Asus has launched seven variants of Zenfone 3 series this year, including battery centric Zenfone 3 Max (5.0-inch and 5.5-inch), budget camera oriented Laser series, generic Zenfone 3 (5.0-inch and 5.5-inch), 6.8-inch phablet Zenfone 3 Ultra and top-end Zenfone 3 Deluxe. Now, it has come to light that Asus is not done with the Zenfone 3 series and is apparently developing an ultra high-end camera phone as well.
An Asus device code-named 'Asus_Z01 HDA' has been spotted at TENNA, the Chinese government-run telecommunication certification agency (equivalent to FCC: Federal Communication Commission in the US) website, revealing internal hardware and design language details.
Also read: Top 5 Android phones that raised their game in 2016
Going by the specs-sheet and photos, 'Asus_Z01 HAD' seems to be the Zenfone Zoom successor and many are calling it the Zenfone 3 Zoom.
In the images, the Zenfone 3 Zoom looks very different from its predecessor, which featured a huge camera module with Optical Zoom seen like Nokia Lumia 1020 with PureView camera. However, the new Zoom model's back resembles the dual-camera-based iPhone 7 Plus [see image below, courtesy Android Authority].
On the front, the device's design language is identical to generic Zenfone 3 series having 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) display and protected by 2.5D glass shield. It is said to have the same system configuration.
Also read: Asus Zenfone Zoom Review
As per TENNA listing, Zenfone 3 Zoom houses Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core CPU, 2GB/3GB/44GB RAM and 16GB/32GB/64GB storage.
Two key differentiating factors of Zenfone 3 Zoom are that the device will have massive 4,850mAh battery and 16MP+13MP primary camera module on the back, with dual LED flash and laser autofocus. It is expected to come in black, silver and gold colours.
The revelation comes just hours after Asus announced that it would host the 'Zennovation' event at the upcoming CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2017 on January 4 in Las Vegas.
There is no word on whether Asus will unveil the Zenfone 3 Zoom or not, but it is certain to pull the wraps off the new generation Google's Project Tango augmented reality-based camera phone — Zenfone AR.
Watch this space for more news on Asus products.
