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Asus just announced six new ZenFone 4 handsets — here’s what you need to know

Similar to another company that I’ve been rather critical of recently, Asus has a tendency to release a lot of different phones throughout the year. So far in 2017 we’ve already seen the likes of the ZenFone AR and ZenFone 3 Zoom, and today the company announced six new entires for its ZenFone 4 lineup.

Asus held an event in Taipei, Taiwan to officially introduce its ZenFone 4 series  — including the ZenFone 4, ZenFone 4 Pro, ZenFone 4 Selfie, ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro, ZenFone 4 Max, and ZenFone 4 Max Pro (easily the worst name here). The ZenFone 4’s design and specs were outed about a week ago, and Asus also quietly launched the ZenFone 4 Selfie/Selfie Pro prior to this event.

In any case, now that all of the phones are official, here’s what each one is bringing to the table.

ZenFone 4/ZenFone 4 Pro

The main stars of the show for the ZenFone 4 series are the ZenFone 4 and ZenFone 4 Pro. The former is the device that Asus will make available in most regions and is the primary handset for this lineup, whereas the latter is a more powerful version of it and the most expensive phone that Asus announced.

Dual-cameras is a trend you’ll see throughout most of these ZenFone 4 models, and they’re on full display here. The ZenFone 4 boasts a 12 MP + 8 MP setup with an f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization, and the ability to capture 120-degree wide angle shots with the secondary lens (not unlike what LG does with the G6). The ZenFone 4 Pro also features optical image stabilization and 120-degree images, but it ups the ante a bit with 16MP + 12MP cameras and a larger f/1.7 aperture.

When it comes to specs, both phones feature a 5.5-inch AMOLED 1080p display, NFC, 8MP front-facing camera, fingerprint scanner, and Android Nougat. The ZenFone 4 uses a Snapdragon 630 processor, 3,300 mAh battery, 4 or 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. As expected, the ZenFone 4 Pro features upgraded specs across the board with a Snapdragon 835 CPU, 3,600 mAh battery, base 6GB RAM, and 64 or 128GB of internal storage.

The ZenFone 4 will have a starting price tag of $399, and the ZenFone 4 Pro will be a couple hundred dollars more at $599.

ZenFone 4 Selfie/ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro

For all of the Snapchatters and Instagrammers of the world, the ZenFone 4 Selfie and Selfie Pro are intended for capturing all of your best self-portraits. Both phones come with a 5.5-inch AMOLED 1080p display with 2.5D glass, 64GB of internal storage, 4GB of RAM, 16MP rear-facing camera, a fingerprint scanner, and Android Nougat. The Selfie is rocking a less powerful Snaprdragon 430 processor compared to the Selfie Pro’s Snapdragon 625 chipset, but the main difference between the two phones lies with the front-facing cameras.

With the ZenFone 4 Selfie, users will be getting a 20MP + 8MP setup with an f/2.0 aperture and a 120-degree wide angle lens for group photos. The Selfie Pro will also support 120-degree wide angle shots, but its lenses will be of the 12 MP + 12MP nature. There’s a larger aperture of f/1.8, and this combo also allows for 4K video recording.

The ZenFone 4 Selfie will sell for just $279, and the Selfie Pro will cost $379.

ZenFone 4 Max/ZenFone 4 Max Pro

Rounding out this list are the ZenFone 4 Max and Max Pro. Where the Selfie lineup is centered around providing you with the best self-portraits , the Max series is focused on delivering awesome battery endurance. Both the ZenFone 4 Max and Max Pro come outfitted with a massive 5,000 mAh battery, and this should provide enough juice for around two days of full use. Along with the same battery size, both the Max and Max Pro share a 5.5-inch IPS 720p display, Snapdragon 425 or 430 processor, 2 or 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage.

When the ZenFone 4 Max Pro gets the upper hand is with its cameras. The Max Pro utilizes 16MP + 8MP sensors on the back compared to the regular Max’s 13MP + 5MP setup, but both phones use an f/2.0 aperture with a 120-degree wide angle lens. As for the front-facing camera, the Max Pro delivers a 16MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture where the Max only features an 8MP shooter with an f/2.2 aperture.

The ZenFone 4 Max is the cheapest of the bunch with a starting price tag of around $235, but pricing details for the ZenFone 4 Max Pro have yet to be decided.

Asus will initially be launching all of the phones in Asia, and they’ll then roll out to other markets after that. The new ZenFone 4 family may not be the most exciting release of the year, but if you’re in the market for a respectable phone that won’t cost an arm and a leg, there are a few solid choices for US consumers here.


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Avatar for Joe Maring Joe Maring

Joe has been a writer and occasional video producer for 9to5Google since July 2017. Follow him on Twitter @JoeMaring1 and send all emails to joe@9to5mac.com.


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