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ASUS ZenFone 3 Max 5.5 gets official price

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ASUS ZenFone 3 Max 5.5

About that 5.5-inch ASUS ZenFone 3 Max that got us all excited last month: It now has an official price, which was revealed during the phone’s recent launch in India.

That and the release date were the only pieces of information missing, so there’s no more guessing this time around. Although there’s no mention of availability beyond India, we do know the 5.5-inch ZenFone 3 Max variant will cost INR 17,999, which is close to $270.

[irp posts=”6741″ name=”5 reasons to get excited about the 5.5-inch ASUS ZenFone 3 Max”]

 

ASUS ZenFone 3 Max 5.5

This version fits right in between the ZenFone 3 Laser and original ZenFone 3

While it may seem a little expensive, you have to consider its feature set first. As mentioned in our previous article, this smartphone is a mashup of the smaller 5.2-inch ZenFone 3 Max and 5.5-inch ZenFone 3 Laser, mixing the battery of the former with the camera capabilities of the latter.

This naturally places the larger Max above the two lower-end handsets, but still below the original ZenFone 3. For comparison, the 5.2-inch Max costs PhP 8,995 ($183), the Laser is PhP 11,995 ($244), and the plain 5.2-inch ZenFone 3 retails for PhP 16,995 ($346). The 5.5-inch Max would cost around PhP 13,250 ($270) if it lands in the Philippines.

So, what do you get out of it? A Full HD display, Qualcomm’s lower-end Snapdragon 430 processor, 32GB of native storage (expandable via microSD), and 3GB of RAM, but the amount of memory might increase or decrease depending on where you purchase the handset.

ASUS ZenFone 3 Max 5.5 colors

You have four colors to choose from

The bigger story lies in the battery capacity and cameras: a generous 4100mAh capacity for the former, and a pair of 16- and 8-megapixel cameras for the back and front, respectively. The primary shooter is assisted by both laser and phase detection autofocus.

Does the pricing announcement taper our fondness for the 5.5-inch ZenFone 3 Max? Not really. It just happens to be the most expensive ZenFone Max to date, and it’s priced as much as last year’s powerful ZenFone 2; hence, we can’t get that false sense of “empowering luxury” out of our heads.

We still hope more countries will receive the larger ZenFone 3 Max. It would help broaden the number of quality choices at this price point; the OPPO F1s, Vivo V3 Max, Moto G4 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime are all waiting.

[irp posts=”3915″ name=”ASUS ZenFone 3 PH prices are expensive compared to a year ago”]

Source: GSMArena

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TECNO EllaClaw wants to make mobile AI feel more personal

What if your phone’s AI could actually learn how you work?

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Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

AI assistants are getting smarter, but TECNO wants them to become more useful, too.

The company recently showcased EllaClaw, its exploratory mobile AI agent, with a set of customized workflows built with Digital Trends specifically for journalists and content creators.

Instead of simply asking an AI chatbot a question, EllaClaw can handle entire workflows.

For instance, News Background Research can take a developing story, search selected news sources, and turn the findings into a structured brief. The results can also be saved to Notes or converted into audio for a quick listen.

There’s also Research-to-Script. This turns research findings into storyboards, script suggestions, and creative assets.

EllaClaw can also learn how you write. Its Personal Writing Style workflow analyzes writing samples and builds a reusable style profile that can evolve with more samples and feedback.

And before you hit publish, Social Media Risk-Word Check can review your content for platform-specific concerns.

The interesting part? TECNO isn’t positioning EllaClaw as something that takes over your work. It’s designed to be a digital co-pilot, not an autopilot. Users can still review and approve AI-generated content before publication.

For now, these workflows are built around content creators. But they offer a glimpse of where mobile AI could be heading: less generic assistance, more AI that actually fits the way you work.

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MediaTek launches the Dimensity 9600 Pro

Smartphones are scheduled to launch later this year.

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The stage is set for next year’s smartphones. Both MediaTek and Qualcomm have unleased their upcoming flagship chipsets for the coming generation. If you’re looking for the Qualcomm side of things, go here. But if you’re looking for MediaTek, then you’re in the right place.

The Dimensity 9600 Pro adopts the 2nm process mode, which makes MediaTek one of the first companies to use it. The chip itself features a 2+3+3 All Big Core CPU. Specifically, it has two C2-Ultra cores going up to 4.55GHz, three C2-Pro cores going up to 4.35GHz, and three C2-Pro ones going up to 3.1GHz. This configuration can reportedly achieve 17 percent better single-core performance and 15 percent higher multi-core performance.

Besides all that power inherently built in, the chipset also has the G2-Ultra NX GPU. This GPU can deliver 27 percent higher peak performance, 24 percent lower power consumption, 18 percent faster raytracing, and gaming at up to 185 frames per second.

Finally, the chipset has the Imagiq 1290 ISP. With this engine, the processor can handle 60fps motion capture and 4K240 direct-output ultra-slow-motion video.

Alongside the Dimensity 9600 Pro, MediaTek is also launching the Dimensity 9600M, a slightly more lightweight option of the Pro that deliver flagship level performance to more users outside of that price point.

Smartphones that will come with the Dimensity 9600 Pro and 9600M will launch sometime in the fourth quarter.

SEE ALSO: MediaTek unveils Dimensity 9500s, 8500 mobile processors

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Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series

This time, there are two models.

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The end of the year always heralds the next step of processors for next year’s smartphones. Besides the oodles of phone rumors we’ll have before the year ends, these new processors give us a powerful hint of what the new machinery can do. Today, Qualcomm has unveiled that next generation, announcing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.

Yes, this time, the Snapdragon flagship chipset will come in two flavors. Let’s start with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.

The “base” model of the duo has an octa-core Oryon CPU with two prime cores going up to 5GHz. It also has an Adreno GPU that touts 35 percent faster performance compared to the previous generation. Additionally, the chipset has a 16MB Flex Cache which can supposedly leverage the cache better to deliver better single-threaded performance.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will also have a new Spectra ISP. The engine can support single image capturing at 320 megapixels, or 64 megapixels with a triple rear camera combo. It also supports 8K video capturing at 30fps. Further, Intelligent Pixel Control features better contextualization skills so the camera can more accurately detect what you’re taking a photo or video of.

Finally, the X105 5G modem offers the usual array of 5G connectivity options but also goes up to supporting Bluetooth 6 and Wi-Fi 8.

Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 offers much of the same as the duo’s regular model. However, it features 18MB of high performance memory, video recording that goes up to 60fps at 8K resolution, and new Matrix Cores that boost frame generation for gaming.

As expected, both models will appear in new smartphones from later this year to next year.

SEE ALSO: Qualcomm is raising its prices this year

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