After launching it for the European markets, Asus has finally launched its much-talked about camera-centric smartphone — the Zenfone Zoom, in India. The Asus ZenFone Zoom is the "world's thinnest smartphone with 3X optical zoom" and it comes to India carrying a price tag of Rs. 37,999 and will be available in Pure Black and Ceramic White color options with leather back. Asus has exclusively partnered with the e-commerce giant, Flipkart for online selling. One can also buy the Zenfone Zoom paired with accessories such as ZenFlash and Tripod for Rs. 39,999. The device will be up for purchase exclusively via Flipkart from February onwards.
Though there have been other smartphones with optical zoom, Asus has managed to pack it in a package that still looks like a phone, and not as if cellular connectivity was thrown into a camera. The Asus ZenFone Zoom offers an effective zoom of 12x (3x optical, 4x digital).
"Photography has become extremely important for today's smartphone users," Jerry Shen, CEO, Asus said in an emailed statement. "Consumers want to capture every precious moment of their lives on their smartphone cameras, and also be able to perform multiple tasks with the same device. With ZenFone Zoom, we are introducing an unbeatable smartphone that complements today's lifestyles and puts professional photography within the reach of everyone."
Asus seems to have drawn some inspirations from the Nokia Lumia 1020 in terms of design, as the Zenfone Zoom does resemble camera-centric smartphone by Nokia. However, unlike Nokia 1020, Asus has not used a larger camera sensor or a Xenon flash. Given its specifications and especially its camera-centric appeal, the Asus Zenfone Zoom is going to compete with the Lenovo Vibe Shot, which is retailing at a much lesser price tag. It would be interesting to see how Indian users respond to this latest offering by Asus.
The highlight of the Asus ZenFone Zoom is its 13-megapixel PixelMaster rear camera with 10-element lens (developed by Hoya) including optical image stabilisation (OIS) with up to four stops. The ZenFone Zoom includes Asus' laser auto-focus technology that is claimed to be able to zero in on objects in just 0.03 seconds. The smartphone comes with other features like dual-LED Real Tone flash and a camera app that supports long exposures of up to 32 seconds. The Asus ZenFone Zoom can capture super-resolution images of up to 52 megapixels, which is created by stitching together 5 frames captured in succession. Its macro mode lets you get as close as 5cm (2 inches).
In terms of design, the Asus ZenFone Zoom comes with dedicated buttons for shooting, recording, and telephoto operations. Its unibody frame has a metallic finish, with a choice of Pure Black or Ceramic White (both with leather finish) on the rear. ZenFone Zoom also comes with a 'safety loop', to complete the camera-likeness.
As far as the Asus ZenFone Zoom specifications are concerned, it is powered by a 64-bit Z3590 Intel Super Quad-core CPU clocked at 2.5GHz, alongside 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 128GB of internal storage, expandable by the same amount via a microSD card. It comes with Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11ac, GPS connectivity options, and it accepts a single Micro SIM. In terms of sensors, the Asus ZenFone Zoom has an accelerometer, proximity, ambient light, gyro, digital compass, and a hall-effect sensor. All this is backed by a 3000mAh battery and Asus ZenUI on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Asus Zenfone Zoom specifications
- 5.5-inch IPS LCD display, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 72 percent screen-to-body ratio, and Gorilla Glass 3 with Oleophobic coating
- Android 5.0 Lollipop with new Zen UI
- Intel Atom Z3580 SoC, 64-bit 2.3GHz quad-core processor, PowerVR G6430 GPU, and 2GB/4GB of RAM
- 64GB/128GB internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD card
- 13MP PixelMaster primary camera, laser autofocus, 10-element lens, 3x optical zoom, dual-tone dual-LED flash,
- 5MP secondary camera and 1080p video recording
- 4G LTE Cat. 4, 3G, Wi-Fi ac/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.0, and GLONASS A-GPS
- microUSB v2.0 port and 3.5mm headphone jack
- 3,000 mAh battery with fast charging
No comments:
Post a Comment