CES 2015 is well underway now, even though the show doesn’t officially start until tomorrow lots has happened already. LG has announced the G Flex 2 and now ASUS is releasing their new smartphone, the ZenFone 2. Following in the footsteps of the original ZenFone line, ASUS has partnered with Intel to offer premium features at a much lower cost than the likes of Samsung, Sony and HTC. This year, the ZenFone 2 is a 64-bit quad-core affair, with a spacious 5.5-inch Full HD IPS panel and much more besides.
Starting out with the display, it appears that ASUS has gone with a middle of the line 5.5-inch display, and a respectable 1080p resolution, with the device sporting a 72% screen-to-body ratio. ASUS is also touting Under that display is an Intel Atom Z3580 that ASUS was keen to point could hold its own against the MSM8974 from Qualcomm, which is 2013’s Snapdragon 800. As we’ve come to expect from Intel processors, performance is to be respectable, but nothing mind-blowing. Especially given that the ZenFone 2 starts at just $199. That’s for a version with 2GB of RAM, but there’s also a 4GB version to be available later this year when the ZenFone 2 launches in March. The software running on the ZenFone 2 is Android 5.0 Lollipop with ASUS’ ZenUI on top, a suite of helpful little additions that promises to make life easier with one-handed modes and simple shortcuts.
As for cameras, ASUS is once again pushing their PixelMaster technology with a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2.0-megapixel front-facing camera. There’s a whole suite of additional extras here for the camera side of things and ASUS has promised much better performance than leading cameraphones like the Xperia Z3 from Sony. It sure looks like ASUS is ready to make a big push this year, and they’re offering a number of color choices to appeal to practically everybody. There’s Osmium Black, Sheer Gold, Glacier Gray, Glamor Red, and Ceramic White as well as the Transfusion Series and Illusion Series for further customization. While this doesn’t sport a Qualcomm processor, the 3,000 mAh battery can be taken from practically empty to 60% in roughly 39 minutes.
While the ZenFone 2 isn’t slated to launch until this March, this seems like a bright start for ASUS in 2015, alongside the ZenFone 2 Zoom for those really serious about taking photos on the move.
