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<p align="center"></p><p><p>Today at Computex, as part of their annual Zen press conference, ASUS lifted the lid on the Zenfone 3 series. In previous Zenfone generations, the Zenfone has been one of the premier devices featuring Intel&rsquo;s Atom smartphone chipset, however due to the announcement that Intel has cancelled their Atom smartphone &lsquo;Broxton&rsquo; program ASUS is going all in with a series of Qualcomm chipsets, including the custom Kryo based Snapdragon 820 and also the first 14nm Snapdragon 625 device.</p>

<p>The Zenfone 2 line is known for having numerous, region specific models over its lifespan. To start, the Zenfone 3 will come in three formats and sizes: the base Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL), the premium Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) and the media-consumption focused Zenfone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL).</p>

<p style="text-align: center;"></p>

<p>We were able to get a quick preview the day before the announcement, and had some hands-on time:</p>

<p align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="472" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DZfphYELavQ" width="630"></iframe></p>

<p>The black model is the base Zenfone model, featuring a Snapdragon 625 (dual 4xA53), and comes with Gorilla Glass 3.0 on the front and sides with 2.5D for the contouring on the edge. This model will feature up to 4GB/64GB, a Sony IMX298 rear camera, 2x2 dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, up to Cat 6 LTE, dual SIM and a USB 2.0 but Type-C based connector. The screen is a 5.5-inch Super IPS+ LCD, and runs Android Marshmallow with ZenUI 3.0.</p>

<p align="center"><img alt="" src="http://images.anandtech.com/doci/10365/11_575px.jpg" style="width: 273px; height: 400px;" /></p>

<p>The gold model is the Zenfone Deluxe, designed to be the high-end model with the main focus on the Snapdragon 820 (using Qualcomm&rsquo;s custom Kryo cores, similar to the LG G5 and certain Samsung Galaxy S7 models) and having up to 6 GB of memory. So add to this on the storage of up to 256 GB, supporting the UFS 2.0 standard, and an upgraded 23MP Sony IMX318 rear camera and USB 3.0 (again, via Type-C), and ASUS hopes to be challenging some of the high-end devices. The unibody design aims for a seamless rear, with no antenna banding or windows, instead going for a small hole on the side of the phone at the top which, according to ASUS&rsquo; internal metrics, should be sufficient. The Deluxe will support Quick Charge 3.0 and has a similar 3000 mAh battery to the base model.</p>

<p align="center"><img alt="" src="http://images.anandtech.com/doci/10365/3_575px.jpg" style="height: 225px; width: 300px;" />&nbsp;<img alt="" src="http://images.anandtech.com/doci/10365/6_575px.jpg" style="height: 225px; width: 300px;" /></p>

<p>The large 6.8-inch Zenfone 3 Ultra is what ASUS is calling its &lsquo;multimedia Smartphone&rsquo;, aiming to combine the use case of a tablet with a smartphone. We&rsquo;ve seen large smartphones before (like the Huawei P8 Max) but these tend to be region focused: I was told that the Ultra will be coming to the US in some form over the next few months. The Ultra runs a Full HD display (1920x1080) like the other two devices, but uses &lsquo;ASUS Tru2Life&rsquo; technology based on Pixelworks&rsquo; 4K TV processor which also featured in the ZenPad S 8.0. This is supposedly an upgraded version over the ZenPad S 8.0, and it will be interesting to see Brandon&rsquo;s reaction to it over the ZenPad. ASUS is equipping the Ultra with the Snapdragon 652 (4xA72, 4xA53), with up to 4GB/64GB and a 4800 mAh battery. ASUS is keen to promote that the phone can also act like a power bank and offers reverse charging. The Ultra will also come with DTS HD Premium Sound and Headphone 7:1 support, allowing for hi-res audio support up to 24-bit/96 kHz, and aiming squarely at the multimedia experience.</p>

<table border="0" style="text-align:center" width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr class="tgrey">
<td colspan="4">ASUS Zenfone 3 Series</td>
</tr>
<tr class="tlblue">
<td class="tgrey">&nbsp;</td>
<td class="tgrey">Zenfone 3

ZE552KL</td>
<td class="tgrey">Zenfone 3 Deluxe

ZS570KL</td>
<td class="tgrey">Zenfone 3 Ultra

ZU680KL</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">Display</td>
<td>5.5-inch

Super IPS+ LCD

1920x1080</td>
<td>5.7-inch

SuperAMOLED

1920x1080</td>
<td>6.8-inch

IPS LCD

1920x1080</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">SoC</td>
<td>Snapdragon 625

4xA53 @ 2.0 GHz

4xA53 @ 1.4 GHz</td>
<td>Snapdragon 820</td>
<td>Snapdragon 652

4xA72

4xA53</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">GPU</td>
<td>Adreno 506</td>
<td>Adreno 530</td>
<td>Adreno 510</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">DRAM</td>
<td>Up to 4 GB</td>
<td>Up to 6 GB</td>
<td>Up to 4 GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">Storage</td>
<td>Up to 64 GB</td>
<td>Up to 256 GB

(UFS 2.0)</td>
<td>Up to 128 GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">Front Camera</td>
<td>16MP Sony IMX298

f/2.0, 6-element</td>
<td colspan="2">23MP Sony IMX318

f/2.0, 6-element</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">Rear Camera</td>
<td colspan="3">8MP, 85-degree</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">WiFi</td>
<td colspan="3">2x2 802.11ac with MU-MIMO</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">4G</td>
<td>Category 6</td>
<td>Category 13, 3xCA</td>
<td>Category 6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">Connectivity</td>
<td>Type-C USB 2.0</td>
<td>Type-C USB 3.0</td>
<td>Type-C USB 2.0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">Battery</td>
<td colspan="2">3000 mAh</td>
<td>4800 mAh</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">Colors</td>
<td>Shimmer Gold

Aqua Blue

Sapphire Black

Moonlight White</td>
<td>Titanium Gray

Glacier Silver

Sand Gold</td>
<td>Titanium Gray

Glacier Silver

Rose Pink</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">OS</td>
<td colspan="3">Android M with ZenUI 3.0</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<p>All three will feature fingerprint sensors, with the base model and the Deluxe having a rear touch sensor, the Ultra having a button sensor on the front, and all three supporting five fingers of recognition. They will all support ASUS&rsquo; PixelMaster 3.0 camera features: an f/2.0 6-element lens, 4-axis photo OIS, 3-axis EIS and dual tone LED flash. ASUS wants to promote its TriTech autofocus technology, enabling focus via contrast, phase and a second generation laser (capable up to 1.2m) for a 0.03-second autofocus system (ASUS states that around 250,000 pixels have left/right light detection to aid this). &nbsp;An 8MP front camera is on the front of all the cameras also.</p>

<p>We&rsquo;re writing this before the announcement, and we expect pricing to be specified during the presentation along with the time for device rollout.&nbsp;</p>

<p><div>Gallery: ASUS Announces the ZenFone 3 Series, with 6 GB Deluxe Model and 6.8-inch Ultra Model<div></div></div></p>
</p>

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Source: AnandTech
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