Asus is all set to unveil its Zenfone 5 range of smartphones at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 event later this month. Like every year, the company will launch a plethora of models under the new lineup, but we're not sure which models the company is planning. A new leak coming from Chinese media says that the new Zenfone 5 lineup consists of the standard Zenfone 5, flagship Zenfone 5z and an entry-level Max variant called Zenfone Max Pro (M1). The company will launch the Zenfone 5 and the Zenfone Max Pro at the MWC 2018, and the flagship Zenfone 5z will see the light later this year in June 2018.
This new leak seems to be a legit one as a presentation slide has surfaced online. Also, the new report says that the mid-range Zenfone 5 comes will be powered by the Snapdragon 636 SoC, and it could be the first smartphone with the new chipset. Already, the Zenfone 4 lineup has a Snapdragon 630 variant and Snapdragon 660 variant. So, expect Asus to go with the new Snapdragon 636 chipset itself. This could be the base Asus Zenfone 5 model. If we go with Asus' tradition of launching smartphones, there might be a bigger variant with the unannounced Snapdragon 670 chipset. Qualcomm is expected to pull wraps of the Snapdragon 670 SoC at the MWC 2018 itself, so Asus might be the first brand to employ the upper mid-range chipset on its smartphone.
Next up, we have the flagship Zenfone 5z slated for June 2018 release. This phone will arrive Snapdragon 845 chipset, like other flagship devices. Asus is calling the standard Zenfone 5 range as 'Premier Luxury,' the flagship Zenfone 5z is termed as 'Ultimate Luxury'. The Zenfone 5z is also expected to come with up to 8GB of RAM and dual camera setup.
Lastly, we have the Zenfone Max Pro smartphone which could be the same Zenfone Max Plus (M1) smartphone it launched a while ago. All the Zenfone 5 models are expected to come with 18:9 displays on the front. Also, Asus is teasing the design of the Zenfone 5 lineup. As you can see in the image, the design of the phone is very good with minimal bezels on the top and either side, followed by a reasonably large chin at the bottom.
Earlier today, we reported about the Asus Zenfone 5 Lite smartphone which is said to be the company's first smartphone with quad camera setup. The phone is expected to feature a primary 20MP shooter on the front and primary 16MP shooter at the back.
Brace yourself, Asus will launch at least five smartphones at the MWC 2018. And it seems like there won't be any launches in the Indian market in Q1 2018.
