These are the top ASUS phones you need to know

This is the best that ASUS has to offer.

While ASUS has been making phones for years, it wasn’t until the ZenFone 2 that the company was recognized internationally for its good work. Now that we’re nearly two years out from that device, ASUS has even more great stuff on the horizon.

Though some models are region-specific, they all have signature ASUS quirks. So which one do you choose? We’ve done the hard work for you; this is the current list of the best ASUS phones you need to know about.

ASUS ZenFone 3

Announced May 2016: As has happened at so many phone manufacturers over the years, the ZenFone 3 represents a shift from plastic to metal for ASUS. The least expensive of the three models introduced in mid-2016, the ZenFone 3 boasts a meta frame covered in Gorilla Glass on either side.

A high-quality 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display is what you’ll be looking at, and it’s powered by the still-unknown Snapdragon 625, which succeeds the Snapdragon 617 in the entry-level market. Versions with 3GB of RAM will be paired with 32GB of storage, while a 4GB/64GB model will also be available. All versions will boast the same 16MP rear camera sensor with optical image stabilization, too, which should make for a very decent shooter.

It’s still unclear what the ZenFone 3 will cost, but if it’s in the same realm $200-$300 realm as its predecessor, it’s sure to be a commercial and critical hit.

ASUS ZenFone 3 preview

ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe

Announced May 2016: A larger, more powerful version of the ZenFone 3, the ZF3 Deluxe features a 5.7-inch 1080p IPS display, along with a much faster Snapdragon 820 processor paired with 6GB of RAM.

There’s also a 23MP rear shooter with an F2.0 lens and optical image stabilization, and a 3,000mAh battery, all powering Android 6.0.1 with a pared-back version of ASUS’ ZenUI.

Aside from the spec bump, what sets the ZenFone 3 Deluxe apart from its more modest counterpart is the distinct lack of plastic; unlike the ZenFone 3, which has a few plastic pieces to cover the antenna lines, the Deluxe uses more exacting (and expensive) manufacturing to achieve a chassis with less interruptions.

ASUS ZenFone 3 preview

ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra

Announced May 2016: No, this isn’t a joke: the ZenFone 3 Ultra is indeed 6.8-inches. While the display maintains the same 1080p resolution of its two ZF3 counterparts, the Ultra strikes a balance between their compute power with a Snapdragon 652 processor. Paired with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM, and between 32GB and 128GB of storage, the ZF3 Ultra doesn’t skimp on the specs, either. Oh, and there’s a massive 4,600mAh battery that takes advantage of Quick Charge 3.0 so it can go from zero to 60% in 45 minutes. And the massive cell can share power with other phones.

Photographers will also appreciate the phone’s 23MP rear sensor, the same one found in the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. If they can manage to keep a grip on the 8.2oz phone, that is.

ASUS ZenFone 3 preview

ASUS ZenFone Zoom

Launched January 2016: We’ve been waiting on this one since CES 2015 way back. And while we’re still waiting to see it in a lot of markets, that doesn’t temper our excitement. If mobile photography is your thing then the ZenFone Zoom is going to be something you have to take a look at. Boasting a 3x optical zoom on the back without the need for a physically moving lens (think Samsung Galaxy K Zoom) the ZenFone Zoom is technically brilliant as much as it is visually impressive.

It’s a fairly sizeable phone with a metal frame, the same Zen UI software experience as everything else in ASUS’ lineup and the promise of a very affordable price point.

Read more: Hands-on with the ASUS ZenFone Zoom

See at Amazon

ASUS ZenFone 2

Launched January 2015: The ZenFone 2 was launched to the world at CES 2015 in Las Vegas as the initial successor to the original ZenFone lineup of Android smartphones. Once again it would see ASUS partnering with Intel for its mobile products but the ZenFone 2 had a lot more to shout about. It was the first Android phone to be announced with a 4GB RAM option, for instance, and there was a lot being said about the camera capabilities. Particularly in low light.

What we ended up getting was a very good value for money phone. The top end model came in at just $300 with 64GB of internal storage to back up that 4GB of RAM. There was also a cheaper, 2GB of RAM version released at $199 which offers a similar experience with a good cost saving. The buttons moving to the back of the phone will never suit everyone, but the ZenFone 2 was a distinct step forward from its predecessors. And with every part of the software on top of the core operating system available through the Google Play Store, waiting for system updates to provide fixes is a thing of the past.

