Asus ZenFone 5Z now available for pre-order in the US (at a decent price)

Not long ago, Asus told us that its ZenFone 5Z smartphone would be released in the US in mid or late August. If you're interested in this handset, we're glad to inform you that it can now be pre-ordered via Amazon, and should start shipping on August 13.

Update: Asus is now accepting ZenFone 5Z pre-orders via its own web store (see the first source link below). The handset costs $499 and its estimated delivery date is August 6.

At the moment, only the midnight blue variant of the Asus ZenFone 5Z can be pre-ordered, but a silver model should be available soon, too. As for the price of the phone, this is an attractive one: $499, US warranty included.

The ZenFone 5Z is a high-end handset that comes unlocked and is fully compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile, but not with Verizon and Sprint. Made out of aluminum and glass, the smartphone runs Android 8 Oreo (customized with Asus' ZenUI) and is quite powerful - thanks to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and 6 GB of RAM. Other notable features include a 6.2-inch Super IPS+ display with 1080 x 2246 pixels, dual rear camera (12 MP + wide angle 8 MP), dual speakers, 64 GB of expandable storage space, and a 3300 mAh battery.

Unlike most high-end smartphones currently on the market, the Asus ZenFone 5Z is not water-resistant. But we guess that's a compromise you have to make if you need a powerful handset that doesn't cost more than $500.

sources: Asus, Amazon