Asus began teasing the announcement of a new smartphone recently, and has now revealed the ZenFone Selfie, the name of which gives away its standout feature — an impressive selfie cam above the screen. Initially hinted at on its Facebook page, Asus has shown off the phone during the Computex tech show in Taiwan. Here’s everything you need to know about the device.
Updated on 06-01-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in all the official information on the ZenFone Selfie.
It’s all about you
Above the ZenFone Selfie’s screen is a giant 13-megapixel camera lens, alongside a dual-LED flash with an enhanced color system to really highlight facial detail. The wide 88-degree lens has an f/2.2 aperture, and a panorama mode for 140-degree wide images. Just a reminder here, we’re talking about the front, not the rear camera. The ZenFone Selfie’s front cam also has an HDR mode, a special low-light setting, and a set of beautification tools.
On the rear of the phone is a shutter button — in a similar way to various LG smartphones — that also operates the volume controls. Plus, for super-fast selfie snapping, drawing the letter S on the screen will automatically take a shot with the front camera. On the rear, the camera also gets a laser-autofocus, plus a macro-mode for pictures taken as close as 6cm away.
Big screen, and Android Lollipop
Asus has fitted a 5.5-inch, 1080p touchscreen to the ZenFone Selfie, and used a Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor to provide the power. This is a change from the Intel chip found inside the ZenFone 2, recently released in the U.S. On the official Asus webpage for the phone, there are two versions of the device mentioned — one with 2GB RAM, and the other with 3GB. An option of 16GB or 32GB of internal memory will also be offered, and each has a MicroSD card slot to add a further 64GB.
Android 5.0 Lollipop is installed, and a big 3,000mAh battery should mean a decent standby time. There’s 4G LTE connectivity — and mention of U.S. and worldwide bands, indicating a future international release for the ZenFone Selfie — plus a dual-SIM slot looks to be standard.
The release date and price are both unknown, but when it does arrive, Asus will provide the choice of seven different rear cover color options. The ZenFone 2’s metallic covers will be joined by fetching blue, white, and pink pastels. We’ll update here when more information is released.
CONTINUE TO PAGE TWO FOR THE RUMORS REGARDING THE ZENFONE SELFIE
The company asks, “Which new ZenFone family member will be revealed at Computex 2015?” Then gives us a clue, saying, “Illuminate the beauty that’s in you through the front camera of the ZenFone _ _ _ _ _ _. Those dashes refer to the mystery name, and just happen to correspond with rumors regarding a ZenFone called the Selfie.
According to rumors, the device will be a variation on the recently released ZenFone 2, but will come with a monster 13-megapixel front camera that’s accompanied by a dual-LED flash unit. Hence the references to illumination in the hint above.
The teaser picture Asus published on Facebook backs all this up, showing a big camera lens at the top center of a smartphone, flanked by two sensors — one of which seems to be a flash. If the phone’s remain spec is the same as the ZenFone 2, expect another 13-megapixel camera on the rear, and a big 5.5-inch, 1080p touchscreen on the front. Asus works with Intel on the ZenFone 2, and an Atom chip with up to 4GB of RAM powers the device.
Phones built to take amazing selfies are becoming ever more popular. Most recently, Sony announced the Xperia C4, which is equipped with a 5-megapixel front cam and an LED flash. Prior to Sony’s effort, the HTC Desire Eye matches the rumored ZenFone Selfie’s 13-megapixel/dual-LED flash front cam setup. Then there is Lenovo with the Vibe X2 Pro. It has a 13-megapixel front camera, but went in a different direction with the flash, preferring to offer one as a standalone accessory instead of built into the body.
Asus will reveal the new ZenFone device, along with any other exciting new products it has ready and waiting, at its Zensation event which takes place on June 1 at Computex in Taiwan. We’ll bring you all the news on the day.
Article originally published on 05-29-2015
