The Asus Zenfone 5Q finally hits the US

Asus launched its new lineup of Zenfone smartphones a few months ago at MWC. Like with other products from most Asian companies, the devices have been available in China and other regions but are yet to make their way into the US. Until now, that is, with the Zenfone 5 Lite finally listed on Amazon on pre-order. 

The device is rebranded as the Zenfone 5Q, possibly in a bid to make it appear as a product of its own. It is listed with a price tag of US$300, and is expected to ship out on July 31, which is quite a ways off. 

The Zenfone 5Q sports a 6-inch FHD+ IPS display, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage. It's powered by the mid-range Snapdragon 630. The Zenfone 5 Lite gets its juice from a 3300 mAh battery and features a dual rear camera setup (16 MP primary sensor, f/2.2) and a 20 MP selfie shooter—and we expect these features to carry over to the Zenfone 5Q. Considering how much the Zenfone 5 impressed on its trip to DxOMark, we expect its younger sibling to have decent camera performance at least.

How much value for money the device offers at the $300 price point is debatable, however. The Huawei Mate SE, for example, is a comparable device and costs $70 less.