Asus is still very much an also-ran in the smartphone world, but that gives it the space to try some unconventional designs that many find appealing. Take, for example, the Zenfone 6 and later, which elegantly solves the aesthetic issue of the notch by making its rear camera module flip around to the front when needed. Personally, I think it makes the Zenfone series some of the best-looking Android hardware there is. Asus isn’t quite done with this design yet, according to a newly-leaked render of the unannounced ZenFone 8 Flip.
91 Mobiles and noted leaker Ishan Agrawal got their hands on some official art of the upcoming device, along with alleged specifications. The basic layout remains the same, keeping that beautiful, uninterrupted edge-to-edge screen by placing the triple rear camera module on a motorized hinge. It flips it forward for selfies and video conferencing.
The Zenfone 8 Flip, with the signature Asus motorized rotating camera module
According to the leak, the new model uses a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 888 processor, a large 6.67-inch 1080p AMOLED screen with 90Hz of refresh, 8GB of RAM, and a generous 256GB of storage. Those rear cameras are 64MP, 8MP, and 12MP, for primary, telephoto, and macro lenses, respectively. The battery is the same massive 5000mAh it was last year (a neat trick, considering the extra volume of the camera module) with added 30-watt fast charging.
The smaller Zenfone 8, which uses a conventional hole punch front-facing cam
In recent years Asus released a standard and Pro model of the Zenfone, both with the fancy camera, but this year’s non-pro phone uses a more conventional slate design with a hole punch front-facing cam. The Zenfone 8, sans Flip or Pro modifier, is considerably smaller at just 5.92 inches on the screen. It uses the same powerful processor and RAM, but halves the storage to a still-impressive 128GB. The dual cameras on the rear are fixed, and the macro lens is dropped, with that front-facing cam unmentioned in the specs so far. It uses a 4000mAh battery with the same 30-watt charging.
Agrawal says that both phones will be launching globally on May 12th. Prices and specific territories aren’t known, but for the sake of comparison, last year’s Zenfone 7 Pro went for just under $1000.
