Gearing up for the ZenFone 8 launch!

May 10, 2021 Categories: ZenFone 8 by 0 Comments

Where have we been hiding? Far away it seems! We don’t need to dwell on the recent past because there are more important things to discuss. Such as…the upcoming ZenFone 8 launch!

A lot of information has already hit the web and most likely you’ve already seen the images and read the specs on what may be three different ZenFone 8 models.

We have one burning question and it’s completely made up of self-interest concerns.

Will the ZenFone 8 series come back to North America?

See, a lot of what we do, we do it out of the love of ASUS products. Some of the reward comes via our site visitors if they use one of our links to buy a ZenFone. A healthy portion of our audience is US and Canada and when the ZenFone 7 wasn’t widely released it meant few sales.

We don’t run ads and we don’t link to other brands. We’re 100% ASUS ZenFone content and we are completely reliant on people wanting to buy them.

Certainly we can and have invested our own time without concern of any earnings when it comes to running websites over the years. Would we spend hours on the site just for the fun of it? In the past yes, but nowadays time is limited and some income to cover costs matters.

With that out of the way, we remain hopeful. Regardless of where the ZenFone 8 ends up available to buy, we are going to give you the details. We are gearing up starting right this second.

If you are unaware, unconfirmed reports suggest a ZenFone 8 Flip or ZenFone Flip which features the flipping camera that ASUS has been so well known for lately. It does appear that the ZenFone 8 will be a traditional design without the flip camera and will feature a “punch hole” in the display. The ZenFone 8 or ZenFone 8 Mini? We aren’t yet sure of those details just yet. We do know that ASUS is going smaller.

Looking back at the ZenFone 7 we think ASUS hit that price ceiling. We are hoping for the best for the ZenFone 8 availability globally and at a price that comes in lower than the ZenFone 7. Based on no flip camera (unconfirmed) on the ZenFone 8, we expect prices to reflect that fact.

We hope you stick with us heading into the launch as ZenFone 8 pre orders start up!

US/Canada – Want an ROG Phone 3 instead? It’s available now.

October 15, 2020 Categories: News, Pre Order, ROG Phone 3, Shopping and Deals, ZenFone 7, ZenFone 7 Pro by 0 Comments

There has been much debate about ASUS’ intent on bringing the ZenFone 7 to more markets. The original statement from ASUS suggested 5G compatibility issues were the reason why some markets like North America would not get a ZenFone 7 release. We can’t say whether the arrival of the 5G enabled ROG Phone 3 will influence a ZenFone 7 release, but we can say if you want the ROG Phone 3 instead, you can order it now.

Don’t be shocked at the price here. You’re looking at the best of the best and some features that no other manufacturers are offering.

Shopping Link: Available now at B&H – Free shipping to US and Canada – Ships Globally – Click Here

US ROG Phone 3 pricing:

$999.99

  • 12GB/512GB

$1,099.99

  • 16GB/512GB

Of course the North American network bands are important. Here they are:

GSM 3G/3.5G

  • UMTS, HSPA+: 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz

4G LTE

  • LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 Bands

5G NR

  • n1, n2, n3, n5, n28, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79 Bands

What does this North American ROG Phone 3 release mean for a possible ZenFone 7 release?

This is a very curious situation for us. Nothing official yet from ASUS that clearly states the ZenFone 7 is coming to the US and Canada. Yes, there have been reports of ASUS support telling customers that the ZenFone 7 is coming to North America but there is an element of uncertainty on those reports.

ASUS stated the 5G compatibility was the primary reason for not bringing the ZenFone 7 to the US and Canada. Well, it certainly appears that the ROG Phone 3 and its 5G capability show that the ZenFone 7 has no issues in coming as well. It’s a common sense argument but that only applies if compatibility was the ONLY reason ASUS decided not to release it in North America.

Not to be a downer, but it all comes down to the FCC filings. If you consider it would be 4-6 weeks minimum from a published FCC filing, we are getting awfully late into the year now. It wouldn’t be shocking if ASUS was to make the ZenFone 7 available in the US and Canada by late November, so we hope to see a filing in the next couple of weeks. It would be extremely strange to see the ZenFone 7 being brought to North America in December or early 2022.

