Asus Zenfone 8: Everything We Know So Far
Asus’ latest entry into the mid-range smartphone market, the Asus Zenfone 5Z, turned heads with its premium design and powerful specs at a relatively affordable price point. Now, the company has another smartphone in the works that hopes to do one better – we’re talking about the upcoming Asus Zenfone 8! Here’s everything we know so far about this intriguing phone!
Design & Display
The Asus ZenFone 6 is, at first glance, a fairly standard-looking Android phone. But it packs a punch in the display department. Sporting an edge-to-edge screen with no notch, the phone has a 6.2 1080×2280 19:9 ratio IPS LCD panel that should look good even if you’re viewing it from an angle. The screen is also HDR10 compliant for video content and has support for 10 point multi touch input with full sRGB color gamut coverage. That said, the aspect ratio means there’s a relatively large bezel on either side of the phone. On one hand, this will help you hold onto the device better when using it in landscape mode but on the other hand it means there’s more room for your fingers to cover up portions of what’s being displayed on screen while typing or scrolling through various lists.
While most modern smartphones now have their cameras placed at the top left corner of their screens, the ZenFone 6 still sticks to tradition by placing them off to one side. In this case they’re placed vertically along with dual LED flash and laser auto focus sensors above them.
Specs & Software
The Asus Zenfone 8 is a midrange device that will launch in India. It will have a 6.4-inch display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The phone will run on Android Pie with the ZenUI skin on top of it. This means it’ll have a notch at the top like every other Android device this year. That said, notches are just a design choice and some people might be turned off by them. If you are one of those people then this might not be the best option for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking to upgrade your smartphone without breaking the bank then this may be worth considering. The phone comes with dual-rear cameras which include a 12MP primary camera and a 16MP secondary camera.
The front camera is an 8MP shooter. Plus, the company has partnered with Facebook so that all WhatsApp users get access to new tools including WhatsApp Business tools. You can read more about the device’s specs here. Outlook (five+ sentences): Asus doesn’t usually make its own software so there isn’t much to expect from the software experience but we do know that it will come preinstalled with Google Photos. Availability & Pricing: There’s no word yet on when the device will release or what its pricing will look like. As for availability, the latest information suggests that you can buy it starting next month on Amazon India or Flipkart .
Battery, Storage & Connectivity
-It will come with a Snapdragon 660 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 128GB storage. -It will have a 6.2-inch 18:9 FHD+ display with Gorilla Glass protection and an in-display fingerprint sensor. -There’s also a rear dual camera setup which features 16MP + 20MP sensors with PDAF, EIS, f/1.8 aperture and LED flash. On the front is another 16MP sensor for selfies with f/2.0 aperture and Smart Beauty mode feature for beautifying your face on the fly. The phone will come running on Android Oreo-based Asus ZenUI 5.0 out of the box with a 3010mAh battery supporting fast charging technology . For connectivity, there’s Wi-Fi 802.11ac (dual band), Bluetooth v4.2 LE, NFC and USB Type C port to charge the phone. There are two color options at launch: Sapphire Blue or Midnight Black . Pricing & Availability: The Asus Zenfone 8 has been launched in India at a price of Rs. 24,999 ($377) and it will go on sale starting September 26th.
Price & Availability
The Asus Zenfone 5Z will be available in India starting at Rs. 29,999 which is a little more than the launch price of the OnePlus 6. The 6GB + 64GB variant will retail for Rs. 34,999 while the 8GB + 128GB variant has been priced at Rs. 39,999. Expect the top-of-the-line model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage to cost upwards of Rs. 45,000 when it launches sometime in late October or early November 2018. It’ll also go on sale on Amazon India as well as other online stores such as Flipkart, Snapdeal and Paytm Mall among others . There’s no word yet on whether customers will get their hands on the device offline but we can expect this information to be revealed soon enough.
The phone will have its own tie-ups with Reliance Jio and Airtel enabling users to buy either plan by paying via the phone. Customers who pre-order any version of the Asus ZenFone 5Z through these carriers by 1st December will get a free wireless charger worth Rs. 1,500 along with an additional cashback offer of 10% off when they purchase their new device.
And if you’re someone who likes to keep your devices protected then there’s good news coming your way too!
