Asus Sells 20,000 ZenFone Units in 'Few Hours'; Issues Firmware Update

Ever since the new Asus ZenFone series - ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5, and ZenFone 6 - debuted in India via Flipkart, there have been multiple instances that the handsets have gone 'out of stock' and come back 'in-stock'.

(Also see: Asus ZenFone 4 A400CG vs Asus ZenFone 5 vs Asus ZenFone 6 vs Motorola Moto G)

The company announced on Monday that the 20,000 ZenFone units that were replenished on Flipkart were sold out in few hours, but did not detail an exact time frame like Xiaomi does. The Taiwanese giant also confirmed it will be bringing the ZenFone series back in stock later this week.

In addition to this, Asus also announced a firmware update (1.17.40.16) for the ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6 smartphones. The new firmware update, majorly brings USB OTG (on-the-go) support to ZenFone 5 (Review | Pictures) and ZenFone 6 (Review | Pictures), while the ZenFone 4 already supports the function.

The company also revealed the detailed changelog for the minor firmware update for the ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6, listing a new skin brightening feature for the Beautification mode; the ability to adjust front camera's skin tone, the addition of two new resolution options for rear and front cameras that allows shooting in 3-megapixel and 2-megapixel; support for the Asus Unlock app, enhanced third-party app compatibility, and improved system stability (modem).

This is the second firmware over-the-air (FOTA) update released for the ZenFone series this month.

The Asus ZenFone 5 was launched alongside the ZenFone 4 (Review | Pictures) and ZenFone 6 last month. The ZenFone 5 (8GB) was unveiled at Rs. 9,999, while the 16GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 12,999. The ZenFone 4 comes in two variants: the 4-inch Asus ZenFone 4 A400CG model priced at Rs. 5,999, and the 4.5-inch Asus ZenFone 4 A450CG at Rs. 6,999. The ZenFone 6 on the other hand has been priced at Rs. 16,999 for its 16GB storage variant.

Asus' latest tryst with Android smartphones received an impressive response from the Indian market and the company claimed that it sold 40,000 units of the ZenFone series within 4 days of its debut in the country.