Asus Zenfone 5Z launch set for June 15: Still a modern flagship smartphone?

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Asus was the first smartphone maker to announce Google Android-based devices – the Zenfone 5Z and Zenfone 5 -- with iPhone X-inspired notch-based screens at the Mobile World Congress held in February. Now, after almost four months, the company is gearing up to launch the Zenfone 5Z on June 15, according to a tweet shared by company through its official Japan handle.

Earlier this year, when Asus showcased the Zenfone 5-series, the adoption of artificial intelligence technology in smartphones was in early stages and Asus showcased its different use cases, such as automatic scene selection and setting optimisations in camera, auto ringtone adjustments and optimal battery utilisation, etc. Though the Zenfone 5-series smartphones were claimed to bring system-wide AI-based optimisations, a lot has changed since MWC and most mobile phone manufacturers now integrate an iteration of AI, which Asus then called advanced. This is what happens when you showcase innovative products and take months to roll those out to markets.

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Speaking of the Zenfone 5Z features and specifications, the phone has 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to its 6.2-inch fullHD+ screen covering almost the entire front.

The 19:9 aspect ratio leaves just a small notch on top to accommodate an 8-megapixel camera, earpiece and sensors. In terms of imaging, the smartphone sports a dual-camera set-up, which features 12MP and 8MP shooters. The primary 12MP sensor boasts f/1.8 aperture and the 8MP sensor features a 120-degree wide-angle lens. Both front and rear cameras are backed by AI for automatic scene selection and portrait photography, and machine learning to improve the output by learning usage patterns.