ASUS, the Taiwanese computer, smartphone, and hybrid maker, released its ZenFone 2 overseas this spring, but it's just starting to get the attention of the U.S. consumer -- mostly because it offers some impressive specs for $199, unlocked. That's the price that most flagship smartphones cost after two-year contract subsidies from wireless carriers.

Let's take a look at how it stacks up against the most popular of those $200 on-contract devices, the Apple iPhone 6.

Design

"Bendgate" issues aside, the Apple iPhone 6 is clearly a masterpiece of design. What else would you expect from the industry leader? The iPhone 6 comes with an all metal and glass build that even the most obstinate rival phone makers have started imitating.

The ZenFone 2 is made of plastic. Period. If you don't like a plastic body on your phone, you won't like the ZenFone 2. But being made of plastic gives the ZenFone 2 one feature that many Android consumers value, despite the fact that it's becoming a rarity among premium brands: a removable back.

That means if you can stomach the plastic chassis of the ZenFone 2, you'll have access to microSD expansion.

Unfortunately, the ZenFone 2 only offers up to 64GB, half of the current 128GB standard, and the 3000 mAh battery (a solid, if not outstanding, choice for such a large device) is still non-removable.

That's a baffling design choice if you're going to have a removable back panel. Another baffling choice: copying LG's awkward "rear key" design for its volume rocker. Can we all agree to keep the volume and power buttons on the sides?

On the outside, despite its plastic build materials, ASUS has given the back panel a brushed-metal look, and the Gorilla Glass 3-laden front has an attractive, if generic, look. The device is available in five different colors -- black, gold, gray (my favorite), white and a ruby red.

Because the ZenFone 2 is a phablet, it's got a less-than-pocketable .43-inch depth and it's hefty at a half-pound. But the smartphone's length and width are actually only about a quarter inch more than the iPhone 6 (the ZenFone 2 ahs a screen to body ratio of about 70 percent) so it's not as unwieldy as it could be. Copying Motorola's curved back design also makes it feel less deep than it is, and it fits in the pocket of your palm similarly.

Still, why not give users the advantage of swappable batteries if you're building with plastic?

Point: Apple 

Hardware Specs

This is where the ZenFone 2 is really a value. Did I mention it's only $200 off-contract?

Power

For that price, you'll get an Intel Atom Z3560 running at 1.8GHz with 2GB of RAM. Pay a little more for the 4GB RAM model, and you get a 2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580. Both devices run PowerVR G6430 graphics, which is in the same line as Apple's quad-core GPU, though not as powerful.

Camera

However, the ZenFone 2 comes packed with other great hardware for $200 unlocked.

It's got a 13-megapixel main camera (higher than Apple's 8-megapixel shooter) with dual-LED flash, just like the iPhone. Its front-facing camera is 5 megapixels, which is much higher quality than the iPhone's 1.2-megapixel selfie-taker.

When it comes to actually taking a picture, the iPhone 6's mix of hardware and software will probably still reign for its simplicity and quality, but Google's Android camera software is making strides.

Display

Perhaps the most attractive piece of hardware for this cheap unlocked smartphone is its display, which is 5.5-inches (in range of the iPhone 6 Plus or Samsung Galaxy Note 4), with a full 1080p HD resolution.

Compared to the iPhone 6's (still?) low-res resolution, 750x1334p on its 4.7-inch screen, the ZenFone 2 is some great screen real estate for cheap.

Storage / Other

Other hardware includes your choice of 16, 32, or 64GB internal storage plus 5GB of free storage on ASUS's cloud (for life). It runs U.S. LTE bands but with a dual SIM setup (think: both work and home network cards in the same device), and has an FM tuner, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, WiFi direct, and all the bells and whistles you'd expect in a premium smartphone.

Its 3000 mAh battery is capable of fast-charging to 60 percent in just over half an hour, and it should last the whole day.

Verizon and Sprint (and all CDMA) customers: Don't get the ZenFone 2. Since it's primarily a phone for the Asian market, it only operates on GSM bands, and won't work no matter how hard you try on CDMA networks.

Point: Tie (especially considering price)

Conclusion

Price, Availability, & Value

Unlike the ubiquitous cross-carrier iPhone 6, the ASUS ZenFone 2 will require you to go online -- either at ASUS or Amazon -- to get one shipped to your door: no carriers offer this as part of their plans, but it's unlocked at the same price, so that's not something to worry about.

One thing to note, once again, is that you should not consider this device if you have a CDMA-based carrier -- Sprint, Verizon, or any of their subsidiaries are off the table with the ZenFone 2.

In any case, if you want a $200 unlocked phone with plenty of storage, plenty of megapixels, plenty of screen space, a decent display resolution, and Android 5.0 preinstalled  -- and can live with the plastic design, volume rocker located on the back, and some inevitable pre-installed app clutter (this is a cheap Android phone, after all) -- the ZenFone 2 might be the perfect device for you.

The price goes up $100 with the 64GB / 4GB RAM variant, but $300 for a new, unlocked Android phone is still a great deal.

If you want the standard, most common, smartphone experience and are willing to pay top dollar for it (and/or get hooked on a two-year contract), by all means go with the iPhone 6.