ASUS ZenFone 6 Hands-on, Quick Review: Should ASUS Bring This To The PH?

ASUS ZenFone 6 Hands-on, Quick Review: Should ASUS Bring This To The PH?


We go hands-on with the Zenfone 6!

ASUS officially launched the ZenFone 6 a few weeks ago, and we’ve finally managed to track down the Taiwanese firm’s new phone here in Taiwan during COMPUTEX. ASUS, like many other manufacturers in the past few months, have turned to a motorized camera module to solve the problem of a notch-less screen but did it in a way that’s certainly different from their competitors.

Lovely build and that flipping camera module is quite unique

ASUS is the latest manufacturer to jump on the whole “no notch” trend this year by utilizing a motorized module to hold the front cameras. The big difference here is that there are no front cameras – ASUS utilized a motorized flip mechanism for their rear camera for it to function as the front.

It’s an ingenious solution to a problem that has faced other manufacturers in the past. Of course, ASUS’ solution does have some drawbacks. The flip mech is a little slow, slower than the pop-up designs of their other competitors. While you can use the cameras for face unlock, it’s easier and faster to just use the fingerprint scanner stuck in the back of the phone.

One added benefit of having a rear camera that flips is that the main snappers also function as your selfie cameras. This is great for selfie lovers, since you get to shoot with the Sony IMX586 48-megapixel sensor and 13-megapixel wide angle lens when you’re taking selfies.

You can even make the phone’s rear camera module track a subject, as long as they’re in the module’s mechanical arc.

The camera’s hinges are made of “liquid metal”, and the camera automatically retracts when the phone’s sensors detect it is falling to prevent damage.

As for the phone itself, it’s well built with both metal and Gorilla Glass, and feels much like most top-tier flagship phones today.

The phone is a little large and looks the part of a flagship phone, especially the silver variant.

Another feature that we really like about the phone is the fact that it still retains the 3.5mm jack which is fast becoming extinct on high-end phones.

The phone sports a 6.4-inch display running at full HD. The screen still has significant bezels on the bottom and sides, though we really like the fact that the phone doesn’t have a notch at all.

Inside the ZenFone 6 runs Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor, the SD855, paired with a variety of RAM and storage options. You can go as high as 8GB/256GB if you wanted to though.

One thing we like about the ZenFone 6 is battery life. With a 5000mAh battery, the ZenFone 6 has enough juice for more than a day’s worth of use, considering the processor. And if you manage to run that out, the phone has fast charging to quickly get it back to the fight, though we’re a little disappointed to learn that it doesn’t have wireless charging, which is fast becoming a standard for flagships nowadays.

The biggest unknown here is the fact that it’s still not clear if ASUS Philippines is bringing this phone over to the country. Reps for the company haven’t given a concrete release date as of yet, and there’s a big chance that ASUS skips the Philippines when they officially roll out the ZenFone 6.

ASUS ZenFone 6 specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  • Adreno 640 GPU
  • 6GB/8GB RAM
  • 6.4-inch FHD+ IPS display, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, Gorilla Glass 6 protection
  • 64GB/128GB/256GB of storage, expandable up to 2TB
  • 48-megapixel f/1.79 Sony IMX586 PDAF, 13-megapixel ultra-wide (125-degree) dual flip
  • cameras w/ Laser autofocus, Dual LED flash, 90-degree flip support
  • Macro mode, HDR+, Super Night mode, Portrait, Slow Motion (up to 480fps), Time
  • Lapse, Pro Mode, Auto Panorama
  • Dual SIM
  • 3G, LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, Fingerprint scanner, face unlock, USB Type-C
  • 5000mAh battery with Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0 tech
  • Android 9 Pie, ZenUI

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