Review of Asus Zenfone 2 smartphone with 5.5" 1080p display, 13mpx camera and Intel Atom CPU, which launches Tuesday in US, starting at $199 unlocked
Sam Rutherford / Tom's Guide :
Context & Ripple Effects
In May 2015 Asus is attacking the US market from below: the Zenfone 2 pairs a 5.5-inch 1080p display and 13MP camera with an Intel Atom CPU at $199 unlocked — no carrier subsidy required. Tom's Guide's Sam Rutherford review lands two days before Tuesday's launch, so this is the verdict buyers will shop against.
The price point is the story's spine. Six months later Asus is still holding the line with the ZenFone 2 Laser at the same $199, now with 3GB RAM and an octa-core chip — evidence of how quickly the spec floor moves inside one product cycle.
First-order effects
- US buyers get a large-screen, unlocked Android phone at $199, undercutting carrier-subsidized mid-rangers without a contract.
- Intel gains a visible retail foothold for Atom silicon in smartphones, since the Zenfone 2 is one of the few US-available phones running its CPU rather than a Qualcomm part.
Second-order effects
- The $199 anchor forces Asus to refresh aggressively within the year — the ZenFone 2 Laser matches the price while upgrading to an octa-core chip and laser autofocus, cannibalizing its own launch SKU to defend the shelf slot.
- Rivals in the unlocked budget tier must respond on specs-per-dollar, since Asus has demonstrated that 1080p displays and multi-gigabyte RAM can be packaged under $200.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, the budget-unlocked segment becomes a rotating door of near-flagship specs at flat pricing — but Asus's own later lineup tells the other half of the story: by the Zenfone 6 the brand had moved to Snapdragon chips and €499 pricing, and the ZenFone 8 sits at $599-$799, suggesting the volume play funds a climb upmarket.
- Intel's smartphone CPU experiment, visible here at launch, does not persist in the line — later Zenfones standardize on Qualcomm silicon, marking where alternative-chipmaker beachheads in Android stalled.
The trend: Budget unlocked Android phones use aggressive pricing and alternative silicon to buy market share, then migrate upmarket toward premium compact flagships as the brand matures.