The 4th generation of the popular ASUS ZenFone series arrives in North American today, adding three new family members to the already extensive line of handheld devices. Like their forebears, the latest round of ZenFones comes tiered by feature, function, and, of course, adjective. This time around it’s the Pro, the Max, and the modifier-less ZenFone 4. The role of the superlative is a little murky here, but what’s clear is that all three phones are very photo-friendly, each sporting dual rear shooters and a bevy of supporting modes and features.
Starting at the top, the ZenFone 4 Pro comes in a diabolically sounding (but really quite sleek-looking) Pure Black design and boasts three high-end Sony image sensors: two on the back, one on the front. The rear shooters are 12MP and 16MP, respectively, and include an exhaustive list of professional-grade features, options, and settings. The front-facing lens is an 8MP Sony sensor rightfully billed as a “Selfie Superstar,” thanks to its beauty-enhancement modes and phase-detection autofocus. The inclusion of these flagship lenses mark the Pro as the most premium of the three devices, as does its Snapdragon 835 processor, massive 6GB of RAM, and 5.5-inch AMOLED display.
Though it doesn’t carry the same “Pro” tag as its sibling, the ZenFone 4 is a powerful device in its own right, especially in terms of camera setup. Like the Pro, the standard ZenFone 4 features two rear lenses bolstered by an extensive list of features, including several PixelMaster enhancements. The 4 also features the same 64GB of storage, 5.5" screen size, and Full HD resolution as the Pro, though it uses an IPS display in place of the Pro’s AMOLED.
The ZenFone 4 Max isn’t on the bottom tier so much as it is on a separate one. The cost-friendliest of the three devices, the Max doesn’t have the same storage, processor power, or resolution of the other two, but more than holds its own, thanks to a similar dual rear camera setup and best-in-class battery capacity (4100 or 5000mAh, depending on the variant). And while its camera setup mirrors the other two phones and offers many of the same features, the mammoth battery size gives the Max its own unique set of benefits, including the Max-exclusive ability to reverse-charge other devices—so go ahead and add portable power bank to its highlights. As mentioned, the Max is also the only ZenFone 4 available in different variations. You can choose between a 5.5", 32GB version and a pocket-friendlier 5.2", 16GB variant, each with its own unique set of specs.
The new family of ZenFone 4 smartphones is available now at B&H Photo.
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