Unveiled all the way back in May and commercially released by the end of the same month in select European markets, the impressively affordable Asus ZenFone 6 powerhouse finally expanded to the US earlier this week. Well, sort of, as one major American retailer did open pre-orders for the "all-screen" 6.4-incher on August 5, failing however to offer early adopters an estimated delivery date.
Despite that general state of uncertainty, the unlocked 128GB variant quickly jumped to the top of B&H Photo Video's bestseller list, while Asus followed its retail partner's suit by kicking off pre-orders through the manufacturer's own official US e-store. Even better, there are three models available at the time of this writing from asus.com/us, compared to only two configurations up for grabs at B&H.
Unsurprisingly, the 6GB RAM/64GB ROM and 6/128 gig versions are priced at the same $499.99 and $549.99 respectively, while upgrading the handset's memory to a full 8 gigs of the good stuff and its internal storage space to 256GB will cost you just $599. That's significantly lower than a similar unlocked OnePlus 7 Pro configuration, not to mention extravagant phones like the Galaxy S10 or Google Pixel 3 XL.
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Although B&H still doesn't know when it might be able to begin fulfilling ZenFone 6 orders, Asus lists an "estimated shipping date" of August 13 next to all three variants available right now. These are coated in black, by the way, with a "twilight silver" flavor also in the pipeline but currently listed as "temporarily sold out."
The key selling point here is undoubtedly a "flip" camera system including 48 and 13MP lenses capable of pulling double duty and crucially contributing to a nearly bezelless design. But the rest of the specs and features are pretty remarkable for a device fetching as little as 500 bucks too, from a massive 5,000mAh battery to a state-of-the-art Snapdragon 855 processor, customizable Smart Key, Android 9.0 Pie software, reliable rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and sharp 2340 x 1080 screen. Unfortunately, the Asus ZenFone 6 is only compatible with GSM networks in the US, which means you can't take it to Verizon or Sprint after purchasing the thing unlocked.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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