The popular smartphone series from Asus is about to release its seventh generation. So it is time to take a closer look at the special features of the new generation of zenphones. And there seem to be some of them. That begins with the triple folding camera, goes over the persevering Akku with 5000 mAh and ends with the performant Snapdragon 865 (plus). Asus would like to bring two versions on the market with the Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro.
Renouncement of Notch
What looked like a revolution on the iPhone X three years ago is almost obsolete today – the Notch. However, the majority of manufacturers have to make use of such a notch. After all, the front camera needs a space on the front. Ingenious manufacturers like OnePlus already do without them. They rely on an extendable selfie camera. Asus doesn’t want a notch on the front of its zenphones either. But the manufacturer is going a different way. With the help of a retractable camera, the main camera can easily be used as a selfie camera. For this, a folding mechanism is used, which allows a 45 degree tilt.
Permanent folding mechanism
The folding mechanism is not new. The previous generation already used a similar mechanism. However, Asus has made significant improvements. For example, the responsible motor takes up only about half of the space in the case. However, the performance doesn’t suffer from this at all. So Asus says that the motor is now capable of twice the torque. Asus has also doubled the life span of the motor. According to the manufacturer, the special folding process should now be possible a total of 200,000 times. What at first doesn’t sound like many uses for the camera can be made clear by means of a simple calculation. For example, the camera can be folded 100 times a day for five years. By the way, the mechanism does not make the camera any more sensitive. If the smartphone is dropped with the camera folded out, it will automatically fold back in again.
Powerful main camera
Asus relies on the experts from Sony for the camera. Thus, the IMX686 of the Japanese company is used. This sensor enables a proud 64 megapixels. The sensor relies on a sophisticated autofocus, which makes it possible to use the entire sensor surface for the autofocus. Asus calls this technology dual pixel. The end result is that you can also focus on areas that don’t have to be fixed points for lighting. With the ultra-wide angle of the camera, video recordings in 4k resolution with 60 frames per second should also be possible. In addition, the main camera of the new zenfones also offers videos in 8k resolution. However, you have to be satisfied with “only” 30 frames per second. Altogether Asus relies on three cameras for the Zenfone 7. These are a wide angle, ultra wide angle and a telephoto camera. The big advantage of the folding camera is revealed here. You can shoot selfies in the high quality of the main camera. There are not really big differences between the normal model of the Zenfone 7 and the Pro model. However, the Zenfone 7 Pro offers an optical image stabilizer for the wide angle and telephoto lens.
A lot of power under the hood
As one would expect from Asus, the manufacturer is focusing on high performance in the new Zenfones. Here the experts install the powerful Snapdragon 865 and the Snapdragon 865 Plus (Zenfone 7 Pro). The power processor is supported by 8 GB RAM. In the area of flash memory, Asus takes a pleasing, if also surprising step. In Zenfone 7, 128 GB memory is available ex works. However, this can be expanded via MicroSD. In contrast, the Zenfone 7 Pro offers 256 GB ex factory, which can also be expanded. But that’s it with the differences between the two versions. Both rely on a nice AMOLED display in the size of 6.67 inches. This comes from Samsung and offers contemporary features such as 90 Hz support and HDR10+. The latter should provide nice contrasts thanks to the high brightness of up to 1000 cd/m².
Long battery life
The large battery, which Asus has installed here, is also pleasing. This should provide thanks to its 5000 mAh for a long battery life. How one loads it, Asus would like to leave the user to the choice. Above all, the Quick Charge 4.0 feature sounds very interesting. The smartphones should be fully charged within 93 minutes with 30 watts. You can reach 60 percent after just under half an hour. In comparison, the predecessor took 154 minutes to fully charge the battery. However, quick-charge functions are not always advantageous for the battery. If you want to be more gentle on the battery, it is better to charge it slowly in the classic way. Asus offers the option of choosing a “maximum capacity”. Here you can set the percentage to which the battery is to be filled before charging starts. In particular, this feature makes it possible to set that you have a 100 percent filled smartphone shortly before the usual getting up. Very practical! In order to be able to tickle the last one out of the battery, Asus also offers some practical modes for saving energy. You can set many individual parameters here.
Price and availability
Asus naturally also relies on Android for the new Zenfones. The devices are to offer Android 10 in the well-known ZenUI ex works. To the delight of many, this is very similar to Stock Android. Asus is already promoting the speed of the two smartphones. So they should be able to leave the competition behind, especially in terms of loading times. We are curious whether the new Zenphones can keep their promises. The two Zenfones 7 will be available in stores from September 1. The Zenfone 7 is to cost 699 Euro and the Zenfone 7 Pro will cost 799 Euro. The two colors Aurora Black and Pastel White are available.
