Asus ZenFone 3 release date: handset to have 2 versions?

The Asus ZenFone 2. Rumor has it that its successor will also have a number of iterations for the lineup.[Photo credit: Asus]

When Asus launched the ZenFone 2, fans were treated to different iterations of the lineup, ranging from the base model to a premium Deluxe Edition. Now that there are talks of Asus launching a ZenFone 3 this year, observers are already expecting that the new flagship will also have a number of models in the series.

According to GSM Arena, at least two versions of the upcoming ZenFone 3 were reportedly spotted recently. The two models were seen on a benchmark test site, which might also indicate that the new lineup is ready and will be released soon.

The two iterations differ in both form factor and internals. According to the images on GFXBench, one of the upcoming iterations, with model number Z010DD, has a 5.9-inch display with 720p resolution, an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. The benchmark test also indicated that the Z010DD carries Android 6.0.1 onboard.

Meanwhile, a benchmark image of an Asus Z012D was spotted, rumored to be another version of the ZenFone 3. The marks show that the model has a 5.5-inch display, although with a higher 1080p resolution. It carries an unnamed hexa-core chipset, although the website shows that it is also a Qualcomm SoC. Other specs of the device listed are 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of onboard storage, and Android 6.0 right out of the box.

While the two versions are carrying the Asus trademark, it is not indicated whether the phones are two versions of the ZenFone 3, particularly the Z012D, which shows no support for both front and back cameras.

Outside of the ZenFone 3 lineup, Asus also seems to be expanding its current-gen ZenFone 2 series. A new ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition has just joined the lineup, this one with a quad-core Intel Z3590 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage, which is still expandable via microSD card support.