Asus calling card: Better camera, bigger battery

ASUS, a Taiwan-based electronics company, has launched two smartphones in Singapore this week.

They are the ZenFone Zoom, which boasts the world's thinnest 3X optical zoom camera, and the ZenFone Max, a high battery capacity phone.

They cost $649 and $249 respectively.

ZENFONE ZOOM

The highlight of this 5.5-inch phone is its 13MP PixelMaster OIS-stabilised rear camera.

It is capable of 3X optical zoom and features a unique 10-element Hoya lens arrangement.

To keep the phone relatively thin - it measures 11.95mm thick, including the camera bump, but tapers to 5mm at the sides - Asus worked with Japanese optics company Hoya.

The aim was to develop a dual-prism periscope module design that maximises incoming light.

But the bulk of the lens can be fitted length-wise along the phone's body, instead of across it.

The rear camera also excels at macro-photography, providing sharp close-up shots of subjects as close as 5cm away from the lens.

A laser-guided auto-focus allows the user to lock in a shot's focus in just 0.03 second.

The front camera is a 5MP module.

To enhance the DSLR-like experience, Asus has designed the ZenFone Zoom to operate like a traditional camera.

Along the right edge (or top, if you are holding the phone horizontally), you will find a dedicated camera shutter button.

And just like a DSLR camera, a half-press will focus while a full-press of the button will capture the shot.

There are also dedicated zoom buttons and a record button for video.

Meanwhile, the phone has a resolution display of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, which translates to 403 pixels per inch (ppi). It is powered by an Intel Atom Z3580 2.3GHz quad-core processor with 4GB RAM.

The phone has a full metal construction and a premium leather rear.

You get 64GB worth of storage and there is also a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 64GB.

The Zoom has a 3,000mAh non-removable battery.

ZENFONE MAX

The big selling point of this phone is its massive battery capacity.

It features a 5,000mAh battery, which Asus says can deliver 37.6 hours of high-clarity calls, up to 32.5 hours of websurfing and up to 38 days of standby time.

You can even use the phone as a makeshift powerbank and charge other devices with it.

This 5.5-inch phone has a 1,280 x 720 display (267 ppi) and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB RAM.

On the rear, you will find a 13MP f/2.0 shooter with laser auto-focus and dual-tone LED flash.

On the front, there is a 5MP camera.

Visit Hardware Zone for more stories.