ASUS 8Z to make its India debut on February 28
What's the story
ASUS has announced that the flagship 8Z smartphone will make its debut in India on February 28. The handset, which was introduced globally back in May 2021, was teased in India in July but its launch here presumably got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The handset will be sold via Flipkart. The tech giant has partnered with Milind Soman for the launch event.
Context
Why does this story matter?
In July 2021, ASUS confirmed that its flagship 8Z smartphone will soon make its debut in India. However, the pandemic that put the world on hold likely pushed back that launch. Now, the sudden announcement from the tech giant after seven months has come as a surprise to many. Also, we do not know whether the 8Z Flip will join the 8Z in India.
Display
The handset has a 120Hz display
The ASUS 8Z features a left-aligned punch-hole cut-out, a noticeable bottom bezel, an IP68-rated build quality, and an in-display fingerprint sensor. On the rear, it has a rectangular camera unit. The handset sports a 5.9-inch Full-HD+ (1080x2400 pixels) Super AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 240Hz touch sampling rate, HDR10+ support, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
Information
It flaunts a 64MP main camera
The ASUS 8Z sports a dual rear camera setup, comprising a 64MP (f/1.8) primary sensor and a 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide lens with LED flash. Up front, it has a 12MP (f/2.5) selfie snapper.
Internals
A Snapdragon 888 chip fuels the device
The ASUS 8Z is powered by a Snapdragon 888 chipset, coupled with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of onboard storage. Under the hood, it boots Android 11-based ZenUI and houses a 4,000mAh battery with 30W fast-charging support. For connectivity, the handset offers support for Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G, GPS, NFC, and a Type-C port.
Information
ASUS 8Z: Pricing and availability
The official pricing and availability details of the ASUS 8Z in India will be announced at the time of its launch on February 28. For reference, in the US, the ZenFone 8 starts at $599 (roughly Rs. 45,000).