ASUS goes all out with MWC launch, introduces new ZenFone 5 line

Taiwanese tech company ASUS does what it’s been doing in recent years, releasing multiple variants of its smartphone line to cater to specific user needs. This time around the new ZenFone 5 line gets three versions: the ZenFone 5Z, ZenFone 5, and ZenFone 5 Lite.

The first two share its physical characteristics with a 6.2-inch 19:9 LCD displays with 90% percent screen-to-body ratio, which makes it possible to fit all that phone into the body of a standard 5.5-inch phone. But the phones also share a look with another popular device from an even bigger brand in smartphones. Yes, you see it has a notch and ASUS acknowledges somewhat that they’ve taken the design cue from Apple.

“Some people will say it’s copying Apple,” said Marcel Campos, Asus’ global head of marketing, “but we cannot get away from what users want. You have to follow the trends.”

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CES 2018: ASUS brings high-capacity battery-toting ZenFone Max Plus to North America

If having a smartphone that comes with a high-capacity battery is something that’s high on your list of priorities, Taiwanese company ASUS is giving you that option. The company is bringing the ZenFone Max Plus (M1) to this side of the world. It packs in a 4,130mAh battery, which offers up to 26 days of standby time and can even be used to charge other devices. It sees ASUS joining the 18:9 display aspect ratio for its 5.7-inch screen. ASUS is also introducing Face Unlock technology with this device.

When it comes to the cameras, the front-facing camera comes with either 8-megapixel/16-megapixel shooter with f/2.0 aperture for your brighter selfie needs. It also has a dual-rear setup with a 16-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture and a secondary 8-megapixel shooter with 120-degree wide-angle lens. The Max Plus is said to run on a MediaTek 6750T 64-bit octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM and Android 7.0 layered with ASUS ZenUI. It comes with 32GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD. It’ll retail for US$229 (around CA$285).

Source: CNET

CES 2018: ASUS unveils world's largest 65-inch 4K gaming display

Since there is an abundance of gaming focused laptops and desktop PC's, it stands to reason that there should be standalone gaming-focused displays. ASUS is towering over the competition with its 65-inch 4K UHD ROG Swift PG56 which will appeal to serious gamers and eSports players.

ROG Swift PG65 can emit 1000 nits peak brightness that's several times greater than standard displays. Its direct-lit full-array LED backlight is dynamically controlled across all zones, providing very high contrast for richer, more natural-looking dark scenes. Its 178° wide-view panel provides brighter imagery, and its cinema-grade DCI-P3 color gamut provides a color range that is 25% wider than sRGB, resulting in more realistic color reproduction.

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ASUS ZenFone 4 expected to get Android Oreo update this month

We’ve seen leaked screenshots of Android Oreo for the ZenFone 3 and 4 a week ago and now it seems that does signal that the update is coming sooner. An ASUS forum moderator that goes by the handle Green1_ASUS has all but confirmed that the ZenFone 4, specifically the ZE554KL. According to the post, which was originally written in Chinese and translated, “Hi andymazda, ZE554KL is currently expected to provide upgrades in December Android O…”

If this is true, then ZenFone 4 users will gain access to many Android 8.0 features like picture-in-picture mode, notification channels and dots, smart text selection, and many more.

Source: Android Authority