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Asus

Asus and PayTM Mall sign partnership; launch Vivobook X507

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Asus has released the Vivobook X507 laptop in conjunction with PayTM Mall at an event in the capital today. PayTM also announced a strategic partnership with Asus India to implement a connected POS solution and an inventory support channel for retail stores.

The Asus Vivobook X507 comes in a variety of configurations starting with an Intel Celeron, Intel Pentium going right upto 6th generation Intel Core i3 processors. They will come with upto 8GB RAM and either onboard Intel HD graphics or Geforce MX 110 GPU. 1TB HDD storage is common across all models and an empty M.2 SSD slot is available for users to expand their storage capacity or use Optane memory for faster caching. A 15.6″ Full HD display has been implemented with “NanoEdge” bezels that keeps the footprint of the laptop relatively smaller and helps contribute to the light weight of 1.68kg. The built-in 2W stereo speakers are boosted by ASUS SonicMaster technology.

The battery supports fast charging with the company claiming it can fill around 60% of the capacity in 49 minutes. This also comes with SuperBattery technology said to make the battery last for upto 3 times longer than typical laptops. For connectivity, there is 1x HDMI, 1x USB 3.1, 2x USB 2.0, 1x mic/headphone jack, 2×2 802.11ac Wi-F and Bluetooth 4.2. A fingerprint scanner has been embedded on the at the top right of the touchpad.

Sold online exclusively via PayTM Mall, the Asus Vivobook X507 starts at a price of Rs.21,990 going upto Rs.38,990 with cashbacks in the offering.

Asus unveils Zenfone Max Pro M1

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If you consider the ol’ Zenfone days, Asus was leading the pack when it came to affordable devices. Things changed, however, when Xiaomi entered the market along with Asus trying to pitch Zenfone series as premium devices. Asus has now gone back to basics with the new Zenfone Max Pro M1.

The new Zenfone goes for the affordable price tag but at the same time gives hardware and software that, on paper, looks better than the competition. The biggest change in the Zenfone Max Pro M1 is the exclusion of ZenUI that has been a standard feature for all these years. The phone now adopts a stock Android UI running the latest Oreo update and hopefully will help in the future to roll out updates faster.

As far as hardware goes, the phone is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 636 processor along with 2GB, 3GB and 4GB RAM and storage options of 32GB, 64GB, depending on the variant. The phone has a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display along with a 5000mAh battery, dedicated microSD card slot, NXP smart amp and a 5-magnet speaker. Asus is also bundling a cardboard box dubbed Max Box that allows placing the device for improved loudspeaker audio. However, you cannot use the Max Box as a kickstand as it only allows the phone to be docked vertically.

On the camera front, the Zenfone has a dual-camera setup at the back with 13MP as the main sensor and 5MP acting as the secondary sensor to click bokeh-style portraits. The phone also supports 4K video recording and there’s an 8MP front-facing camera with LED flash.

The 3/32GB and 4/64GB variants will go on sale from May 3 on Flipkart for Rs. 10,999 and Rs. 12,999 respectively while the 6/64GB variant with 16MP+5MP rear and 16MP front camera will be available at a later date for Rs. 14,999.

MWC 2018: Asus announces ZenFone 5 series

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Asus pulled out their big guns at the Mobile World Congress to combat the onslaught of mid-range and premium smartphones with two new offerings – ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5Z. There’s ZenFone 5 Lite as well but Asus currently has no plans to launch in India. The similar nomenclature is confusing but it’s easier to remember the variants this time compared to previous ZenFone generations. The ZenFone 5 will target the mid-range segment whereas the ZenFone 5Z will go for the top-end of the smartphone market with top-of-the-line hardware.

Let’s address the elephant in the room first. Yes, it does look like an iPhone X with the notch and camera placement but using the phone briefly, the phone does look and feel premium. The phones have that Asus’ concentric circle design at the back and is compact with an excellent 90% screen-to-body ratio. Asus claims they’ve managed to cram up a 6.2-inch display in a 5.5-inch form factor. The display is Full HD+ IPS display but supports DCI-P3 colour space for accurate colours and blue-light filter to reduce eye fatigue.

