Asus Zenfone 2 Set for India Release on 23 April; Everything You Need to Know [Update]

Taiwanese firm Asus is all geared up for the official launch of the much-awaited Zenfone 2 series smartphones in India. Check here on what to expect in the upcoming event in New Delhi.

[Update: For reasons unknown, Asus Zenfone 2 India Launch has been pushed to 12:00 pm, the event was supposed to kick-off at 11:30 am ]

Original Story:

Taiwanese firm Asus is all geared up for the official launch of the much-awaited Zenfone 2 series smartphone in India.

What to expect at Asus Zenfone 2 launch event

The company will be hosting the Zenfone 2 launch at 'Kingdom of Dreams' in New Delhi, 11:30 am on 23 April. The event will be presided over by Asus CEO (Global) Jerry Shen. Special guests include Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and photographer Daboo Ratnani who will unveil the new Asus smartphone.

Aditi Singh Sharma (of 'Soorag Dooba hai' song fame) will be performing a live music concert later in the day.

The company has also invited select lucky Asus fans from the recently-concluded Zenfans contest to attend the event.

The company has confirmed to release only the 5.5-inch display models in India – three Zenfone 2 variants, ZE551ML (4GB), ZE551ML (2GB) and ZE550ML.

Contrary to earlier reports, the budget model ZE500CL (with 5.0-inch screen) won't be launched at the event.

As of now, there is no official information about the prices of the Zenfone 2 series models, which are expected to hit Indian stores by the end of April.

The new feature-rich Asus smartphones, if priced aggressively, could give tough challenge to popular brands such as Xiaomi Mi4, Lenovo Vibe X2, Micromax YU Yureka and also top-end models such as Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One (M8), Moto X (2014) and others.

Asus Zenfone 2 series model details

For the uninitiated, Zenfone 2 come in five variants and all are currently being sold in Taiwan.

Among them, the ZE551ML series is the top-end model. It boasts of 5.5-inch full HD display and runs on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS powered by 64-bit class based 2.3GHz Intel Atom processor Z3580 with PowerVR G6430 graphics engine, 4GB RAM and 16GB/32GB/64GB inbuilt memory and a 3000 mAh battery.

We would like to remind that Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) comes in a 2GB RAM/16GB memory model and 4GB RAM/32GB memory variants; the former model houses pretty much the same specification as seen in the above variant except the processor type. It houses a 1.8GHz Quad Core Intel Atom Z3560 with PowerVR G6430 GPU.

The latter model (4GB/32GB storage) comes with features seen in the first ZE551ML.

On the other hand, cheaper Zenfone 2 (ZE550ML) sports 5.5-inch HD screen and ships with 1.8GHz Intel Atom Quad Core Z3560 (1.8GHz) with PowerVR G6430 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB memory and a 3000 mAh battery.

Zenfone 2 (ZE500CL) is low-end model. It features a smaller 5.0-inch HD display. Under the hood, it comes packed with 2GB RAM, 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor and a 2500 mAh battery which can run the phone for close to 360 hours under standby mode.

Key specifications of Asus ZenFone 2 variants:

