The ASUS ZenFone 6 was announced earlier this summer, and got a ton of attention because of how high-end it is compared to the price. But ASUS never announced when or even if, it would be coming to the US. Well, now thanks to a listing on B&H Photo, we know that pre-orders will start next week, on July 31.
Pricing isn’t listed yet, but we are expecting something around $500 for the 64GB model, and possibly $550 for the 128GB model. ASUS has always launched their phones at pretty competitive prices, and the ZenFone 6 likely won’t be any different.
Inside, the ZenFone 6 has the Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of storage and a micro SD card slot. But what really got everyone’s attention was the battery. We’re looking at a 5000mAh capacity battery in this one, which should get you through a full day, if not two full days. Even for those heavy users out there.
ASUS has packed the ZenFone 6 with a 6.4-inch Full HD+ display, which is right in-line with what ASUS usually offers on its smartphones. A lower-resolution display to make the battery life last longer and performance be better than on a QHD+ device.
Besides the specs, the ZenFone 6 also has a few other tricks up its sleeves this year. Which include the camera. In this war on bezels, most companies are resorting to a notch, or to a pop up camera. Not ASUS. It is still using a motorized camera, but it’s the rear camera. It flips up to be your front-facing camera. Which is pretty neat, and it also means that we finally have a pretty good camera for taking selfies, instead of a really good rear camera and a so-so front-facing camera. It also allows you to get some different angles with the camera for some pretty cool shots here.
Software-wise, ASUS did something that many weren’t expecting. It essentially ditched its own ZenUI overlay and went almost fully stock Android. It is still technically running on ZenUI 6, but you won’t really see much of a difference from what’s on the Pixels. It’s a stock Android interface, and its own apps have also received a makeover to fall more in-line with what Google has done in terms of design. ASUS has also removed a ton of its apps that were basically duplicates of what Google already offered – and was installed on its phones already.
The ASUS ZenFone 6 should be an all-around great phone to pick up. The company isn’t well-known for having the best camera out there, but it should be good enough for most people. Combine the specs, the new software and this price tag together, and this might be the best “budget” smartphone available – when it becomes available next month.
You can get your pre-order in for the ZenFone 6 on July 31 from B&H Photo using the link below. It’ll likely open up at Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers around that time too. So keep an eye out for those retailers as well.
ASUS ZenFone 6 - B&H Photo