Unlike Samsung or HTC, which rules the global smartphone market, Taiwan's Asus is new in the handset manufacturing business. It is apparent that we might not initially spot a handset as glamorous as the HTC One (M8). Nonetheless, Asus seems confident about its current line-up of devices, including smartphones, notebooks and tablets, which the company plans to introduce on July 9 in India.
Originally announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Computex respectively, Asus ZenFone range of phones could be launched on July 9 for the Indian market, according to a report from PTI ( via The Economic Times)
Recommended: Exclusive: Asus ZenFone Series Coming To India in Late Q2 2014
Asus first launched the ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6 at this year's CES tech show. The Intel-powered ZenFone series, which includes handsets ranging from 4-inch to 6-inch screen sizes, should come at affordable prices.
Asus ZenFone 4 features a 4-inch display with a resolution of 480x800 pixel resolution. It is powered by a dual-core 1.2 GHz Intel Atom Z2520 mobile chipset, coupled with 1GB RAM and 4 GB/8 GB of on-board storage, which can be later expanded up to 64GB via a microSD card.
On the imaging front, there's a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a front camera for long video chats. On the connectivity front you'll get to see support for Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, Dual-SIM, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, and a 1200mAh battery fitted inside.
An improved version of the ZenFone 4 was launched at this year's Computex tech show, featuring a slightly large 4.5-inch screen with a resolution of 854x480 pixels. The remaining hardware specs remain the same.
Asus ZenFone 5 has a 5-inch IPS Display with 1280x720 pixel resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is powered by a dual-core 2 GHz Intel Atom Z2580 mobile chipset, backed by a 1GB RAM and 8 GB/16 GB of on-board storage, which can be later expanded up to 64GB via a microSD card slot.
There's an 8 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED Flash. Also add a 2 megapixel camera in its front for video chats. This dual-SIM 3G phone offers a 2110mAh battery fitted inside. Other connectivity options remain standard.
Notably, the ZenFone 5 model showcased at Computex earlier in June sports a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor instead of the Intel chipset. It comes with a 2GB RAM and comes with 16 and 32GB storage options. The remaining features remain the same as its predecessor.
Last but not the least, the ZenFone 6 comes with a giant 6-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. There's a 13 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash. Of course one can record full HD videos and good images. The makers have added a 3300 mAh battery inside. It will come in 8GB/16GB/32GB storage options.
The ZenFone series run on Android 4.4 Kitkat with Asus' native User interface (ZenUI) layer on top of it. There's no word on the retail pricing at the moment.
In the meanwhile, we've have listed the top 5 smartphones that can give tough competition to Asus' Zenfone smartphones range. Take a look into sliders below. Happy Weekend!
HTC Desire 816 – An Ideal Competitor To Asus ZenFone 6
This jumbo sized phone, the HTC Desire 816, features a 5.5-inch HD display with a resolution of 720p. It is powered by a 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 coupled with 1.5GB RAM and 8GB internal storage, which can be further expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card.
On the imaging front, the phablet sports a 13-megapixel f/2.2 rear-facing camera with ability to record videos in 1080p video and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. The makers have added a 2,600mAh battery fitted inside. Other connectivity options come with Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi and GPS connectivity options.
The Android powered handset also sports BoomSound front stereo speakers just like the original HTC One. The Desire 816 is now retailing under Rs. 25,000 price slab. The device is premium, and could give a tough competition to the Asus Zenfone 6.
Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 – An Ideal Competitor To Asus ZenFone 5
The Galaxy Grand 2 incorporates a 5.25-inch 16:9 TFT display having a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The large screen phablet features a 1.2GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1.5GB RAM and 8GB of internal memory, which can be expanded up to 64GB via a microSD card slot.
The phone has an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with Auto Focus and a single LED Flash. The rear-facing camera is capable of shooting videos in Full HD 1080p format, whereas a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera records video in HD. There's also Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box with Samsung's native UI support
The makers have added a 2600mAh battery fitted inside gives up to 17 hours of talk time and 10 hours of non-stop music play. Moreover, the handset supports Dual SIM functionality too. Other highlighted connectivity features included in the device are WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS ＋ Glonass, USB 2.0, amongst others. The handset can be purchased under Rs. 19,000 through various e-retailers.
Xolo Q1200 – An Ideal Competitor To Asus ZenFone 5
The Xolo Q1200 features a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is also powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB RAM and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), (upgradable to Android v4.4 KitKat).
There is an 8MP rear camera with Dual LED Flash and Sony Exmor R sensor along with a 2MP front-facing shooter. Native storage is seated at 8GB and it is expandable via MicroSD card. Connectivity options include G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, USB OTG. The Xolo Q1200 comes powered by a 2000 mAh battery. The phone is priced at Rs. 12,899.
Motorola Moto G – An Ideal Competitor To Asus ZenFone 5
The Motorola Moto G comes with a 4.5-inch bright and vivid LCD display having a resolution of 1280 x 720 HD display at 329 pixels. The device has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB/16GB of internal storage. On the camera front, Motorola Moto G will come with a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with HDR and panoramic support. There's a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The makers have added a 2,070mAh battery fitted inside. User can buy the phone upwards of Rs.12,499.
Motorola Moto E– An Ideal Competitor To Asus ZenFone 4
Motorola Moto E features a 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 960x540 pixels resolution. The dual-SIM is powerd by a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor, coupled with 1GB RAM and 4GB internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card slot. The phone runs Android 4.4.2 Kitkat out-of-the-box. The affordable handset Motorola comes with a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera on the back side,, but does not fetaure an LED flash and front camera. The makers have added a 1,989mAh battery fitted inside. Motorola has used a nano-coating that will make the smartphone resistant to water. It is now available at Rs. 6,999.
