~ Auto Buzz ~: ASUS Debuts Four ZenFone 4 Handsets With Dual Camera Setups

Today, August 17, Taiwanese consumer electronics company ASUS officially introduced its latest smartphone series in its homeland, including the ASUS ZenFone 4 and ZenFone 4 Selfie along with two “Pro” counterparts for each model. Prices start at $279 for the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie, and can go as high as $599 for the ZenFone 4 Pro.

The latest ASUS smartphone lineup can be broken down into two main categories, one featuring a dual camera setup on the back panel, and the other accommodating a single main camera while making use of two front-facing sensors for selfie enthusiasts. The ASUS ZenFone 4 and 4 Pro feature rear-mounted dual camera setups including a 12-megapixel Sony IMX362 1/2.55-inch sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, as well as a secondary 16-megapixel Sony IMX351 sensor with 2x optical zoom. The rear facing camera combo is coupled with a dual-tone LED flash, and on the front panel resides a single 8-megapixel front-facing Sony IMX319 sensor with an f/1.9 aperture and 1.4-micron pixels. As for other hardware details, the ASUS ZenFone 4 and 4 Pro feature 5.5-inch AMOLED displays with resolutions of 1920 x 1080 pixels, however while the latter is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 14nm chipset housing a quad-core Kryo processor and an Adreno 512 graphics chip, the ASUS ZenFone 4 Pro makes use of the Snapdragon 835 SoC featuring an Adreno 540 graphics chip. Both models pair their chipsets with 4GB or 6GB of RAM and offer Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, and 4G VoLTE (Voice over LTE) connectivity. Lastly, while the ASUS ZenFone 4 has a 3,300mAh battery, the Pro variant draws energy from a larger 3,600mAh unit with fast charging capabilities.

As for the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie series, this is primarily designed for selfie enthusiasts as both smartphone models abandon a rear-facing dual-camera setup in favor of two front-facing sensors. The main unit clocks in at 20-megapixels whereas the secondary unit has a resolution of 8-megapixels and 120-degree wide-angle lens. The rear-mounted sensor has a 16-megapixel resolution and phase detection autofocus, and is accompanied by its own dual-tone LED flash. There are some noteworthy technical differences between the two models despite their similar camera configurations, such as the fact that the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie has a 5.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 whereas the Selfie Pro is equipped with a similarly-sized Full HD (1920 x 1080) AMOLED panel. Furthermore, the former model relies on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC whereas the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro makes use of a Snapdragon 625 chipset instead. Both devices feature 4GB of RAM, 64GB of on-board memory expandable via microSD, and a 3,000mAh battery which takes advantage of fast charging on the Pro variant.

At the time of writing, the new ASUS ZenFone 4 series is primarily set for release in Asia, however, the company is expected to push the new smartphones on the global market at a later date, presumably before the end of 2017. As far as pricing goes, the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie has a price tag of $279, whereas the Pro variant costs $379. On the other hand, the ASUS ZenFone 4 is priced at $399, and the ZenFone 4 Pro starts at $599.