Screenshots show Android Oreo might be heading to the ASUS ZenFone 3 & 4 soon

Taiwanese company ASUS has promised it would be bringing Android Oreo not just to its current generation ZenFone 4 line but also to its predecessor. They didn’t specify though when the updates will be coming. ASUS ZenFone Blog obtained screenshots though that show what the ZenUI will look like with Android Oreo. It’s not much different with how the current ZenUI looks like but you get a new pull-down notification shade and icons in the settings menu. We can’t say yet what else they plan to add but we can expect the update to bring features like better background app management and picture-in-picture mode. ASUS has promised it’ll cut back on bloatware with Android Oreo, by how much we can’t say yet. For now, we have to wait for the update to come.

Source: Android Authority

Expect the ASUS ZenFone 5 to drop in March

With the ASUS ZenFone 4 line barely out of ASUS’s stable, the company is already looking forward to the next generation, as told by its CEO Jerry Shen. The company just officially launched its ZenFone 4 line in Europe and the ZenFone 5 might cut into the time the current generation spends on the market. However, March seems to be the target for the company. Now whether this will make its way here, we can’t say. But with the company expanding to other markets, like it’s doing in Europe, we won’t be surprised if they bring the next generation device here.

Shen says their company has supposedly been gaining momentum with their ZenFone 3 devices in France, Italy, Spain, and Russia, and they expect this to continue with the ZenFone 4. Shen is confident that they could return to profitability in the fourth quarter. Turnover of flagships by tech companies these days have always been at a really fast pace and this is just a reminder of that.

Source: PocketNow

ASUS unveils ZenFone 4 Max in Russia, comes with hefty 5,000mAh battery

The ASUS ZenFone devices that carry the “Max” name are the smartphones from the brand that are known for bigger capacity batteries. The latest iteration is the ZenFone 4 Max. Unveiled on ASUS’s Russian website, the ZenFone 4 Max features a 5,000mAh battery with the company’s PowerMaster tech that promises the battery to last longer and provide it with fast charging tech that’ll let you charge the battery to full capacity in four hours. The ZenFone 4 Max is part of the Taiwanese company’s mid-range line and runs on either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 or 430 processor, up to 3GB of RAM, up to 32GB storage, and Android 7.0 with ASUS ZenUI.

One other key feature of the ZenFone 4 Max is that it sports the trendy dual rear camera setup. Its main camera has a 13-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture while its secondary camera has a 120-degree wide-angle sensor. The camera promises 0.03-second phase detection autofocus and electronic image stabilization. The front-facing camera has an 8-megapixel sensor with LED flash. This smartphone with a 5.5-inch IPS display also has a front-mounted fingerprint reader, dual SIM support, and microUSB port. The phone will cost 13,900 rubles, which is around CA$300, making it a pretty attractive smartphone for those who’re concerned about battery life the most. No word yet though if the phone will make its way out of Russia.

Source: Android and Me

ASUS ZenWatch 2 & 3 aren’t getting Android Wear 2.0 just yet

Earlier in the year, Google released a list of all the smartwatches that were getting Android Wear 2.0 update. Many wearables on that list got the update but the ZenWatch 2 and 3 haven’t gotten it yet. And it seems the wait could take a while. ASUS has said it’ll release the update early in Q2. But with the second quarter over, there isn’t a sign of the update yet. According to ASUS’ Germany Twitter account, Android Wear 2.0 is coming to the ZenWatch 2 in July and the ZenWatch 3 is getting the update in August. ASUS USA’s Twitter account said Android Wear 2.0 was coming to the ZenWatch 3 “in the coming weeks.” But that tweet has since been deleted. And that doesn’t bode well for the update coming soon. We are still holding out hope that ASUS keeps its word and eventually get the update in the hands (or we should say wrists) of ZenWatch owners.

Source: Ubergizmo