Asus this week launched too many devices at its grand ZenFestival in India, and the week was completely dominated by this Taiwanese multinational.
The company launched four new Zenfone smartphones in India dubbed the Zenfone Selfie (ZD551KL), Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5 (ZE550KL), Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 (ZE500KL) and Zenfone 2 Deluxe (ZE551ML) smartphones.
Starting with the Asus Zenfone Selfie (ZD551KL), it was first announced at the Computex last month. The smartphone packs a 13-megapixel front and rear cameras with dual-tone LED flash. It has a 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) display with Corning Gorilla glass 4 protection, is powered by a Snapdragon 615 Oct-Core processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop).
The Asus Zenfone Selfie comes in Pure White, Aqua Blue and Chick Pink colors and is priced at Rs. 15999 for 2GB RAM with 16GB storage version. 3GB RAM with 32GB storage variant costs Rs. 17,999. We unboxed the Asus Zenfone Selfie recently, check out the video below and read our full review here.
httpv://youtu.be/84ooHym1Zz4
The Asus Zenfone 2 Laser comes in three variants. All three variants have a 13-megapixel rear camera with real-tone flash, laser auto focus and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5 has a 5.5-inch HD screen, is powered by a Snapdragon 410 SoC, 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It also comes in a 3GB RAM variant with Snapdragon 615 SoC. The Zenfone 2 Laser 6 (ZE601KL) has a 6-inch 1080p display. These also have dual SIM support and 4G LTE connectivity.
httpv://youtu.be/rMCqpRslq6E
The Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5 (ZE550KL-1B018WW) with 2GB of RAM is priced at Rs. 9,999, the 3GB RAM variant with Snapdragon 615 SoC is priced at Rs. 13,999. The Asus Zenfone 2 Laser 6 (ZE601KL) starts at Rs. 17,999.
Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe is company’s latest high-end smartphone variant of the ZenFone 2, priced at Rs. 22,999 for the 64GB variant and the 128GB variant costs Rs. 29,999. It comes in illusion White, illusion Blue and Illusion Red colours.
The Zenfone 2 Deluxe smartphone’s back cover is made of premium polygonal material. Other specifications are similar to the Zenfone 2 that was launched in India earlier this year, including a 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) display with Corning gorilla glass 3 protection, 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor , 13-megapixel rear PixelMaster camera with Real Tone flash, 5-megapixel front-facing camera and Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with Zen UI.
Asus also launched the ZenPad 7.0 and ZenPad 8.0 at the ZenFestival. These tablets were first announced at the Computex in June.
The ZenPad 7.0 and ZenPad 8.0 come with 7-inch and a 8-inch HD displays. The ZenPad 7.0 is powered by Atom x3-C323 64-bit SoC, while the ZenPad 8.0 is powered by Octa-Core Snapdragon 615 (MSM8929) SoC. Both these run on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with Zen UI.
Asus has launched the 4G versions of these tablets in India with voice calling capabilities as well as WiFi variants. Asus is also launching a version with bundled Audio Cover that offers an immersive 5.1-channel surround sound.
The ZenPad 7.0 and ZenPad 8.0 come in Black, White and Aurora Metallic colours. The ZenPad 7.0 starts at Rs. 11,999 and also comes with Audio Cover starting at Rs. 14,999. The Asus ZenPad 8.0 (Z380KL) starts at Rs. 14999 and comes with Audio Cover starting at Rs. 17,999.
Samsung this week launched two smartphones in India – the Galaxy Grand Prime 4G and the metal-clad Galaxy A8 priced at Rs. 11,100 and Rs. 32,500 respectively.
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime 4G went on sale in India through the official Samsung India eStore last week, but the company officially launched the smartphone this week on Monday. It packs a 5-inch qHD display, is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 SoC coupled with 1GB of RAM, and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). It has an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
The metal-clad Galaxy A8 packs a 5.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display with 2.5mm ultra-narrow bezels and runs on Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop), but the Indian variant is powered by an Octa-Core Exynos 5430 processor instead of Snapdragon 615 SoC. It has a full metal uni-body design, similar to the other A series smartphones and is just 5.9mm thick. It also has a fingerprint sensor integrated into the home button. Checkout our hands on and photo gallery of the Galaxy A8 here.
Karbonn this week launched Titanium MachFive at Rs. 5,999. It has a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS display, is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with a LED flash for capturing better selfies.
