Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe a Smartphone Standout With Snapdragon 821 CPU

Asus’ ZenFone 3 Deluxe will run on Qualcomm’s powerful Snapdragon 821 processor, and that’s just one of many of the smartphone’s significant features.

Asus made the surprising announcement that one version of its Deluxe will launch with the Snapdragon 821 processor, a chip that is substantially more powerful than last-generation options. The other ZenFone 3 models will run on the Snapdragon 820, which, while still quite powerful in its own right, won’t match the 821’s capability.

To complement the CPU, Asus says that the ZenFone 3 Deluxe will come with 6GB of onboard memory—more than enough to ensure apps open quickly and resource-intensive programs are handled without trouble.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe’s display is a bit of a mixed bag. While it’s quite large at 5.7 inches, it will display full-HD resolution, rather than 4K video content. That said, the screen will be protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 technology and will have a blue light filter to reduce eyestrain, Asus said. But it would’ve been nice if it had a higher resolution.

There are several ways to store content in the ZenFone3 Deluxe. The device comes with options for 64GB, 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage. In addition, users can plug a microSD card into the handset to add up to 128GB of storage. Asus also offers its WebStorage service, which provides 5GB of storage for free for life, and since the phone is running Android, users will have access to 100GB on Google Drive at no charge for two years.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe’s design features an all-metal enclosure and is just 4.2mm thick. In addition, users will find a 0.14mm “diamond-cut” bezel around the device, as well as an invisible antenna design. The screen has hardly any bezel, and its rounded corners combine to create one of the better-looking smartphones on the market.

Like so many other devices available now, the Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe ships with a fingerprint sensor that will provide users with a bit more security when unlocking their device. However, the sensor comes with some other nifty features, including the ability to recognize up to five fingers. The sensor can even recognize a fingerprint regardless of the way the user is holding the smartphone.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe includes a 23-megapixel camera and a “super resolution” feature that can digitally boost that to 92 megapixels. The rear-facing camera features continuous auto-focus and both optical and electronic image stabilization. There’s even high dynamic range support. These features make the ZenFone 3 Deluxe’s rear-facing camera stellar.

Asus paid attention to audio quality in the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. According to the company, the device has earned the coveted Hi-Res Audio certification and comes with five-magnet speaker construction. Ultimately, the smartphone is capable of delivering audio quality that’s four times greater than CD quality.

The Android smartphone market is filled with products that offer fast-charging capabilities, and the ZenFone 3 Deluxe is no exception. According to Asus, the 3,000mAh unremovable battery built into the smartphone can reach 60 percent battery capacity in just 39 minutes. For those who travel often, that’s a nice feature.

Given the recent rash of popular games hitting smartphones, it’s perhaps important to note that the ZenFone 3 Deluxe should perform just fine on the graphics side. The device runs the Adreno 530 GPU, which is more than sufficient for just about any high-end video game, graphics app or design program. The Adreno 530, coupled with the Snapdragon 821, should future-proof customers for years to come.