Read more: The ASUS ZenFone 2 review

See at Amazon

AC editors’ apps of the week: Between Us, CBC Music, Super Stickman Golf 3 and more

It’s Appday Sunday and that means we’re back with more of our favorites to share. Every week we bring a handful of great apps to the table and share them with everyone. Sometimes they are new apps, sometimes old standards, but every time they are apps we love to use.

Give these a look and then take a minute to tell us all about the apps you are using and love so we can give them a try. We all find some of our favorites right in the comments on these posts!

Jen Karner — Pokemon Go

I fell in love with Pokemon way back in middle school, when the original game first came out. Since then I’ve been catching Pokemon across a variety of the games that have been released. None of them got me even half as excited as Pokemon Go did, though. The ability to become a Pokemon trainer in the real world just cannot be overstated, because it’s absolutely awesome.

Put out by Niantic, the creators of Ingress, this game is barely out and already awesome. Choose a team, collect Pokemon, and check in at Pokestops or take over gyms. You’ll find and capture Pokemon in the wild, and do it all while taking a walk by yourself, or with friends. I’ve already spent a few hours wandering looking for the best pocket monsters, and it’s only going to get better from here.

Pokemon Go

Russell Holly – Between Us

Ever heard “how far away are you?” from your significant other? Let me ask a different question. Are you alive and in a relationship?

Between Us takes the distance separating your phone and another phone you’ve paired to it, sorts it the actual distance, and then represents that distance in a silly way. Instead of being several miles away, you are 12 Eiffel Towers away. Its cute, mostly pointless, and worth a few minutes of your time.

Download: Between Us (Free)

Andrew Martonik — Super Stickman Golf 3

I played the original Super Stickman Golf way back in the day, but had completely forgotten about the franchise until the newest version, Stickman Golf 3, was released this week. This awesome casual game is super easy to pick up and play, and each level is short which makes it a perfect game to pick up here and there as you have time. You don’t even have to like golf to play it … but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

The group over at Noodlecake Studios have once again done an awesome job with the graphics, music and gameplay to make Super Stickman Golf 3 a great casual game. It’s free to play, but definitely worth the $2.99 “upgrade” to drop ads and get a jumpstart on in-game currency to upgrade things and play quicker.

Download: Super Stickman Golf 3 (Free, in-app purchases)

Jerry Hildenbrand — Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast

Run through time and space as Eddie and kill bad guys in this tap-based “sort-of” RPG. The graphics are really good, and the game mechanics are solid.

And it has the best soundtrack of any game ever created.

As a bonus, there are exactly zero Pokemons.

Download: Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (Free, in-app purchases)

Ara Wagoner – YouTube Notification Seek Bar

Once upon a time, you could seek within a track on Google Play Music’s notification by long-pressing the pause button. Sadly, that fell by the wayside some years ago. But with Xposed, nothing stays dead forever. This Xposed module, one of several notification seek bar modules by SergioSanchezR, bring seek bars to YouTube and YouTube Music notifications, and for someone who’s prone to listening to a half-hour to two-hour concerts and loops, it is glorious. Like all Xposed modules, it can be a bit finicky, but when it works, it’s precise and elegant.

Download: YouTube Notification Seek Bar (Root, Xposed app)

Daniel Bader – CBC Music

Canadians have often cried out for a Pandora equivalent, a great free streaming music service that didn’t skimp on the content in order to upsell you on a premium subscription. But little did they know that CBC, the country’s national broadcaster, offers a pretty great Pandora alternative called, aptly, CBC Music.

The app provides free streams to all Canadians based on genre as well as activity, so it’s just as easy to jam to country as it is to find a workout playlist. It also digitizes the excellent CBC Radio 2 terrestrial stream, which is hosted by real people seven days a week.

CBC Music may have been criticized over the past few years for moving away from its digital radio station mandate, a là Beats 1, but its new incarnation is a fantastic example of a public broadcaster appealing to the broadest number of people in an intuitive and easy to use native app. Highly recommended.

Download: CBC Music (Free)

Android Pay coming to TSB in late 2016

Q4 launch for Android Pay confirmed by TSB on Twitter.

Despite the UK-wide rollout of Android Pay in May, some major British high street banks still aren’t signed up to the mobile payments service. Among those is TSB, and while the bank has made clear its intentions to support Android Pay at some point in the future, there’ve been no further details offered until now.

Today TSB has confirmed on Twitter that it’ll be offering Android Pay to customers from the fourth quarter of 2016. TSB already supports Apple Pay, so the move isn’t entirely surprising. Nevertheless, it’s the first firm timetable we’ve seen for the bank.

