Asus Zenfone 6 with 48+13MP flip camera unveiled: Better than OnePlus 7?

Pitched as a rival to the recently launched OnePlus 7, the Zenfone 6 is expected to launch in India sometime next month.

At a global event held in Paris, Taiwanese smartphone maker Asus on Thursday unveiled the Zenfone 6. A successor to the Zenfone 5z, the Zenfone 6 has a three-side bezel-less screen, glass-metal-glass design, motorised flip camera, and 5,000 mAh battery. Pitched as a rival to the recently launched OnePlus 7, the Zenfone 6 is expected to launch in India sometime next month.

Design

The Asus Zenfone 6 has a glass-metal-glass design with Gorilla Glass 6 on the front and Gorilla Glass 3 on the back.

The phone’s overall design resembles the ROG phone, albeit without the flashy elements like exhaust vents and LED insignia. The phone’s key design highlight is its 6.41-inch fullHD+ screen with no notch or cut-out area for earpiece and sensors which gives it a three-side bezel-less profile.

Camera

The phone boasts a dual-camera module featuring a 48-megapixel primary sensor (Sony IMX 586) of an f/1.79 aperture and a 13MP ultra-wide lens of a 128-degree field of view.

The cameras are fitted on a motorised flip module resting inside a cut-out area on the back. Unlike the motorised pop-up camera module that ejects from the chassis, the flip module rotates 180 degrees, giving more flexibility to the user, especially while taking panorama shots or selfie shots.

Specifications

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 system-on-chip, the phone boots Android Pie-based ZenUI 6.0. The new user interface is an improvement over the existing ZenUI.

It looks close to the stock Android and has several value-add features integrated by Asus for an improved user experience. The key highlight of the phone is its 5,000 mAh battery, which supports 18W fast charging with the supplied charger. The phone is compatible with the Quick Charge 4.0 quick-charging technology.

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Xiaomi leads India smartphone market, OnePlus tops premium segment in 2018

Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Realme and OPPO emerged as the top five smartphone vendors in terms of market share in Q4 2018 in India.

Chinese brand Xiaomi with 28.9 per cent market share led the Indian smartphone market in 2018, followed by South Korean brand Samsung at 22.4 per cent and Vivo at 10 per cent, an International Data Corporation (IDC) report said on Tuesday.

"The premium end of the market outgrew all other price segments in 2018 with 43.9 per cent Year-on-Year (YoY) growth -- OnePlus emerged as the leader in the price segment range $500-$700 and in the super premium segment and Samsung surpassed Apple for the top position with its Galaxy S9 series," said Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

According to the report, the online-focused brands drove the online channel share to an all-time high of 38.4 per cent in 2018 and a whopping 42.2 per cent in 2018 Q4 whereas offline channels had a rather muted year with a modest 6.7 per cent annual growth and a 5 per cent sequential growth in Q4.

"Shipments form Xiaomi, Asus, OnePlus and more grew online channels resulted by 47.3 per cent YoY in Q4, but the offline channel was unable to keep pace with the deep discounts and go-to-market initiatives from the e-tailers almost throughout the year," Joshi added.

The overall smartphone average selling price remained flat in 2018 at $158, with high shipments in the mass segment of $100-$200 -- which accounted for more than half of the smartphone market in India.

Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Realme and OPPO emerged as the top five smartphone vendors in terms of market share in Q4 2018 in India.

On the other hand, the feature phone market, primarily driven by Jio Phones -- which makes up 56 per cent of the total mobile phone market clocked 181.3 million-unit shipments in 2018, with 10.6 per cent YoY growth, the report said.

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Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 review: A decent performer, but not for shutterbugs

A successor to the Zenfone Max Pro M1, the phone has a modern notch-based screen, premium glass-like design, improved camera modules and a more powerful processor.

The Zenfone Max Pro M2, like most recent products from the stable of Taiwanese electronics maker Asus, gives value for your money in the midrange smartphone segment. 

The phone comes in two colour variants (blue and titanium) – and three RAM and storage configurations — 3GB RAM/32GB storage, 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/64GB storage. A successor to the Zenfone Max Pro M1 (review), this phone has a modern notch-based screen, a premium glass-like design, improved camera modules, and a more powerful processor.

