The initial batch of phones running Android Go has been... not great. As it turns out, hardware that wouldn't be out of place in 2010 doesn't make for a great smartphone experience in 2018. Seemingly out of nowhere, ASUS announced its first Android Go phone today, and it appears to be a decent product - at least on paper.
The ZenFone Live is powered by a Snapdragon 425 processor, which is slightly faster than the low-end MediaTek chips that most Go devices have been using. There's still only 1GB of RAM, since that's the maximum for using Android Go. Other specifications include a 5.5-inch 18:9 720p IPS screen, 16GB of expandable storage, a 3,000mAh battery, an 8MP back camera, a 5MP front camera, and dual-SIM support. It's running Android 8.1 Go Edition, but with ASUS ZenUI on top (ugh).
The ZenFone Live is available right now from Best Buy's website, for the low price of $109.99. ASUS says it will be sold at select Best Buy stores at a later date.
PRESS RELEASE
Fremont, CA (August 5, 2018) - ASUS today announced ZenFone Live (L1), a compact 5.5-inch entertainment-focused smartphone that's designed to put the fun back into mobile lifestyles.
ZenFone Live features an 5.5-inch Full View 18:9 display in an amazingly compact body that's as small as many 5-inch phones, offering an immersive cinema-like entertainment experience in a comfortable-to-hold form factor. The high-capacity 3000mAh battery now gives users more mobile freedom than ever, giving them all-day standby with extended talk times and the ability to enjoy their music or videos for longer. It's also equipped with up to a 8MP rear camera with phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) and a high-quality five-element lens2, allowing users to capture amazing and memorable moments.
Offering class-leading convenience, ZenFone Live features face unlock capabilities for easy hands-free unlocking. It also includes dual SIM slots and a microSD card slot for adding up to 2TB of extra storage. ZenFone Live is available with Android™ Oreo® enhanced with Android Oreo (Go Edition).
The pocket-friendly 5.5-inch ZenFone Live is just as small and compact as many standard 5-inch phones, something made possibly by its big and bright ASUS Full View HD+ display. This has ultraslim side bezels and an 18:9 aspect ratio that not only make it bigger, wider, clearer, and brighter (up to 400 nits), but also allow it to fit in a much smaller frame than a standard display. The result is more screen with less bulk, providing users with an immersive cinema-like experience in a lightweight body that's truly comfortable to hold.
For non-stop entertainment, ZenFone Live is fitted with a powerful 3000mAh battery that just goes on and on, so users can drown out the world with all-day music, watch back-to-back videos or chat from dusk to dawn — if they've the stamina, so has ZenFone Live!
The high-capacity battery supports up to 29 hours of 3G talk time, up to 4 days of music playback, video playback of up to 9 movie-length videos, up to 42 days of 4G standby time and up to 18 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing¹.
ZenFone Live is designed for maximum convenience, with class-leading features including face unlock. This allows easy hands-free unlocking of the, a very useful feature when the user's hands are occupied, wet or when wearing gloves.
At the rear is up to a super-sharp 8MP main camera with a 0.3-second PDAF focusing system, so ZenFone Live is always on hand to capture life's magic moments — even the fastest-moving ones. A high-quality five-element lens ensures bright, crisp and clear pictures in any situation.
With ZenFone Live, users don't need to carry two separate phones: its handy triple-slot tray takes two 4G LTE SIM cards², and there's also a microSD card slot supporting up to 2TB of extra storage. With this great feature, users can have two different phone numbers, and add as much storage as they need for their music, photos, videos and other personal stuff.
¹ Usage times calculated using current measurement and typical battery capacity. Results may vary depending on test conditions.
² Both SIM card slots support 3G WCDMA / 4G LTE network bands, but only one SIM card can connect to 3G WCDMA / 4G LTE service at a time.
ASUS ZenFone Live (L1) will be available starting today for $109.99 USD at online at Best Buy, and will be available at select Best Buy stores at a later date. Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.
