ASUS Zenfone 6 arrives with a 48MP flip camera

ASUS Zenfone line-up has been struggling in the smartphone world in these recent years, but the company plans to change that with the recently released ASUS Zenfone 6. It was launched at an event in Spain and is the successor to the Zenfone 5 which was launched last year. The latest model comes with a new design language, new software and a new solution to notched displays.

Features and Specifications

The ASUS Zenfone 6 features a 6.4 inch FHD+ LCD display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio. It has 600 nits brightness, 100 DCI-P3 color gamut, and HDR10 support. The bezels are extremely narrow which leads to a high screen-to-body ratio of 91%. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 with 8GB/6GB RAM and up to 64GB/128GB/256GB internal storage (UFS 2.1) and can be further expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card.

In the camera department, the phone comes with flip camera setup. It is like a pop-up camera with additional functionalities like free angle shooting (0 to 180 degrees), Automatic horizontal, vertical panorama or just for Face Unlocking. The whole flipping module is made up of something ASUS calls “liquid metal” that makes it light and tough. The movement is controlled b a stepper that rotates two degrees per step.

On the sensor part, there is a 48MP primary camera with f/1.79 aperture and a 13MP 125-degree ultra wide camera with a LED flash. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have OIS but we do get 4K recording support. The camera retracts automatically when a fall is detected, something we have seen on pop-up camera phones. The company claims to test the machinery over 1,00,000 continuous flips.

The handset runs ZenUI based on Android 9 Pie. The UI comes with a stock system navigational system-wide Dark Mode, intelligent memory management and few pre-loaded apps compared to the previous ‘Zenfones’. It is backed by a 5,000 mAh battery with 18W quick charge support. It retains the 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Pricing and Availability

As for the pricing, the ASUS Zenfone costs EUR 499 (Rs 39,000 approx) for the 6/64GB variant while the 6GB/128GB variant will retail at EUR 599 (Rs 44,000 approx). The high-end variant with a 8GB/256GB configuration comes at a price tag of EUR 599 (Rs 47,000). It is available in Midnight Black and Twilight Silver color options from the ASUS eShop while the sales start from May 25. ASUS has not said anything about the phone’s launch in global markets including India.