Asus Zenfone 2
Asus Zenfone 2ASUS India/Facebook

Asus is reportedly gearing up to release the new Zenfone 2 variant in its home market Taiwan on Thursday.

Chinese technology blog VR-Zone has confirmed that Asus will officially roll out the new 4GB RAM-based Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) with the massive 128GB inbuilt memory on both online and physical stores in Taiwan on 18 June for TWD11,990 (around $388/€345/₹24,900).

Except the increase in storage capacity, all other specifications of the device remain same as ZE551ML series handsets.

This Zenfone 2 variant was listed on the Asus' official e-commerce partner site Flipkart for ₹29,999 with – "coming soon" tag last month, but so far it has not been made available for purchase. It looks like after the Taiwan launch, the company is likely to release this phone variant in India, probably by this month end or early July.

[Also read: Computex 2015: Asus Unveils 3 New Snapdragon Powered Zenfone 2 Variants with Laser Auto-Focus Camera]

Asus Zenfone 2 series model details:

For the uninitiated, Zenfone 2 comes in three variants – ZE551ML, ZE550ML and ZE500CL. And among the three, ZE551ML comes in separate five sub-variants based on RAM, storage capacity and chipsets combination.

Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML variants include:

  • 4GBRAM/128GB memory/2.3GHz Intel Atom processor Z3580 - ₹29,999
  • 4GB/64GB memory/2.3GHz Intel Atom processor - ₹22,999
  • 4GB RAM/32GB memory/2.3GHz Intel Atom processor - ₹19,999
  • 4GB/32GB memory/ 1.8GHz Quad Core Intel Atom Z3560 - ₹14,999
  • 2GB RAM/16GB memory/1.8GHz Quad Core Intel Atom Z3560 - ₹12,999

Among these, select models are on sale on Flipkart [HERE].

Rest of the internal hardwares and softwares remain same for all the variants. They are shipped with Android 5.0 Lollipop OS, 3,000mAh battery, 13mp camera on the rear side and a 5mp snapper on the front. [For more information, scroll down and check out the table]

On the other hand, Zenfone 2 (ZE550ML) sports 5.5-inch HD screen and is shipped with 1.8GHz Intel Atom Quad Core Z3560 (1.8GHz), PowerVR G6430 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB memory and a 3,000mAh battery.

Zenfone 2 (ZE500CL) is low-end model among the lot. It features a smaller 5.0-inch HD display. Under the hood, it comes packed with 2GB RAM, 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor and a 2,500mAh battery, which can run the phone for close to 360 hours under standby mode.

[Note: the cheapest of Zenfone 2 models, ZE500CL, is expected to be released later in the year]

Key Specifications of Asus ZenFone 2 variants:

