Asus ZenFone 2 to have three variants in its Philippine launch, which version to buy?

Asus ZenFone 2 has been one of the most anticipated handsets this season ever since its announcement in the last Consumer Electronics Show. The Zenfone 2 is the Taiwanese outfit’s answer to the popular Meizu M1 Note, Lenovo K3 Note and a pack of Xiaomi handsets. The device’s heavily lauded feature is its beefy 4GB of RAM; but did you know that the handset will come in three versions?

Asus ZenFone 2 variants

Unfortunately, not all three variants will pack the 4GB of RAM. The lower-end model is the Asus ZenFone 2 ZE500CL which steps into the current ZenFone 5's shoes. This handset will frame a 5-inch HD display with 1280 x 720p and 2GB of RAM. One of its distinguishing factors is that it will carry an Intel Atom Z2560 mobile chipset with dual-core processor.

Related: Asus Zenfone 2 Specs Review: Beefier 4GB RAM with quad-core Intel Atom CPU

Asus ZenFone 2 ZE500CL Specs

5-inch IPS HD display with 1280 x 720 pixels at 294 ppi

Gorilla Glass 3

Intel Atom Z2560 mobile SoC

PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU

1.6-gigahertz dual-core CPU

2-gigabyte RAM

16-gigabyte internal memory

up to 64 GB microSD

8-megapixel rear camera, LED Flash

2-megapixel front camera

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and WiFi hotspot

Bluetooth 4.0

GPS, A-GPS, Glonass

Accelerometer, Compass

Proximity Sensor

Dual-SIM (Micro-SIM)

Android 5.0 Lollipop with Zen UI

2,500 Li-Po mAh battery

148.1 x 71.5 x 10.9 mm
TWD4,990 (roughly, PhP7,100)

The other variant crosses the phablet category with its 5.5-inch display. The Asus ZenFone 2 ZE550ML touts a quad-core Intel Atom Z3560 chipset and 2GB of RAM. On the camera-front, it will pack a 13-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and a 5-megapixel front camera.

Asus ZenFone 2 ZE550ML Specs

5.5-inch HD display with 1280 x 720 pixels

Gorilla Glass 3

Intel Atom Z3560 mobile SoC

PowerVR G6430 GPU

1.8-gigahertz quad-core CPU

2-gigabyte RAM

16-gigabyte internal memory

up to 64 GB microSD

13-megapixel rear camera, LED Flash

5-megapixel front camera

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and WiFi hotspot

Bluetooth 4.0

GPS, A-GPS, Glonass

Accelerometer, Compass

Proximity Sensor

Dual-SIM (Micro-SIM)

Android 5.0 Lollipop with Zen UI

3000 mAh battery
TWD5,990 (roughly, Php8,500)

Lastly, the higher-end Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML is the bearer of the 4GB of RAM. It also packs a 5.5-inch display with a full HD panel. The handset runs on a more capable 2.3-gigahertz Intel Atom Z3580 SoC with NFC connectivity.

Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML Specs

5.5-inch full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels at 403ppi

Gorilla Glass 3

Intel Atom Z3580

2.3-gigahertz quad-core CPU

PowerVR G6430

2/4GB RAM

16/32/64GB internal memory

up to 64 GB microSD

13-megapixel rear camera, Dual LED Flash

5-megapixel front camera

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and WiFi hotspot

Bluetooth 4.0

GPS, A-GPS, Glonass

Accelerometer, Compass

Proximity Sensor

Dual-SIM (Micro-SIM)

Android 5.0 Lollipop with Zen UI

3000 Li-Po mAh battery, Non removable

152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm
TWD6,990 (roughly PhP  9,980) - 16GB ROM/2GB RAM
TWD8,990 (roughly PhP12,800) - 32GB ROM/4GB RAM
TWD9,990 (roughly PhP14,300) - 64GB ROM/4GB RAM

So what Asus Zenfone 2 variant to buy? 

In my honest opinion, I'll gun for the ZE551ML version due to the fact that it has a beefy 4GB of RAM and a stunning full HD display. The budget conscious who wants a big screen real estate would want to settle for the ZE550ML. Lastly, if you just wanted to experience the Asus Zenfone 2 in a compact form or if you would prefer for smaller phones, the ZE500CL is a good choice.

The Asus ZenFone 2 has not been officially released in the country. Currently, it is set to have an Asian release this month in India and Malaysia.

Update: Asus will launch its Zenfone 2 models in the Philippines on 10 May 2015. Two models will be available in PH- the ZE551ML and ZE500CL. The former will be available in two variants, 16GB ROM + 2GB RAM and 32GB ROM + 4GB RAM combos. You can buy these Zenfone 2 smartphones on the online shoppingwebsite Lazada after the launch.