The Asus Zenfone 8 is the newest kid on the block and is one of the only truly compact Android flagships currently available. Here’s everything we know about its Indian launch.
While the Asus Zenfone 8 was unveiled globally on May 12, the company announced that its Indian launch was being delayed due to the national lockdown in most parts as well as the suspension of eCommerce activities. However, this did confirm that the phone will eventually be available — which its predecessor was not.
Subsequent listings revealed that it could be called the Asus 8Z in India instead, as the same model number corresponded to both the phone names. This isn’t surprising as Asus does not own the rights to use the ‘Zenfone’ branding in the country.
Notably, the Asus Zenfone 8 Flip was not a part of any of these reports, which could be an indication that the premium model will not come to India any time soon. Asus is not a household name in the Indian market, and would probably want the ROG Phone 5 to not face internal competition in the ultra-premium segment.
For now, here is everything we expect to see on the Asus 8Z — the Asus Zenfone 8 for India.
The Asus Zenfone 8 and Zenfone 8 Flip will be coming to India very soon, confirmed Dinesh Sharma.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Asus’ new compact flagship
- When is it coming? August 2021
- How much will it cost? Around Rs 45,000 (expected)
Asus Zenfone 8 price in India and release date
In global markets, the Asus Zenfone 8 starts at €499 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, which converts to about Rs 45,000. Off late, Asus has been more competitive in India, so the Asus 8Z could have a slightly lower price tag. For reference, the ROG Phone 5 starts at Rs 49,999 — the only other smartphone sold in the country. It would make sense to have some price difference between the two.
The Asus 8Z launch date has not been announced yet, but with the situation beginning to improve in India, we expect it to be unveiled in August or September. Notably, the 8Z Flip will also be tagging along.
While the world is excited for the launch of our new smartphone, we at ASUS India have consciously decided to defer the launch till the current scenario improves. Our thoughts n prayers are with those affected with Covid #stayhomestaysafe, n emerge stronger! #IndiaFightsCOVID19May 10, 2021
Asus Zenfone 8 specs and features
Here’s where we do not expect the Asus 8Z to differ. At least hardware-wise, it is likely to be the same package.
The biggest (and smallest) point will be its size. Its dimensions are 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm and weighs just 169g. At that size, it is the only compact high-end Android smartphone, with its closest competitor being the iPhone 12. Colour options include Obsidian Black, Horizon Silver, Moonlight White.
Under the hood, the Asus 8Z will have powerful specifications such as the Snapdragon 888 chipset, up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage and more. The phone is also IP65 and IP68-rated for water and dust resistance.
On the front will be a relatively compact 5.9-inch Samsung AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,100 nits of peak brightness, HDR10+ certification and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
As for cameras, the Asus 8Z will have a modest dual-camera system. There will be a 64MP f/1.8 primary camera with OIS (Sony IMX686 — same as the Zenfone 7) along with a 12MP ultra-wide lens. For selfies, there’s a 12MP shooter.
The battery will be rated at 4,000mAh. Other Asus 8Z features include 30W fast charging, 3.5mm headphone jack, dual stereo speakers, Android 11 (Android 12 beta available), an in-display fingerprint scanner, etc.
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