When the original ZenFone series launched at CES 2014, I personally was excited to see more competition in the low-end segment, believing Asus had what it took to compete with devices like the Moto G. Unfortunately, the original ZenFone lineup never made its way to the states. Thankfully, this isn’t the case for the ZenFone 2.

Asus has formally started sending out invites for a ZenFone 2 North American launch event which takes place in New York City on May 18th. While we had already heard talk about how the ZenFone 2 would make it stateside, official confirmation is always nice.

The ZenFone 2 is more than just a mid-range device, it’s a high-end flagship-like offering at a mid-range price. In our review with the 4GB RAM variant of the ZenFone 2, we couldn’t help but be impressed by how well the device performed despite a few drawbacks like some battery drain issues. Now keep in mind that while we know the 2GB variant of the ZenFone 2 is sold somewhere in the $200 to $300 price range, you can likely expect the 4GB model to cost somewhere between $300 and $400 when it arrives in North America. Of course, pricing in the US isn’t official just yet.

What do you think, anyone planning on picking up this mid-ranger with a high-end flagship punch?