The Asus ZenFone Zoom smartphone has been launched in India yesterday in Agra. The phone is touted to be the thinnest smartphone in the world with 3X optical zoom. It has been priced at Rs. 37,999 and can be bought from Flipkart now, with the stocks coming into physical Asus stores from February. The ZenFone Zoom bundled with ZenFlash and a Manfrotto portable tripod will cost Rs. 39,999 and will be made available later.
What we really appreciate about this phone is that it manages to pack an optical zoom while still looking like a phone. The Asus ZenFone Zoom gets 12x zoom (3x optical, 4x digital). Its 13MP rear PixelMaster camera is coupled with a Hoya-developed 10-element lens and OIS. Then there’s laser auto focus and dual-LED Real Tone flash. The camera can capture photos of up to 52MP by merging 5 frames together. The macro mode allows you to go as close as 2 inches. The phone gets dedicated buttons for recording, shooting, and telephoto operations.
Introducing ZenFone Zoom to India, Jerry Shen, ASUS CEO said: “Photography has become extremely important for today’s smartphone users. Consumers want to capture every precious moment of their lives on their smartphone cameras, and also be able to perform multiple tasks with the same device. With ZenFone Zoom, we are introducing an unbeatable smartphone that complements today’s lifestyles and puts professional photography within the reach of everyone.”
Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia & Country Manager for ASUS India added, “Consumers in India are increasingly looking for devices that offer them world-class technology at competitive prices. With smartphone imaging becoming an ever-more important consideration for Indian users, ZenFone Zoom provides powerful features and unmatched specifications that help us keep our promise of empowering luxury for users.”
The ZenFone soom comes in a unibody frame with metallic finish, and you can choose between Ceramic White or Pure Black at the rear with leather finish. The phone gets a safety loop just like the point-and-shoot cameras.
Talking about the specs, the Asus ZenFone Zoom flaunts a 5-5-inch FullHD display, 64-bit 2.5GHz Z3590 Intel Super Quad-core CPU with 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a whopping 128GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB extra). The phone gets micro-SIM slot and is powered by a 3000mAh battery.