I’ll admit, when ASUS unveiled the first ZenFone, I assumed it was going to be another failed attempt by a PC maker to expand into the smartphone market in an effort to save itself, but I was wrong. Not only did the ZenFone end up being a solid mid-range device, it launched a fairly-popular line of ASUS smartphones. The next iteration of the ZenFone will apparently be hitting the market sometime between May and June, and might be one of the few mid-range devices that comes with a fingerprint scanner.
We may have to wait until at least May to get our hands on ASUS’ next-generation ZenFone, a new rumor claims, but it could be well worth the wait. The device is expected to become one of the few midrange smartphones available with a fingerprint scanner. The ZenFone 2 celebrates its first birthday in January, having made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas early this year. But according to DigiTimes, we won’t be seeing the ZenFone 3 at next year’s show. Instead, the device is expected to arrive between May and June, according to supply chain sources. “Asustek is likely to adopt fingerprint recognition solutions developed by Taiwan-based Elan Microelectronics and China-based Goodix for ZenFone 3,” they add. You usually have to purchase a high-end smartphone to get a fingerprint scanner, but as the technology matures and becomes more popular, component costs fall and this paves the way for it to make its way into midrange, more affordable devices. Another new technology coming to the ZenFone 3 is USB-C, which has already begun making its way into ASUS’ latest tablets, like the ZenPad S 8.0. This upgrade has already been all but confirmed by ASUS CEO Jonney Shih.
