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ASUS ZenFone 3 and ZenFone 3 Ultra launch in Singapore; Deluxe coming September

By James Lu - on 28 Aug 2016, 3:20pm

ASUS ZenFone 3 and ZenFone 3 Ultra launch in Singapore; Deluxe coming September

Note: This article was first published on 26th August 2016.

ASUS Corporate Vice President Benson Lin with the new ZenFone 3

ASUS launched the ZenFone 3 in Singapore today, on 26th August. First seen at Computex earlier this year, the ZenFone 3 is available in two variants: 5.2- and 5.5-inch, both armed with Full HD displays, a brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor.

The ZenFone 3 continues ASUS' legacy of affordable but powerful smartphones and is the first smartphone powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor. The phone also boasts a whopping 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage on the larger 5.5-inch variant, and a handy 3GB of RAM with 32GB internal storage on the smaller 5.2-inch variant.

Design-wise, the ZenFone 3 utilizes an aluminum-alloy frame with diamond-cut chamfered edges. The front and back both sport 2.5D contoured Gorilla Glass. On the back of the phone, there's a 16-megapixel ASUS PixelMaster 3.0, f/2.0 camera with a Sony IMX298 sensor, 4-axis optical image stabilisation, 2nd generation laser autofocus, a color-correction sensor and a dual-tone LED flash. Below the camera is a fingerprint scanner. On the front there's an 8-megapixel 85 degree wide-angle selfie camera.

Both variants of the ZenFone 3 will be available in Singapore tomorrow (27th August 2016), with the 5.2-inch model selling for $398 and the 5.5-inch model going for $498. Both models will be available in Sapphire Black, Moonlight White and Shimmer Gold. Unfortunately the Aqua Blue color will not be available locally.

For more information on the ZenFone 3, check out our full review here.

ASUS also announced that the flagship-tier 5.7-inch ZenFone 3 Deluxe will be coming to Singapore next month. The Deluxe ZenFone 3 is the first phone powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 821 processor, and sports a whopping 6GB RAM and 256GB storage. The phone also sports a world-first invisible-antenna design, meaning that the entire rear is one piece of aluminum. On the back of the Deluxe model is a 23-megapixel camera with Sony's new Exmor RS IMX318 sensor. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe will retail for S$1,188 and is expected to release in late September. A more affordable variant powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and with only 64GB storage will retail for S$998. More details in our earlier news piece here, a hands-on article of what you can expect and even a video!

Finally, ASUS also announced the massive ZenFone 3 Ultra, a massive 6.8-inch phablet with a Full HD display, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, with a huge 4,600mAh battery. The ZenFone 3 Ultra also sports the same invisible antenna unibody metal design as the Deluxe. The Ultra is available tomorrow (27th August 2016) for S$778.

The ZenFone 3 Ultra is huge! 

The Ultra (pictured) and the Deluxe both sport ASUS' invisible antenna design.

Last but not least, the ZenFone 3 will also see a Max edition that would no doubt boast awesome battery life for more pared down specs and price point. More details of them will be shared at a later date. Here's how all the different ZenFone 3 models stack up:-

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