For those who still haven’t given up hope of owning an Asus Zenfone Zoom, we have some good news... and some bad ones.
The "thinnest phone with 3x optical zoom" was announced almost a full year ago (in January) and is going on sale in a couple of weeks, but only in Taiwan. Told you there's bad news.
Coming with either an Intel Atom Z3580 or Z3590 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB storage, the phone is largely based on the regular Zenfone 2 (especially if you look at the Deluxe version).
What sets the Zenfone Zoom apart is the 3x optical zoom. That's achieved with the Hoya-made zoom mechanism that extends the lens inside the phone, rather than sticking them out the back. The impressive camera also features optical image stabilization and laser autofocus.
It's the mechanism you can see below. The image sensor has 13MP resolution and can record 1080p video.
Below are some official camera samples showing off the camera's capabilities.
Official camera samples
The Asus Zenfone Zoom will hit Taiwan's five major carriers in mid-December in Black and White, soon after in Pink too. The Z3580/64GB version costs TWD 14,000 ($430/€400), while the Z3590/128GB version will be TWD 16,000 ($490/€460). The Pink one will be the cheapest option – TWD13,000 for 128GB storage.
