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A new ASUS device looks primed to hit the U.S. market following the discovery of a device bearing the model number A007 at the official FCC website. Interestingly, that model number has previously been associated with the ASUS ZenFone Live, which launched earlier this year in India and has been released in other markets too. The new listing with the FCC, if the model number is anything to go by, likely means that customers in the U.S. will soon be able to grab the ASUS ZenFone Live for use on several of the country’s carriers. That could also be sooner, rather than later. Although the official submission date is marked as August 8, the letter accompanying the initial FCC documentation shows a date of July 19.
The ASUS ZenFone Live is an entry-level smartphone, featuring a Snapdragon 400 SoC, clocked at 1.4 GHz and backed up by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. That’s packed in behind a 5-inch 2.5D curved glass screen with a modest 1280 by 720 display resolution. 4G VoLTE support is provided by a dual-SIM setup, alongside WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 radios. On the front side, the ZenFone Live has a 5-megapixel camera and a soft light flash, which is paired with the main camera rated at 13-megapixels along with a standard flash. Aside from the inclusion of a front-facing flash, the cameras also have some premium perks in the form of software. The built-in BeautyLive app is intended to help users remove blemishes and other imperfections in real time for streaming or video capture. All of that is powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a 2,650 mAh battery. Although U.S. pricing is not currently known, the device sold in India for around $154 USD and was available in Navy Black, Shimmer Gold, and Rose Pink variations.
At the time of this writing, there is no word on precisely which carriers may get the new ASUS device, when it will officially be available for purchase, or which variants U.S. consumers can expect to be sold. However, historically speaking, CDMA-based networks have not seen great support from the company. With that said, the metal-bodied ZenFone Live will probably be sold OEM unlocked, pending FCC approval. All of that should make it a solid choice for budget-aware consumers looking to pick up a solid, affordable device without signing a contract.