Asus Zenfone 3 to launch in India today: Here's what to expect

Asus is all geared up to bring in its much-awaited Zenfone 3 range in India today with its ‘Z3nvolution’ event that will be streamed online in 360 degree video. Viewers across the world will be able to log in and watch the proceedings of the 360 presentation. While the Zenfone 3 is a much awaited update to the older Zenfone series in India, the series was first launched at Computex event back in June in Taiwan. While Asus is known for launching a number of variants for every model (it did this with past smartphones as well), we can expect the company to launch three new models today with the Zenfone 3, the Zenfone 3 Ultra and the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. ZenFone 3: $249 (around Rs 17,000)  ZenFone 3 is a feature-packed yet budget-friendly smartphone offering from Asus. It features a 5.5-inch Full HD Super IPS display and the device is powered by a Snapdragon 625 Series processor (with 14nm FinFET process technology) coupled with 4GB RAM. There is a 16MP rear camera with same autofocus technology as used in ZenFone 3 Deluxe. This new age Zenfone also packs in a fingerprint sensor on the rear of the device. ZenFone 3 Ultra: $479 (around Rs 33,000)  The ZenFone 3 Ultra targets multimedia lovers with a 6.8 inch Full HD display with 95 percent NTSC color gamut and ASUS-exclusive Tru2Life+ Video technology for a “high-end 4K UHD TV-grade” experience. The device sports Hi-Res Audio (HRA) along with new powerful speakers. The speakers are claimed to use a 5 magnet, Dolby-certified design. You do get stereo speakers as well. The device runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor along with an Adreno 510 GPU and 4GB of RAM. It has the same 23MP rear camera as the ZenFone 3 Deluxe and sports a high-capacity, 4,600mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0 Technology. The phone also works as a powerbank with 1.5A output for charging other devices. Indeed, this is Asus’ Max offering for the Indian market and its direct competitor would be the extremely successful Xiaomi Mi Max smartphone, which is currently the one to beat in this category. ZenFone 3 Deluxe: $499 (around Rs 34,000)  The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is the new flagship by the company. It features a light, aluminum alloy unibody, a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display with support for 100 percent NTSC colour space. The device has ultra-thin bezels and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, an Adreno 530 GPU and 6GB RAM. The device has a 23MP rear camera with a Sony IMX318 image sensor and a large, f/2.0 aperture on the lens. You also get 4-axis optical image stabilization for images and 3-axis electronic stabilization for 4K UHD videos. The camera is pegged to take smartphone photography to the next level with a combined laser AF and phase-detection AF system, claims Asus. The phase-detection will work in well-lit situations while the laser AF system will work in low-light situations. The Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe supports QuickCharge 3.0, has a built-in fingerprint sensor on the rear and sports a reversible USB 3.0 Type-C port. As you may have guessed, the Deluxe would be Asus India’s flagship smartphone offering and could also be its highest priced smartphone till date. So far, the only smartphone that broke the mid-range barrier from the Taiwanese company was the Zenfone Zoom , a camera-centric smartphone with optical zoom that was priced at Rs 37,999. While there is a good chance that Asus may tweak the above mentioned specifications, Asus being Asus, could have a few surprises in store for India’s Zenfone fans as well. Back at Computex, we did get a chance to do a proper ‘hands on’ with the new Zenfone 3. You can click here to have a check out our first impressions of all the new smartphones, or simply hit the play button below and view our ‘first look’ video.