Meet the ASUS ZenFone trio

Along with the new Transformer Book Duet, ASUS has also announced the ZenFone lineup which consists of three Intel Atom-powered Android smartphones.

Filling in the entry-level spot is the smallest among the group, the budget-centric ZenFone 4. It has a 4-inch WVGA display and a 5MP rear camera to go along with VGA snapper on the front. It runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and is powered by a modest 1,170mAh battery.

ASUS ZenFone 4 specs:
4-inch TFT LCD, 800 x 480 @233ppi
Intel Atom Z2520 1.2GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX 544 MP2
1GB RAM
Internal storage (TBA)
64GB via microSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
3G/HSPA
Bluetooth
5MP rear camera w/ LED flash
VGA front-facing camera
1,170mAh battery
Android 4.3
124.4 x 61.4 x 11.2 mm (dimensions)
115 grams (weight)

The ASUS ZenPhone 4 is going to cost USD99 and will be available in five colors – Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, Sky Blue, Solar Yellow.

Next up we have the ZenPhone 5 which has a more amiable specs sheet compared to its smaller sibling. It’s got a bigger and more vibrant 5-inch display with 720p resolution, better BSI rear camera that shoots 8MP stills and captures 1080p videos, as well as beefier 2050mAh battery pack.

Handling the workload for the ZenFone 5 is the tandem of dual-core Intel Atom Z2580 processor and PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU, the same engine found under the Lenovo K900’s hood.

ASUS ZenFone 5 specs:
5-inch IPS display, 1280 x 720 @294ppi
Intel Atom Z2580 2GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX 544 MP2
1GB RAM
Internal storage (TBA)
64GB via microSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
3G/HSPA+
Bluetooth
8MP BSI rear camera w/ LED flash
1080p video recording @30fps
2MP front-facing camera
2050mAh battery
Android 4.3
148.2 x 72.8 x 10.3 mm (dimensions)
144 grams (weight)

These improvements do come at an additional cost, but luckily it isn’t that much. The ASUS ZenFone 5 will retail for USD149 and will be available in four colors – Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, and Champagne Gold.

Lastly we have the ZenFone 6 which, as it name implies, has a humongous 6-inch screen. Surprisingly, the company opted for a 720p panel with this smartphone rather than a Full-HD screen one which we’ve come to expect from a flagship device.

This Android handset bears the same engine setup as the ZenFone 5, but received a significant bump both in the imaging and battery department.

ASUS ZenFone 6 specs:
6-inch IPS display, 1280 x 720 @245ppi
Intel Atom Z2580 2GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX 544 MP2
1GB RAM
Internal storage (TBA)
64GB via microSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
3G/HSPA+
Bluetooth
13MP BSI rear camera w/ LED flash
1080p video recording @30fps
2MP front-facing camera
2050mAh battery
Android 4.3
166.9 x 84.3 x 9.9 mm (dimensions)
200 grams (weight)
Colors: Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, and Champagne Gold

The new ASUS ZenFone 6 will be sold for USD199 once becomes available in the market. Speaking of availability, ASUS has yet to disclose when these ZenFones will hit the shelves. The company is probably holding off on that info for the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.