Even before the ASUS launched the Zenfone 2 last month, speculations regarding the Taiwanese tech giant's upcoming flagship smartphone, the Zenfone 3, have surfaces. The curiosity is natural considering the publicity received by the products launched by ASUS in recent times.

IB Times reports that the Zenfone 2 was released in three models, ZE500ML, ZE550ML, and ZE551ML, in April and each model came with a competitive price. The premium Zenfone 2 variant, ZE551ML, comes with a 5.5-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen and is packed with 4GB RAM and 32GB internal memory.

Currently, there are rumors that ASUS may release the new Zenfone 3 some time in 2016 following the launch of ZenFone 2 Facelift in the second half of 2015. Earlier, ASUS chief executive Jerry Shen told YugaTech (via GSMArena) that the company will be following the naming convention of Apple Inc. This was an indication that the Zenfone 3 should come in 2016.

Meanwhile, G4Games quoted a report in China Times saying Shen has revealed that ASUS Zenfone 3 will come with fingerprint recognition sensor. Moreover, Shen told YugaTech that currently ASUS is working to establish partnerships with a number of companies such as Qualcomm and also hinted that ASUS may use the Snapdragon 615 in future Zenfones.

It is expected that the Zenfone 3 will be coming with a number of feature upgrades over its predecessor, the Zenfone 2. Tech enthusiasts may expect the Zenfone 3 to include high-end features.

Meanwhile, for the uninitiated, the high-end variant of Asus Zenfone 2, ZE551ML, comes with a 5.5-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen rendering 1080 x 1920 pixels (403 ppi pixel density). The handset is powered by Intel Atom Z3580 and it runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. XE551ML is packed with 16GB/ 32GB / 64GB internal memory and 4 GB RAM. The device boasts a 13 MP primary rear camera and 5 MP front snapper, and a Li-Po 3000 mAh battery.