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ASUS' optical zoom smartphone to hit the US next month
All good things take time, which is often the case with products coming from ASUS. In this case, we're looking at the ZenFone Zoom, the world's first modern smartphone to feature a camera with 3x optical zoom sans the protrusion (a homage to the Nokia N93, if you like). Exactly a year after its surprise unveiling at last year's CES, we bring you the good news that this quirky device is finally heading to the US in early February. The price? $399 off-contract, as originally intended. That's not bad given that unlike its closest competitor from Samsung, the ZenFone Zoom doesn't compromise its main specs and materials to make way for the expensive camera module.
ASUS' new LTE phablet gives plenty of bang for the buck
It's been exactly one year since ASUS launched its ZenFone line of relatively affordable Android phones, and having shipped 8 million units so far, the Taiwanese company is keen to keep the momentum going. The new ZenFone 2 announced today isn't just better-looking, but it's also packed with great specs: 64-bit quad-core Intel processor, 5.5-inch (1080p) IPS display, Gorilla Glass 3, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, fast-charge technology, up to 4GB of RAM, microSD slot, Android 5.0 (with ASUS' pretty ZenUI) and more. Better yet, this dual-SIM LTE phone starts from just $199 unsubsidized when it hits the US in Q2. This is surprisingly aggressive -- even more so than the flagship devices from Xiaomi and OnePlus.
ASUS' new PadFone Infinity unveiled with Snapdragon 800, microSD slot and design tweaks
Just as promised, today ASUS has made its new PadFone Infinity official in Taipei, and there are definitely no surprises in the specs. The main update here is obviously the 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC, along with the addition of a microSD slot plus a secondary microphone for noise cancellation. Unsurprisingly, the internal storage options have been lowered to 16GB and 32GB, which is understandable with that new storage expansion capability. One very subtle change that we missed in the leaks is the new diamond cut on the metallic backside, which gives the phone a more premium and solid look than the original version. To accompany that, the new PadFone Infinity comes in two new color options: "Titanium Black" and "Platinum White." The software has also been given a gentle facelift, courtesy of a more consistent design language throughout the system -- from the simplified icons to the UI of some of the built-in Android apps. Since this is based on Android 4.2 instead of 4.1 out of the box, we should also see some performance boost as well. The good news for existing users is that the original PadFone Infinity will also receive this update, but there's no time frame for the roll-out just yet.
