ASUS Zenfone 4 to be unveiled at the end of July

ASUS CEO Jerry Shen has told Taiwanese site Digitimes that the first device of the Zenfone 4 family will be unveiled at the end of July. We had initially been expecting the new devices to make an appearance during Computex 2017, like the Zenfone 3 was last year, but the company reportedly held them back for a last minute “design overhaul and efficiency upgrades”.

The delay will cost ASUS in the short term, with Shen expecting an operating loss in the first half of the year. But the improvements being made will hopefully put the Zenfone 4 in a better position against surging Chinese smartphone competition. With that in mind, Shen expects ASUS to run a profit by the end of the year.

While the vast majority of its specs are still unknown, the 5.5-inch Zenfone 4 will arrive first, followed by other variants in the months to come. Shen also acknowledged that the tentatively-titled Zenfone 5 will arrive earlier next year, during MWC, which begins February 26, 2018. The Zenfone 4 will have a sub-$500 price in Taiwan (~NT15,000), with the Zenfone AR being launched next week in its home country for significantly more (~NT25,000).