Compared with its predecessor, the Zenfone Max Pro M2 has more than just cosmetic upgrades. It seems to tick all the right boxes when tested against the company’s claim of it being an unbeatable performer. But, how does it fare against other smartphones in the same segment, such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6, Realme Pro 2 and Nokia 6.1 Plus? Let’s find out:

Design and display

The Zenfone Max Pro M2 has a reflective glass-like design on the back and Gorilla Glass 6 on the front. Compared with the metallic body of the Max Pro M1 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro, the glass design looks premium and has a better feel to it. But, as with the Nokia 6.1 Plus and Realme 2 Pro, the glossy body is prone to fingerprints, which dull the shiny glass. The phone also feels slippery at times and is prone to accidental drops.

ALSO READ: Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Zenfone Max Pro M1: What is new, specs and price

Another noticeable change in the Zenfone Max Pro M2 design is the notch-based screen. Though the notch on top of the screen is not as small as the waterdrop design in the Realme 2 Pro, it is not even as big as the one in the Redmi Note 6 Pro. The new screen format adds to the display estate, enhancing the size from 6 inches in the predecessor to 6.26-inches, without much difference in dimensions.

Camera

The Zenfone Max Pro M2 has a dual-camera module on the back, with a 12-megapixel primary lens paired with a 5MP depth-sensor. The primary lens has a bright f/1.8 aperture and a bigger pixel size of 1.25 micron metre. Unlike the wide-angle secondary lens, the 5MP depth-sensor in the Max Pro M2 captures depth information to improve portrait shots.

The rear camera unit takes satisfactory images in day light. However, even with a bright lens, its lowlight imaging remains sub-optimal. The photos taken in low light come grainy with visible noise levels. There is a dedicated night mode in quick settings, but it does not show any major improvement to the frame.

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Asus ROG review: Pricey, but worthy smartphone for digital gamers on the go

Priced at Rs 69,999, the phone seems to be on the pricier side. However, if you are a die-hard gamer and it's not money that concerns you too much, the Asus ROG phone can be a delight for you.

Launched earlier this year in Taiwan, the Asus ROG smartphone recently came to the India market, becoming the first performance-centric gaming device aimed at the country’s niche gamer community. If you are fond of digital gaming, you might already know about the Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand. The Asus ROG phone has the same DNA that runs across full-fledged ROG-branded like laptops or desktops.

True, most flagship devices of the current generation are able to deliver good gaming performance. But the Asus ROG phone is as much about the overall gaming experience as it is about performance. Speaking of performance, even six months after its international launch, the ROG phone remains the most powerful Android smartphone in the market. It has Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip with a maximum operating frequency of 2.96GHz — that is 200MHz more than the regular Snapdragon 845 chip that powers most current-generation flagship smartphones.

What’s more, it’s not just the processor — everything in the Asus ROG phone seems to justify its gaming smartphone tag. The phone boasts a 6-inch AMOLED screen of fullHD+ (2160 x 1080) resolution, stretched in a tall 18:9 aspect ratio to show more on-screen content than the traditional 16:9 screens. The screen has a 90Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time which might go unnoticed during regular day-to-day operations but makes a visible positive impact during in-game sessions. The display also supports the high-dynamic-range (HDR) technology, which improves playback, especially for games like PUBG, by rendering dark areas that otherwise do not appear properly.

The Asus ROG phone has a pressure-sensitive chassis with active sensors on the lower left and right sides, and the upper-right side. In vertical orientation, pressing the lower left and right sides of the chassis simultaneously enables the X-mode, which optimises game-data processing performance and frees up the RAM to dedicate more resources to the game.

Unlike in the vertical mode, when you hold the phone horizontally, the pressure sensors on the sides of the chassis (named Air Triggers) can be assigned dedicated actions in any game to improve the gaming experience. For example, in Asphalt 9: Legends, the left air trigger can be assigned the role of firing up the Nitro, and the right air trigger of changing lanes. This way, with speed boost and steering set to automatic, you can play the game without having to touch the screen.

The Asus ROG phone also has the Game Genie, which shows up as part of on-screen software-based navigation keys. When clicked, the Game Genie slides an on-screen pop-up with four modes — Lock, no alert, real-time info and lock brightness.

Additionally, there are six key settings — speed up, air triggers, macro, record, live and display scaling.

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Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 vs Zenfone Max Pro M1: What is new, specs and price

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 will be available in two colour variants - blue and titanium - and three RAM and storage configurations - 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB and 6GB/64GB - from Dec 18, exclusively on Flipkart.

Asus, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, on December 11 launched the Zenfone Max Pro M2 in India. The Zenfone Max Pro M2 will be available in two colour variants – blue and titanium – and three RAM and storage configurations – 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB and 6GB/64GB.

