Update August 24, 2020: If you want to wait a bit, the ASUS ZenFone 7 is about to get unveiled in Taipei, Taiwan. Check out our Buying an ASUS ZenFone 7 in Canada page. The reason it appears that the ZenFone 6 is in short supply is because ASUS was gather materials in order to manufacture their new, triple camera flip module for the upcoming ZenFone 7!
Update July 8, 2020: Supplies of the ZenFone 6 are drying up! We might suggest wait for sale prices, but not at this stage. Waiting now will likely result in missed opportunity. The lower priced models have all but sold out and you might have to pay a bit more, but you will enjoy larger storage so it’s not a total loss. The USA stock have disappeared. In Canada we’re lucky to have a few units available to buy from a reliable retailer. Trust us, the inventory of these models requires a purchase decision rather quickly.
Option #1: ZenFone 6 – 6GB/128GB – Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca
We’ve also started a ZenFone 7 post here. The ROG Phone 3 is set for a July 22 unveil so the ZenFone 7 should be announced in a similar timeline. That said, opportunities to buy the ZenFone 7 will be far off as US/Canada lag behind most other countries when it comes to ASUS and their retail roll-outs.
Update May 22, 2020: Well, after some time has passed, the ZenFone 6 has proven itself as a true hero. It’s reliable, it’s cheap in price compared to similar flagship devices, and…Reddit users that bought the ZenFone 6 are raving about it after owning it for months. Reddit users recently posed their score of the phone from 1-10 and most scored it an 8 or 9. Reddit is a tough but honest community so to see that many high ratings says more than most other reviews you might find elsewhere online.
So where to buy now? Not as many options, but here they are. Also, if you want the super spectacular Edition 30 model which packs in 12GB RAM and 512GB storage and extended warranty coverage, it’s available, in Canada! Check our listing. More expensive but it’s not often you find a phone with those specs.
Our option in the US, B&H are no longer selling the ZenFone 6. A puzzling development, but oh well. But they have another option. If you want to consider the ROG Phone II from B&H, it’s a super packed phone at a decent price and plus it’s packing an AMOLED display. Or you could go back one generation and pick up the ZenFone 5Z for $299 USD.
Link: Buy in USA and Ship to Canada: ZenFone 5z now discontinued.
Link: Buy in USA and Ship to Canada: ROG Phone 2 now discontinued.
Update (17) Nov 29, 2019: Big savings! Save $100 on any ZenFone 6. These will sell out!
If you are hesitant with the Canadian MSRP, there is a viable alternative. Trusted retailer B&H in the US offer free shipping to Canada and they have in-stock units for all colors and configurations. Worried about duties and fees? You can get the full price, with duties and taxes during checkout. People have told us they have saved money even with the exchange rates. Simply check out as a “guest” and B&H show you the final price you will pay, do a currency conversion and make a decision. The ZenFone 6 warranty is valid in Canada (100% verified) with the models sold by B&H.
Is the ZenFone 6 worth buying at these Canadian prices? At $799 CAD or $899 CAD you may have questions. Consider the new Google Pixel 4 XL (similar sized device) which costs $1,129 CAD (64GB) and $1,259 CAD (128GB) but has a tiny battery by comparison, no headphone jack, and no microSD card slot for expandable storage. If you get the $799 CAD model of ZenFone 6, the smaller 64GB storage can be mitigated by using a microSD card for your media files, and that $799 CAD price point still makes this a good choice. With device theft and failure, storing mass amounts of photos and personal videos on your smartphone is never wise anyways. Going with 64GB does encourage you to backup and remove valuable memories because you might need the space. A 128GB storage might make you a bit lazier when it comes to backing up memories. The 5,000mAh battery is a game changer and should weight heavily on your decision. Since the ZenFone 6 has been on the market for months now, it has proven to be reliable and there are not widespread software or hardware issues. At this point if the device was flawed or had design issues, reports would have surfaced by now.
Update (16) Oct 23, 2019: What’s going on with this Canadian launch? Here is our best guess. There was an issue with early units and an overheating issue that would require an RMA and motherboard replacement. Because the ZenFone 6 units in Canada have been removed, just like what happened with the ASUS US online store, we believe there are new SKUs set to arrive. When the ASUS US online store removed all of their listings, they relisted the product pages a couple days later. ASUS hasn’t mentioned new SKUs or fixing the motherboard issue as the culprit with the delays, but there is definitely more going on behind the scenes than they are disclosing.