In terms of hardware, the ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5Z differs in terms of processor choice, RAM and ROM, which in case of ZenFone 5 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 636, 4GB or 6GB RAM and 64GB ROM. The ZenFone 5Z will be powered by Snapdragon 845 and while Asus is yet to confirm which variant will come to India but the 5Z supports up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage.

Cameras, however, are the same. Both have a dual camera setup at the back with 12MP IMX363 main sensor with f/1.8 aperture and f/2.2 120-degree secondary camera whereas the front has an 8MP one. The rear camera even supports 4K UHD video recording.

Asus has also worked on the software and while it runs Android Oreo customised with ZenUI 5.0, Asus says the amount of pre-installed apps have reduced dramatically. AI also plays a major part with the devices and comes with many “intelligent” features like AI Photo Learning, automatically adjusts ringtone according to ambient sound, and even optimise charging its 3000mAh battery.

The new ZenFones also support something called as ZeniMojis, which if you haven’t noticed yet, is Asus’ answer to Apple’s Animojis. There’s also DTS Headphone:X support, FM Radio, hybrid SIM slot and lots more.

Asus will launch both the ZenFone 5 variants in India in the next few weeks with ZenFone 5 slated to come early followed by ZenFone 5Z.

Asus ZenFone 5

ASUS introduces AiMesh Whole-Home Wi-Fi concept

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ASUS has announced AirMesh, an interesting feature upgrade for ASUS routers allowing users to create a flexible and powerful whole-home WiFi system using compatible ASUS models. This works as a unique alternative to proprietary mesh systems.

Airmesh overcomes various limitations often encountered in alternative off-the-shelf whole home WiFi systems. While they are quite convenient, users often face limitations in the form of fixed bundles, limited choice of speeds, hardware and upgrade paths. Asus has made it a point of stressing the flexibility of AirMesh offering WiFi systems tailor made for users while at the same time letting them access functions of each individual ASUS router like extreme WiFi performance along with advanced networking features like ASUS AiProtection, Adaptive QoS, Parental Controls and more. The ASUS Router mobile app and ASUSWRT web interface can be used to manage AirMesh.

AiMesh UI

Only a firmware update is required to enable AirMesh on a compatible router enabling users to mix/match models and make good use of their existing hardware. While most modular mesh systems are limited to a single SSID, AirMesh can seamlessly roam with either a single SSID for the entire coverage area or separate SSIDs for each frequency band.

The free update is available for selected ASUS routers worldwide. The list currently includes RT-AC68P, RT-AC68U, RT-AC68UF, RT-AC68W, RT-AC68R, RT-AC68U V2, RT-AC1900, RT-AC1900P, RT-AC86U, RT-AC2900, RT-AC88U and RT-AC3100. Support for ROG Rapture GT-AC5300, RT-AC5300, ASUS Blue Cave and ASUS Lyra Series routers will be available later in 2018. For the latest updates, check here.

Asus Zenfone Live with live streaming beautification technology comes to India

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Asus launched their latest smartphone, the Zenfone Live, in India today. The device was first revealed in China back in February.

The device comes with the world’s first live streaming beautification technology via the BeautyLive app letting users remove any imperfections or blemishes when live streaming to social media websites. Running on ZenUI 3.5 based on Android Marshmallow 6.0, it is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage expandable upto 128GB via microSD and 2650mAh battery. The 5″ HD IPS display is equipped with a 2.5D curved glass and Bluelight filter to shield from harmful light.

The front camera uses a 5MP lens with f/2.2 aperture, 82 degree wide angle lens, soft light LED flash and 1.4micron pixel sensor while the rear camera makes use of a 13MP Pixel Master rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, dual-LED flash.

Priced at Rs.9,999, the device will go on sale via both offline and online retailers.