It has dual SIM support and 3G connectivity. It also has an Infrared sensor that lets you control your household appliances using Peel Smart Remote app.
Meizu finally brought its m2 note, successor of m1 note smartphone in India. It was announced back in June and packs a 5.5-inch 1080p IGZO display, is powered by a 1.3GHz 64-bit Octa-Core MediaTek MT6753 processor and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Flyme OS on top. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with 69-degree wide viewing angle.
The Meizu m2 note is priced at Rs. 9999 and will be available exclusively through Amazon.in from August 10th. Check out our m2 note review.
Lava launched the Iris X5 4G comes in Icy white and Royal Black colors and is priced at Rs. 10,199. It is available from Amazon.in. It has a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS display, is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core 64-bit MediaTek processor and runs on Star OS based on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and a 8-megapixel front-facing camera with a LED flash for capturing better selfies.
Gionee launched a new smartphone in Marathon series with a 5000mAh battery dubbed the Gionee Marathon M4. It comes in White and Black colors and is priced at Rs. 15,499 in India. It packs a 5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with Amigo UI 3.0. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
It has dual SIM support and 4G LTE connectivity with 4G support on both, including support for 4G LTE bands (TDD B40 2300MHz and FDD B3 1800MHz) for India. It has USB OTG support and lets you charge other smartphones easily with the bundled OTG cable.
Lastly, Intex also launched two smartphones this week – the Cloud 4G Star and the Aqua trend at Rs. 7,299 and Rs. 9,444 respectively.
Intex Cloud 4G Star has a 5-inch HD display, is powered by 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735 64-bit processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Intex has partnered with Flipkart to sell the smartphone.
Intex Aqua Trend is company’s latest smartphone with 4G connectivity support. It has a 5-inch HD display, is powered by 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735 64-bit processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with Sony sensor, LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
Weekly Announcements
Asus at ZenFestival in India also announced its global product – the Zenfone Max. It packs a 5000mAh battery and is just 5.2mm thick, says the company.
It has a 5.5-inch HD screen, is powered by a Snapdragon 410 SoC coupled with 2GB RAM and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with real-tone LED flash, Laser auto focus and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It has dual SIM support with 4G connectivity on both.
The Asus Zenfone Max will be available in India sometime in October, but the company has not announced the pricing yet.
LG launched Gentle, an Android flip phone in Korea last week and this week it introduced the same phone as new Wine Smart, successor of last year’s Wine Smart for global markets. It has a 3.2-inch (320 x 480 pixels) display, is powered by a 1.1 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop). It has a 3-megapixel rear camera without flash and a VGA front-facing camera. It also comes with 4G connectivity.
The new LG Wine Smart comes in Navy and Burgundy colors and is already available in Korea as Gentle for 200,000 South Korean Won ( US$ 170 / Rs. 11,000 approx.). It will roll out in France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Kazakhstan and Japan starting from this month. Pricing and availability will be announced locally at the time of launch, said the company.
Sony this week announced two smartphones – the Xperia C5 Ultra and the waterproof Xperia M5.
The Sony Xperia C5 Ultra has a 6-inch 1080p display with just 0.8mm slim bezels, is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS sensor, LED flash and a 13-megapixel front-facing camera with Exmor RS sensor and selfie flash.
The Sony Xperia M5 packs a 5-inch 1080p display, is powered by MediaTek Helio X10 Octa-Core SoC coupled with 3GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). It has a 21.5-megapixel rear camera with 0.25-second Hybrid Autofocus, LED flash, 4K video recording, 5x Clear Image Zoom (allows you to get close without losing any quality) and a 13-megapixel front-facing camera. Hybrid Autofocus uses Phase detection AF (PDAF) for faster shutter speed response and Contrast detection AF for added precision added precision to produce crisp and clear photos, says Sony.
Lastly, Acer this week announced Aspire One Cloudbook 11 and Aspire One Cloudbook 14, the company latest netbooks in the new Cloudbook series running on Windows 10. These have 11-inch and 14-inch HD (1366×768 pixels) 16:9 LED-backlit displays, are powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Celeron mobile processors with 2GB of DDR3L RAM and eMMC storage of 32GB or 64GB. These also come with 1-year subscription of Office 365 Personal.
The Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 starts at US$169 and will be available in North America in August and EMEA in September starting at 269 Euros. The Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14 starts at US$199 and will be available in North America in September and in EMEA in October starting at 299 Euros. Specifications, prices and availability will vary by region, said the company.