A few days to go is our feeling. Still, when you consider what a new phone like the Pixel 4 or Pixel 4 XL is going for, it’s easy to see the value that the ZenFone 6 brings and that ultimately it’s worth the wait. Just be happy that you aren’t us trying to update people and constantly delivering bad news for weeks and weeks. In this sense, we all feel the pain of this botched release.
Update (15) Oct 18, 2019: Odd situation has arisen. Listings that we’ve been monitoring in Canada have been removed. Page not found errors. Don’t panic! In the US, the ASUS online store did something similar. They had their listings for a while, then suddenly they were all removed. A day later the new listings went up, then inventory showed up. Perhaps this is part of a new SKU or batch. We still suggest pre-ordering from US based B&H (see link below) and then see who gets inventory first and go from there. Multiple sources are saying Oct 22 or Oct 23 for inventory in the US which bodes well for Canada. If nothing happens with Canada by the end of today, most likely Monday would be the earliest we see any new information.
Update (14) Oct 16, 2019: We are hearing that B&H get more inventory Oct 23rd. Get a pre-order in now if that time frame works for you and cancel it if Canada stock shows up in the meantime. See link below. As for Canada retailers? Absolutely no indication from our usual source but we’ve also heard rumors that by the end of this week, inventory could show up. That would be a miracle.
Update (13) Oct 14, 2019: Regarding B&H from the US, their online orders open again starting at 7:30pm ET Tue Oct 15 until 6pm ET Fri Oct 18. Canada retailers are showing no indication of ZenFone 6 stock at this point. Amazon.ca third party seller asking…$1,309 CAD for a ZenFone 6 if you can believe it.
Update (12) Oct 12, 2019: We are back to two options right now. Either buy from US based B&H (warranty is valid) or continue to wait for Canadian retailers to show available stock. Note that B&H are gradually shipping out order so the wait time for your order isn’t precise. Of course you can always cancel your B&H order if an opportunity to buy in Canada comes up before they ship to you.
Update (11) Oct 11, 2019: Just a quick, late update (11pm ET) for Oct 11. You better snatch one of the available units now from Amazon (link below) because our source is only showing 4 remaining. It’s not clear how reliable the number of units left on the product listing are. Our source is solid so if other Canadian based sellers are suggesting they have more units, we are curious to know where those units are coming from. Chances are their inventory levels are not accurate.
You have three choices right now if you want to get a ZenFone 6. You can buy one right now, in Canada, but it’s slightly more expensive than the MSRP by around $50-$60. The other two options require more waiting and uncertainty. You can order from US based B&H (link is below) and wait for their inventory which has been a trickle at this point OR you can continue to wait for Canadian big box stores to finally get inventory but we have no idea when that might happen. It might be worth just taking the slightly more expensive option given the delay madness.
We have 100% confirmation that B&H ZenFone 6 models HAVE A WARRANTY THAT IS VALID IN CANADA. You can absolutely trust what we’re telling you on this. We will explain the extent we went to confirm the warranty situation in the near future.
B&H has some inventory showing up and shipping out in a more gradual process. It’s definitely an option to get an order in there and if Canada has more listings show up in the meantime, you can always cancel that B&H order and get the Canada option instead.
Update (10) Oct 9, 2019: We can confirm that units are in-stock in Canada, but retail listings are not yet up. Check during the day at various sources because there is obviously a slight delay (or simply disbelief that it’s in stock). It’s only the 6GB/64GB Black model for now, but it should show up today online somewhere. We may not track all sources so do what you can as well. Good luck!
Update (9) Oct 8, 2019: From all indicators that we’ve been following, the flood gates are about to open south of the border. The US is about one, maybe two days away from a larger retail presence with adequate ZenFone 6 units showing up in stores. This is good for Canada because big retailers like Amazon may be able to get supply to their Canadian branches. Best Buy is another retailer that may have this luxury. We will post options the moment we get news, and definitely ponder this option now because a purchase will require fairly quick action on your part.
Many people have found B&H from the US to be cheaper and faster than waiting out for the Canadian release. We have warranty information just below the link. Even if you place the order now with B&H, you can always cancel out if the warranty is an issue or if a miracle happens and you can get one in Canada before B&H ships yours out. Keep in mind that Canada prices are going to be around $799 and $899 with a possible $50 discount.
