At ZenFestival Manila, ASUS Philippines unleashed three new phones under the ZenFone line: the ZenFoneSelfie, ZenFone 2 Laser, and ZenFone 2 Deluxe.
The company also unveiled the ZenFone Max, a phone that packs a whopping 5,000mAh battery, great for road warriors that are always online and constantly use power-hungry applications.
ZenFone 2 Deluxe is the world’s first smartphone to feature a 4GB RAM. It also features a new multifaceted polygonal design. The ZenFone 2 Laser includes laser auto-focus technology in its 13MP PixelMaster camera for clear, near-instant shots.
ZenFoneSelfie is the ultimate choice for selfies, with its twin 13MP PixelMaster cameras and a dual-color, dual-LED Real Tone flash at both front and rear.
ZenFone 2 Deluxe
ZenFone 2 Deluxe’s all-new design is inspired by the natural beauty of crystals. The Ergonomic Arc design is decorated with over 500 tessellated polygons to projecta unique multifaceted allure, accented by the iconic ASUS concentric-circle detailing on the rear key.
The ZenFone 2 Deluxe
ZenFone 2 Deluxe has a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display with a 403ppi pixel density and a wide 178-degree viewing angle. ASUS TruVivid technology enhances display performance even more with bright, brilliant colors. The display has an ultra-narrow 3.3mm bezel, giving ZenFone 2 Deluxe a remarkable 72% screen-to-body ratio for a maximized viewing experience, and is crafted from Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for superior resistance to damage and fingerprints.
An anti-fingerprint coating reduces friction by 30%, giving a luxuriously-smooth feel to touch gestures.
ZenFone 2 Deluxe is available in three unique colors — Illusion Diamond White, Illusion Polygon Blue and Illusion Smooth Pink.
ZenFone 2 Deluxe is powered by a 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor clocked at a blistering 2.3GHz and has 4GB of high-speed RAM to deliver gaming performance that’s up to seven times (7X)faster than its predecessor. A 60ms touch response time ensures lag-free input, and OpenGL 3.0 provides incredible gaming performance. It also has 128GB of built-in storage.
ZenFone 2 Deluxe has built-in 4G/LTE connectivity for blazingly-fast data speeds of up to 150Mbit/s plus 802.11ac Wi-Fi, ensuring stutter-free streaming of video and music as well as a smooth all-round mobile experience.
It also features Dual-SIM capacity with Dual Active technology and a non-removable 3,000mAH battery.
ZenFone 2 Deluxe has a suggested retail price of PHP17,995.00.
Made for selfies: ZenFoneSelfie
With 13MP rear and front cameras, the ZenFoneSelfie has got to be the ultimate phone for selfie addicts.
The ZenFoneSelfie
It takes just a simple S-shaped swipe on the high-density 1920 x 1080-pixel, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 display to fire up the 13MP PixelMaster front camera ready for shooting. GorillaGlass 4 means ZenFoneSelfie’s display has twice (2X) the drop-damage resistance of its predecessor and 2.5X retained strength, and is 85% less likely to break in daily use.
ZenFoneSelfie includes the brilliant ZenUI Beautification mode for live virtual cosmetics, such as softening facial features, slimming bloated cheeks and brightening skin tone.
The pixel-merging technology increases ZenFoneSelfie’s light sensitivity by up to four times (4X), and the Backlight (Super HDR) photography mode uses special pixel-enhancing technology to enable up to 400%-better brightness in dark and shaded areas.
If you need more light, the ZenFoneSelfie offers a dual-LED, dual-color Real Tone flash.
ZenFoneSelfie also has Selfie Panorama mode, which exploits ZenFoneSelfie’s f/2.2-aperture front lens and 88-degree field of view to capture panoramic selfies of up to 140 degrees.
Laser auto-focus
ZenFoneSelfie’s rear camera has laser auto-focus technology for the fastest possible clarity. Focusing in low-light conditions is traditionally slow, but ZenFoneSelfie’s laser beam measures distances at lightning speed for near-instant focus.
The laser auto-focus even accelerates close-up photography, compensating for the extra distance created by the lens receding during framing. ZenFoneSelfie’s rear PixelMaster camera is adept at macro shots, able to focus on objects as near as 6cm.
The intuitive ZenUI Camera app offers 16 customization modes to apply fun effects and for managing professional-style settings to ensure perfect compositions, including Manual, Super Resolution, HDR, Low Light, Night, Depth of Field, GIF Animation, Time Rewind and Smart Remove. One tap on the Manual button summons ZenFoneSelfie’s 13 professional-grade settings, including quick access to shutter speed and exposure value, white balance and ISO levels.
The ZenFoneSelfie has a removable 3,000mAh battery. The phone costs PHP 8,695.00.
ZenFone 2 Laser
The new ZenFone 2 Laser models all benefit from a 13MP PixelMaster camera with an f/2.0 wide-aperture lens to capture stunning, high-resolution photos with zero shutter lag — and laser auto-focus technology empowers users to capture perfect clarity in just 0.3 seconds.
ZenFone 2 Laser
PixelMaster’s industry-leading Low Light mode employs pixel-merging technology to capture up to 400%-brighter photos at night, or in low-light scenes, without the need for a flash. When a flash is preferred, ZenFone 2 Laser is equipped with a Real Tone flash to ensure warm skin tones and accurate color.
ZenFone 2 Laser’s PixelMaster camera also has Backlight (Super HDR) mode to capture vivid, evenly-exposed photos in challenging backlit scenes such as sunset portraits. Pixel-enhancing technology increases contrast by up to 400%, ensuring that foreground subjects stand out clearly and are free of shadows.
For those seeking fine-grained control over camera settings like ISO, shutter speed and more, Manual mode offers users a DSLR-like experience right on their smartphone.
All ZenFone 2 displays are crafted from the latest Gorilla Glass 4 from Corning. Gorilla Glass 4 means ZenFone2 Laser’s display has twice (2X) the drop-damage resistance of its predecessor and 2.5X retained strength, and is 85% less likely to break in daily use. A microscopically-thin anti-fingerprint coating minimizes scuffs and smudges.
Its 3,000mAh battery is non-removable.
ZenFone 2 Laser sells for PHP 7,695.00 (5-inch display).
ASUS ZenUI: Over 1,000 enhancements
ASUS also announced the latest version of the ASUS ZenUI mobile user interface. This latest edition offers a simpler and smarter user experience, with a stylish new layout that employs white space for a cleaner design, and which places information front and center for a simpler, smarter user experience.
ZenFone 2 Laser gives everyone the ability to completely customize its interface to match their personal style and usage preferences, including ZenUI’s launcher, themes, fonts, icons, and more.
ZenUI’s new features include ZenMotion, SnapView, Trend Micro security and ZenUI Instant Updates.
The ZenFone Max
All phones are available now except for the ZenFone Max which will be out only in October.
Aside from a monstrous 5,000mAH battery, the LTE-capable ZenFone Max has a 13-megapixel f/2.0 main camera with laser auto-focus plus dual-tone LED flash. It features a 5-megapixel front-facing imager and Gorilla Glass 4 on the 5.5-inch screen.
