ASUS officially announced the ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML smartphone at CES 2015 recently. Instead of offering 3 new versions of the original ASUS ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6, the new ZenFone 2 is just a single size with a 5.5-inch display (which is a good direction we think). The overall rounded back and metallic front panel with concentric circle design remains the same but the bezel is thinner at 3.3mm while the side is also slimmer at 3.9mm. The back looks like brushed metal (but is probably still anodized plastic) and features a dual LED true tone flash (amber LED + white LED). As we predicted, there is a Rear Key control as well for volume and perhaps scrolling. According to ASUS, there will be two versions. Both will feature the same 5.5-inch display but the more premium one will be the world's first smartphone with 4GB of RAM while the other one will remain at 2GB of RAM. Other notable tech specs include a 64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580 processor and 5MP front camera retailing at $199 (RM707).
- 64-bit 2.3GHz / 1.83GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3560 / Z3580 processor
- PowerVR Series 6 - G6430
- 2GB / 4GB RAM
- 16GB / 32GB / 64GB storage + up to 64GB microSD + 5GB ASUS Webstorage
- 5.5-inch display (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, IPS, 403ppi pixel density, 400nits brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass 3)
- 13MP rear camera (PixelMaster, f/2.0-aperture, 5-element autofocus lens, dual-colour Real Tone flash) + 5MP front camera (PixelMaster, f/2.0 aperture, wide-angle 85 degree lens)
- 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 ~ 3.9mm | 170g
- supports 4G LTE Cat4, 802.11ac WiFi, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, dual micro-SIM, GPS
- features Selfie Panorama, 400% Low-light mode, Backlight HDR, Enhanced one-touch beautification mode, Manual mode, Zero Shutter lag
- 3000 mAh battery (fast-charging)
- Android 5.0 Lollipop + ASUS ZenUI
- Available in Glacier Gray / Osmium Black / Glamour Red / Ceramic White / Sheer Gold
New features include a ZenMotion gesture based interface, built-in Trend Micro Security and ZenUI instant updates while the PixelMaster camera offers new features like backlight HDR and panorama selfie mode for the 5MP front camera. Faster charging times allow for a 60% charge in just 39 minutes and the phone comes with both NFC and 802.11ac WiFi with a generous 3000 mAh battery. Personally we can't wait for it to arrive but there are still no Malaysia release dates or local pricing details yet. We expect it to come sometime in March 2015. For now, check out the video below:
See What Others Can't See with the ASUS ZenFone 2
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