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The Fire Rises 2023
Like it does every year at Computex, ASUS announced a bunch of new smartphones that won't break the bank. Only this time, the best-looking device turned out to be the base model: the ZenFone 3. I managed to get some hands-on time with this $249 device and to my surprise, it looks just as good in real life thanks to the spun-metal finish on the back. It also has a more premium feel than its predecessor due to the switch from a plastic body to a combination of metallic frame and 2.5D glass panels. At this price point (with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage), there's little to complain about, but it'll take some real-life usage to see if the mid-range Snapdragon 625 will suit your needs.
The high-end ZenFone 3 Deluxe isn't far off either. It has a metal unibody case that's subtly curved on the back for better ergonomics, and unlike most competing metallic phones, the Deluxe manages to cover up most of its antenna bands -- the remaining bits are just on the body's chamfer. Still, I wouldn't mind having the ZenFone 3's body for the Deluxe as I'm more mesmerized by its concentric circles on the back, which is more effective than the same effect applied to the Deluxe's chin and ear pillow on the front side. On a more positive note, the Deluxe's Super AMOLED screen is visibly more vibrant, though we've yet to find out how well it performs under daylight. As for performance, we're confident that the 6GB of RAM (at $499, with 32GB of storage) plus the Snapdragon 820 will keep things running smoothly, assuming the final software build won't have any major bugs.
