Zenfone 3 models you can buy in US and Canada – FAQ

October 8, 2016 Categories: Canada, Shopping and Deals, US, Where To Buy by 5 Comments

Update: A big thanks to Kevin who spotted a tweet from Asus North America which offers some hope for anyone in the US who wants the ZE552KL model. So right now we’ve heard conflicting information, which means we need to verify which info is correct. Logic says that the base model Zenfone 3 ZE552KL would be coming to the US since it’s in Canada. This makes us wonder too, about the Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition and Canada. Stay tuned, we are going to get a “final answer” on these questions.

twitter-asus-north-america-says-ze550kl-coming-to-usa

[source: Asus Twitter North America]

We have spotted some confusion out there on which Zenfone 3 is available. Call this a “When, Where and How Much” frequently asked questions page. After the dust has settled from the recent launch event in New York, we have some answers for you.

Please don’t be disappointed with the reality. Things can change and you can bet we are trying to find solutions. As in, if you don’t see the model for your country, we are going to list alternative solutions if you want to buy one. It might be a bit tricky in terms of network compatibility and warranty issues, but it can be done and we will guide you through that a bit later, in another post.

For now, let’s talk about the US market. What Zenfone 3 models will you be able to buy?

  • Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition (ZS570KL) – USD 799
  • Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) – USD 499
  • Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS550KL) – USD 399
  • Zenfone 3 Laser (ZC551KL) – USD 199
  • Zenfone 3 Max (ZC520TL) – USD

The models listed above for the US market will be widely available for the most part, with one main exception. That most interesting Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition is only going to be available through the Asus US online store.

You might be asking where is the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) or Zenfone 3 (ZE520KL) or Zenfone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL). The phones are not part of the US line-up which may be bad news for you. Let us remind you that we will have options, so don’t be discouraged just yet. The Canadian market does get the ZE552KL so that makes you think there should be a way to get one if you live in the US. Yes, you could drive across the border, but we are efforting to find solutions that will work for anyone from the US.

On to Canada. Here are the Zenfone 3 models that you will be able to buy:

  • Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) – CAD 699
  • Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL) – CAD 429
  • Zenfone 3 Laser (ZC551KL) – CAD 279
  • Zenfone 3 Max (ZC520TL) – CAD 199

Where can you buy these phones? Most Canadian retailers that you think of when you think of computers and smartphones will have these available to buy. Initially you will be able to buy the ZE552KL, will all other models available to pre order. Shipping dates vary, but it’s not far off from the time this will be in your hands.

Just in case you were wondering, Canada does not get a release of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition (ZS570KL). With the Asus US online store the only place to buy, you might ask if they ship to Canada. They do not. So we are efforting to find out what solution there might be. Certainly it would be nice to have the North American version with the ideal network compatibility and warranty rather than a model from overseas. Let’s see what happens and we will keep you posted.

So there you have the US and Canada Zenfone 3 launch models.

asus-zenfone-deluxe-silver-front-view-sm

Asus.com gets the smaller, less expensive Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS550KL) product page at last

October 7, 2016 Categories: News, Zenfone 3 Deluxe, ZS550KL by 0 Comments

With Asus just announcing this smaller, cheaper and quite different Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS550KL) in the US market this week, it was surprising not to see a detailed product page. We’ve been waiting on it and it’s here now!

Now you can get a good look at the specs, in full. We have previously written a comparison article between the ZS570KL vs. ZS550KL and the differences between them. Let’s just say it would be a shorter conversation to say what they have in common rather than what they do not have in common. Simply put, the ZS550KL is a much much different phone. It has lower specs and this should give you an idea why the price is quite a bit lower. Build quality beauty is not lost however.

There are however some features in the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL and ZE520KL) that are missing and this Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS550KL) fills the gaps and provides pretty much all the features you need. NFC being one of them.

With this 5.5-inch Zenfone 3 Deluxe model, there are essentially three different versions in total. The price differences are quite substantial. The ZS550KL is priced at USD 399,  compared to the larger, more premium ZS570KL Deluxe which costs USD 499. Not to be outdone, the Deluxe Special Edition is USD 799 which has the fastest processor and most onboard storage.

asus-adds-zenfone-3-deluxe-zs550kl-page

[source: Asus.com]

 

Complete List: Zenfone 3 (US and Canada) Model Numbers

October 6, 2016 Categories: Canada, News, Price, US by 0 Comments

Here is a listing of North American versions of the available, and soon to be available, Zenfone 3 phones for the US and Canada markets:

  • ZenFone 3 Deluxe Special Edition (available to buy in the US)
    • ZS570KL-S821-6G256G-SL (silver)
  • ZenFone 3 Deluxe 5.7 (available to buy in the US and Canada)
    • ZS570KL-S820-6G64G-SL (silver)
  • ZenFone 3 Deluxe 5.5 (available to buy in US)
    • ZS550KL-S625-4G64G-SL (silver)
  • ZenFone 3 (available to buy in Canada)
    • ZE552KL-S625-4G64G-DB (dark blue)
    • ZE552KL-S625-4G64G-WH (white)
  • ZenFone 3 Laser (Available to buy in US and Canada)
    • ZC551KL-S430-2G32GN-SL (silver)
  • ZenFone 3 Max (available to buy in US and Canada)
    • ZC520TL-MT67-2G16GN-SL (silver)

Missing are the Zenfone 3 Ultra and Zenfone 3 Max 5.5-inch model. We also do not know the future availability of other colors. We will update this list as things move forward through 2016 and into 2017.

