With the recent announcement of ASUS ZenFone 6, it seems like the company is taking the previous “flagship killer” identity of OnePlus. With the OnePlus 7 Pro starting at $669USD, the ZenFone 6 competitor only starts at $499 — offering a Snapdragon 855, a very generous 5000mAh battery, and a flipping 48MP dual camera that paves the way for a fullscreen display and removal of a standard selfie camera.
READ: OnePlus 7 Pro launched: 48MP triple camera, SD 855, 12GB RAM for P35k price
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Asus Isn’t Copying Anyone Anymore
Far from the iPhone-like design of ZenFone 5, ZenFone 6 gets creative by offering the first flip-top camera on the market. Unlike the rotating cameras of Samsung Galaxy A80, Asus’ 2019 flagship phone flips 180-degrees to allow rear-to-selfie switching. When in use, it’s like a huge reverse notch.
As for the lens itself, there’s a 48MP Sony sensor assisted by a 13MP for ultra-wide. Due to the camera module’s unique design, you can take a panorama shot without moving the phone itself — letting the motor do the work for you. The company isn’t worried about the level of durability due to the special liquid metal used. Furthermore, there’s a safety system wherein the cameras will flip back to the original position when it detects free fall, Ã la OnePlus 7 Pro.
READ: Samsung Galaxy A80 launched: Rotating 48MP triple camera, P32k+ price
Zenfone 6 Finally Has Good, Clean Software
Apart from the camera, there are a few good things about ZenFone 6. It has an FHD+ fullscreen display with a tiny slit on top to make way for the earpiece/stereo speaker ( with the other speaker on the bottom part). There’s Gorilla Glass 6 protection up front with aluminum frame. And it also comes with a headphone jack — neat! A “smart key” button is found on the left side for assigning shortcuts like Google Assistant or opening the camera. A new “Zen UI” is also here — now with a near-stock Android design with just a few added features from Asus.
The package for the ZenFone 6 gets even better as it only starts at $499 or ~P26,000 (6GB/64GB) in the Philippines when roughly converted. Two higher-end models are also expected to arrive — going up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. To achieve its pricing, it skimps on IP certification and AMOLED panel.
READ: Why You Should Not Buy a Flagship Phone in 2019
ASUS Zenfone 6 specs, price, release date in the Philippines
- Display: 6.4-inch FHD+, IPS LCD Fullscreen, HDR10, DCI-P3 100%
- Design: aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 6 (front)
- CPU: Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm)
- GPU: Adreno 640
- RAM: 6GB,8GB
- Memory: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB expandable via microSD slot of up to 1TB
- Camera: 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2″, 0.8µm, Laser/PDAF + 13 MP, f/2.4, 11mm (ultrawide)
- Selfie: Motorized flip-top camera
- Connectivity: 4G LTE-A Wi-Fi ac, BT 5.0, GPS, audio jack, USB Type-C
- Battery: non-removable 5000mAh with 18W QC 4.0
- Security: rear-mounted fingerprint scanner
- OS: Android 9.0 Pie with ZenUI 6
- Release date: June-July 2019
- Price: ~P26k before taxes ($499)
