Flipkart is gearing up to launch the latest from Asus – Zenfone Go – an entry-level model that will be the cheapest phone to be ever launched by the Taiwanese brand in India.
While the exact price is not known, it is expected to be in the Rs 6,499-7,499 range.
Though there are some advantages to the phone, such as 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of inbuilt memory, it suffers from a key limitation that is likely to restrict its appeal in the entry-level segment: The Asus Zenfone Go is a 3G device and does not support 4G.
In comparison, other models in the same price range — such as Yu Yuphoria, Yu Yunique, Lenovo A6000 Plus and Redmi 2 Prime offer largely the same specifications along with 4G LTE.
The reason for the absence of 4G is not far to seek — the Zenfone Go is powered by the recently announced MediaTek MT6580 processor.
The MT6580 started being manufactured about four months ago and the Zenfone is one of the first models to hit the stores with this processor. It should be remembered that like MediaTek, Asus is also a Taiwanese company.
The MT6580 is targeted at the ‘low cost smartphone’ market and we’re expecting the ‘Go’ to be one of the most competitively priced launches this year, except of course, for the absence of 4G.
4G will be required if your use case involves either of these two scenarios: a) you are living in a big city (where 3G networks are too congested to be useful) or b) you intend to use your smartphone as an access point to connect your PC to the Internet.
If these are not your biggest concerns, a 3G-only phone can still be a consideration, especially if the price is very different.
The Zenfone Go will come with Asus ZenUI and Android 5.1. It will support MicroSD cards of upto 64 GB and is powered by a 2.07 Ah battery. Display is LCD and has a resolution of 720p or 1 MP.
The main camera has a resolution of 8 MP while the front shooter will capture 2 MP.
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