You would be baffled by how difficult it is to find out about US sold ZenFone 6 warranty coverage for people bringing those devices into Canada. We are still waiting from B&H to confirm with their ASUS contacts. However, we dealt with two different ASUS customer support people who both said no, the warranty isn’t valid in Canada, but then told me yes, the warranty is in fact valid in Canada. To clarify, both agents told me no, but then I asked a follow-up question about “North American” warranty on the ZenFone 6, which they took some time to look into, and then clarified that yes, the warranty is valid in Canada and the ZenFone 6 purchased in the US could be serviced at Canadian ASUS service centres. Of course then you have B&H saying otherwise, but they should have a “final” answer for me today.
Our Canadian source indicates October 9 11 as an arrival date, but as mentioned before, this source has been pushing the date continually since early September. Don’t shoot the messenger on the constantly changing dates. It’s a circus, clearly. Worse than that, the actual number of units is so small that it’s either a mistake/typo or it’s going to be a ridiculously quick sell out. Most likely we are expecting BestBuy.ca or Staples.ca to be the chosen Canadian retailers, but that could certainly change in the next few days.
Update (8) Oct 3, 2019: The warranty situation with the ZenFone 6 bought from B&H in the US is a point of frustration right now. The warranty is valid in Canada according to ASUS but not according to B&H. We spoke with two different ASUS support staff (North America) who initially said no, the warranty is not valid in Canada. I then asked then a secondary question and both agents took more time to find an answer, and both agents then said that yes, the warranty would be valid in Canada and the ZenFone 6 can be serviced in Canada. But B&H live chat and a B&H rep have told me that the warranty is not valid in Canada. In this situation, I’m asking B&H the source of their information. We take this situation very seriously. There should obviously not be two different answers so clarification is required. We will update this the moment we hear back from B&H. We only heard an answer from the B&H rep late Oct 3rd and our previous B&H information was via a live chat agent who may have limited knowledge of the situation.
What should you do? Order from B&H is our suggestion given the Canada release is nothing short of a farce at this point. You can always cancel your B&H order if things happen in Canada before that ships out of the US. The numbers that we see coming to Canada, at least from one supply channel, are absurdly small. Thus unless things change or places like Amazon and Best Buy get inventory out of their US supply channels, the units set to arrive in Canada will be sold out in minutes, not hours. Information does change, but we can only relay what we are being told. It’s almost hard to report anything because the ongoing delays are almost comical at this point.
Update (7) Oct 2, 2019: Given the nonsensical fluctuating release date of the ZenFone 6 in Canada, we want to make a suggestion. You can buy the North American variant (what you would be getting in Canada) from the US, and have it shipped for free to Canada. The 6GB/64GB ($499 USD) does not have free shipping, but the 6GB/128GB ($549 USD) version does, and the 8GB/256GB ($599 USD) does as well. When checking out, you can see upfront what you’re paying with duties and currency conversion. Many people have found this to be a better option (and a bit cheaper) than continuing to wait. B&H are one of the only US retailers so perhaps now might be the time to consider this. Midnight Black is the best option right now if you don’t want to wait.
Update (6) Sept 30, 2019: More evidence to suggest there may be a $50 discount on the ZenFone 6 in Canada when it eventually is released. We noted with the temporary Best Buy product page listing from a few weeks ago, it showed a $50 instant savings as well. The original planned pricing was/is $799 for 6GB/64GB and $899 for 6GB/128GB. Here is a recent Canadian price we spotted showing a discount:
Update (5) Sept 27, 2019: It’s hard to imagine why the ZenFone 6 release in Canada has no pulse. Maybe ASUS was forced to pull units with faulty motherboards which added another delay upon a slow manufacturing process. The big date in the US seems to be October 2. Given that it’s Friday, usually it’s Monday when inventory shows up. We don’t enjoy being the bearer of bad news. We are still tracking multiple source and will pass that information along to you the moment we catch wind of it. With these delays we are fully expecting a $50 discount when it does show up in Canada.
Update (4) Sept 24, 2019: Those four units on Amazon.ca sold out already! However we have promising news. Units may be showing up in Canada on September 26th. These dates have been pushed back numerous times, but this is the most current information we have. Surely they can’t keep delaying! Updates coming when we find them and we will post options to buy from the US in the next day or two!
