Asus' camera-focused ZenFone Zoom smartphone is heading to the US

[Shawn Knight]

For Asus, what's old is new again as the Chinese electronics giant revealed today at CES that its ZenFone Zoom will go on sale next month in the US. Considering the handset was originally unveiled at last year's show, you may be wondering what's so special about a "dated" smartphone that's already available overseas. The answer is simple: its camera.

The ZenFone Zoom features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization. Notably, it also employs a 3x optical zoom versus the standard (and entirely useless) digital zoom found on virtually all modern smartphones. Furthermore, it uses a laser-assisted autofocus system which results in faster, more accurate focusing compared to contrast detection methods and a dual-tone flash.

What really makes the ZenFone Zoom stand out according to Engadget is its 10-element lens from renowned optics company Hoya (although interestingly enough, Hoya is most known for its lens filters, not actual lenses) and SmartFSI image sensor from Panasonic.

All of the camera technology is packed into the standard shell of the smartphone meaning no ugly protruding camera. It's not without sacrifice, however, as this means the aperture ranges from f/2.7 to f/4.8 versus the faster f/2.0 aperture we're accustomed to with today's flagships. As such, low light performance and depth of field will suffer a bit.

Other key specifications include a 5.5-inch, 1080p display (403 PPI) coated with Gorilla Glass 4, a quad-core Intel Atom processor, 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM and up to 128GB of local eMCP flash storage, all powered by a non-removable 3,000mAh battery.

Look for the Asus ZenFone Zoom to arrive in February starting at $399 free and clear of any contract.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/63343-asus-camera-focused-zenfone-zoom-smartphone-heading-us.html

 

[Uncle Al]

FINALLY! A product that predicts arrival time, cost, and availability ..... what a concept! Are these guys from a different planet, or what?

 

[EEatGDL]

From the pictures in ASUS website they seem rather noisy, so I passed on it and just got my Zenfone 2.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

FINALLY! A product that predicts arrival time, cost, and availability ..... what a concept! Are these guys from a different planet, or what?

I wouldn't have thought that wasn't very hard to do when you realise Asus is probably sitting with an abundance of these unsold devices on their hands not knowing what to do with them.
Long Dong Duck says to Asus CEO: "I know, lets wave them in the faces of the Americano's and see if they bite".
Asus CEO: "Brilliant idea Duck, they're gullible enough, now why didn't I think of that". If we can offload them on those Americano's you can look forward to a little something extra in you next pay packet, and an office with you name on the door.
If it's just a camera phone you're after I suppose you could do worse but I'd be skeptical of that Intel Silvermont Atom chip though, it's pretty weak kneed according to reports I've read.

 

[Mister_K]

I don't have time, money, interest or portability for a full on DSLR. So a phone with camera as its primary focus is something I welcome. While lot of the flagship phones have decent cameras, they just lack some features etc.. etc..