Taipei, Feb. 4 (CNA) Asustek Computer Inc. (華碩) expanded its ZenFone range in Taiwan on Wednesday with a very low cost 3G model powered by an Intel Corp. chipset to give first-time smartphone users an accessible option in its home market.
The 4.5-inch ZenFone C will be sold online and in retail stores at NT$2,990 (US$95), making it Asustek's second-cheapest smartphone behind only the 4-inch ZenFone 4 that was unveiled in January 2014.
The ZenFone C sports an Intel Atom Z2520 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in memory, a micro-SD card slot for up to 64GB external storage capacity, a dual-SIM card slot, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2,100mAh battery, Asustek said in press release.
In late January, Asustek Chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) told the media that the company is ready to make a push into the mainstream smartphone market this year with its low-cost ZenFone range that is gaining traction among consumers globally.
Asustek has estimated it will ship 16 million smartphones in 2015, double the 8 million units shipped in 2014.
A late entrant into the smartphone market, Asustek said it expected its smartphone business to turn profitable this year and to account for about 15 percent of the company's revenue in 2015.
(By Jeffrey Wu)ENDITEM/ls
