News & Reviews:   ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe

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).

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) breaks new ground for ASUS as the first ZenFone to actually have tech specs, features and looks that equal a current flagship smartphone. This includes a slim metal frame with curved back that looks stunning with no visible antenna bands. Featuring a 5.7-inch FHD display it comes in two variants, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 version with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage along with the Snapdragon 821 version packing in 6GB RAM and 256GB storage. Both still offer microSD slots and 23MP PixelMaster 3.0 rear cameras with OIS, EIS, 4K and HDR video recording.

ASUS Malaysia officially launched their ASUS ZenFone 3 range and yes, they confirmed our earlier rumour that all 5 of them are available to Malaysia and that there will be both the Snapdragon 820 and 821 variants for the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. No specific Malaysia release dates but ASUS Malaysia have assured us that all of them will arrive within this month of August. Check out the prices below:

• ASUS ZenFone 3 5.2-inch display (RM1499)
• ASUS ZenFone 3 5.5-inch display (RM1699),
• ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe 6GB RAM / 256GB (RM3299)
• ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe 6GB RAM / 64GB (RM2599)
• ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra (RM2599)
• ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser (RM999)
• ASUS ZenFone 3 Max (RM799)

With the upcoming ASUS ZenVolution happening tomorrow on 6 August 2016, our intrepid leakster Mr Anonymous revealed that Malaysia will be getting the ASUS ZenFone 3 (both the 5.5-inch and 5.2-inch versions), ZenFone 3 Ultra, ZenFone 3 Deluxe, ZenFone 3 Laser and ZenFone 3 Max models.

In addition, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe will have both the 820 and 821 variants. However, he wasn't clear as to when each ZenFone 3 would be made available in Malaysia, so for now we assume we'll just be getting the first ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Ultra and ZenFone 3 Deluxe models first with the others following after. We'll find out more tomorrow, so stay tuned to TechNave.com.

It looks like Mr Anonymous managed to get some hands-on time with the upcoming ASUS ZenFone 3 and ZenFone 3 Ultra, set for release at the next ZenVolution on 6 August 2016. While there are no pics of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, he confirms that Malaysia will be getting it and that there will be more information about the Deluxe tomorrow so stay tuned to TechNave.com.

We've just received our invitation card for the big reveal of the ASUS ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Ultra and ZenFone 3 Deluxe in Malaysia on 6 August 2016, so stay tuned to TechNave.com for the latest coverage on these devices. Featuring a new metal and glass build, the new ZenFones also sport Qualcomm processors and quickcharging technology but at the same time, the upcoming ZenVolutionMy event is also set to showcase Intel-powered devices like the ASUS ZenBook 3 and more. We may be getting some leaked hands-on pics next week as well, but while you wait, check out the ASUS promo videos for now.

ASUS Malaysia have just revealed their latest Zenvolution event to be on 6 August 2016. Signaling the Malaysian reveal of their recently announced ASUS ZenFone 3 range, now it is only a question of how many ASUS ZenFone 3 smartphones will be revealed for Malaysia.

While we're quite sure the ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Ultra and ZenFone 3 Deluxe will probably arrive, will the recently announced ZenFone 3 Laser and ZenFone 3 Max also make an appearance? How about Zenbo? Since Intel is involved, should we also expect the new ASUS Transformers or ZenBooks? 

This week, quite a few official announcements happened with the Honor 8 arriving with its rumoured 2.5D glass front and back, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser and ZenFone 3 Max getting their official marching orders in Vietnam while Samsung came out with their Galaxy J Max, Galaxy J2, Galaxy J1 Ace Neo, Galaxy On5 Pro, Galaxy On7 Pro, Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Edition and UFS microSDs. LEAGOO announced their affordable shock-proof metal M5 smartphone for $59.99 (RM237) while Final Fantasy 7 was announced for Android 19 years after it was first released.

Apparently this rumour is actually true. ASUS just announced that their upcoming Zenfone 3 Deluxe would be shipping with the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, instead of the 820. This update will only be for the 256GB model however.