ASUS, LG make fun of iPhone’s new smart battery case and its ridiculous hump

So, instead of sacrificing a bit of thinness for a bigger battery pack, Apple has opted to go for an unsightly hump for users to attach to their iPhones. The hump — which comes in at a whopping $99 — adds additional battery power over the internal unit.

If self-admission that their batteries aren’t large enough to satiate most power users’ need isn’t enough embarrassment, ASUS and LG want to drive that home with some funny marketing. The two companies used the opportunity to ridicule Apple on Twitter, noting that their devices provide more battery life without having that ridiculous hump to show for it.

Of course, this probably won’t do much in the way of keeping Apple from selling more phones than the other two companies combined, but it sure does get a kick out of us internet folk.

Asus ZenFone Max in promo video (VIDEO)

Asus this year introduced so many ZenFone smartphones that we can barely keep track of them (not to mention that some models have special editions - like the ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition). One of Asus' newest handsets is the ZenFone Max, which hasn't been released yet, despite the fact that it was supposed to go on sale in October.

Earlier this week, the ZenFone Max was showcased in an official promo video (embedded above), which likely means that Asus is finally ready to launch it. The promo video presents the smartphone's highlight features, starting with its massive 5000 mAh battery - which, according to Asus, can provide a talk time of up to 37.6 hours, video playback time of up to 22.6 hours, Wi-Fi web browsing for up to 32.5 hours, or a stand-by time of up to 38 days. Moreover, the ZenFone Max can act as a power bank, charging other devices on the go.

Powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, the Asus ZenFone Max currently runs Android Lollipop with ZenUI on top (and we assume that it's going to be updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow at some point). Other features include LTE, a 5.5-inch 720p display, 5 MP front-facing camera, 13 MP rear camera with laser auto focus, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of expandable internal memory.

Like the ZenFone Zoom - recently released in Taiwan, Asus' home country - the ZenFone Max has a faux leather rear cover. The handset weighs 202 grams, and measures 156 x 77.5 x 10.5 mm. For now, the price of the Asus ZenFone Max isn't known. How much would you be willing to pay for it?

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser and ZenFone Selfie promoted as "sushi-proof" phones (VIDEO)

The ZenFone 2 Laser and ZenFone Selfie are two of Asus' latest smartphones, and they have many things in common. For example, both devices come with 5.5-inch 1080p screens that are protected by Gorilla Glass 4.

To make sure the world knows how tough Gorilla Glass 4 is, Asus this week released a rather weird promo video. In it, a chef is cutting vegetables for sushi on the screen of a ZenFone 2 Laser, while also using the device to receive a phone call. One of the chef's aids tries to do the same with his phone (not a ZenFone), but ends up being thrown out of the kitchen. You can watch the video below (and hope that no chef out there is using smartphones in this manner - because, you know, smartphones are dirty).

Besides having tough displays, the ZenFone 2 Laser and ZenFone Selfie run Android Lollipop, and are powered by octa-core Snapdragon 615 processors. Other common features include 13 MP rear cameras with laser auto focus, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of expandable storage space, and 3000 mAh batteries. At the moment, only the ZenFone 2 Laser is available in the US, for prices starting at $199.99 (unlocked).

phonearena

Asus prepared version ZenFone 2 phone with 256GB of internal memory

Would 256GB be enough internal storage for your phone?
In Brazil on Friday, Asus unveiled another variant of the Asus ZenFone 2, this time the Deluxe Special Edition of the handset. What makes this version are the 'Deluxe' and 'Special' is the 256GB of internal storage that is stuffed inside the phone. That should be enough memory to store photos, videos, apps and other files.

The rest of the specs include a 3 Gorilla Glass protected 5.5-inch screen, carrying a resolution of 1080 x 1920. The Intel Atom Z3580 SoC is under the hood, with a quad-core 2.5GHz CPU and the PowerVR G6430 GPU. 4GB of RAM is inside, and a 128GB capacity microSD slot can be accessed by those who need more than 256GB of storage.

>>Read more - Official Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe and Zenfone 2 Laser<<

>>Read more - Asus Zenfone Max with a massive 5000mAh battery<<

A 13MP camera PixelMaster graces the back of the phone, while a 5MP snapper adorns the front of the unit. A non-removable 3000mAh battery is charged with keeping power running through the handset. Android 5.0 is pre-installed with the Zen UI running on top. The ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition comes with an exclusive version of racing game Asphalt 8, and two new back covers (Textured Black with red, and Illusion White with red accents). The phone supports 4G LTE (Cat 6), 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS connectivity. It features Dual SIM, Dual Active capabilities and the Asus Boostmaster fast charging technology.

The Asus ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition will be available in Brazil next month, but pricing is unknown for now.

Asus Zenfone Max with a massive 5000mAh battery

Asus has introduced a new phone, which comes with a battery that keeps the phone in the function of a day or two (and maybe more) on a single charge. Asus Zenfone Max 5.5-inch phone with a 5000mAh battery.

Asus Zenfone Max will be available in October, and the company introduced the phone during a presentation in India. Therefore, it is assumed that India will be one of the first markets in which to make its debut this phone. In addition, it comes with such a large battery, Asus has decided to Zenfone Max Ways kind portable charging station devices. This means that the connection via USB cable, Asus Zenfone Max can be used to power the tablet or another phone.

Quite apart from the battery, Asus Zenfone Max has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, 2GB of RAM, 13 mPa camera on the back (with laser autofocus and dual-LED flash) and a front camera of 5MP.