ASUS unviled the ZenFone 3 series in May, though it will not be available until sometime in August. Led by 5.7-inch flagship ZenFone 3 Deluxe, the ZenFone 3 premiers as a mid-range device with two variants – a 5.5-inch screen version with 3000 mAh battery, and a 5.2-inch screen version with 2600 mAh battery.
Price attractively at $249 for the 5.2-inch model, the ZenFone 3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, 16MP Sony IMX230 camera with laser AF and OIS, fingerprint sensor, and Quick Charge support.
The ZenFone 3 bears little resemblance to its predecessor, the ZenFone 3. The power button and volume rocker has been moved to left, the space below the rear camera now occupied by a fingerprint sensor. Gone is the removable battery, with ASUS opting for a unibody, Gorilla-glass encased crystalline chassis instead. The trademark rear loudspeakers have been moved to the bottom of the unit, and though the ZenFone 3 still provides Dual-SIM support, you no longer have a dedicated expansion slot. The second SIM slot doubles as a MicroSD expansion slot, so users will have to choose between having a second SIM, or expandable storage.
We were able to go hands-on with an early engineering unit during our visit to ASUS headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.
Click play on the video to watch our ZenFone 3 hands-on review. We also have a separate 3D gaming review of the ZenFone 3 here.
ASUS ZenFone 3 5.5 (ZE552KL) technical specifications
| Dimensions | 152.6 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm (6.01 x 3.05 x 0.30 in) |
| Weight | 155 g (5.47 oz) |
| Display | 5.5″ 1920×1080 Super IPS+ w/ Gorilla Glass |
| SIM | Micro-SIM + Nano+SIM (swap with MicroSD) 4G LTE |
| OS | Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) + ZenUI 3.0 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Adreno 506 |
| Memory | 3/4 GB RAM, 32/64 GB ROM |
| Expansion | microSD, up to 128 GB (uses SIM 2 slot) |
| Camera | 16MP rear (Sony IMX230) f/2.0 + Laser AF + OIS + LED flash, 8MP front f/2.0 |
| Battery | 3000 mAh non-removable |
| Features | Fingerprint sensor, fast charging via USB type-C |
| Colors | Sapphire Black, Moonlight White, Shimmer Gold |
| GPS | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS |
| Price | TBD |
| Antutu | 59724 (overall) |
| Epic Citadel | 43.4 fps @ 1920×1080 (ultra high quality) |
ASUS ZenFone 3 5.2 (ZE520KL) technical specifications
| Display | 5.2″ 1920×1080 Super IPS+ w/ Gorilla Glass |
| SIM | Micro-SIM + Nano+SIM (swap with MicroSD) 4G LTE |
| OS | Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) + ZenUI 3.0 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Adreno 506 |
| Memory | 3/4 GB RAM, 32/64 GB ROM |
| Expansion | microSD, up to 128 GB (uses SIM 2 slot) |
| Camera | 16MP rear (Sony IMX230) f/2.0 + Laser AF + OIS + LED flash, 8MP front f/2.0 |
| Battery | 2600 mAh non-removable |
| Features | Fingerprint sensor, fast charging via USB type-C |
| Colors | Sapphire Black, Moonlight White, Shimmer Gold |
| GPS | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS |
| Price | $249 (~Php 12000) |