Screenshots of various Canada based retailers with ZenFone 6 listings:
Update (3) Sept 15, 2019: First chance to buy in Canada! (units sold out in hours) Fulfilled by Amazon.ca and it’s version B (see bands listed below) with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage in either Twilight Silver or Midnight Black with free shipping. Only 2 of each color in stock!
We’ve seen the expected arrived move three times so far and now we don’t even have a date for you. We will make a bold prediction that it’s coming during the week Sept 16-20th because of previous ETA dates. There may not be a lot of units, but starting Monday, we suggest you prepare for a quick purchase so you don’t miss out. Limited quantities for sure. Best Buy and Staples should be your first visits.
NOTE: Techaholic.ca is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.
Update (2) Sept 4, 2019: A reliable source has said September 11 is the expected date for 6GB/64GB Midnight Black units. Limited units, so you should check with us for updates about who and where you can pre-order. Don’t just rely on us, but keep checking various sources because when news breaks, they will sell out of pre-order units in the blink of an eye. All this said, shipments can be delayed and things can change for the worse. But let’s stay positive shall we?
Update Aug 29, 2019: We have breaking details here! Two configurations will be available in Canada. Either 6GB/64GB or 6GB/128GB priced at $799 CAD or $899 CAD respectively. There may be a possibility that the prices will be discounted by $50, but that is unconfirmed at this point. We are expecting product listings any day now and you can check back with us for the latest news. We’re all over this!
It’s now into July and the much talked about and much hyped smartphone from ASUS is still unavailable to buy in the Canadian and US markets. Given the affordability of the ZenFone 6 and its unique feature set, it’s understandable that people in Canada want to know. When and where can I buy one?
It’s worth noting that the dedicated ZenFone fan site ZenFone.org doesn’t seem to have any answers either. They track the goings-on of retail availability and pre-orders, but there is nothing to be said about Canada and the US.They have a dedicated ZenFone 6 pre order tracking page here. They are suggesting a July launch for North America. There does seem to be mostly speculation at this point but this happens when ASUS won’t divulge release details. Everyone is left guessing.
We have a history with ASUS in Canada as well. We know the ZenFone series quite well and this ZenFone 6 is in higher demand than any ASUS ZenFone release to date. Considering ASUS announced loses in their mobile phone division and were beginning some company restructuring that involved cutting back that division, it’s kind of funny to think now is the time for their hero product. It’s like from the outhouse to the penthouse. When everyone least expected the best ZenFone ever, ASUS delivered. They delivered in a huge way actually.
There are many unique selling points to the ZenFone 6. Let’s break them down for you.
Price
First, price for this Snapdragon 855 flagship is much lower than the closest competition like OnePlus 7 Pro. ASUS comes in cheaper, although the Canadian version of the ZenFone 6 will be higher by a fair margin to what you will see in the US.
Huge Battery
Price is one thing, but the 5,000mAh battery is simply the biggest that you’ll find in a mobile phone and certainly no other flagship has this battery capacity.
No Notch
The ZenFone 6 has a full-screen display with no notch. The phone features a flip camera, meaning the high-spec rear camera can be flipped to take the highest quality selfies as well.
Near-Stock Android
The ZenFone 6 has a near-stock Android which is a first for ASUS and the tech community is rejoicing the end of the bloat-heavy ZenUI from years past.
Headphone Jack
Better to have than to not have. On that we can all agree right? One less thing to charge. One less dongle you need. Everyone is happy to see a headphone jack on the ZenFone 6.
Unlocked
The ZenFone 6 is an unlocked smartphone, meaning you buy it, insert whatever SIM card you want, and bingo, you’re up and running. Freedom Mobile, 711 Speakout Wireless, PC Mobile, Bell, Telus, Rogers and most of the others will work with the ZenFone 6. More details on bands and network compatibility coming soon.
Negatives?
The display is an LCD rather than OLED so that is one area where the other flagships can beat the ZenFone 6. It doesn’t sound like a major deficiency as most ZenFone 6 reviews don’t quibble with the display and find it super bright and clear.
ASUS is far ahead with the launch of the ZenFone 6 than in previous years. Typically the North American market was very low priority for ASUS and it would be October sometimes before the new ZenFone releases would be available to buy in Canada.
ASUS has confirmed that July is the date for North America. The higher than expected demand has thrown a wrinkle into the supply for other markets and its yet to be seen whether demand elsewhere is going to affect their launch dates for Canada and the US. We will have updates on availability as those dates become known.