@smr105 to our customers in Quarter 4 of this year. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we know more. Thanks again. 2/2 ^Jon

— TSB (@TSB) July 10, 2016

MORE: Android Pay in the UK: Everything you need to know

Watch the Mr. Robot 2.0 premiere right here until you can’t!!!

We have released the #mrrobot season_2.0 Premiere early, but it won’t be here long. Watch while you can, friends. https://t.co/ztye2bhfVB

— Mr. Robot (@whoismrrobot) July 11, 2016

Enjoy.

Catch up on Mr. Robot on Google Play

Nintendo shares skyrocket by 24% thanks to Pokémon Go

Nintendo shares in Japan have surged after Pokémon Go launched in select markets. The game has turned out to be an immediate success for the company and it’s hoped it will boost Nintendo’s mobile business. As reported by CNBC, stock for Nintendo closed on Monday up by 24.52% at 20,260 ($199.70) per share. For those unfamiliar with all this Pokémon business and why it matters, it’s essentially the world of Pokémon on your phone in virtual reality.

Players are tasked with heading outside to find and catch Pokémon. (Sorry to those who enjoy lazing around at home on mobile games, you’ll need to head out that front door.) The game has been well received and the share bump for Nintendo reflects the demand for the title in other markets. Pokémon is expected to launch in Japan soon, as well as the UK and more. The title itself is a free download for both iOS and Android smartphone owners, but there are in-app purchases available.

It’s estimated Pokémon Go enjoyed a 400 million to 500 million yen ($3.9 million to $4.9 million) turnover on the first day alone. Should the title maintain its strong position on available app stores, it will provide ample competition to the likes of Clash of Clans and other freemium games. As for Nintendo, the company is currently enjoying the $7.5 billion that’s been added to its market value.

• Download Pokémon Go
• Check out our Pokémon Go Guide!

Pokémon Go

• Requirements to play Pokémon Go
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• How to play without killing your battery
• Be careful where you download from
• Join our Pokémon Go forums!

Looking for Pokémon Go — especially in the UK, Europe or Canada? Beware of fake apps

Everyone’s going nuts about Pokémon Go on Android — but be careful to download the right Android app from the right place.

Pokémon Go, the latest real-world-exploring, monster-catching game from Nintendo and Niantic, has taken the world by storm. That hype machine has been fed in part by the fact that Pokémon Go isn’t available in all parts of the world yet, and on Android the only workaround involves tracking down the APK from shadier parts of the Internet.

There are plenty of sketchy apps looking to cash in on the Pokémon Go phenomenon.

And even if you are only downloading Pokémon Go for Android on Google Play, there are plenty of sketchy apps looking to cash in on the phenomenon. Some of them even ape the name and icon of the official app, while others present dubious, poorly designed “game guides” that are not worth your time or storage space.

If you are hunting down the Pokémon Go APK from unofficial sites — not something we recommend for security reasons — then the risks are greater, with remote access malware having been discovered in some hacked versions of the game.

So what can you do? Well, the easiest part is to only download Pokémon Go from the link below. This is the official app listing from developer Niantic:

Here’s the official link to download Pokémon Go from the Google Play Store

Be sure to look for:

• Developer: Niantic, Inc.
• Downloads: 5 million or more (let’s face it, that number’s only going up)
• Google Play’s trusted “Top Developer” badge in the top right corner (on the web), or next to Niantic’s name (in app)

If you’re looking for game guides, be sure to check the screenshots for whatever you’re downloading. If they look like garbage, chances are the app is garbage too. For a Pokémon Go guide that’s actually worth your time, we’ve got you covered. (And our sibling site iMore has its own extensive guide to the iPhone version of the game, covering the basics and some more advanced strategies.)

Bottom line: If it looks sketchy, it probably is. If the screenshots and app listing look like trash, it probably is. And if you need to disable some of your phone’s security settings before installing, then you’re potentially on your own if you’ve downloaded something bad.

Stay safe, and happy hunting!

Pokémon Go

• Requirements to play Pokémon Go
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• How to play without killing your battery
• Be careful where you download from
• Join our Pokémon Go forums!

Police mistakenly identify three Pokémon Go players as drug dealers

The fervor around Pokémon Go is understandable. Ever since the game made its debut earlier this week, people have been out on the streets trying to find and catch Pokémon scattered around their neighborhoods, often leading to hilarious outcomes. However, things went awry for a 40-year-old user trying to hunt Pokémon at 3AM.

From the Reddit thread:

Couldn’t sleep so I downloaded the game and took a 3am walk. There is a little park a few blocks from me that had like three pokestops and a gym, so I wandered over there to see what the game could offer. Picked up an Evee outside my house and a couple of trash pokes on the way to the park.

