If you are one that is very particular about camera on phone, especially when you need it to zoom optically (not digital), the ASUS ZenFone Zoom might be an interesting phone for you. With built-in image stabilizer, 3x optical zoom, this phone, in my opinion, is actually a camera with phone feature.
This is not the first time a phone company has built a camera phone with optical zoom. However, I think it is a first for the built in optical zoom camera to be so compact (in thickness). Partnering with StarHub, this ASUS ZenFone Zoom has quite a nice specs and affordable if you sign up with StarHub.
Not sure what is the specs of the rear camera sensor though. And do note that the lens has an aperture of F/2.7 to F/4.8. It is not the brightest lens around. I guess the optical zoom can compensate some specs on this phone.
Glad that even though it has an external MicroSD card slot, it has an internal storage of 64GB and 4GB of RAM. More information and specs in the Press Release.
Press Release
ASUS and StarHub Partner to Launch ZenFone Zoom in Singapore
The ASUS ZenFone Zoom is the World’s Thinnest 3X Optical Zoom Smartphone with optical image stabilisation and laser auto-focus to capture total clarity at lightning speed
- See the world up close: World’s thinnest 3X optical zoom smartphone with 13MP PixelMaster camera, 10-element lens, laser auto-focus and 5mm edge
- Pocket-sized DSLR experience: Periscopic innovation, SmartFSI sensor, 52MP Super Resolution, 5cm macro shots and pro-style Manual mode
- Monster performance: 64-bit quad-core processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 64GB storage, BoostMaster fast-charging and Full HD display
Singapore (2 March, 2016) — ASUS and StarHub today announced the Singapore launch of ZenFone Zoom, the world’s thinnest optical zoom smartphone with 3X Hoya lens in an innovative 10-element lens arrangement for exceptional clarity and photo close-ups with up to 12X total magnification.
With built-in optical image stabilisation (OIS) to eliminate shakes and blurred shots, and powered by a high-performance quad-core Intel® Atom™ processor with 4GB RAM for ultra-fast performance, the ZenFone Zoom redefines expectations for smartphone photography and packs DSLR-style shooting experiences into a metal unibody that tapers to a mere 5mm, so it slides comfortably into a pocket.
“With ASUS ZenFone 2, we created a great and widely-praised smartphone that captures stunning, high-resolution photos in everyday situations. Now, with the launch of ASUS ZenFone Zoom exclusivelywith StarHub, we offer Singapore users a smartphone that has not only the look and feel of a DSLR camera, but equipped with the advanced features to match. With ASUS ZenFone Zoom, we are truly putting professional photography within the reach of everyone,” said Benson Lin, Corporate VP, ASUS.
“Our customers are discovering creative ways to express themselves with their smartphone cameras and photography apps, from capturing candid moments to sharing selfies and images with family and friends,” said Wang Li-Na, Head of Product & Marketing, StarHub. ”We are happy to partner ASUS to exclusively bring in the ZenFone Zoom which will be welcome by many photography enthusiasts.”
See the World Up Close:3X Optical Zoom and OIS, 10-element Lens, Real Tone Flash and Laser Focus
ZenFone Zoom is the world’s thinnest optical zoom smartphone, with a 13MP PixelMaster rear camera and 3X lens in a body that measures just 5mm at the edges. The innovative 10-element digital eye was created by the optics experts at Hoya. Glass, synthetic and prismatic lenses are meticulously configured in a dual-prism periscope arrangement to maximise incoming light and capture the best possible photo quality. Equipped with a built-in OIS, it ensures sharper, steadier shots every time even at maximum 3X optical magnification.
Furthermore, the rear camera features a dual-LED Real Tone flash to create the most natural illumination for indoor portraits, generating the perfect combination of yellow and white to capture life-like colours and skin tones. ZenFone Zoom’s rear lens also has a laser auto-focus function to point and shoot with total clarity in just 0.03 seconds.
Pocket-sized DSLR Experience: Periscopic Design, Pro Results and Premium Finish
The ZenFone Zoom was meticulously created to be the world’s thinnest optical zoom smartphone with ASUS engineers rotating the ZenFone Zoom’s lens mechanism to create a compact, intricately-calibrated periscope-style camera in a smartphone. Coupled with a Panasonic SmartFSI® image sensor, the ZenFone Zoom captures more light and more colour, revealing detail and beauty in both natural and low-light compositions that other smartphone cameras will never see.
