14 DAY TRIAL // ASUS unveiled its latest flagship, the ZenFone 2, which was the first phone to arrive with 4GB of RAM, back at CES 2015, but the device wasn't immediately available for purchase.
A few months later the handset has finally been launched in the company’s home country, Taiwan, revealing a surprising pricing scheme.
Xenon flashes make a comeback on phones
Well, on top of the ZenFone 2 announcement, ASUS also rolled out the ZenFlash. Reviving the era when phones came with a powerful xenon flash instead of just LEDs, the phone maker has unveiled a dongle that bundles a xenon flash and connects to an ASUS phone (any ASUS phone actually) via a USB OTG connection.
Thus, your handset will be able to enjoy a flash 400 times as bright as your average LED flash. Sadly, ASUS didn't feel like sharing the details related to availability and pricing, so these will be revealed another day.
We were not told whether the Xenon flash would work with other non-ASUS Android phones or not.
But that’s not all. If you’re not the type to be impressed by overly-bright xenon flashes, ASUS has something else on its sleeve. It’s called the LolliFlash and is a two-tone LED flash coming in the form of a circular lollipop-looking package.
The LolliFlash accessory is actually a torch
The accessory is more like a torch than a flash, which means that when you turn it on, it will remain on until further notice. The idea behind it all is that, if you feel like taking a selfie in a location that doesn't benefit from proper lightning, you can use the torch instead.
The LolliFlash arrives in three protective covers in red, yellow and blue, which will also double as a filter. ASUS hasn't offered any availability or pricing details here either, so we’ll just have to wait for the company to announce things at its own pace.
ASUS is currently offering its newest ZenFone 2 in Taiwan. The top version arrives with a 5.5-inch 1080p display and bundles 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. ASUS is marketing it for the pretty accessible rate of $285 / €264.
As for the lower version, it boasts a 5-inch 720p display with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. This version can be purchased for just $158 / €146.