There’s still no follow-up to the Nokia Lumia 1020, which excited camera fans everywhere with its 41-megapixel rear shooter. And since there’s still no new 1020, ASUS appears to have taken it upon itself to create a new Android version.
The ASUS ZenFone Zoom is a new Android 5.0 smartphone with a 13-megapixel rear camera jutting out of its backside, similar to the 41-megapixel Lumia 1020. But while the Zenfone Zoom doesn’t have quite as many megapixels as the Lumia 1020, it does have a 3x optical zoom.
Unsurprisingly, that 3x optical zoom isn’t the only camera-centric feature that the ZenFone Zoom has. ASUS has also thrown in a Laser Auto Focus for speedy focus adjustment, optical image stabilization, a manual mode in which you can control white balance, exposure, ISO, shutter speed, and focal point, as well as some macro photography skills.
Moving away from that big ol’ camera on the ZenFone Zoom’s backside, the device is also equipped with a 5-megapixel front camera, a 5.5-inch 1920x1080 IPS display, and Android 5.0 beneath ASUS’s new ZenUI software.
The ZenFone Zoom will launch in Q2 2015 for $399. That’s not a bad price for a camera-centric smartphone with an optical zoom, and while we’ll have to wait until we can get our hands on the Zoom before we know exactly how strongly its camera performs, the device’s huge camera is sure to garner at least some attention at launch.
Does the ASUS ZenFone Zoom and its rear camera features interest you?