ASUS is launching the ZenFone 2 in the United States tomorrow

With the ZenFone 2, ASUS decided to take a page from the OnePlus handbook by using thin profit margins to sell a smartphone with high-end specs for the price of a mid-range device. Although the quad core Intel processor may throw some of you off, the rapid-chagrining 3,000mAh battery, 4Gb of RAM, and awesome camera for a mere $300 might be enough to convince you to get this device. 

At a press event in New York today, Asus announced that its ZenFone 2 smartphone will be available in the US starting tomorrow. The ZenFone 2 was originally announced at CES earlier this year, and is one of the few phones available in the US with an Intel processor. A phablet-sized device, the ZenFone 2 has a 5.5-inch, 1080p display and a brushed aluminum finish. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with Asus’ custom user interface. It will cost $299 with a lower end version available for $199. The ZenFone 2’s design can best be described as a mish-mash of other companies’ ideas. It has the brushed finish (but plastic) of HTC’s One M9 and the rear volume rocker and flip cover with a circular cut out from the LG G4. Its curved finish is comfortable to hold, but the placement of the power button on the top edge of the phone is problematic on a phone of this size.