Stay tuned to our website, as we monitor many sources for a possible North American release!

ASUS forbids early reviews from publishing camera results. Bravo!

September 6, 2020 Categories: Review, ZenFone 7, ZenFone 7 Pro, ZS670KS, ZS671KS by 3 Comments

Did you miss this unique part of the ASUS ZenFone 7 launch? ASUS did not allow websites with review units to publish camera results in their early reviews. Smart move we say!

This has been something we’ve commented on in the past and it’s great to see ASUS has taken positive action. Can we toot our own horn on this one? Not to suggest we had anything to do with this but it’s an unusual request by a company and it’s something you don’t see others doing.

The dilemma is this. Who gets the early review units so that when the product is unveiled those reviews hit the web moments after the launch event? You guessed it. The titans of tech. The Engadgets of the word with their millions of readers get the early review units and those early impressions have a massive and prolonged impact on how a product is viewed.

We have followed enough ZenFone launches to know that the camera is the most tweaked aspect of the phones right after launch. There is plenty of optimization that takes place right at the front end of a ZenFone product launch. Of course these firmware roll-outs take place AFTER those early reviews get published onto the world wide web.

The madness of course is that photo and video samples hit those early reviews that millions of people see. The tweaks and improvements via firmware updates are forgotten about. The damage has already been done in a sense. It’s not like the big tech websites will go back and update their camera reviews after various firmware and optimizations that ASUS rolls out like clockwork.

So ASUS made the bold move. They made some stipulations this time around. As a number of early reviewers mentioned they would love to show some photo and video samples but ASUS asked them not to post any as the firmware on those review units was not fully optimized and tweaked.

We are a bit selfish on this subject because we depend on the ZenFone series doing well. We thought it rather unjust to know that such high traffic reviews may not be accurate and representative of the ZenFone capabilities. So we will simply say thank you to ASUS for listening! Give yourself a fair shake.

Oh, before we close this one out, uncle ASUS, do you think you could request reviewers disclose their software version(s) used for the basis of their review? Some minor complaints in reviews are sometimes whisked away with a new software update but readers would never know otherwise.

ASUS support says ZenFone 7 coming to the US, but is it true?

September 5, 2020 Categories: News, ZenFone 7, ZenFone 7 Pro, ZS670KS, ZS671KS by 1 Comment

Note: You can now buy a ZenFone 7 with global shipping. Details here.

Oh, the highs and lows of it all. In a rather peculiar turn of events, it seems that the ZenFone 7 may in fact see a release in the US. That in turn would mean a release in Canada as well. We say take the report(s) with a grain of salt, however.

We pretty much love everything ASUS does but we’ve also experienced some differing statements from time to time. In dealing with ASUS support sometimes you get a slightly different story depending on who you speak to. Great people, but a lot of products can cause confusion as there are so many moving parts.

So does one statement from an ASUS support person count as an official statement by ASUS? No, it certainly does not but let’s look at what was said.

First, credit tounhingeddonkey from Reddit who shared his experience today. He contacted ASUS support and asked the question about the ZenFone 7 release for the US. This is what the support person said:

My name is Adrian D, I appreciate the time out you have taken to notify us of your concern. I see that you are reaching out to get information the on the ASUS Zenfone 7 And I will be happy to assist. Yes the Zenfone 7 will launch in the US but we do not have a time frame on it as yet.

So it’s quite shocking to see a definitive “yes” to the question. As we want to keep our feet on the ground it’s also possible that this support person has the wrong information. Nobody wants Adrian D to get in trouble right? I’m sure they meant well and hopefully he didn’t misspeak. We think this story will have legs!

In the same Reddit thread, this too was shared:

Thank you for contacting ASUS Online Support. My name is Jodi-Ann B. I hope all is well and I will be more than happy to assist you. Based on your interaction, I see where you are inquiring on the release date of the Zenfone 7 within the US. Thank you for being interested in our product and we welcome you to the ASUS family. At this time there is no release date available for the Zenfone 7 and the device will be available within the US region.

In that quote there could be a slight communication issue. Did support really just say the device will be available within the US region? A little bit confusing at the end of the statement. There is no release date but it will be available within the US region? You could certainly interpret the comment that way.

