'ZenFone 3' release date, specs updates: Asus to launch new ZenFone next month; New model powered by Qualcomm
New information regarding the much awaited new ZenFone model is now making rounds on the internet. According to the latest reports, Asus is ready to launch ZenFone 3 next month as the chief executive of the Taiwan-based tech company himself revealed that they will be launching the new model of their smartphone flagship in mid-June.
According to a report from First Post, the release date of ZenFone 3 was believed to coincide with the upcoming "Zenvolution" event happening on May 30. The Asus event will come before the Computext 2016 event.
However, it was announced by the CEO of Asus that the ZenFone 3 will be launched in June. As reported by Digi Times, Asus CEO Jerry Shen revealed that they are planning to unveil their new ZenFone 3 products next month as they are targeting the "mid-range segment." This would suggest that ZenFone 3 will not make an appearance during the Zenvolution, contrary to earlier reports.
However, the news website Yibada noted that there is still a possibility that Asus will still showcase the specs and features of ZenFone 3 during the May 30 event. To note, the promotional posters for the event include the logo of Intel, which is the chipset provider of the previous Asus smartphones.
The inclusion of the Intel logo in the posters would also suggest that the upcoming ZenFone model will still use the Intel chipset as its processor, in spite of the news that Asus has already ceased its partnership with Intel as the manufacturer of their future mobile chips. Although, the latest report suggests that the ZenFone 3 will actually move on from Intel chipsets as the new smartphone model will be using Qualcomm chipset instead.
The same Digi Times report claims that the usage of Qualcomm chipsets could translate to an increase in power and efficiency of the new Zenfone models. Also, Shen already revealed that more than 90% of the ZenFone 3 units will make use of Qualcomm processors. For the remaining models, MediaTek chipsets will be used, thus having Intel chipsets completely off the table for the next batch of ZenFone units.
Asus said that ZenFone 3 will also have the same affordable price as its predecessors, with the price range expected to be around $300. However, it should be noted that the high-end ZenFone models such as the more sophisticated ZenFone 3 Deluxe would be costlier due to the enhanced specs and featured compared to the base model.
