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ZenFone 3 Launch: Asus to Focus on Premium Smartphone Segment in India

ZenFone 3 Launch: Asus to Focus on Premium Smartphone Segment in India

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 18 August 2016 11:05 IST

Highlights

Asus targeting 10 percent market share with the latest ZenFone 3 range
The Asus ZenFone 3 is the first device to launch from the range
The other three phones will be available from September 2016

Asus on Wednesday unveiled its ZenFone 3 series in India apart from other new products. With its new ZenFone 3 range, Asus wants to target the premium segment in the country, a change from earlier Zenfone devices that were priced in the Rs. 8,999 to Rs. 19,999 range. In contrast, the ZenFone 3 will start at Rs. 21,999.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe has been launched at Rs. 49,999, the same price as the ZenFone 3 Ultra. Both these phones and the ZenFone 3 Laser (priced at Rs. 18,999) will be available from September 2016. The Taiwanese company also showcased the new Zenbook 3, and Asus Transformer 3 Pro, which will be available from October 2016.

Talking to Gadgets 360, Jerry Shen CEO Asus stressed on the fact that the company wants to compete with brands such as Apple and Samsung in the high-end segment. Shen added that the Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe will be the company's new premium offering to take on the competitors.

"The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is our flagship product for the Indian market and comes with a lot of firsts," he said. "Sony launched its new camera sensor in May, and the ZenFone 3 Deluxe is the first to ship with the sensor. The camera on the ZenFone 3 Deluxe is better than the ones seen on the iPhone 6s Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S7. One of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe variants also features Snapdragon 821 processor, which again makes it the first to ship with the all-new chipset from Qualcomm."

While talking about the new range, Shen kept comparing the new ZenFone 3 Deluxe with the iPhone 6s Plus in terms of design. "The biggest highlight of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe in terms of design is its invisible antennas at the back which adds to the all metal build of the handset," he added, a clear reference to the antenna lines on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

He also confirmed that the India will be among the first markets where the Snapdragon 821-powered ZenFone 3 Deluxe variant will be available.

Peter Chang, Region Head, South Asia and Country Manager for Asus India said that Asus is looking to double its share. "So our total smartphone market share should be around 5 percent in India," he said. "We want to increase our share in the premium segment where we lack the most. With the new ZenFone 3 range, we are targeting over 10 percent market share."

"In terms of sales channel, we will be more aggressive this year," Chang added. "The ZenFone 3 series smartphones will be available right away from the launch day and can be grabbed from more channels than ever. Actually, this year we won't be just going with the online sales but also offline model at the same time. Apart from top e-commerce retailers in India, Asus will also sell the products from other retailers including the offline ones to extend the reach of our products."

The Zenfone 3 will be Asus' mass offering, which is the space where we see the most competition in India. "The ZenFone 3 smartphone uses 2.5D Corning Gorilla glass on both front and rear panels," Shen said, pointing out the advantages Asus sees for the phone, in this segment. "You won't find many manufacturers using 2.5D Corning Gorilla glass on their phones but we have used it on both sides. We want to offer the best to our consumers," he added.

Talking about the Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra, Shen claimed that the handset will be targeted at the audience who love bigger screen size for media consumption. "We believe that the dual speakers on the ZenFone 3 Ultra can easily compare to the speakers that currently ship with some notebooks," he said. With a screen size of 6.8-inches, the new ZenFone 3 Ultra is even bigger than the Xiaomi Mi Max, which came with a 6.44-inch screen.

The company also addressed fears that the 3.5mm audio port might be on the way out for Asus' phones, since the entire Zenfore 3 line has made the switch to USB Type-C. One of the product heads for Asus said this could happen in future producs, but it's not on the cards for now.

"Currently, most of earphone manufacturers and smartphone makers are sticking to 3.5mm audio jack. We will also stick to the standard 3.5mm audio jack for some time until we see the adoption of the new tech in more phones," he said. "This will be best for the end user because we think a lot of people use their phones everywhere no matter outdoor or indoor or any time bound. Not many of them will prefer moving around with a separate set of earphones that is designed just for one device. In 2016, we think using the 3.5mm standard is the best choice."

Chang updated us about the after-sales service of Asus and claimed that the company will add more authorised customer care support centres in India soon. "We continue to expand our after-sales services. Right now we have 150 service centres and we will add more soon," he said. "In terms of spare parts, we earlier had just one warehouse in India but now that number has gone up to three."

Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE520KL)

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 5.20-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 625

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 16-megapixel

RAM 3GB

Storage 32GB

Battery Capacity 2650mAh

OS Android 6.0

Resolution 1080x1920 pixels

More Asus mobiles Asus mobiles price in India

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL)

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Ample storage
Very good system performance
Capable set of cameras
Good battery life
Bright and vivid display

Bad
Awkwardly designed fingerprint sensor
ZenUI needs to be leaner

Read detailed Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) review

Display 5.70-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 821

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 23-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 256GB

Battery Capacity 3000mAh

OS Android 6.0.1

Resolution 1080x1920 pixels

More Asus mobiles Asus mobiles price in India

Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL)

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Premium build quality
Great screen
Strong battery life
Good cameras

Bad
Mid-range specifications at flagship price level
Heavy and bulky

Read detailed Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL) review

Display 6.80-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 652

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 23-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 4600mAh

OS Android

Resolution 1080x1920 pixels

More Asus mobiles Asus mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Asus, Asus Mobiles, Mobiles

Ketan Pratap

Email Ketan

Ketan Pratap is the editor at Gadgets 360 - with over 12 years of experience covering the technology domain. With a breadth and depth of knowledge in the field, he's done extensive work across news, features, reviews, and opinion pieces. But what's truly inspiring about Ketan is how he spends his free time. He's often found gazing at snow-capped mountains from over 20,000 feet while sitting on the hood of his car, taking in the breathtaking beauty of nature. His passion for the great ...More