The much anticipated launch of ASUS’ refresh on the popular Zenfone line-up has finally happened today. The Zenfone 4 isn’t the same as the old budget phone released a couple of years ago, but rather the natural progression from last year’s ZF3.
ASUS definitely mixed some things up when it comes to naming their products but it can’t be helped. Anyway, this new handset is poised to compete in the upper midrange market where Chinese giants OPPO and Vivo are dominating.
Last year’s iteration didn’t receive much fanfare as compared to its predecessor, probably because of the drastic increase in price. But nobody can blame the company as the change was justified by the improvement in the design and build quality.
The ASUS Zenfone 4 takes a new approach towards design. However, it’s not entirely unique because it resembles the iPhone shape and Samsung’s home button. The back is actually kind of the same concentric circle pattern as the Zenfone 3, but with much rounded corners this time around compared to the edgy ones in the past.
When it comes to hardware, ASUS upgraded it very well. First is the faster Snapdragon 660 chipset paired with up to 6GB of RAM. It’s also a leg up in the camera department as the Taiwanese company joins the dual camera party. There’s a 12-megapixel and 8-megapixel sensors at the back to help shoot wide angle photos. The front is also well-equipped with an 8-megapixel shooter.
Other than wide angle, it is also said that the ASUS Zenfone 4 can take impressive low-light shots with the help of its huge 1.4um sensor and f/1.8 aperture. 4-axis optical image stabilization is onboard as well.
ASUS Zenfone 4 Specs
- Android 7.0 Nougat, ASUS Zen UI
- Dual nano SIM, Hybrid
- 5.5-inch AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Display,1080 x 1920 pixel resolution, ~401ppi
- 4×2.2 GHz & 4×1.8 GHz Snapdragon 630/660 octa-core processor
- Adreno 508 GPU
- 4GB RAM / 6GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot)
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- 4G, LTE
- 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel (wide-angle) rear cameras, 4-axis OIS, dual-LED flash
- 8-megapixel front camera
- USB Type-C
- Fingerprint scanner
- NFC
- Bluetooth 4.2
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- Dimensions: 155.4 x 75.2 x 7.7 mm
- Weight: 165 g
- 3,300mAh non-removable battery
The screen didn’t get much attention because it’s still a 1080p panel but it’s actually a good thing. Most people won’t notice the difference anyway, so let’s just leave extremely sharp display technology on the flagship smartphones.
ASUS Zenfone 4’s battery has increased by 10%, totaling 3,300mAh. This is where the conservative screen and processor come to play. With a bump in size and even more efficiency, the handset is expected to surpass its older brother and have even greater battery life.
Price and availability
It is priced at USD399 or approximately Php20,000 when converted directly to PHP.
The ASUS Zenfone 4 will be launched in the Philippines this coming Saturday, August 19, 2017. We’ll be there to cover the event and report on everything related to this new line-up.