Price in US for Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition is $799 USD – ships soon!

October 6, 2016 Categories: Price, Shopping and Deals, US, Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition, ZS570KL by 0 Comments

The most requested information from you our visitor? The price of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition with Snapdragon 821 processor and 256GB storage. We have the answer!

$799 USD

Model: ZS570KL-S821-6G256G-SL

There you go! So glad we could break this bit of news because we know it was a highly requested piece on information.

It’s actually available right now to pre order on Asus US online store here. No other retailer is showing this as a pre order. Based on our previous experience with Asus, we might be able to provide some insight. There may be a small number of units coming to the US market, or not enough to supply the main retailers. As a result, Asus becomes the exclusive retailer through their online store. We saw this last year with some of the limited quantity ZenPad tablet products. We tell this story because if you want the “Special Edition”, it’s better to pre order right away because that opportunity might disappear in a real hurry. We are monitoring in various places so if other retailers offer up pre order for the Special Edition, we will update this post. Good luck!

Also consider the fact that the very respectable Zenfone 3 Deluxe with 64GB storage and Snapdragon 820 is priced at just $499 USD. It just depends how badly you want that faster processor and larger onboard storage. Also keep in mind that you have expandable storage options via microSD card slot. We have details of the $499 USD Zenfone 3 Deluxe model here.

On the heels of the Google Pixel XL price unveiling, it’s good for Asus to get this out there. If you’re wondering about this price, check out our Zenfone 3 Deluxe vs. Pixel XL price comparison article. We go deep you could say.

When is the US release date? According to Asus, it’s going to start shipping on October 19th in the US which is not far off at all. We are looking for retailers so you can get your pre orders set.

What about Canada? Great question. We feel it’s going to be priced around $1,000 CAD, but that’s a guess at this point.

Stay tuned, updates coming!

As listed on Asus US eStore:

pre-order-zenfone-3-deluxe-special-edition-official-price

You can order Zenfone 3 Deluxe in US for $499 right now!

October 5, 2016 Categories: News, US, Zenfone 3 Deluxe, ZS570KL by 10 Comments

Updated December 26: Asus has taken a while to get stock to North America, but they have now delivered. You can now order the Zenfone 3 Deluxe in the US for $499 from Amazon.com if you live in the US or Canada. Yes, Amazon.com will ship this to Canada! B&H has units in stock and they do ship international orders and offer free shipping to Canada! This is an unlocked smartphone that’s compatible with most every carrier but will not work with CDMA networks like Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular.

Order Now US and Canada –> $499 – Zenfone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) from Amazon.com – Click Here

International and Canada From B&H –> ZenFone 3 Deluxe 5.7″ ZS570KL 64GB Smartphone (Unlocked, Glacier Silver)

From Canada? You can order from Amazon.ca now – full details here.

Network Compatibility – The Zenfone 3 line-up is compatible with GSM Networks including AT&T, T-Mobile and cellular network providers utilizing GSM network. This phone (or any other Zenfone 3) is not compatible with CDMA networks such as: Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular. In Canada, the Zenfone 3 line-up is compatible with GSM Networks including Rogers, Bell, Telus, Wind Mobile, Fido, Virgin, Koodo and cellular network providers utilizing GSM network. This phone (or any other Zenfone 3) is not compatible with CDMA networks.

GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
WCDMA: Band 1/2/4/5/6/8/19
FDD-LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/18/19/20/26/28/29/30

This ZS570KL models comes with 64GB of storage, 6GB of RAM and the Snapdragon 820 processor. This is not the “Special Edition” model that has the Snapdragon 821 with 256GB storage. If you’re not sure how the top two Zenfone 3 Deluxe models compare, we have a benchmark comparison article here.

So if you’re holding out for the super top end Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special Edition, then I suggest you sign up for our newsletter and or check in with us. We hope to break that news for you! Is it later today? Tomorrow? Later than that? We simply don’t know right now.

If you heard about the Google Pixel XL launch yesterday, then you realize how much of a value the Zenfone 3 Deluxe is at $499 USD.

pre-order-zenfone-3-deluxe-us-for-499-dollars

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