ZenFone 4 Pro leads the pack with dual cameras and Snapdragon 835.
ASUS has taken the wraps off its latest line of flagship smartphones in the line. And as in previous years, the Taiwanese company is fielding a wide range of handsets targeting different kinds of consumers.
The new range is based around the standard ZenFone 4, the mainstream flagship, which is equipped with dual cameras and a Snapdragon 660 processor -- the latest efficient mid-tier chip from Qualcomm -- with up to 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and an ample 3,300mAh battery. That's all arranged inside a glass-bodied chassis bearing ASUS's trademark reflective concentric circle pattern. There's also a brushed aluminum frame, fingerprint security built into the capacitive home button, and a 5.5-inch 1080p LCD.
The main focus of the new ZenFone is the camera -- the main shooter is a 12-megapixel Sony IMX362 sensor with 1.4-micron pixels, featuring OIS and a f/1.8 lens, which is close to the top of the range in terms of camera hardware. And that's paired with a 120-degree wide-angle camera, similar to the , for when you need to fit more in frame.
Regular (i.e. non-Pro, non-Deluxe) ZenFones have been priced competitively thus far, and so seeing this level of camera hardware in a potentially affordable handset is significant.
Pick the regular ZenFone 4 for wide-angle shots, the 4 Pro for sharper zoomed pics.
Performance enthusiasts will be most excited about the ZenFone 4 Pro, however. ASUS's premium model steps the specs up to a Snapdragon 835 processor, with a glossy finish around the metal frame, and a larger 3,600mAh battery. The Pro also features a dual camera setup around the back, though now with an f/1.7 lens for the main shooter, and 2X optical zoom capabilities in the regular sensor. So buyers will have to choose whether they want wide-angle photos or sharper zoomed photos -- there's no single model with both options.
For selfie enthusiasts, ASUS also unveiled a pair of new mid-rangers with promising front-facing photographic capabilities. The ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro can take 24-megapixel selfies using a 12-megapixel IMX362 sensor. The camera includes the same f/1.8 aperture as the rear shooter of the regular ZenFone 4, and a secondary front-facing camera also allows you to capture wide selfies (or "wefies," if you insist), to fit more friends in the scene. Around the back, there's a more run-of-the-mill 16-megapixel shooter. Meanwhile, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 under the hood too allows you to capture up to 4K selfie videos.
The ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro puts its best sensor and lens around the front, along with a front-facing flash.
The regular ZenFone 4 Selfie features dual 20-megapixel front camera, while stepping other specs down (including an unnamed quad-core Qualcomm chip) to keep things more affordable.
Also shown today, following the ZenFone 4 Max boasts a whopping 5,000mAh battery. It's powered by a Snapdragon 430 or 425 processor, 3GB of RAM, up to 32GB of internal storage plus microSD, and comes with dual SIM support. There's also a ZenFone 4 Max Pro, which bumps the rear camera up to a sharper 16 megapixels.
All the new ZenFone models come with Android 7.1.1 atop ASUS's ZenUI software, and in the case of the ZenFone 4, 4 Pro, 4 Selfie and 4 Selfie Pro (gasp), ASUS includes the new version 4 of its Android skin, featuring a cleaner de-bloated interface.
We'll update this post with pricing information as it's unveiled today -- though it's worth noting that today's launch event will focus mainly on Asian markets.