The reason we’re entertaining this suggestion is because of one other piece of information we read today. This nugget comes the way of the ASUS ZenTalk forums via the member guntherguerra:

Thank you for your interest in our products and services. I understand that you’re looking to confirm when the ASUS Zenfone 7 will become available for purchase. Sorry to say, we too have not yet been informed of the official release date by the Marketing team. As the device still goes through the introductory phase, I do urge that you keep up to date with information from the ASUS news and edge up websites.

These statements from ASUS have come in the past two days. One statement could be considered wishful thinking but in combination or in totality, maybe something has changed. We can say for sure that the word “no” didn’t come up, so that’s a very big positive!

As a Reddit member says, “Hopefully they are working on VoLTE support for US carriers since most of them are axing their old networks next year.”

Although we have recently suggested a 4G version of the ZenFone 7 would be an ideal and cheaper solution, we would be happy if ASUS has managed to work out compatibility issues and can actually move forward with a US and Canada release. This news may open the door for other countries as well, but who knows. As it stands now, there is still nothing 100% official on this just yet. We prefer to see a post by ASUS on Twitter or on one of their social networking platforms as a true confirmation.

We should also note that the ROG Phone 3 is a 5G device and is planned for North America. If the ROG Phone 3 can be configured it didn’t make sense what the issue was with the ZenFone 7. This said, we’ve spotted US listings for the ROG Phone 3 which have since been removed, along with no FCC filing. This leads us to believe that ASUS had some work to do behind the scenes or faced a roadblock or two that has delayed the ROG Phone 3 release in North America. We believe that information is relevant to what we’re seeing with the ZenFone 7.

So share with us. Do you think enough has been said and you trust ASUS support staff on declaring this true? We are almost there on believing it, but we aren’t quite convinced just yet.

[sources: Reddit / ZenTalk]

 

As promised, ZenFone 7 arrives in Europe – Full Details

September 1, 2020 Categories: News, ZenFone 7, ZenFone 7 Pro, ZS670KS, ZS671KS by 3 Comments

ASUS has kept their promise regarding the Europe release of the ZenFone 7. We now have full details including price, release date and European countries with availability.

There is a bit of a change in availability and configurations on the ZenFone 7 (ZS670KS) so far. We are seeing a new combo with 8GB/128GB and no 6GB option available so far. The ZenFone 7 Pro (ZS671KS) is available to buy in the 8GB/256GB configuration. Both Black and White colors are available.

We are seeing this show up now in many online retailers across Europe. Too many to mention. It may take us a day to figure out countries that are excluded from the ZenFone 7 European release.

We see a 2-year warranty which is a nice added bonus!

Special Offer – you receive ZenEar wireless headphones for free if buying from ASUS online stores.

Pre-Order Details:

  • Starts September 1

Shipping Date:

  • Ships September 9

Prices in Europe:

  • ZenFone 7 (8GB/128GB) – € 699.00
  • ZenFone 7 Pro (8GB/256GB) – € 799.00

Network:

GSM standard

  • GSM/2G , UMTS/3G , LTE/4G , 5G

LTE frequency

  • 700 MHz , 800 MHz , 850 MHz , 900 MHz , 1800 MHz , 1900 MHz , 2100 MHz , 2300 MHz , 2600 MHz

5G frequency band

  • 700 MHz , 850 MHz , 900 MHz , 1800 MHz , 2100 MHz , 2600 MHz , 3500 MHz , 3700 MHz

Data transfer
EDGE , GPRS , HSDPA 42 MBit/s , HSUPA 5,76 MBit/s , LTE

Price wise, if we just look at last years ZenFone 6 with 8GB/256GB with a non “plus” processor, this years ZenFone 7 Pro is 33% more expensive. Of course this isn’t an exact or fair comparison given that the ZenFone 7 Pro has the Snapdragon 865+ and not the 865.

As for who’s next? Likely Japan based on earlier reports. From there is where it gets interesting. Very few countries likely to go beyond this initial phase. Price and 5G issues are the factors in this situation. We’ve read from a well-known Indian tech journalist that the ZenFone 7 is not coming to India. Nothing official on that however, so let’s call that a rumor right now. However, ASUS India has not marketed anything regarding the ZenFone 7 and that silence is not a good indicator if you live there and want to buy one.

 

 

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