17 million units in 2015, and hence the decision to add Qualcomm and MediaTek to the chipset supplier list shows off the company's hunger to beat its arch rivals in the handset business.

According to a report from Focus Taiwan, the Qualcomm variant of the ZenFone 2 will be low priced, and it should available in Q2. Meanwhile, the ZenFone 2 with MediaTek chipset will be targeted at the Indian market. The device, as per the report, will be launched in the second half of 2015.

The original ZenFone 2, launched in January this year, is based on Intel-based chipset. The device is stuffed with either an Intel Atom Z3580 or Z3560 and 4GB or 2GB of RAM. The 5.5-inch Zenfone 2 comes equipped with a 1080p display, a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, a 3000mAh battery, 64-bit Intel Atom processor and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop.

The ZenFone 2 will hit stores in March in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and France, notes Focus Taiwan. Notably, Asus is planning to enter the US market with its ZenFone 2.

The Taiwanese handset maker shipped 4.5 million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2014. Even though the shipments are still small, but Asus is confidence to sell more devices this fiscal year.

In other news, Asus has launched the ZenFone C in the Indian market. The entry-level smartphone is exclusive to Flipkart. The device can be purchased at an asking price of Rs. 5,999.