ASUS ZenFone 6, 5 and 4 Debut with Intel Atom CPUs, Colorful Designs

ASUS has added three new smartphones to its device lineup in the form of the ZenFone 6, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 4. The lineup is unique in that each of the handsets comes loaded with one of Intel's Atom processors as well as a variety of colorful chassis. All three of the phones run Android 4.3, soon to be updated to Android 4.4, and feature ASUS' ZenUI overlay.

The hero device of the ZenFone family is the ZenFone 6. As its name implies, the ZenFone 6 features a 6-inch, 1280 x 720-pixel resolution IPS display. With ASUS's GloveTouch and PenTouch technologies, you'll will be able to interact with the handset's touch screen while wearing a glove or with any kind of stylus. 

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As expected, the ZenFone 6 is a beefy handset. Measuring 6.6 x 3.3 x 0.39 - 0.22 inches, the ZenFone 6 is larger than the LG G Flex, which measures 6.3 x 3.2 x 0.31-0.34 inches, as well as the 6.5 x 3.2 x 0.41-inch HTC One Max and 6.4 x 3.4 x 0.32-inch Nokia Lumia 1520. That said, the 7.1-ounce ZenFone 6 manages to undercut the weighty 7.7-ounce One Max and 7.3-ounce Lumia.

Inside, the ZenFone 6 includes a 2-GHz Intel Atom Z2580 CPU and 1GB of RAM. Internal storage size hasn't been disclosed, but ASUS says the ZenFone 6 will include a 64GB microSD card. Around back is a 13-megapixel rear shooter. A 2-megapixel pulls selfie duty up front.

In addition to the ZenFone 6, ASUS has also announced the 5-inch ZenFone 5 and 4-inch ZenFone 4. Like the ZenFone 6, the 5 features a 1280 x 720 resolution screen, Intel's Atom Z2580 CPU and 1GB of RAM. The main difference between the handsets, beyond their size, is that the ZenFone 5 comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera as opposed to the ZenFone 6's 13-megapixel shooter.

The smallest of the crew, the ZenFone 4 features a 800 x 480 resolution screen and 1.2-GHz Atom Z2520 processor. The handset also gets a 5-megapixel rear camera, as well as a 0.3-megapixel shooter up front.

ASUS hasn't announced whether the ZenFones will becoming to the U.S., though with its FonePad X coming to AT&T, there's still some hope. There's also no word on price. 

Daniel P. Howley
LAPTOP Senior Writer
A newspaper man at heart, Dan Howley wrote for Greater Media Newspapers before joining Laptopmag.com. He also served as a news editor with ALM Media’s Law Technology News, and he holds a B.A. in English from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.