The ZenFone Zoom’s design takes its cue from the look and feel of professional DSLR cameras, with dedicated buttons for shooting and recording. Its strong uni-body frame is precision-crafted to a metallic finish that is smooth to the touch, with a choice of premium Pure Black or sleek Ceramic White on the rear, plus diamond-cut edges to create four stunning patterns across the back and sides. The ZenFone Zoom even has an integrated a safety loop and many stylish strap options, for confident shooting from any angle.
The intuitive ZenUI Camera app makes it a breeze to capture professional-quality photographs. ASUS-exclusive Super Resolution mode applies multi-frame-fusion technology to create incredibly-detailed photos. Four high-resolution 13MP shots are fused to create a single image of with clarity that’s four times (4X) greater than a single shot. In either night time or day time, the ZenFone Zoom captures more detail and less noise and Super Resolution shots of up to 52MP.
In addition, the ZenFone Zoom excels at macro photography, enabling extreme close-ups as near as 5cm (2in) to reveal new and unseen worlds of detail. It also allows users to customise their camera features with one tap through the Manual mode, allowing instant adjustment of shutter speed, exposure value, white balance, ISO and a host of other professional-grade settings.
Monster performance: 64-bit quad-core power, 4GB RAM and Full HD IPS display
The ZenFone Zoom’s 64-bit quad-core Intel Atom processor carefully balances brilliant performance and superb power efficiency, empowered by Intel’s sophisticated 22nm Silvermont architecture. Intel’s new Tri-Gate transistors have three times (3X) more surface area than planar transistors, enabling the flow of more electrons that increase computing performance and reduce power leakage. Furthermore, coupled with a huge 4GB of fast dual-channel DDR3 RAM, the ZenFone Zoom provides top performance in a smartphone.
Featuring a high-capacity 3000mAh battery and 60ms touch-response time, the ZenFone Zoom delivers fast and fluid performance anywhere and users are able to work and play from dawn to dusk. The ZenFone Zoom also features the exclusive ASUS BoostMaster[1] technology for turbo-speed charging that takes the battery from zero to 60% in just 39 minutes.
The ZenFone Zoom’s expansive 5.5-inch 1920×1080 Full HD IPS display offers wide 178-degree viewing angles, and a fantastic 403ppi pixel density to render every image in eye-popping detail. The display includes exclusive ASUS TruVivid technology, which seamlessly transforms the conventional four-layer design into an innovative two-layer construction with full lamination. Fusing the cover-glass and touch-panel layers eliminates the air gap, bringing everything closer to the user’s touch.
The Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 display offers twice (2X) the drop-damage resistance of its predecessor, a 2.5X increase in retained strength and is 85% less likely to break in daily use, making it safer and stronger than ever before.
AVAILABILITY & PRICING
Starting 10 March, customers can visit StarHub’s Online Store at www.starhub.com/store to buy the ZenFone Zoom. Please refer to the below table for details on pricing.
About ASUS
ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets, smartphones and wearables. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,326 awards in 2014 and is widely credited with revolutionising the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 16,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of 5,200 engineers. Company revenue for 2014 was approximately US$14.5 billion.
About StarHub
StarHub is Singapore’s fully-integrated info-communications company, offering a full range of information, communications and entertainment services for both consumer and corporate markets. StarHub operates a mobile network that provides 4G, 3G and 2G services. It also manages an islandwide HFC network that delivers multi-channel pay TV services (including HDTV, Internet TV and on-demand services) as well as ultra-high speed residential broadband services. StarHub operates an extensive fixed business network that provides a wide range of data, voice and wholesale services. Over Singapore’s fibre-based Nationwide Broadband Network, StarHub offers a broad range of home and business broadband plans, as well as commercial and residential IPTV services.
Launched in 2000, StarHub has become one of Singapore’s most innovative info-communications providers, and the pioneer in ‘hubbing’ – the ability to deliver unique integrated and converged services to all its customers. StarHub, listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange since October 2004, is a component stock of the Straits Times Index and the MSCI Singapore Free Index. Visit www.starhub.com for more information.
[1] The 18W BoostMaster adapter is included only with the 2.3GHz/4GB ZenFone Zoom model.
[1]Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors.
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