In today’s world, Asus is more associated with computer hardware than smartphones. Even so, it might be surprising to learn that the company’s smartphone business turned a profit in May, reports DigiTimes.
Even though exact numbers weren’t revealed, the report did say that Asus shipped 1.5 million smartphones last month, allowing the company to generate profits from its handsets. Of course, these numbers were likely thanks to the recent release of the ZenFone 2, which we think provides a fantastic value for the price you’ll end up paying for it.
Thanks to May’s success, Asus expects to ship more than 2 million smartphones in June. The company also projects that sales of the recently-released ZenFone Selfie will gain some steam in July. Originally announced on June 1, the ZenFone Selfie stays true to its name with a 13-megapixel camera on the front that allows for 140-degree panorama shots and HDR, among other features. In addition, the ZenFone Selfie swaps out the Intel chipset found inside the ZenFone 2 for a Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, with one version including 2GB of RAM and another, 3GB of RAM.
Finally, on the tablet front, Asus aims to ship 8-10 million tablets this year. The relatively high shipment numbers are thanks in large part to the company’s new ZenPads, which consist of a 7-inch version, two 8-inch versions, and a 10-inch version. The ZenPad S8.0 is the more impressive of the two 8-inch models, since it packs an 8-inch 2,048 x 1,536 pixel resolution IPS LCD screen and an Intel quad-core processor, along with 4GB of RAM. Not to be outdone, the ZenPad 8.0, lets you swap out the rear cover for one of Asus’ stylings, including an Audio Cover that provides 5.1 channels of surround sound.
In short, Asus seems to be gaining even more momentum with its smartphones and tablets, as opposed to HTC, which had to slash its sales estimates yesterday.