The recently released ASUS smartphone zenfone 2 has hit a new price/perf benchmark point with an MSRP of $199 but mid-high range specs:
-4G LTE
-Quadcore x86 processor
-5.5 inch IPS 1080P screen with gorilla glass
-2GB of RAM
-16GB storage
-3000 mAh battery
The low price is in part because Intel has been desperately trying to get a foothold in the mobile market and likely playing contra-revenue games. Unlike past low-cost options like the oneplus phone, this phone has wide release being sold at online retailers like Amazon.
Is this setting a new standard in low-cost, high-performance phones, or is this a temporary ploy until Intel starts charging for their SoCs? Will this lead to a price war between Mediatek, Qualcomm, and Intel? All of which have already released phones this year for the North American marketplace supporting the 4G spectrum. How low-priced can these smartphones with laptop-like specs go?
Reviewed here: http://anandtech.com/show/9251/the-asus-zenfone-2-review
(Score: 4, Informative) by jmorris on Thursday May 28 2015, @08:42PM
Nice specs but a fast look at the ASUS forums show lots of complaints about overheating and reliability problems and a it looks like it has a locked bootloader. So apparently Intel still isn't quite ready to play in the big leagues when it comes to the small world.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by frz on Thursday May 28 2015, @09:56PM
Posted from ARM-powered bacon