The ZenFone 2 is perhaps one of the more interesting device released this year. It is one of the handful of smartphones in the market with 4GB of RAM, and the first one to be released in Singapore. I got my hands on one, and would like to share some of my thoughts on the devices after using it for a short period of time as my daily driver.
Let me start by explaining which ZenFone 2 I have. The model that I have, is the ZE551ML with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and an Intel Atom Z3580 (2.3 GHz) processor. There is a 64GB variant as well.
Also called the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML, is the model with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, with a slightly slower Intel Atom Z3560 (1.8 GHz) processor. Then there is the ZE550ML, a variant with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and the same Intel Atom Z3560 (1.8 GHz) processor. Another difference is the use of a 720p display instead of a 1080p diaplay that only the ZE551ML models have.
Not forgetting the ZenFone 2 ZE500CL as well, which is a basically a refreshed version of the ZenFone 5, but with a newer design, and a bigger battery. So when someone tells you they have a ZenFone 2, make sure to ask, “Which one?”.
(Also, while both ZE550ML and ZE551ML supports fast charging, only the ZE551ML variants with 4GB of RAMs comes with the fast charger out of the box.)
The front of the device is not a far departure from the ZenFone 5. With an Asus logo just below the earpiece, and a metallic-looking bottom chin. Above the chin holds the capacitive buttons in the stock Android configuration, which is always nice to see. What is not, are how the buttons are not back-lit. They are impossible to see in darker environments, but with some getting used to, you should be able to use the buttons even in the dark.
The rear of the device is covered by a removable plastic shell with a brushed finish. This time round, Asus has moved the volume buttons to the back of the phone like LG. But instead of having the power button between the volume buttons, Asus has moved it to the top of the device.
It takes a little while to get used to the rear mounted volume buttons, but after some time it becomes second nature. The power button placement makes little sense though. On such a tall device it is pretty difficult to reach. Thankfully you can double tap on screen to turn the screen ON/OFF.
The volume button is slightly protruded, making it easier to press despite being pretty narrow. The buttons feels very solid, but if I were to nitpick, it is just a little bit stiffer than I would have liked. It takes more effort to push up on a button from the rear compared to pressing a button on the side. To push a button up from the bottom, you need a tight grip on the sides to steady the device. But to push the button on the sides, you can press thumb into the phone, with the opposing fingers pushing back. For example, the slightly lighter force required to press the button on the LG G4 is pretty much spot on for me. Perhaps with more use the buttons would "loosen up" a little.
Take out the back, and you will find 2 SIM card slots, and a Micro SD card slot. Only the first slot support 4G though, with the other slot being 2G only. Which is a minor inconvenience in some cases, considering quite a number of dual SIM device these days support 4G on both slots.
For example, Singaporeans who frequent Malaysia would likely have a Malaysia SIM so they have access to fast and cheap data access. The Singapore SIM would be relegated to calls and SMS only for emergencies. But if only one slot supports 4G, you need to swap the location of both SIM cards when going to, and returning from Malaysia if you want data access in both countries. If the phone supported 4G on both slots, all that is needed would be to change the setting on the phone.
The build quality of the phone is quite decent actually, and reminds me of flagship devices like the LG G3, and OnePlus One. The curved back makes the phone easier to hold in hand, and the back cover feels pretty sturdy. The one thing I am not a fan of is the use of black glossy plastic for the sides. It feels a little cheap, not to mention prone to micro-scratches.
Also on the back is a single rear firing speaker. While the speaker grill seems big, the actual speaker is only on the left corner. The speaker quality is rather average. At higher volumes, it sounds a bit tinny, and hollow. The bright side is that the audio jack actually provides a decent sound quality, which I would rate above your run-of-the-mill Qualcomm DAC.
The screen is a 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5-inches LCD display, with a pixel density of ~403 ppi. The screen is decent, but not great. Colours on balanced mode tend to be a bit on the duller side, and a little washed-out. The display also lacks versatility. Daylight visibility is pretty poor, with the brightness of the display somewhat limited. At the lowest brightness, it is still too bright for use in a dark room at night.
The phone is powered by a 64-bit Quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 CPU, clocked at 2.3GHz, with 4GB of LPDDR3 RAMs, and a PowerVR G6430 GPU. There is no doubt that this is a potent combination. The UI is extremely responsive, and even graphic intensive games run really well. Since there is an abundance of RAM, the phone is able to retain the saved state of a larger amount of apps and games. The result is fast switching between apps and games alike, with little to no re-loading time. The performance of the device is the most impressive aspect of the device in my opinion.
When it comes to the software, ZenUI is going to be an acquired taste like many of the skinned-Android UI out there. While I love the performance of the UI, the design leaves much to be desired. With so many third-party apps having adopted material design already, a lot of apps are going to look out of place on ZenUI. You can see hints of Asus trying to incorporate Material design into the UI.
