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ASUS has announced two new flagship smartphones in its number series — and they couldn’t be more different. There’s the bold and flippy ASUS ZenFone 8 Flip, which follows in the footsteps of the ZenFone 7 Pro and ZenFone 6 and uses a rotating camera system at the back to take selfies. But more interesting than that, surprisingly, is the equally bold (for another reason) ASUS ZenFone 8.

The latter is a compact Android with a 5.9-inch screen and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip in a palm-friendly, IP68-certified (read: water-resistant) body. ASUS basically made an Apple iPhone 12 mini challenger; there’s no denying that the ZenFone 8 is a top-specced modern smartphone, albeit a handy one.

The respective prices of the ZenFone 8 and ZenFone 8 Flip in Europe are as follows:

• ASUS ZenFone 8
  • 6GB/128GB: €599 (around P34,658 or $724)
  • 8GB/128GB: €669 (P38,683 or $809)
  • 8GB/256GB: €729 (P42,153 or $882)
  • 16GB/256GB: €799 (P46,189 or $966)
• ASUS ZenFone 8 Flip
  • 8GB/256GB: €799 (P46,230 or $966)

In the Philippines, the two smartphones have the following suggested retail prices:

• ASUS ZenFone 8
  • 8GB/128GB: P34,995 ($732)
  • 16GB/256GB: P39,995 ($837)
• ASUS ZenFone 8 Flip
  • 8GB/256GB: P39,995 ($837)

Preorders in the Philippines begin today for both devices, and those who make their purchase prior to May 25 (ZenFone 8) and June 10 (ZenFone 8 Flip) will receive a free RhinoShield SolidSuit case and a JBL Go 3 Bluetooth speaker.

That’s right, the ZenFone series is officially back with the #TheInfinitelyPowerful ZenFone 8 and ZenFone 8 Flip.

PRE-ORDER TODAY and get nifty bundled items. Check this link out for more details: https://t.co/5I9JaVZ2Uv#ZenFone8 #ZenFone8Flip

— ASUS Philippines (@ASUSph) May 14, 2021

ASUS ZenFone 8 series’ pricing and preorder details for the Philippine market

ASUS ZenFone 8

It’s brave of ASUS to launch a small superphone, especially considering how poorly the iPhone 12 mini is doing versus Apple‘s expectations. But then again, perhaps the Taiwanese manufacturer just wants to cast a wider net and appeal to Apple users who find iPhone-sized phones attractive. Needless to say, if you’re looking to upgrade to something compact and convenient, and the specs matter, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a phone like the ZenFone 8 on the global market.

On the specs side, the vanilla version boasts an FHD+ Super AMOLED display from Samsung with a 120Hz refresh rate and an embedded fingerprint reader; dual rear cameras with a 64-megapixel Sony IMX 686 sensor with optical image stabilization; stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack (which the ZenFone 8 Flip lacks); and a 4,000mAh battery that supports 30-watt fast charging.

Specs

• 5.9-inch Super AMOLED screen, FHD+, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling
• 5nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 with 5G
• 6GB/8GB/16GB RAM
• 128GB/256GB storage
• Dual 64-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultra wide), rear cameras
• 12-megapixel front camera
• Fingerprint sensor (under-display)
• 4,000mAh battery with 30-watt USB-C fast charging
• ZenUI based on Android 11
• Colors: Black, silver

ASUS ZenFone 8 Flip

You can say that the ZenFone 8 Flip is both a slight upgrade over the ZenFone 7 Pro and the anti-ZenFone 8. It delivers a more immersive experience, flaunting a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED screen without the cutout in the corner for a front-facing camera. The refresh rate is 90Hz, whereas the touch-sampling rate is 200Hz. And like the regular variant, the Flip’s fingerprint sensor is built into the display.

Besides the screen-size advantage, the key selling point here is the ability to capture selfies and videos with the 64-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and 8-megapixel telephoto cameras. The 5,000mAh battery with 30-watt charging is unchanged from the previous generation.

Specs

• 6.67-inch Super AMOLED screen, FHD+, 90Hz refresh rate, 200Hz touch sampling
• 5nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 with 5G
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB storage
• Triple 64-megapixel (main), 13-megapixel (ultra wide), 8-megapixel (telephoto) rotating cameras
• Fingerprint sensor (under-display)
• 5,000mAh battery with 30-watt USB-C fast charging
• ZenUI based on Android 11
• Colors: Black, silver

Video: ASUS ZenFone 8 series launch highlights

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