Where to buy Zenfone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL) in US or Canada

October 11, 2016 Categories: Canada, Shopping and Deals, US, Zenfone 3 Ultra, ZU680KL by 1 Comment

Here is an interesting quote from Jerry Shen, Asus CEO from their Q2 investors conference in August 2016. He talks about the Zenfone 3 Ultra in the US market and here is what he said about the Zenfone 3 Ultra:

This has been very well received. For example, we didn’t plan to launch this in the US but many celebrities in the US are asking for it because this is very unique…”

I don’t think this means you should get your hopes up just yet. It’s possible when Shen says “didn’t plan to launch this in the US” that he was really saying they have changed their initial launch plans. However, there is translation involved here. Shen’s use of the word “didn’t” could very well mean “won’t” launch the Zenfone 3 Ultra in the US. As in, “we aren’t launching this in the US” is perhaps what he was really saying.

Please vote in this poll and only US and Canada residents are allowed to choose “Yes” or “No”. We appreciate your understanding!

 

We hope that there will be some options for the North American market in the near future. When shopping on places like eBay, you can pretty much buy any of the Zenfone 3 models. However there are about three main issues. First, what about the Asus warranty? Second, what about the plug-in adapters and the standard used in the country of origin? Third, what about the network compatibility in the US or Canada?

All those questions are legitimate. We are efforting to get some clarification on most of those potential issues. Taiwan plug-in adapters are matching that of the US and Canada. That’s one hurdle overcome. The warranty? That’s just a leap of faith that the phone won’t have issues. The compatibility issues we can and will get solid answers about what will and won’t work and the consequences of not having all of the network bands.

Stay tuned, we will update this post as we move ahead. What we truly want to see is a FCC submission for the Zenfone 3 Ultra! It really depends if you take Jerry Shen’s quote as being something meaningful or not.

At the very least, contribute to our poll if you live in the US or Canada and that can at least send a small indicator to Asus. Do you think they are listening?

asus-zenfone-3-ultra-investors-conference-slide

Philippines gets Zenfone 3 Laser release – Where to buy – Retailer listings

October 11, 2016 Categories: Philippines, ZC551KL, Zenfone 3 Laser by 0 Comments

If you live in the Philippines, Asus has just launched the Zenfone 3 Laser and it’s available to buy right now. According to Asus it’s in limited quantities so act fast if you want one.

The Zenfone 3 Laser is a good value to price model. You’re getting a Snapdragon 430 processor, Adreno 505 GPU, 5.5-inch screen, 1920 x 1080 resolution, 4GB RAM and 32GB storage. The price is PHP 11,995.00. This price is cheaper in comparison to the 5.5-inch Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) which is PHP 18,995.

philippines-zenfone-3-laser-release-date

Where to buy a Zenfone 3 Laser in the Philippines:

Intogadgets Inc. – 17 P.Tuazon Cubao, Quezon City
Fone Twist Cellphones & Accessories Shop – Unit 12 LVN Town Homes 36 P. Tuazon Cubao, Quezon City
JEJ Cellmania – V Mall
CMK Cellphone & Accessories – Online c/o additional Quality Cell, 144-C West Ave., Quezon City
Wiltelcom – 4/F Janeson Mktg. Gov Sales St., Davao City
Daet CellCity – Camarines Norte
Skywaves Telecoms – Robinsons Lipa, Batangas
ASUS Kiosk – SM Bacoor, Cavite
Your Mobile – SM Muntinlupa
ASUS Kiosk – SM Calamba
Greentab – SM Lipa, Batangas
Greentab – SM Calamba
Greentelcom – SM Calamba
JMB Albay Gadgets – Albay
Puerto Electronico – Palawan
Clearcom – SM Lucena, Quezon
Beeper City Cellphone – Virra Mall, Greenhills
TH Telecoms – Virra Mall, Greenhills
Digital Tunnel – SM Tarlac
Digital Tunnel – SM Rosales
ASUS Kiosk – SM Tarlac
D.G. Phone Cards – SM Clark, Pampanga
D.G. Phone Cards – SM Pampanga, San Fernando
Inbox Personal – Nepo Mall, Angeles City
Inbox Personal – SM Tarlac
Cellshoppe – SM Clark
Life Book – SM Clark, Pampanga
Cellshoppe – Marquee Mall, Angeles City
Cellshoppe – SM Tarlac
Cellpod – SM Cebu
Cellpod – Ayala Center, Cebu
Mountain Studio – Session Road, Baguio City
Hello – CSI City Mall, Dagupan City
Hello – SM Baguio
ASUS Kiosk – SM Rosales
Dagupan QSL Wireless Solutions Corp. – Nepo Mall, Dagupan City

How the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (ZS550KL) is better than Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL)

October 10, 2016 Categories: Comparisons, vs., ZE552KL, Zenfone 3, Zenfone 3 Deluxe, ZS550KL by 3 Comments

Yes, the mid level Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) is what most of us have seen and heard about. In a somewhat surprising decision, the US market does not have it. Future availability is also questionable right now. Some people are upset by this situation because  Asus has brought the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (ZS550KL) to the US instead.

