Believe it or not, there have now been 3 generations of the ASUS ZenFone smartphones with the ASUS ZenFone 4 series announcement just around the corner. As we come up to it, here are some features we hope ASUS will implement for their 4th generation ZenFone series (some of which probably seem like longshots now with all the rumours but here they are). 

The original ASUS ZenFone Zoom aimed to offer the most powerful Intel mobile processor, plenty of storage and a 3X optical zoom for what would be the best ASUS ZenFone cameraphone. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out that way as competitors beat it to the punch with sleeker designs, better camera sensors and processors. Learning well from this lesson, ASUS have released the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom ZE553KL as one of the first around RM2K Dual Pixel and dual rear camera equipped smartphones in the Malaysian market. Read on to see why we think the sleek metal bodied ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom ZE553KL with the 5000 mAh battery life could be the next true flagship killer. 

Without a doubt, this week was the week where Apple rose to the occasion with their new jet black, waterproof, dual camera Apple iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 while the Samsung announced how to replace their recalled Galaxy Note 7 in full disclosure. You can now get the previous gen iPhone 6S Plus, 6S, SE and iPads cheaper than before and Apple also announced their waterproof 2nd-gen Apple Watch Series 2 along with their AirPods. 

Looks like the biggest news of the week came in at the last moment as Samsung officially recalled the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 over a faulty sometimes exploding battery. It wasn't the only one suspended as Google also stopped work on their Project Ara modular smartphone.

This week was one of the most hectic we've seen as we revealed our Samsung Galaxy Note 7 unboxing, hands-on and slow motion videos, complete with a look at their battery backpack casing as well. We also unboxed the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra and revealed our Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) review.

Featuring a flat and thin metal body with ASUS's invisible antenna design, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra is the newest and probably largest display phablet to reach the Malaysian market. Priced at RM2599, we see what else comes in the box asides from a 6.8-inch full HD display and better audio with dual 5-magnet speakers, DTS headphone X audio technology and 7.1-channel virtual sound this is the ASUS ZenFone with probably the best sound and movie display capabilities. Check out the unboxing video in this article.

Today, ASUS is pleased to announce both ASUS ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL / ZE520KL) is now available for purchase at ASUS Store, on their e-commerce site at a retail price of RM1699 and RM1499 respectively, both prices are inclusive of GST.

Initially priced at RM1999 the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (2016) tops the midrange Galaxy A6 or Galaxy A (2016) range with a 6-inch display, a thin metal frame and 2.5D glass front and back. However, the flagship-features don't stop there as there is NFC, a fast phase detection rear camera, fingerprint sensor and more. Is the Galaxy A9 Pro (2016) actually a flagship smartphone in a metal frame midrange body? We find out in the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (2016) review below.

Last week was crazy busy as Honor started it with a bang and their officially announced Honor Note 8 and Honor 5 Play. Samsung subsequently skipped numbers and officially announced the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 with their new Gear VR. ASUS soon followed suit with their full range of ASUS ZenFone 3, ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra, ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe, ASUS ZenFone 3 Max and ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser smartphones along with their ASUS ZenBook 3, ASUS Transformer 3 and ASUS Transformer 3 Pro, all for Malaysia.

Coming in with an RM2599 price tag and 6.8-inch full HD display, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra ZU680KL is just 0.2-inches short of a full 7-inch tablet. Still, ASUS have done a very good job of shrinking the bezels so that it looks like a very large phone instead of a tablet phone. Featuring a flat and thin all metal design, the ZenFone 3 Ultra has "invisible antennas" or no visible antenna bands but is the only ZenFone 3 to put the fingerprint sensor in the home button (also the only one with a physical home button for that matter).