Asus announces Zenfone 3 series: three metal devices including a 6.8-inch phablet

Asus has announced the Zenfone 3 series at the Computex Taipei technology tradeshow this morning. The Taiwanese manufacturer revealed three variants of its flagship device: the standard Zenfone 3, a more expensive Zenfone 3 Deluxe and a 6.8-inch phablet, the Zenfone 3 Ultra.

The smartphones, which each feature a Full-HD display, fingerprint scanner, and Android Marshmallow software, follow a similar aluminum unibody design but arrive at different price points.
Last year, Asus introduced the Zenfone 2 which also came in a variety of versions and later received a photography-focused spinoff, the Zenfone 2 Laser. With the introduction of a near tablet-sized device this year, it looks like Asus is trying to cover all bases, with a handset for every type of consumer.
The Zenfone 3 costs $249 and includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage and microSD card support.
The Zenfone 3 Deluxe houses a Snapdragon 820 processor, 23 MP Sony camera with f/2.0 aperture and starts at $499 for 6 GB RAM plus 64 GB internal storage.

Meanwhile, the Zenfone 3 Ultra's main features include a 6.8-inch display and a 4,600 mAh battery which can also be used to charge other devices. This will launch for $479 with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage space.
The release date for the Zenfone 3 series is yet to be confirmed but, with designs finalized, it's likely that they will arrive in the next few weeks. For the full rundown of the Zenfone 3 family's specs and features, head to our dedicated Asus Zenfone 3 page.
What's your first impression of the Zenfone 3 series? Let us know in the comments.
the Ultra could almost be a Nexus 7 replacement, just needs stock Android...
also really like the way Asus has managed the antenna line's, which seem invisible looking at the photos.
It seems pretty hard (and expensive) for me to create something completely new when it comes to the design of smartphones... On top of that, it's a good design, for a phone that is supposed to be cheaper than Samsung's, LG's and even Nexus phones.
Why Asus always copies designs from others like last time zenfone 2 was copied from LG G2, G3, G4 etc. Now it moved one step further and set new bar for copying standards as this time it has hybrid design fusion of Samsung Galaxy S6 and LG G4 into its new Asus Zenfone 3. Such a boring company.
I don't see it as copying, it actually looks pretty new in my eyes, besides, there are only so many ways you can design a rectangle
I am completely agree with you