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Asus ZenFone Selfie: Ready for a Close-Up

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Your selfies are about to get a whole lot sharper, thanks to Asus.

The company on Monday showed off a new smartphone, dubbed the ZenFone Selfie, which features a 13-megapixel front-facing camera with a flash, along with a new "beatification mode" to help enhance your mug with "digital cosmetics." Yes, there's now a whole phone specifically designed to help you take flattering photos of yourself.

Unveiled at Computex in Taiwan alongside a slew of other "Zen"-themed products including tablets, all-in-one PCs, and a smartwatch, the new ZenFone Selfie also features a 13-megapixel camera on the back, should you ever decide you want to take a photo of something other than yourself. The rear camera has a large f/2.0 aperture lens and laser auto-focus technology for clear photos even in low-light conditions.

But back to what's really important about this phone — its selfie features. The new ZenUI beautification mode will let you digitally contour your face and remove imperfections — without any makeup.

"A few taps is all that's needed to soften facial features, slim cheeks, and enhance skin tone to add vibrancy, and all in real time — injecting instant verve into any composition," Asus said.

The phone also has a "selfie panorama mode," which leverages the f/2.2-aperture front lens and 88-degree field of view to let you capture yourself and the area around you, up to 140 degrees. This should be useful when you're trying to take a selfie with a big group of people, or capture a scenic background.

Other than that, the phone doesn't appear to be a huge departure from the recently released ZenFone 2. It features a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel, 5.5-inch display, which has a sharp 401 pixels per inch and durable Corning Gorilla Glass 4 cover for protection against scratches and drops. On the inside, it's powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 615 octa-core, 64-bit processor.

The ZenFone Selfie comes in a few fun colors — white, pastel pink, and pastel blue. At this point, there's no word as to how much it will cost.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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