By Jayanta Ghosh
Best in class and fits most criteria
Zenfone 2 is the new flagship smartphone in the ZenFone family. After launching the first generation Zen4 Zenfone, Zen5 and Zen6 last year, now Asus has announced the second gen Zenfone 2 series in India. Soon after the launch, ASUS grabbed headlines as they offered a whopping 4GB RAM in their new phone at a highly affordable price tag and promised easy availability. We got a chance to review the new varient to see how it stands apart from the crowed.
Design and Feature:
Design wise there is nothing revolutionary about the Zenfone 2. Made of plastic with chunky bezels and a removable rear panel, we feel that though it might not look like a premium 50k or 60k smartphone in the market, it has a good premium feel with its brushed-metal finish and concentric-circle detailing, and new refinements, including a graceful curved case that tapers to incredibly thin 3.9 mm at the edges. Powered with a 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor and up to 4GB RAM, it has 4G/LTE connectivity. ASUS Zenfone 2 is introduced in three variants in India and feature Back Light (HDR) mode and fast charging technology for its 3000 mAh battery. ZenFone 2 comes equipped with a 13MP PixelMaster camera with an f/2.0 wide-aperture lens and a brand-new ZenUI.
Performance:
The Zenfone 2 has its iconic Zen design elements and has a sleek metal finish. The sides are very thin and overall the phone is smooth and fits in to your hand easily. The 5.5-inch Full HD IPS+ screen has an ultra-narrow bezel that reduces ZenFone 2’s overall size yet provides a maximized viewing experience. With the 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor and up to 4GB RAM, ZenFone 2 delivers uncompromising performance. The brand-new ZenUI also offers you simpler and smarter experience; the new layout has white space for a cleaner design; and you get all your notifications right in front. In day light also the bright screen gives you clear visibility of every corner of the screen. At the top, we have a very bright dual tone LED flash, then 13 mega-pixel main camera and the volume control that looks inspired by LG design. On the inside, it has a space for dual SIM cards, a micro SD card and a non removable battery. The screen is a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 item with IPS, and then there are 5 mega-pixel front facing camera, LED notification light, and ZENUI runs on Android 5.0. The Zenfone 2 performs blazing fast in every scenario, whether it is a day-to-day task or in power use scenario. The thing which we loved most is its camera capabilities. The inbuilt camera features of Zenfone2 like the Time Lapse, All Smiles, Smart Remove, Time Rewind, Miniature, Panorama, GIF Animation, Effect and Depth of Field, most of the time each one gave us the desired output. We felt the phone is overall a great device. HDR really needs to be worked on but in the right conditions it works well. Selfie mode actually uses the main camera to detect faces and shoot a group photo with the 13 mega-pixel sensor, great for family photos.
Pros: Price, Performance, Good updates
Cons: Not the most stylish.
