ASUS could launch ASUS ZenFone 4 at Computex 2017 — Aims to ship over 20M smartphones in 2017
ASUS has shipped more than 17.5 million smartphones in 2016. Which is lower compared to in 2015 where 25 million devices were shipped according to the sources. ASUS sudden move towards the premium market with the ZenFone 3 family might have backfired as consumers were too used to the affordable ZenFone 2 series. This situation has put ASUS in a dangerous position as more competitor brands are pushing the sales targeting the budget range devices. Still, ASUS is not one to give up quickly, with the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom and innovative ZenFone AR set to launch in February. With that, it seems like ASUS also plans to launch another new ZenFone smartphone in order to double the sales in 2017, the ZenFone 4.
The rumored ASUS ZenFone 4 is said will be focusing back on the mid-range market with a sub-RM1K price tag. The specifications are still yet to be confirmed but some of the information has already leaked out since 31st December 2016.
Listed as “ASUS_X00GD”, the ASUS ZenFone 4 is said to feature an octa-core SoC clocked at 1.5 GHz, up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, expandable via microSD. Rumors point towards the MediaTek MT7650 SoC, which pairs 4 1.5 GHz cores with 4 1.0 GHz cores.
The display is touted to be 5.2″, with a relatively low resolution at 1280×720 pixels. For the battery, the ASUS ZenFone 4 is said to pack a 4850 mAh battery, bigger than the 4100 mAh one in the ASUS ZenFone 3 Max we reviewed previously. A 16MP rear camera and 8MP front camera rounds up the list of specifications.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 is also set to go for a front fingerprint sensor. The ASUS ZenFone 4 will also be the first ASUS’s smartphone with Android Nougat 7.0 out of box. It will be available in gold, rose gold and black color variant.
Pokdepinion: We don’t really need much more performance in our phones, but the MediaTek MT6750 has had its time, and is way overdue to be phased out of mid-range device. A Snapdragon 625 would have been a lot more preferable, but ASUS might not be able to keep the price as low with that SoC.
Also, I do hope to see the PadFone series revived this year, as the smartphone+tablet form factor is really one with great potential. Throw in stylus support, ASUS Tru2Life+ technology and a decent camera, and we may have the perfect smartphone.
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