Asus launches Zenfone 2 in Europe, available tomorrow

Today Asus has finally made the Zenfone 2 official for Europe. After already having sold 10 million Zenfones, mostly in Asia (but also Brazil), and reaching sales levels of 1.5 million units per month, Asus thinks Europeans will be interested in the Zenfone 2 range as well. Three Zenfone 2 models will be up for grabs in France starting tomorrow. While we can assume more European countries will follow soon, Asus hasn't said anything specific. The 'flaghsip' version of the Zenfone 2, the one with the model number ZE551ML (pictured above), will be available for €299 for a limited time, after which the price will become €349. This is the model that sports 4GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, and an Intel Atom Z3580 SoC, with a 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU, along with a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, microSD card slot, 4G LTE support, a 13 MP rear camera with dual-LED flash, a 5 MP selfie shooter, and a 3,000 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with Asus ZenUI on top. Next up, there's the Zenfone 2 ZE550ML. This has the same screen size, but the resolution is just 720p, and the chipset is different too - in this case an Intel Atom Z3560 with a 1.8 GHz quad-core CPU. This model comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage, and will cost €249. Finally, the lowest-end of the bunch is the Zenfone 2 ZE500CL, which is going to battle it out with the Moto Gs of the world. It's also the cheapest Zenfone 2, as you'd expect, at €179. For that amount of cash you get a smaller 5-inch 720p display, an 8 MP rear camera, a 2 MP front-facing unit, an Intel Atom Z2560 SoC with 1.6 GHz dual-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, and a 2,500 mAh battery. Like its siblings, it too runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. While it does have LTE support, the ZE500CL tops out at Cat.3, which means theoretical peak download speeds of up to 100Mbps, whereas the 5.5-inch versions both enjoy Cat.4 LTE, going up to 150Mbps. Asus also announced three accessories for Europe. A 10,050 mAh power bank called ZenPower will retail for €39.99, a simple flip cover will go for €29.99, while a 'deluxe' flip cover will cost €39.99. If you aren't too sure about a Zenfone, Asus will apparently give you a two-month trial period, during which you can get your money back if you aren't satisfied. We assume there are some conditions for this offer, though they haven't been made public...