ASUS Zenfone 3 Deluxe hands-on, first impressions

In case you’re still unfamiliar, the new ASUS Zenfone 3 comes in a total of four variants and one of them is the monster-spec’d Deluxe handset. Here’s our quick hands-on during the official launch here in Taipei, Taiwan.

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The Zenfone 3 Deluxe boasts an all-metal unibody which screams premium quality from the get-go. The top and bottom panels sandwiching the 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display is made of a shiny metal that continues the company’s own concentric circle design language. The bezels are also noticeably slim at 1.3mm so you get more screen space before the glass ends and the chassis begins.

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The buttons down below remain as the capacitive type and blends well against its metal background.

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Underneath, we have the lone USB Type-C port situated in the middle right beside the speaker grille. On its left is the pinhole for the microphone. We can also see here that the Deluxe carries the same form factor on its sides which is curved and is outlined by chrome trimmings — just like the Zenfone 3.

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With only 4.2mm as its thinnest edge, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe compensates for its big display by being slim enough and easy to hold even with one hand, making browsing through Facebook’s news feed possible. However, typing would still require you to use two hands.

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Locations of the power/lock buttons, volume rocker, and the SIM slot remain the same as the Zenfone 3. It also has the protruding rear camera as seen from this angle.

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Speaking of cameras, the 23-megapixel main shooter is placed right smack in the middle and is flanked by the autofocus sensor and dual LED real tone flash. It’s interesting to note the ASUS used sapphire glass to protect the camera which is stronger than Gorilla Glass.

Just under it is the fingerprint scanner that takes on a new rectangular form and breaks away from the usual smartphones carrying such feature.

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The impressive characteristics of this specific model exceeds far beyond its all-metal chassis since inside, it also packs quite a punch. It runs on a speedy Snapdragon 820 processor, carries a whopping 6GB of RAM, has a spacious 128GB of internal storage, and quickly recharges its 3000mAh battery using Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology. It also runs Android M with the company’s ZenUI from out of the box.

We will be diving deeper into what it could offer its users when we get a unit for review. Until then, keep it locked here and stay tuned.

ASUS Zenfone 3 Deluxe

The Zenfone 3 Deluxe with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage is being sold over at Widget City for Php28,000USD 477INR 40,449EUR 454CNY 3,475 (see listing here).

Kevin Bruce Francisco

Kevin Bruce Francisco is the Senior Editor and Video Producer for YugaTech. He's a Digital Filmmaking graduate who's always either daydreaming of traveling or actually going places on his bike. Follow him on Twitter for more tech updates @kevincofrancis.

http://www.yugatech.com

11 Comments

XY says:

9 years ago

Should I get the Base model Deluxe with 4/64GB or the Higher Version of Zenfone 3 with 4/64GB?
Magkano kaya diperensya sa presyo ng dalawa?
SD820 vs SD625 I think there will be minimal difference sa ganyan kadaming RAM, GPU nlang ata magkakatalo eh
- Reply
Daddybear says:

9 years ago

ZTE Axon 7 nlang kukunin ko. Based on reviews and specs, mas imba.
Di na ako magpapaloko tulad ng hype ng Zenfone 2, one of the worst phones. LoL
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JPlusO2 says:

9 years ago

This looks awesome. At least yung camera hindi nagpo-protrude tulad nung mga nasa leaked images.
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Cedie Garcia says:

9 years ago

That black bezel though, made me consider Black Sapphire Zenfone 3 instead para mas tago.
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murukesan says:

9 years ago

Battery is very poor
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HNSCC says:

9 years ago

Does it have a 3.5mm jack? Nice specs. The 5.7″ screen size though. 5.5 might be more handy. Will leave final judgment until I get a hands-on.
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Lurker says:

9 years ago

Pag LTE Cat.13, meaning LTE-Advance na ba ito?
- Reply
KeBino says:

8 years ago

waiting for the Benchmarks….
- Reply