Try.
ZenUI does support icon packs from the PlayStore which is nice, but there are aspects of the phone that cannot be changed with a launchers, or icon packs. For example, the lock screen, notification shade, settings, and recent apps screen.
Also there are some things in the UI that are slightly annoying. For example, like allowing users to customise the shortcuts in the notification shade, but then setting a minimum amount of tools, and shortcuts that I need to have. So even if I have no use for most of the items, I still HAVE to place them on the notification shade.
And software really is the low point of an otherwise decent smartphone for me. On the home screen, you are immediately greeted with a folder titled “Apps4U”, which really should just say “AdRevenue”. Try to add your Google account in settings and you are greeted with even more tie-ins.
I understand that Asus has to make money off the devices some how, but really, this is pretty much the same as buying a brand new Windows personal computer, and having to deal with “Trials”, and "Pre-bundled” bloatwares. Unfortunately this is nothing new, and not limited to just Asus devices. HTC and Samsung for example does the same, but just to a slightly smaller extent.
Of course in most cases, you can disable, or uninstall those apps. Right now it is simply a minor annoyance. But if we as consumers condone this now, how far will OEMs go before it becomes too much? How long before we buy a brand new phone, only to spend the next hour setting up the device, and looking at what apps can be uninstalled or disabled?
Keeping the ZenFone 2 powered, is a decently-sized 3,000 mAh non-removable battery. Sadly the battery life is a little underwhelming considering its capacity. I was only able to get around 4 hours of screen-on time on the device with moderate use. I have no explanation for how come the device woke up so many times throughout the night. Or how "Wi-Fi" uses the same percentage of battery as the screen, and the game "Ingress" combined.
In comparison, the S6 with only a smaller 2,550 mAh battery, and a QHD screen gets me on average 4 hours of screen-on time. I have no idea whether it is poor optimisation on the Intel chipset, or a Lollipop issue, but at this point I suspect a bit of both. Hopefully this is something that will be fixed in upcoming updates.
When it comes to imaging, the ZenFone 2 uses a 13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, a 5 -element lens, and a dual-tone LED flash. It uses what Asus call “PixelMaster” technology to combine software, hardware, and optical design, to deliver better quality images.
The camera UI is simple and easy to use. Tap to focus, and then tap on the button to capture. Auto-Exposure works well most of the time too. In Auto mode the camera automatically recommends the most suitable mode to use, but personally I would rather Auto mode just take care of everything automatically. Thankfully, since the recommendations are pretty reliable, it saves you the trouble of having to pick a mode from this huge list of modes.
(HDR Off)
(HDR On)
HDR mode is pretty decent, though the processing time is not as quick as on other devices I have used. The camera has the tendency to boost greens, which makes the shots a tad unnatural, especially on HDR images. Focusing speed is not as quick as I would have liked though. A nice trait of the camera is how close you can get for macro shots.
Image quality is actually decent for a phone this price. The shots tend to look a bit grainy when zoomed in, with a slightly aggressive noise reduction resulting in a slight watercolour painting-like effect, but nothing major. Colours are decent, albeit the tendency to boost greens a bit too much.
Images taken at night looks grainy though, likely from very aggressive noise reduction, and sharpening. Though when viewing the images on the phone itself or at a smaller size, they still look decent. A nice trait of the camera in lowlight conditions is the tendency to go for as fast a shutter speed as possible to ensure minimal camera shake for hand-held shots.
(ISO 420, Exposure 1/20s)
(ISO 950, Exposure 1/13s)
(ISO 690, Exposure 1/13s)
(ISO 380, Exposure 1/20s)
Overall, the camera on the ZenFone 2 is still decent. Though the image quality is not fantastic by any stretch of the imagination, the camera is relatively easy to use to capture decent-looking shots. Not to mention the better than average close-ups that the camera is able to take. It is not comparable to higher end flagship devices like the iPhone 6 or Galaxy S6 for sure, but for the price of the phone, the camera performs admirably.
Full resolution images for comparison: Asus ZenFone 2, Xiaomi Mi 4i, 2nd Gen Moto G, Nexus 5
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The ZenFone 2 with 4GB of RAM is a pretty impressive device. However the compromises that Asus made so that it can hit this price point is apparent. The build quality is not as premium as it can be, the screen quality leaves much to be desired, speaker quality is average, and the camera quality while decent is not great.
What it does exceedingly well though, is its performance. At this price point, you will struggle to find a device that performs better, or has higher specifications than the ZenFone 2. Which I guess is the target audience that Asus is going after. Avid gamers would appreciate the ample amount of storage especially on the 64GB variant, and the 4GB of RAM for faster apps/games switching. If all you want is the best bang for your buck when it comes to performance, and you are willing to live with the compromises mentioned above, the ZenFone 2 with 4GB of RAM is definitely one of the best options out there.
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