So I get there and wander around a little checking out the stops and rustling around in the tall grass, then decide to go a few blocks away to see a couple more stops when I hear from the darkness a “Yo, my man!”
Turning I see two sketchy looking dudes sitting on a bench in the dark. I must have walked right past them without noticing them Great. One of them waves “My man, check over by the blue truck over there we got an onyx earlier.”

So I wander over by the truck and sure enough there’s a fucking onyx there. Awesome. So I end up chatting with the guys for a bit, told em where I got my evee, they convinced me to join red team when I hit level five so we could “lock shit down” in the neighbourhood.

Then the cop shows up.

Yeah, so it turns out two twentysomething black dudes and a forty year old white guy chilling in the park at 3am looks strange. It took a bit of talking to convince the cop we weren’t doing a drug deal, and a bit longer to explain the game. Then the cop downloaded the fucking game on his phone and asked us how to get started.

Not sure as to what all the fuss is about? Here’s what you need to know about the augmented reality game:

Pokémon Go is available in select regions right now, with developer Niantic’s servers overloaded from the sheer mass of users playing the game. In the meantime, be sure to check out our extensive coverage of the game:

Pokémon Go

• Requirements to play Pokémon Go
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• How to play without killing your battery
• Be careful where you download from
• Join our Pokémon Go forums!

Armed robbers target innocent trainers attempting to catch some Pokémon

Police in Missouri have found that four armed robbers have been using Pokémon Go to locate players at specific locations to rob them using a handgun. It’s reported that as many as nine innocent trainers have been targeted and robbed by the four men over the past couple of days. Police have since apprehended said suspects.

From the Gizmodo report:

“The suspects used the Pokemon Go game to find their victims by anticipating where people might go through popular PokeStops—virtual sites in the game that can be designated at any real world location, from businesses to parking lots to churches.”

Just like Pokémon can make you appear suspicious to patrolling police officers during the night, the game can also put you in considerable danger depending on who’s about. Much like one would recommend when you’re outside past sundown, be sure to take note of your surroundings and remain safe.

If you absolutely must head out and catch some of the creatures, be sure to take a buddy or two or inform others as to where the route will take you. As for those who were apprehended, it’s reported by Gizmodo that three people will be charged with “robbery in the 1st degree and armed criminal action; a Class A Felony and an Unclassified Felony”.

Pokémon Go

• Requirements to play Pokémon Go
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• How to play without killing your battery
• Be careful where you download from
• Join our Pokémon Go forums!

Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 821 is 10% faster than the 820

Six months after the first Snapdragon 820 devices made their debut, Qualcomm is announcing the Snapdragon 821 SoC with a 10% performance gain. The Snapdragon 821 will retain a quad-core Kryo CPU cluster, but will offer faster cores clocked at 2.4GHz (the 820 maxed out at 2.15GHz). The first batch of devices powered by the Snapdragon 821 will be launching in the second half of the year, lining up nicely with the expected debut of the Galaxy Note 7.

In a blog post, Qualcomm mentioned that the Snapdragon 821 will “complement” its high-end SoC lineup:

Rather than replace the Snapdragon 820, the 821 is designed to complement and extend the competitive strengths of our Snapdragon 800 lineup.

Because the Snapdragon 820 helped improve the user experience for mobile imaging, virtual reality, battery life, and connectivity speed and reliability, all the updates we’ve included in Snapdragon 821 will help keep devices powered by Snapdragon 800 premium-tier processors at the top of people’s shopping lists into the foreseeable future.

We’ll have more to share about the Snapdragon 821 in the coming months.

Xiaomi sells over 110 million Redmi phones globally

Xiaomi launched its first Redmi phone in August 2013, and the manufacturer has sold 110 million handsets globally in just under three years. Global VP Hugo Barra shared the details via a tweet, stating that a majority of Redmi users are aged between 22 to 29 years.

Xiaomi has sold 110 million Redmi phones globally since our first Redmi phone launched in Aug 2013. That’s 1.21 units per second in 3 years!

— Hugo Barra (@hbarra) July 11, 2016

Redmi users are majority 22-29 y/o, young and very active mobile Internet/app users—video, social media, tools, games, books, and news

— Hugo Barra (@hbarra) July 11, 2016

Barra did not offer region-wise breakdown of sales, but did mention during the launch of the Mi Max in India that the Redmi Note 3 sold over 1 million units in the country in just six months. After China, India is the manufacturer’s biggest market, with the comany expanding its distribution network in the country to include offline stores.