A known device with a few changes and the same great starting price.
ASUS today announced the U.S. release of the ZenFone 2 Laser, a follow-up to the successful launch of the original ZenFone 2 earlier this year. To clarify from the start, this isn’t the same ZenFone 2 Laser that was already released earlier this year internationally — that phone is a bit on the lower end of the spectrum and is actually a smaller device. The U.S. version of the ZenFone 2 Laser (model ZE551KL) is much higher end, with comparable specs and price to the original ZenFone 2.
The ZenFone 2 Laser coming to the U.S. shares quite a bit with the original ZenFone 2 — including nearly the same external design, a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 13MP rear camera, dual SIM slots, base 16GB of storage and 3000 mAh battery. The ZenFone 2 Laser switches processors to an octa-core Snapdragon 615, drops quick charge, and moves to a static 3GB of RAM. Both of its SIMs now offer full LTE connectivity, the battery is now removable, the screen has Gorilla Glass 4 on it, and the rear camera now sports laser autofocus (hence the name).
More: Hands-on with the ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser
Rather than change out the RAM and processor in two different models, the ZenFone 2 Laser offers all of the same specs aside from storage in its two options. You’ll get 16GB of storage in the $199 model, and 32GB in a $249 model — both of which offer an SD card slot for up to 128GB cards.
ASUS is putting the new ZenFone 2 Laser on sale starting today from its own store, along with Newegg, Amazon and B&H.
ASUS Releases ZenFone 2 Laser
ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser delivers a premium phone with laser auto focus, octa-core performance, dual active SIM, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and removable battery to value-conscious users
KEY POINTS
- Lightning-fast laser auto focus 13 mega-pixel PixelMaster 2.0 camera
- Dual active SIM with selectable LTE data connectivity
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor with Adreno 405 graphics
- Removable battery
Fremont, California (November 2, 2015) — ASUS today releases the unlocked ZenFone 2 Laser for users seeking a premium phone with an excellent camera, dual active SIM, expandable storage and removable battery. The latest addition to the ZenFone 2 lineup features an ergonomic design for greater comfort and a 5.5-inch 1080p display protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for unprecedented damage protection.
Powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 with Adreno 405 graphics delivers an excellent performance without sacrificing battery life. The high-performance processor is matched with 3GB of RAM for fluid multi-tasking and snappy system responsiveness.
New to the ZenFone 2 Laser is an enhanced PixelMaster 2.0 camera with laser auto-focus for lightning-fast and laser-sharp images. The 13-megapixel rear camera packs a wide-angle F/2.0 aperture lens composed of 5-elements for crystal clear images. Dual LED real tone flash enables the ZenFone 2 laser to capture images in low-light situations while maintaining natural skin tones.
The ZenFone 2 Laser supports dual active SIM for simultaneous connectivity to two cellular networks. Dual active SIM is perfect for users that want to consolidate two phone-lines into a single device. Selectable LTE data connectivity enables users to switch which SIM card is used for data through the Android settings, which makes the ZenFone 2 Laser perfect for international travelers.
Expandable memory and a removable battery makes the ideal for enthusiast users that want greater control of storage and power. A micro SDXC slot supports 128GB memory cards for quick and easy storage expansion to accommodate music, movies and select applications. The removable 3000mAh high-capacity battery ensures the ZenFone 2 Laser gets excellent battery life that lasts through the entire work day. Power users that desire longer runtimes can quickly swap out a fully charged battery for extended periods away from a power source.
Pricing and availability
The ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE551KL) 16GB will available for $199 and the 32GB for $249 at Newegg and the ASUS Store in November.