The Asus brand is not a brand that is associated with high end or innovative smartphones. They have been around for a long time and their phone offerings have never excited any phone fans as far as we know. Asus phones are competent and priced reasonably but that is about all you can write about. All that is about to change with the Asus Zenfone 6.
The latest trend in phones is the reduction of the notch size or total elimination of the notch. There are quite a few innovative solutions from phone manufacturers on how to remove the notch while still preserving the presence of a front or selfie camera. We have seen pop-up selfie cameras but Asus has gone one step further by introducing a pair of rear cameras that flip 180 degrees to become front cameras.
This is kinda exciting because almost all phones have superior rear cameras paired with lower quality front camera(s). By flipping the rear camera around, the Asus Zenfone 6 lets you use the same high quality Sony IMX586 48-megapixel and 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens for both your normal photos and your selfies.
When we first heard about the flip camera feature, we were expecting a spring loaded mechanism but we were totally floored when we realized Asus motorized the camera. This instantly elevated the Asus Zenfone 6 to flagship level.
While it is totally mesmerizing to watch the cameras flipping back and forth, we never realized the potential of a motorized flipping mechanism besides looking really cool. With the Asus Zenfone 6, you can take a panorama photo without moving an inch. Just hold still while the flipping motion takes a 180 degree panorama photo.
You can also position the camera at any angle. This means you can take low angle photos without crouching down. Or being able to see what you are shooting while holding the phone high above your head. The latter is godsent when taking a picture while standing in a crowd.
The biggest question in everyone’s mind when one first lay eyes on the camera is how fragile it looks. Don’t worry as Asus has done their homework. Rest assured that the mechanism is very durable. Should you drop the phone while the camera is flipped up, the phone will instantly flip down the camera to protect it in a fall. Manually rotating the camera with your hand will do no harm to the motors either.
We have spent a lot of time writing about the camera but there are a few other surprises that the Asus Zenfone 6 has to offer. A big huge plus is that the phone has a 5,000 mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 4.0. Asus claims that the battery should last up to 2 days on normal use.
Another big surprise is that the Asus Zenfone 6 is powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor paired with 8 GB RAM and an option of 64 GB up to 256 GB of storage depending on the model. This phone just screams flagship.
Looks wise it is nothing much to shout about but it does include Gorilla glass on both the back and the front which gives it that premium look and feel. The front screen has slightly curved edges but it not as prominent as the Samsung Galaxy S10 or Huawei P30.
There are a couple of minor drawbacks with the phone. Firstly, face unlock is a just a tad bit slower as you have to wait for the camera to flip. It takes just a split second for the camera to flip but it is still not instantaneous. Secondly, that 5,000 mAh battery does add a bit of girth to the phone thickness and weight.
There is one last bit of surprise that we are saving for the end. Asus has thankfully followed the trend of producing flagship phone with features that are comparable to what Samsung and Apple has to offer but minus the 1k price range. How much lower? You have to click on the Buy link below to find out.
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