Another day, another smartphone maker looking into how to avoid the dreaded notch-- this time around it is the turn of Asus ZenFone 6, a flagship all-screen device with a flipping camera.
The idea is admittedly not a first, since we'd seen something similar in the recently launched Samsung Galaxy A80. The implementation in the ZenFone 6 is a bit different, but it still makes for a clever solution to creating a bezel-free smartphone display. In the case of the Asus handset, the camera rotates by 180-degrees using a custom stepper motor, and the company says the camera automatically rotates back in case the phone detects it has been dropped.
The camera in question is a 2-lens number, with a 48MP main sensor and a 13MP secondary sensor paired with a wide-angle lens. The housing is in liquid metal, and the flipping mechanism allows for a couple of clever tricks. For instance, one can snap horizontal or vertical shots by letting the camera rotate around, and users can even adjust the camera angle manually. Another feature is a motion-tracking video mode moving the camera to keep the subject in frame.
Moving to the rest of the phone, the ZenFone 6 features fairly mid-range specs with a Snapdragon 855 processor, 6/8GB RAM, 64/256GB storage (expandable via microSD slot) and a 5000mAh battery. The display is covered in Gorilla Glass 6, and the device also includes stereo speakers, dual microphones with noise cancellation and a 3.5mm jack. Connectivity comes through USB-C port.
Asus is still to announce when the ZenFone 6 ships, but it will do so in a choice of "Midnight Black" or "Twilight Silver" colours.