Zenfone Max Pro M2: What is new

Successor to the Zenfone Max Pro M1, the Zenfone Max Pro M2 is more than an incremental upgrade. The phone has a glass-like design on the back, unlike the aluminium build of the predecessor. The phone has a 6.26-inch notch-based screen with a Gorilla Glass 6 on top of it. It runs stock Google Android Oreo out of the box, and the company promised Pie update in early 2019.

The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 system-on-chip (SoC). It has a dual camera module on the back, featuring a new 12-megapixel primary sensor of bright f/1.8 aperture, mated with a 5MP depth-sensing lens.

On the front, there is a 13MP lens of f/2.0 aperture, and a soft flashlight for low-light imaging.

Zenfone Max Pro M2: Price details and launch offers

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 will be available at Rs 12,999, Rs 14,999, and Rs 16,999 for 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB and 6GB/64GB variants, respectively. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone will go on sale from December 18.

As a part of launch day offer, the phone will get instant discount and no cost equated monthly instalments options on select bank debit and credit cards, and Flipkart’s complete mobile protection plan worth Rs 799 at a discounted price of Rs 99.

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Asus Zenfone 5z review: Sleek, swift and power-packed mid-range smartphone

The Zenfone 5z shows strength in all key areas; its AI engine is more than a gimmick and its system-wide implementation adds to the smartphone's smooth performance.

The Zenfone 5z, a premium smartphone from the stable of Taiwanese computer peripheral manufacturer Asus, boasts premium innards, coupled with system-wide artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities that learn, adapt and customise user experience based on machine-learning algorithms. Importantly, it is the phone’s starting price of Rs 29,999 that makes it an interesting proposition in the mid-range flagship smartphone segment.

First unveiled at the Mobile World Congress, the Asus Zenfone 5z was the first Android-based smartphone to showcase iPhone X-inspired notch-based screen. However, other smartphone manufacturers rolled out similar offerings before Asus, rendering the Zenfone 5z a late comer to the party. But the phone’s user interface is optimised to support the notch – be it in apps or otherwise – which makes it one of the few Android offerings with a usable notch screen.

Design

In terms of outlook, the Zenfone 5z sports a glass-metal-glass sandwich design reminiscent of the Huawei P20. It looks plush, feels light in hand and has a solid feel to it. The front is dominated by a 6.2-inch IPS LCD screen of fullHD+ resolution stretched in a 19:9 aspect ratio. The screen leaves a nominal cutout area (notch) on the top, accommodating an earpiece, sensors and a notification LED. On the back, there are vertically aligned dual cameras positioned on the top left corner and bulging out of the chassis; this makes the phone uneven on flat surfaces. The glass on the back features three-dimensional (3D) reflective properties which do not change colours like the Huawei P20 Pro or Honor 10 but shows an arc line that moves with light. Overall, the Zenfone 5z offers no-frills lightweight design with a modern outlook.

Screen and multimedia

The screen is an eye-candy – bright, vivid and full of colours. Though it is of the IPS breed, it offers deep blacks and good viewing angles which puts it on a par with some of the best LCD screens that we have seen in smartphones, including those of HTC. The screen is HDR-compliant which boosts colours while playing HDR content – it is the only mid-range flagship at present that has this feature.

In terms of multimedia playback, like any other notch-based smartphone, the screen supports operations with or without the notch. However, unlike any other mid-range smartphone, the option to enable or disable notch pops up on the navigation bar as soon as video content is played, either through in-built video player or apps like Amazon Prime Videos, YouTube, Netflix, etc. This makes it easier to switch between notch and without notch operations without getting into the settings menu.

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Is Asus Zenfone 5z better than OnePlus 6, Honor 10, Vivo X21? Click to vote

The Zenfone 5Z is priced at Rs 29,999, Rs 32,999 and Rs 36,999 for 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB variants, respectively. It will be available in midnight blue and meteor silver colours.

Asus, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, on July 4 launched the Zenfone 5z in India. The phone is priced at Rs 29,999, Rs 32,999 and Rs 36,999 for 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB variants, respectively. The phone will be available in two colours -- midnight blue and meteor silver – and will go on sale starting from July 9, exclusively on Flipkart.

First unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in February, the Asuz Zenfone 5z is a flagship smartphone with top-of-the-line innards, notch-based screen, dual rear cameras and system-wide artificial intelligence capabilities. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip (SoC), the Zenfone 5z boasts 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to its 6.2-inch fullHD+ screen that covers almost the entire front. The 19:9 aspect ratio leaves just a small notch on top to accommodate an 8-megapixel camera, earpiece and sensors.

