Asus 'Low Cost' Zenfones up for Pre-Ordering in the United Kingdom: It is now Asus vs. Vodafone vs. EE in the Budget Smartphones Segment

Asus, known for its budget technology offerings, is now set to bring its low-cost Zenfone smartphone series to the United Kingdom.

Asus Zenfone series comprises of three smartphones with varying screen sizes, and pricing.

The selling point of Zenfone series is its low prices: the most expensive phone in the series costs less than £250 ($417, €311).

All three of Asus' Zenfones are now available to pre-order in the United Kingdom.

Asus Zenfone series comprises of the Asus Zenfone 4 (£99), Zenfone 5 (£180) and Zenfone 6 (£250), These devices incorporate a 4in, 5in and 6in screens, respectively.

Asus Zenfone 4

The device is a comparatively lower-end variant, a fact evident by its sub £100 price tag.

The Zenfone 4 has a 4in display, that is enclosed within Gorilla Glass 3, and runs the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating platform, upgradable to Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

The smartphone is driven by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor, along with 1GB RAM.

There is a 5MP rear camera and a VGA front snapper, both of the cameras should be enough to click pictures while on a family vacation.

Zenfone 4 comes in 4GB and 8GB internal storage variants, both of which are expandable using external microSD cards.

For connectivity, users get Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPRS, EDGE and microUSB features.

The smartphone features a 1,600mAh Li-ion battery theoretically offers a 10-hour talktime.

Asus Zenfone 5

Unlike the Zenfone 4, the Asus Zenfone 5 is a typical mid-ranger.

The Zenfone 5 has an 8MP primary camera that is said to incorporate the exclusive Asus PixelMaster technology, that is claimed to offer a good photography experience even when it is dark.

Key hardware aspects of the device:

• 5in IPS capacitive touchscreen, enclosed within Gorilla Glass 3
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating platform, upgradable to Android 4.4.2 KitKat
• 2GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor, along with 2GB RAM
• 8MP primary camera, and a 2MP secondary snapper
• 8GB or 16 GB internal storage
• MicroSD card for expansion up to 64GB
• 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and microUSB connectivity
• 2,110 non-removable Li-Polymer battery, with claimed talktime of up to 18.5 hours, on 3G networks.

Asus Zenfone 6

Having a price-tag of £250, the Asus Zenfone 6 is a premium smartphone of the company.

This smartphone has a 13MP primary camera, which should give amateur photographers something to cheer about.

Key hardware-aspects of Zenfone 6:

• Large 6in IPS capacitive touchscreen, enclosed within Gorilla Glass 3
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating platform, upgradeable to Android 4.4.2 Jelly Bean
• 2GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor, along with 2GB RAM
• 13MP primary camera, and a 2MP secondary snapper
• 8GB, 16GB and 32GB internal storage
• MicroSD card slot for expansion up to 64GB
• Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, A-GPS 3G and microUSB connectivity
• 3,300 Li-Polymer battery, with a theoretical talktime of up to 28 hours on 3G networks.

Competition

With Asus Zenfone series accumulating devices right from the basic till the high-end, Zenfone devices compete with a range of smartphones having similar hardware aspects and pricing.

Most prominent among competing smartphones include the recently launched Vodafone Smart 4 Turbo and Smart 4 Power devices that are priced within the £150 bracket.

Also, other prominent smartphones like the Moto G and EE Kestrel (both devices are considered to be feature-filled and affordable) compete with Asus Zenfones.

Where to pre-order?

All of Asus' Zenfones are available for pre-order on the Asus eShop.

The company is also claiming to ship pre-ordered Zenfones on or before 8 September 2014.