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Tag: Asus Zenfone 2

  • ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML Pros and Cons Review

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is a Dual sim  4G enabled 5.5 inch phablet. It is very much improved phablet compared to its predecessor. High end specifications and affordable price are key attractions of this phablet.  Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML price is $259.29 after a discount of 17% on MRP in Gearbest.com online store.  For our reader there is a additional $15 discount. While you are buying ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML use the coupon code ASUSZ2GB for avail the additional discount.

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is powered by 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 2.3GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and PowerVR G6430 GPU. This is the same GPU used in Apple A7 Soc. The internal storage capacity of the device 16GB and supports microSD card upto further expansion of the storage.

    One more major upgrade on Asus Zenfone 2 is its design. Now it measures 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm and weighs 170 grams. Asus has trimmed the bezels to get the screen to body ratio of 72%. One more change is volume rocker is moved to the back of the device and power button moved to top. It has curved back which feels good to hold on hands.

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML sports 5.5 inch IPS capacitive touch screen with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels  which translates to 403 ppi pixel density. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The display screen looks vibrant and viewing angles are also good. The device runs on Android Lollipop along with Asus ZenUI.

    Asus ZenFone 2

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML has 13MP primary camera with dual-color Real Tone LED flash. The features of the camera includes PixelMaster options (Low-light mode/Backlight HDR mode/ Enhanced Beautification mode/Manual mode/Zero Shutter lag). The 13MP camera unit consist of 5 element, f/2.0 aperture lens. There is also a 5 MP selfie snapper with wide angle (85 degree) lens. The camera does a decent job. But it is not great.  Front facing camera panorama shot is a welcome addition. Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML houses 3000 mAh battery which fast charging option called Boost master.

    Advantages and Disadvantages of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

    Pros of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

    • Good performance: There is no lag while using the device. While playing the games also there is no much problems seen.
    • Great display screen: Asus has added a very good quality display screen. The colors look vivid and viewing angles as well as the sunlight legibility are decent.
    •  Decent build quality: The build quality of the  Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is good in the segment.
    • Customisable UI: The current ZenUI with Zenmotion like features really feels innovative. It is welcome move from the Asus.
    • Fast charging: With boost master technology,  Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML comes with fast charging feature. This works great.

    Cons of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

    • No 2160p video recording: Despite having the great specification, missing the 2160p video recording is a bit surprising as there are many devices coming with this in this price segment.
    • Rather large and hefty: Though Asus has tried to trim the bezels to make the device compact, it is still a phablet. All will not be happy to carry such big smartphone. It also weighs 170 grams which bit heavy for a smartphone.
    • Average camera performance: Both primary as well as front facing camera has many features. But overall, the camera performance is not that great compared to the competitors.
    • Weak Speaker: The inbuilt speaker of this device is not great.
    • Confusing naming conventions: Asus Zenfone 2 has many variants. It is very difficult remember the naming conventions of the variant.

    Asus Zenfone 2 Tips and Tricks

    How to take screenshot on Asus Zenfone 2

    Asus ZenUI provides an easy way to take screenshots apart from the default android way of taking print screen. I have written a details instructions on this. For more details read my post how to take screenshot on Asus Zenfone.

    How to download Asus Zenfone 2 PC Link PC suite

    You can download the latest Asus PC suite from the official support page.  You refer my earlier post on How to download Asus PC suite for more information.

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML Specification

    • Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box with Asus ZenUI
    • 5.5-inch IPS capacity touch screen with 1080p resolution and 403ppi density and Gorilla Glass 3 protection
    • Intel Atom Z3560 chipset with a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, PowerVR G6430 GPU with 2GB of RAM
    • 16GB of storage and a microSD slot
    • Dual-SIM, Dual Standby capability
    • LTE Cat.4, NFC, Bluetooth; GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
    • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot; microUSB 2.0 port, MHL, USB host
    • 13MP main camera with dual-tone LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording; 5MP front camera with wide angle lens
    • 3,000mAh battery with fast charging feature.

     

  • Top 5 Reasons to Buy Asus Zenfone 2

    Asus Zenfone 2 is yet to launch in India. However, I got an opportunity to attend Asus Pre-Launch Showcase  event in Bangalore. It is not a complete review. This is based on the short period of time I spent on Zenfone 2 in the event. You can read more about the specification in the Asus Zenfone 2 official page.

    Top 5 Reasons to Buy Asus Zenfone 2

    Asus Zenfone 2 with 4GB RAM

     

    Image courtesy: Asus India.

    Read: Different variants of Asus Zenfone 2

    1. 64-bit Dual-Channel 4GB RAM: Asus claims that, Zenfone 2 is the first smartphone in India to feature 4GB of RAM. The device is powered by 64-bit Intel Atom 2.3G CPU with 6430 PowerVR 533MHz GPU. In my experience in the event, device worked without any lag even while playing a high end racing game.
    2. 5MP selfie camera with Panorama shots: Zenfone 2 comes with 13MP primary camera with Toshiba sensor and Dual LED realtone Flash. The 5MP front facing camera has F/2.0 apertures  and wide angle lens. You can also take panorama images using the front facing primary camera. There is also a night mode which is quit useful. Overall camera section is one of the segment truly competes with rest in this price segment.
    3. ZenUI and Android 5.0 Lollipop:  We have already seen the ZenUI with last years Zenfone. However, with Android Lollipop, Zenfone 2 comes with much more refined and user friendly ZenUI. The ZenMotion is also works without any issue. Switching users based on the lock screen swipe lock is really innovative.
    4. Asus BoostMaster:  Asus is incorporating the fast charging features with Zenfone 2.  Company claims that, you can charge 60% of your battery in just 39 minutes. According to this 10 mins of fast charging will provide 4 hours of 2G talk time and 2.7hours of 3G talk time. This feature is available only for the 4GB ram model. I will do a detailed review on this once I get the review unit.
    5. Display screen: Zenfone 5 comes with 5.5 inch full HD display screen. Asus has reduced the bezel width compared to previous years Zenfone. Now Zenfone 2 screen-to-body ratio is 72% which is a welcome upgrade. In my short time with Zenfone 2, I felt the quality of the display is good. The viewing angles are good and colors look vivid.

    As I mentioned earlier, this is not the complete review. I will be doing a detailed pros and cons review on Zenfone 2 once I get the review unit. The initial impressions on Asus Zenfone 2 looks very impressive. Though there is no information on the price, we can expect it to be very competitive.   The refreshed design and build quality coupled with powerful CPU and 4GB RAM, 13MP primary camera and 5MP front facing camera are very good as per the spec sheet. However, for real time performance, we need to wait for some more time.