On the back, the smartphone sports a dual-camera set-up, which features a 12MP primary shooter and a wide angle 8MP shooters. The primary 12MP sensor boasts f/1.8 aperture and the 8MP sensor features 120-degree wide-angle lens. Both the front and rear cameras are backed by AI for automatic scene selection and portrait photography, and machine learning to improve the output by learning usage patterns.

In a quick hands-on experience, the phone seemed to be on par with other smartphones in same segment, which includes the OnePlus 6, Honor 10 and Vivo X21. But, is Zenfone 5z the smartphone that can take on these smartphone and set a new benchmark for midrange flagships? Take the poll and let us know:

Asus to launch Zenfone 5z on Flipkart-exclusive smartphone soon

Unveiled at the MWC 2018, Zenfone 5z was the first Android smartphone to sport an iPhone X-inspired notch and system-wide AI capabilities, along with a dual camera set-up on the rear.

Asus, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, is gearing up to launch the Flipkart-exclusive Zenfone 5z in India on July 4. The e-commerce platform recently listed the teaser page, confirming the launch of premium smartphone in India.


Asus Zenfone 5z was first unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in February, alongside Zenfone 5. Both sport similar glass-metal-glass sandwich design and feature a dual camera set-up on the back. However, the processor, RAM and storage configurations set them apart.


In terms of features, the Zenfone 5z boasts 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to its 6.2-inch fullHD+ screen covering almost the entire front. The 19:9 aspect ratio leaves just a small notch on top to accommodate an 8-megapixel camera, earpiece and sensors – just like in Apple iPhone X but smaller.


On the back, the smartphone sports a dual-camera set-up, which features 12MP and 8MP shooters.


The primary 12MP sensor boasts f/1.8 aperture. and the 8MP sensor features 120-degree wide-angle lens. Both front and rear cameras are backed by AI for automatic scene selection and portrait photography, and machine learning to improve the output by learning usage patterns.


Zenfone 5z sports a 2.5D curved glass on the front and back, supported by a metal chassis. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with 6GB RAM and a host of storage options starting from 64GB.

When unveiled, Zenfone 5z and Zenfone 5 were the first smartphones in the Android realm to feature iPhone X-inspired notch-based screen. They were also among the first generation devices to offer system-wide artificial intelligence-based utilities such as automatic scene selection and setting optimisations in camera, auto ringtone adjustments and optimal battery utilisation etc. However, both the notch-based screen and the native support for artificial intelligence have become a common proposition in smartphones.

Asus Zenfone 5Z launch set for June 15: Still a modern flagship smartphone?

The Zenfone 5Z has 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to its 6.2-inch notch-based fullHD+ screen covering almost the entire front.

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Asus was the first smartphone maker to announce Google Android-based devices – the Zenfone 5Z and Zenfone 5 -- with iPhone X-inspired notch-based screens at the Mobile World Congress held in February. Now, after almost four months, the company is gearing up to launch the Zenfone 5Z on June 15, according to a tweet shared by company through its official Japan handle.


Earlier this year, when Asus showcased the Zenfone 5-series, the adoption of artificial intelligence technology in smartphones was in early stages and Asus showcased its different use cases, such as automatic scene selection and setting optimisations in camera, auto ringtone adjustments and optimal battery utilisation, etc. Though the Zenfone 5-series smartphones were claimed to bring system-wide AI-based optimisations, a lot has changed since MWC and most mobile phone manufacturers now integrate an iteration of AI, which Asus then called advanced. This is what happens when you showcase innovative products and take months to roll those out to markets.


Speaking of the Zenfone 5Z features and specifications, the phone has 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to its 6.2-inch fullHD+ screen covering almost the entire front.


The 19:9 aspect ratio leaves just a small notch on top to accommodate an 8-megapixel camera, earpiece and sensors. In terms of imaging, the smartphone sports a dual-camera set-up, which features 12MP and 8MP shooters. The primary 12MP sensor boasts f/1.8 aperture and the 8MP sensor features a 120-degree wide-angle lens. Both front and rear cameras are backed by AI for automatic scene selection and portrait photography, and machine learning to improve the output by learning usage patterns.


The Zenfone 5z sports a 2.5D curved glass on the front and back, supported by a metal chassis that holds them together seamlessly. The Zenfone 5z houses Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with 6GB RAM and host of storage options starting from 64GB.