Asus Zenfone 2 Review, Specs, Price

No kidding, ASUS deliberately changed my perception on affordable smartphones. I've always thought that more affordable smartphones are crappy and Apple is the only maker of great smartphones, but here comes ASUS, proving me wrong.

This perception changer is Zenfone 2, the first entry premium smartphone I ever owned; It's so sleek, so gorgeous, and classy that maybe we can take out the word entry and just call it premium because it feels that way! Also, the features are pretty cool! I'm sharing my experience with this mobile phone to all of you today.

ASUS Zenfone 2 was released May 2015, the much- awaited follow up of its predecessor, Zenfone 5. It boasts of the following features: VR Technology for a more elevated entertainment experience, Personalization Settings to protect your data, numbers, and sensitive information in your phone, and PixelMaster Camera with 13MP resolution for the back camera, Have a look at the specs:

Now let's review this sexy beast.

BODY

ASUS said that Zenfone is inspired by the concept of Zen: streamlined, smooth, powerful. Big yet small, Zenfone 2 has a 5.5 inch display on a 5.0 body; gives you better perspective yet remains user- friendly. I'm trying to get a hang of its size because I'm used to a medium- sized phone, but at least its slightly curved body that gives me a better grip makes the transition easier for me.

It comes in five colors and I got Red and the brushed effect on its back gives it that metallic look, ergo luxe feel even if the back casing is plastic. I must say, this Android phone looks so sleek and classy, plus it's lightweight!

USER EXPERIENCE

Again, I'm trying to get used to Android's interface because I've always been used to iPhone's OS. Can't make a comparison between Android Lollipop and the previous Android (was it Kit Kat?), but all I can say is my browsing experience is pretty smooth; OS is pretty responsive, Internet connectivity is fast, which I love. However, it is preloaded with a bunch of Asus- exclusive apps and they need to be updated almost every week, which is quite a chore for me and if you don't update, OS tends to slow down.

BATTERY

Its juice can last for a day if I play games heavily on it and can last for 2 days on standby mode. The memory on my Zenfone 2 is 32gb, btw.

FEATURES

Here are the things I love about this phone: User control panel features a Guest Mode. Eureka! I'm the type who hates it when people come across my photos and messages intentionally or unintentionally so this feature is golden for me; Before I lend Zenfone 2 to a friend, I switch the user panel to Guest Mode; it gives me peace of mind!

Next is the touch commands for the screen. If you draw C on the screen, Camera automatically comes on. Draw S, you'll be led to SMS. If iPhone has Siri, Zenfone 2 has this!

RESOLUTION

I'm a gamer by heart and Zenfone 2's clear, crisp resolution and vivid colors perfect, and its speaker is one of the loudest I've encountered, but nice to know that the sound it produces doesn't have that 'metal' quality. When I started playing Cooking Fever and Tsum Tsum on this, I began to appreciate the hugeness of the screen and size of the phone!

CAMERA (Front Cam, Back Cam, Low Light)

Zenfone 2 features a 13MP back camera and 5MP front camera; both produce decent photos, but the one with higher MP produces the best one, definitely. Asus said that this photo produces good photos at low light conditions and I find that to be true. Here's a sample:

I used the back camera in this photo. Looks good for a mid-range smartphone!

Here's a photo using the front camera. It's only 5MP yet looks kinda' decent.

It has a couple of built- in camera features. The front camera automatically uses Beautification mode so don't wonder why your skin always looks glowing when you take a selfie (or it could very well be the skin care products that you're currently using too).

Shutter is a bit slow so you have to have a steady hand when taking photos. Otherwise, they will come out blurry, Other than this caveat, I find the photo quality of Zenfone 2 good.

Asus Zenfone 2 is a good phone: Great resolution, smooth OS, good camera, and classy design. I just wish that it's not loaded with pre- installed apps because I don't get to use everything anyway and they slow down the system. Nevertheless, Zenfone 2 is a good upgrade from entry level smartphones and if you're a gamer who's looking for a phone that will elevate your gaming experience without elevating your expenses! :D

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