Back at Computex 2016, Asus unveiled three new smartphones in the ZenFone 3 series: the flagship ZenFone 3 Deluxe, the “phablet” ZenFone 3 Ultra, as well as the mid-range ZenFone 3. Now, it appears there’s another variant of the ZenFone 3 that wasn’t announced at the event, and there’s a good chance it will be launched in Malaysia alongside the standard ZenFone 3.
We first noticed this variant of the ZenFone 3 when we looked through SIRIM’s database. There, we found two models of the device: ZE520KL and ZE552KL. When we searched for these devices in Asus’ website, we learned that the former is in fact a 5.2-inch variant of the ZenFone 3; only the 5.5-inch model was announced at Computex 2016 two months ago.
Other than being more compact, the 5.2-inch ZenFone 3 also has a smaller 2,650mAh battery over the 5.5-inch model’s 3,000mAh battery. Aside from that, the 5.2-inch variant has similar hardware to its bigger model, including a 1080p IPS panel, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor paired with up to 4GB of RAM, two choices of expandable storage (32GB and 64GB), a 16MP rear camera with optical image stabilisation and laser autofocus, as well as an 8MP front-facing shooter.
Update: we have spotted these two ZenFone 3 models in DirectD’s PJ outlet. The 5.2-inch model displayed has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, while the bigger 5.5-inch variant has more RAM and storage at 4GB and 64GB respectively. According to a DirectD staff, the prices for the ZenFone 3 series in Malaysia may start from RM1,600.
While Asus Malaysia has not officially announce the availability and retail prices of these two ZenFone 3 variants, there is a very good chance the company will do so at its upcoming Zenvolution event happening this Saturday on the 6th of August. Hopefully, Asus will also launch its other products announced at Computex 2016 on that day.
