Zenfone Family Re-sets the Smartphone Bar

Coming from their fairly recent launch of the unbelievably affordable Fonepad 7, Asus presents an array of Zenfones that simply cannot be ignored!

Yesterday evening (07/17) marks the Philippine launch of their Zenfone line, their first comprehensive mobile phone offering for our country with a contender within the more popular screen sizes: 4", 5", and 6" with which each handset’s monicker had been derived.

The launch had a very prominent figure in the form of an owl which is the Pixelmaster’s low light mode icon and is accompanied by the catchphrase – "see what others can’t". This feature was the very first one I challenged with my own phone’s HDR mode which lost to the processing of the Pixelmaster image and is the main selling point of the telphony products. The technique that is being used in this mode, as GP explained it, is in the prediction of nearby pixels from what the phone lens sees which, while not really new, has never been used in this fashion and very effectively at that!

Mr. George Su personally handled telling everyone present at the venue about the Zenfone touching up on all salient properties of this new line of devices.

^ Dancers lit up the stage once more before the Zenfones were presented 

Hyve set a pretty perfect stage for such a feature and the launch revealed some of the other aspects that make the phone unique from its competition to wit:

ZenUI – a systemwide implementation of a vibrant design language from Asus with over 200 enhancements to the stock Android OS

60ms screen response time – the fastest in the world well over the industry standard

Do It Later – a unique task reminder and management system that remembers what you yourself might not

Gorrila Glass 3, the persistent brush metal finish, anti dust/fingerprint coating, incredible standby and operational uptime, its very own chatroom, Asus Open Cloud integration, Sonicmaster audio, and of course who can forget Pixelmaster optics among many other cool functionalities.

There was also the optional flip cover type accessory on display and you can see it here in action being demoed at the experience center at one side of the space where participants were able to play with the newly released phones:

Prices for all the variants were revealed one by one beginning with the largest of the group – Zenfone 6 (Php11,995), Zenfone 5 (Php6,495), and finally the Zenfone 4 (Php3,995) which garnered appropriate applause because of its sheer unbelievability:

Quick specs seen above let us know that the processor changes from the 4 to 5/6. Battery capacity also improves as the unit gets bigger; this does not mean that the battery life is affected however because the larger displays also tend to consume greater charge as opposed to smaller ones.

This pricing model absolutely penetrates the market being dominated by the local brands and with such competitive costs, it is almost assured a place in that realm! Kudos to Asus PH for another successful launch for a new innovation that shatters convention.

Full PR after the break.

ASUS Officially launches the Zenfone Series in the Philippines

The ASUS flagship smartphone together with the new ZenUI are now available at incredible price!

Manila, Philippines (17th July, 2014) — ASUS announces the availability of the Zenfone locally.For the first time, Filipino customers can experience the empowering luxury of the long-anticipated Zenfone, available in a range of sizes and colors. All Zenfone models come with ASUS ZenUI, the all-new mobile user interface with over 1000 enhancements that make ASUS mobile devices even more fun and seamless to use.

The launch of Zenfone in the Philippines marks a significant milestone for ASUS following Zenfone events in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and China. The Zenfone Series features high-performance and power-efficient Intel^® Atom™ processors to deliver outstanding mobile experiences.

Zenfone — the incredible smartphone for everyone

The Zenfone series incorporates beautiful design, high-quality materials and the seamless functionality of ASUS ZenUI to bring empowering luxury to users. Available with screens ranging from 4 to 6 inches and in a variety of striking colors, there is a Zenfone to match anyone’s needs and sense of style. All Zenfone models feature Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass 3 screens for incredible scratch resistance and durability.

Zenfone 4 has a gorgeous 4-inch display and is easy to personalize with swappable back covers available in Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, Sky Blue and Solar Yellow colors. It supports Micro SD cards up to 64GB, giving plenty of room to store photos, videos, apps, and more. Zenfone 4 is the most affordable among the Zenfone Series for the price of only Php 3,995 (8GB).

Zenfone 5 comes with a spacious 5-inch HD IPS+ display that can even be used while wearing gloves. Its stunning design tapers to just 5.5mm at its thinnest edge. Zenfone 5 is available in Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, Champagne Gold and Twilight Purple colors. The Zenfone 5 will be available for only Php 6,495 (8GB).

Zenfone 6 offers a fantastic 6-inch HD IPS+ display complemented by SonicMaster audio technology to deliver immersive entertainment experiences. It is equipped with a powerful 13-megapixel camera for clear, high-resolution photos. ZenFone 6 is available in Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red and Champagne Gold colors. The Zenfone 6 will be available for only Php 11,995 (16GB).

ASUS ZenUI — fluid, intuitive and beautiful

Zenfone is one of the first ASUS devices to feature ASUS ZenUI, the all-new, exclusive mobile user interface developed around the concepts of freedom, expression and connection. Featuring a new visual design made to be efficient and inviting, it contains modern ‘flat’ icons, vivid color themes, animations, new ringtones and notification sounds, and a clean layout to present information clearly.

ASUS ZenUI also includes two features — What’s Next and Do It Later — designed to free users from actively having to manage the multitude of information they are confronted with daily, and enable them to be more productive. What’s Next puts the information currently most important and useful to the user — such as upcoming appointments, new messages and missed calls from VIP contacts, weather at the next destination, and more — front and center on the lock screen, the home screen and in the notification drawer.

Do It Later frees the user to focus on the task at hand, without forgetting about other important things that they need to do later. If a user is in the middle of writing an email and receives a phone call, a simple button tap automatically creates a reminder to call that person back. Users can also save interesting items, like articles, YouTube videos, or any web page, to read later. Each reminder and saved item is collected in the separate Do It Later app and includes a shortcut to perform the related action, such as call a contact or view a webpage.

PixelMaster — professional-looking photos, every time

Every Zenfone features PixelMaster, an exclusive ASUS camera technology comprising a set of features including Selfie Mode and Depth of Field Mode that improve camera performance and make it easier for users to capture great photos and videos. Two additional PixelMaster features, Low-light Mode and Time Rewind, are also available on Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 6.

Low-light Mode significantly increases camera performance in poorly lit scenes. By merging adjacent pixels, the camera increases light sensitivity by up to 400% and contrast up to 200%, resulting in clear and bright low-light shots without the need for a flash. Electronic Image Stabilizer (EIS) improves low-light performance even further resulting in sharper, non-blurry photos. Low-light mode is also available when shooting video.

Action photography can be challenging due to subject motion, but Time Rewind makes capturing that perfect moment easier. By automatically taking multiple pictures before and after the user presses the shutter button, the chance of getting a great photo of a difficult subject is increased. After taking the photo, the user can “go back in time” using an easy-to-use interface to select the best shot, or can simply choose to save all of the available shots captured by the camera.

Selfie Mode is a new and innovative way to take high-quality self-portraits (‘selfies’). It enables the user to use the high resolution main camera on the back of the phone — instead of the lower resolution front-facing camera — to take and individual selfie or one with a group of friends. The camera automatically detects when the selected number of people is in the frame and begins a countdown before taking three photos. Afterwards, the user can select the best-looking photo to save and share online.

Depth of Field Mode lets the user capture engaging photographs with sharp, isolated subjects set against rich, softly blurred backgrounds — a look known to photographers as shallow depth of field — that is usually only possible with dedicated, high-end cameras.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

Item	Model Name	Internal Storage	Price
Zenfone 4	A400CXG	8GB	Php3,995
Zenfone 5	A501CG	8GB	Php6,495
Zenfone 6	A601CG	16GB	Php11,995