So yes, the US market may end up with the ZE552KL eventually, but perhaps this situation isn’t as bad as it seems. At $399, is the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (ZS550KL) really that much more expensive?

Although you may be convinced that the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) is perfect, we want to let you know some of the ways in which the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (ZS550KL) is actually better. There are in fact some key differences which you may be unaware of.

Design and Exterior

Both phones by all accounts are very nice looking and comfortable to hold. Actual dimension wise, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 does come in slightly smaller. Smaller only by a close margin and the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) is slightly thinner.

Weight wise, the ZS550KL is 150g and the ZE552KL is 155g.

The actual size and weight is so close you could essentially call this a tie.

The screen-to-body ratio is a virtual tie, but the 78% of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (ZS550KL) does edge out the 77.3% of the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL).

The Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) does offer a greater variety of colors depending on where you live in the world. The Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (ZS550KL) comes in silver, grey or gold unlike the more colorful options of the ZE552KL which include white, dark blue, gold and aqua blue.

The Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) is wrapped in Gorilla Glass whereas the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (ZS550KL) is an all metal design. In terms of which looks better it’s really a matter of personal preference. Both look premium in their own right.

Conclusion: It’s hard to call the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (ZS550KL) better in terms of design and exterior, but specs wise it does come out slightly ahead of the ZE552KL. The all metal and invisible antenna design of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (ZS550KL) slightly edges out the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) for a premium, top end look. We also understand that design is very much subjective and your idea of more beautiful may very well be the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL).

Battery Quick Charge

There has been some misinformation regarding the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) and quick charge capability. The reality is that the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) does not have Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 but the Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS550KL) does.

The BoostMaster Fast Charging found in the ZS550KL) provides 60% battery capacity in 39 minutes (via 18W charger). The technology inside is Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0.

Conclusion: Having the ability to quick charge your phone is going to be worth paying a bit extra for. It’s something that you can make use of each and every day you own your phone.

NFC

If you don’t know what NFC is, then perhaps this isn’t that meaningful or worth paying extra for. However it does future proof your purchase. NFC is become more than just an easy way to share files between devices. Making payments with your mobile phone is something the big companies like Apple and Google are really starting to push.

Conclusion: NFC does provide some future proofing as mobile phone payments is going to be more common place in the near future. The only question is whether you will take advantage of paying by phone or not.

zenfone-3-deluxe-zs550kl-vs-zenfone-3-ze552kl

 

 

 

Hands-on with the entire Zenfone 3 Deluxe line-up including Special Edition

October 9, 2016 Categories: Comparisons, US, Video, Zenfone 3 Deluxe, Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition, ZS550KL, ZS570KL by 0 Comments

The US based arm of Asus held their Zenvolution event in New York last week to unveil a host of new products. From that event, we’ve been able to get a real look at the third addition to the Zenfone 3 Deluxe line-up, the ZS550KL. We noticed that Asus was referring to this as the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.5 which does make it easier to identify from the Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.7 and Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition. Confused? Just think of the 5.5-inch model as being the entry level Zenfone 3 Deluxe model. We have an article here which looks closer at the differences between the models.

trio-of-zenfone-3-deluxe-phones

There is no question about the build quality and look of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe phones. They look magnificent!

So the key thing to understand about these three phones is that the smaller 5.5-inch  ZS550KL model has a significantly different set of specs. The easiest way to think of the difference is to say that the ZS550KL shares the same design and exterior, but that’s almost where the similarities end. The spec sheets are substantially different. Once again, we urge you to take a look at our comparison article which we linked in the first paragraph.

One spec that we are trying to clarify is about the microSD card slot. On Asus.com all of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe phones show the microSD as offering up to 2TB expandability.

 

Asus puts out a couple unique promotional videos

October 9, 2016 Categories: Video by 0 Comments

To call these unique may be a bit of an understatement. One of the promo videos is a bit more over the top than the other, but they are still quite entertaining. Watch them, especially the first one, and you will know what we mean.

The best ad ever? It’s called The Alien and The Dinosaur. It seems legit and isn’t setup or a bunch of actors pretending to be random people. Thumbs up on this one. Pretty funny!

Judging by the view count which is at 311,573 at the time of posting this article, it blows away any of the other recent promo videos. I guess this worked! The second video below has just under 4,000 views by comparison. We like this commercial about as much as the speed rapper featured in a number of the Zenfone 2 Max video. Check it this new promo video below:

Here is another offbeat promotional video. Asus goes to the street and talks to random people. Once again, the feedback seems legit and we’re not thinking it’s just actors pretending to be random people.

 

« Newer Entries
Older Entries »