Asus ZenFone 2 - The 3 Variants Launched in India

(Also see: Asus ZenFone 2 Review: Powerful But Quirky)

The ZenFone 2 variants announced on Thursday are the Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (with 4GB of RAM, 64GB ROM or inbuilt storage, and a 5.5-inch full-HD display) which is the top-end variant of the smartphone series and will be available at Rs. 22,999; the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (with 4GB of RAM, 32GB ROM, and a 5.5-inch full-HD display) which is identical to the top-end variant but with half the inbuilt storage, priced at Rs. 19,999; the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (with 2GB of RAM, 16GB ROM, and 5.5-inch full-HD display) at Rs. 14,999, while the basic model of the series is the Asus ZenFone 2 ZE550ML (with 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM and 5.5-inch HD display), priced at Rs. 12,999.

Asus, as it had with the first-generation ZenFone series, has tied up with Flipkart as online retailer of the ZenFone 2 series. All the Asus ZenFone 2 series models are available to pre-order on Flipkart starting Thursday; though the top-end variant of the ZenFone 2 featuring 64GB inbuilt storage and 4GB of RAM is yet not listed on Flipkart. We contacted Asus India and were told the timeline for release has not yet been decided, and more details will be made available shortly.

(Also see: Asus ZenFone 2 vs. Asus ZenFone 2 ZE550ML)

According to the Flipkart listing, the Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (with 4GB of RAM, 32GB ROM, and a 5.5-inch full-HD display) comes with a tentative release date of May 13 while the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (with 2GB of RAM, 16GB ROM, and 5.5-inch full-HD display) comes with a tentative release date of May 4. The Asus ZenFone 2 ZE550ML (with 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM and 5.5-inch HD display) also comes with a tentative release date of May 4.

All variants of the Asus ZenFone 2 run the company's new ZenUI based on Google's Android 5.0 Lollipop, and feature Intel Atom SoCs. The Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB RAM) features a 64-bit 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor, while the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML 2GB RAM model features a 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3560. The ZenFone 2 ZE550ML is also powered by the same Intel Atom Z3560 chipset. All the versions support expandable storage via microSD card (up to 64GB).

The Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML features a 5.5-inch full-HD display in both the 2GB and 4GB RAM variants, while the Asus ZenFone 2 ZE550ML features a 5.5-inch HD display. All the models are dual-SIM (Micro-SIMs) smartphones, and feature 4G connectivity support for Indian LTE bands (Band 3 and Band 40).

The Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB and 2GB RAM models) and the ZenFone 2 ZE550ML sport 13-megapixel rear PixelMaster camera while there is a 5-megapixel front camera on board as well. Both the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML models feature dual-tone flash. A 3000mAh battery backs all four ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB and 2GB RAM models) and the ZenFone 2 ZE550ML smartphones.

Asus on Thursday, apart from launching the new ZenFone 2 series in India, also announced various accessories including the ZenFlash, LolliFlash, View Flip Cover Deluxe, ZenPower, and ZenEar.