Model	Asus ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML)	Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE550ML)	Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE500CL)
Display	5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) IPS screen with wide 178-degree viewing angle. It also boasts of ASUS TruVivid display technology and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 shield Pixel density: 403 ppi (pixels per inch)	5.5-inch HD (1280x720p) IPS screen	5.0-inch HD (1280x720p) IPS screen
OS	Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom Zen UI	Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom Zen UI	Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom Zen UI
Processor	Model 1: 64-bit class based 2.3GHz Intel Atom processor Z3580 with PowerVR G6430 GPU Model 2: 1.8GHz Quad Core Intel® Atom ™ Z3560 with PowerVR G6430 GPU	1.8GHz Intel® Atom ™ Quad Core Z3560 (1.8GHz) with PowerVR G6430 GPU	1.6GHz Intel® Atom ™ Z2560
RAM	4GB/2GB	2GB LPDDR3	2GB LPDDR2
Storage	16GB/32GB/64GB (+ 64GB via microSD card)	16GB, expandable up to 64GB	16GB, expandable up to 64GB
Camera	Main: 13.0-megapixel camera with PixelMaster technology, Backlight (HDR) mode, f/ 2.0 aperture, Real Tone flash Front: 5.0-megapixel camera with 88-degree field of view and also comes with ZenUI Selfie Panorama mode which can capture panoramic selfies with up to a 140-degree field of view.	Main: 13.0-megapixel camera with PixelMaster technology, Backlight (HDR) mode, f/ 2.0 aperture, Real Tone flash Front: 5.0-megapixel camera with 88-degree field of view and also comes with ZenUI Selfie Panorama mode which can capture panoramic selfies with up to a 140-degree field of view.	Main: 8.0-megapixel camera with LED flash, f2.0 aperture, Front: 2.0-megapixel camera
Battery	3000 mAh;Comes with fast-charge technology where-in phone can get re-charged close to 60-percent battery capacity within 39 minutes	3000 mAh;Comes with fast-charge technology where-in phone can get re-charged close to 60-percent battery capacity within 39 minutes	2500 mAh; Talk time: up to 28 hours; Standby time: close to 360 hours;
Network & Connectivity	4G-LTE (Cat 4: 150/50 mbps), Wi-Fi (802.11ac), Bluetooth, dual-SIM slots (type: micro)	4G-LTE (Cat 4: 150/50 mbps), Wi-Fi (802.11ac), Bluetooth, dual-SIM slots (type: micro)	Single-SIM slot, 2G/3G/LTE(CAT3) 4G: 700/900/1800, GPS/GLONASS,
Add-ons	ZenMotion is a collection of intuitive touch gestures, each providing a new way of interacting with ZenUI, and allowing quick and easy access to frequently-used features such as One Hand mode or Do It Later. SnapView is a security feature that ensures privacy for apps, photos, and files. SnapView lets users easily keep their personal and business information separate. Trend Micro security is integrated with the ZenUI browser for the total mobile web browsing security. ZenUI Instant Updates is a seamless new method of keeping ZenUI apps up to date. With ZenUI Instant Updates, ASUS app developers can make updates available immediately, avoiding delays between app releases and ensuring the best experience for ZenFone 2 users.	ZenMotion is a collection of intuitive touch gestures, each providing a new way of interacting with ZenUI, and allowing quick and easy access to frequently-used features such as One Hand mode or Do It Later. SnapView is a security feature that ensures privacy for apps, photos, and files. SnapView lets users easily keep their personal and business information separate. Trend Micro security is integrated with the ZenUI browser for the total mobile web browsing security. ZenUI Instant Updates is a seamless new method of keeping ZenUI apps up to date. With ZenUI Instant Updates, ASUS app developers can make updates available immediately, avoiding delays between app releases and ensuring the best experience for ZenFone 2 users.	ZenMotion is a collection of intuitive touch gestures, each providing a new way of interacting with ZenUI, and allowing quick and easy access to frequently-used features such as One Hand mode or Do It Later. SnapView is a security feature that ensures privacy for apps, photos, and files. SnapView lets users easily keep their personal and business information separate. Trend Micro security is integrated with the ZenUI browser for the total mobile web browsing security. ZenUI Instant Updates is a seamless new method of keeping ZenUI apps up to date. With ZenUI Instant Updates, ASUS app developers can make updates available immediately, avoiding delays between app releases and ensuring the best experience for ZenFone 2 users.
Dimensions	152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 ~ 10.9 mm	152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 ~ 10.9 mm	148.1 x 71.5 x 10.9 ~ 3.9 mm
Weight	170 g	170 g	155 g
Colours	Red / gray / black / white / gold	White and black	Red, white and black
Price (In Taiwan New Dollars)	4GB RAM/64GB memory model (ZE551ML): TWD 9990 (around $316/€298/₹19,850) 4GB RAM/32GB memory model (ZE551ML): TWD 8,990 (around ₹17,900) 2GB RAM/16GB memory model (ZE551ML): TWD 6,990 (around ₹13,900)	TWD 5,990 (around ₹11,900)	TWD 4,990 (around ₹9,930)