Model Asus ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML) Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE550ML) Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE500CL)
Display
  • 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) IPS screen with wide 178-degree viewing angle. It also boasts of ASUS TruVivid display technology and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 shield
  • Pixel density: 403 ppi (pixels per inch)
5.5-inch HD (1280x720p) IPS screen 5.0-inch HD (1280x720p) IPS screen
OS Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom Zen UI Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom Zen UI Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom Zen UI
Processor
  • Model 1: 4GB RAM/128GB Memory/ 64-bit class based 2.3GHz Intel Atom processor Z3580 with PowerVR G6430 GPU
  • Model 2: 4GB RAM/64GB/64-bit class based 2.3GHz Intel Atom processor Z3580 with PowerVR G6430 GPU
  • Model 3: 4GB/32GB/64-bit class based 2.3GHz Intel Atom processor Z3580 with PowerVR G6430 GPU
  • Model 4: 4GB RAM/32GB memory/1.8GHz Quad Core Intel® Atom ™ Z3560 with PowerVR G6430 GPU
  • Model 5: 2GB RAM/16GB/1.8GHz Quad Core Intel® Atom ™ Z3560 with PowerVR G6430 GPU
1.8GHz Intel® Atom ™ Quad Core Z3560 (1.8GHz) with PowerVR G6430 GPU 1.6GHz Intel® Atom ™ Z2560
RAM 4GB/2GB 2GB LPDDR3 2GB LPDDR2
Storage 16GB/32GB/64GB/ 128GB (+ 64GB via microSD card) 16GB, expandable up to 64GB 16GB, expandable up to 64GB
Camera
  • Main: 13.0-megapixel camera with PixelMaster technology, Backlight (HDR) mode, f/ 2.0 aperture, Real Tone flash , Zenflash (Xenon)
  • Front: 5.0-megapixel camera with 88-degree field of view and also comes with ZenUI Selfie Panorama mode which can capture panoramic selfies with up to a 140-degree field of view.
  • Main: 13.0-megapixel camera with PixelMaster technology, Backlight (HDR) mode, f/ 2.0 aperture, Real Tone flash
  • Front: 5.0-megapixel camera with 88-degree field of view and also comes with ZenUI Selfie Panorama mode which can capture panoramic selfies with up to a 140-degree field of view.
  • Main: 8.0-megapixel camera with LED flash, f2.0 aperture,
  • Front: 2.0-megapixel camera
Battery 3000 mAh;Comes with fast-charge technology where-in phone can get re-charged close to 60-percent battery capacity within 39 minutes 3000 mAh;Comes with fast-charge technology where-in phone can get re-charged close to 60-percent battery capacity within 39 minutes 2500 mAh;
  • Talk time: up to 28 hours;
  • Standby time: close to 360 hours;
Network & Connectivity 4G-LTE (Cat 4: 150/50 mbps), Wi-Fi (802.11ac), Bluetooth, DSDA (Dual SIM Dual Active) SIM slots (type: micro) 4G-LTE (Cat 4: 150/50 mbps), Wi-Fi (802.11ac), Bluetooth, DSDA (Dual SIM Dual Active) SIM slots (type: micro) Single-SIM slot, 2G/3G/LTE(CAT3) 4G: 700/900/1800, GPS/GLONASS,
Add-ons
  • ZenMotion is a collection of intuitive touch gestures, each providing a new way of interacting with ZenUI, and allowing quick and easy access to frequently-used features such as One Hand mode or Do It Later.
  • SnapView is a security feature that ensures privacy for apps, photos, and files. SnapView lets users easily keep their personal and business information separate.
  • Trend Micro security is integrated with the ZenUI browser for the total mobile web browsing security.
  • ZenUI Instant Updates is a seamless new method of keeping ZenUI apps up to date. With ZenUI Instant Updates, ASUS app developers can make updates available immediately, avoiding delays between app releases and ensuring the best experience for ZenFone 2 users.
  • ZenMotion is a collection of intuitive touch gestures, each providing a new way of interacting with ZenUI, and allowing quick and easy access to frequently-used features such as One Hand mode or Do It Later.
  • SnapView is a security feature that ensures privacy for apps, photos, and files. SnapView lets users easily keep their personal and business information separate.
  • Trend Micro security is integrated with the ZenUI browser for the total mobile web browsing security.
  • ZenUI Instant Updates is a seamless new method of keeping ZenUI apps up to date. With ZenUI Instant Updates, ASUS app developers can make updates available immediately, avoiding delays between app releases and ensuring the best experience for ZenFone 2 users.
  • ZenMotion is a collection of intuitive touch gestures, each providing a new way of interacting with ZenUI, and allowing quick and easy access to frequently-used features such as One Hand mode or Do It Later.
  • SnapView is a security feature that ensures privacy for apps, photos, and files. SnapView lets users easily keep their personal and business information separate.
  • Trend Micro security is integrated with the ZenUI browser for the total mobile web browsing security.
  • ZenUI Instant Updates is a seamless new method of keeping ZenUI apps up to date. With ZenUI Instant Updates, ASUS app developers can make updates available immediately, avoiding delays between app releases and ensuring the best experience for ZenFone 2 users.
Dimensions 152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 ~ 10.9 mm 152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 ~ 10.9 mm 148.1 x 71.5 x 10.9 ~ 3.9 mm
Weight 170 g 170 g 155 g
Colours Red / gray / black / white / gold White and black Red, white and black
Price
  • 4GB/128GB memory model (ZE551ML): ₹29,999
  • 4GB RAM/64GB memory model (ZE551ML): ₹22,999
  • 4GB RAM/32GB memory model (ZE551ML) : ₹19,999
  • 4GB RAM/32GB memory/ 1.8 GHz Intel Atom Z3560 CPU: ₹18,999/-
  • 2GB RAM/16GB memory model (ZE551ML): ₹14,999/-
₹12,999/- TWD 4,990 (around ₹9,930) in Taiwan