Zenfone 2 – Tech Raman

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 6 is for those who wants a super big display

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 11:49:19 +0000

with ASUS TrueVivid Full Screen Lamination technology. A latest generation Corning Gorilla Glass 4 gives an extra edge for protection. Powering the device is a Qualcomm 64-bit Octa Core Processor Snapdragon 616 (MSM8939), 3GB RAM and Adreno 405 GPU. A good 32GB internal storage is complimented by a microSD card slot, that can be expanded up to 128GB. It runs on Android Lollipop with ZenUI 2.0 layered on top of it. On the photography side, the Laser 6 is equipped with a 13 Mega Pixel Camera with large f/2.0-aperture and 5-element auto-focus lens. True to its name it has Laser Auto Focus for faster focus and a LED Real Tone flash. There is also a 5MP selfie camera. As we have seen in other Zenfone 2 devices, the camera app includes more than a dozen presets for easy use and uses PixelCamera technology. The Laser 6 is backed by a 3000mAh battery. It will be available in three color variants – Red, Silver and Gold.]]>

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Review

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 23:20:38 +0000

Asus is on a roll with the Zenfone 2 series with an army of devices and an elastic portfolio that covers a wider price band. The Zenfone 2 Deluxe is on top of the line in their scheme of things. It is the stylish version of the Zenfone 2, which is the world’s first Smartphone to come equipped with a 4GB RAM. Looks apart, how does it perform? Let’s find out in this review.

Design and build

Polygonal crystal design
Over 500 tessellated triangles project unique multifaceted rear panel
rear positioned volume rocker
power button on the top
10.9mm / 3.9mm
170 grams

What differentiates the Deluxe with the rest of the Zenfone 2 (though Asus is bringing this signature back panel as limited editions to select other models too) and even the competition is its characteristic rear panel. It is simply unique. You either love at first sight or hate the textured crystal cut back. There is no midway. It’s a refreshing departure from the usual poly-carbonate, glass or metal sheets. While it looks aesthetically new, while holding the device the irregular, textured contours feels different and some might not like it. The design is highly polarizing and it worked for me. The Deluxe is also not the slimmest block but thanks to it’s curved back while the thickest part of the panel at the center is 10.9 mm, at the edges it is only 3.9mm. So ergonomically, it doesn’t feel “thicker” when you hold the phone. The 170gram is definitely thicker by today’s standard. Due to the diamond cut, the colors can also be deceptive by the angle you look at the device. While my back panel is blue, at some angles it is purplish. Taking a design cue from LG, Asus has re-positioned the volume key to the back beneath the camera module. Am not a fan of this new design alignment, especially in bigger devices I find it clumsy to reach the keys at the rear. I found it awkward in LG G4 and with Deluxe too that I have a small palm doesn’t help either. The rocker strip is also slightly sunk and some of us might fumble to press till we get used to the new setting. The power key positioning on the top is a sheer disaster though. It is inaccessible and thankfully, there is a double tap to wake the screen, so you might not be using the power button often. Moving the keys to the back and top has freed the sides and that helps to keep the edges narrower. The bottom has the microUSB port and a microphone while on the top along side the power button, there is a primary microphone and a 3.5mm audio jack. [gallery link="file" size="medium" ids="10357,10358,10359" orderby="rand"] The three capacitive buttons are not backlit and a bit let down. Then, there is the yet another Asus signature design plate beneath the buttons. The rear houses the 3000mAh batter which is non-removable. The Deluxe supports 4G and has dual-SIM slots. If the on-board storage is not enough but let us remind you Asus is very generous giving you an option between 64GB and 128GB internal storage (there is even a 256GB variant in select markets), there is an microSD card slot too. Overall, the Deluxe has a good build quality, an unique back panel that can get few stares at the device. The curved panel is great to hold and masks the heaviness of the device and the volume rocker works if you are comfortable with its positioning.

Display

5.5-inch IPS display
TrueVivid Full Screen Lamination technology
1920 x 1080 resolution
403ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
178 degree viewing angle

At mid-range segment, we have some wonderful displays in the market. The Zenfone 2 Deluxe has a 5.5-inch IPS display with a fullHD resolution. Asus says it has introduced the TrueVivid technology for better screen clarity, brightness and touch responsiveness with a full lamination. In real terms though, this is not the best of the brightest, vivid screen I have seen in this segment. While the display is sharp, the saturation could have been a little better. It has a good viewing angle and while the outdoor visibility is good, the screen is reflective also. Having said that, the display won’t disappoint you. There is also a bluelight filter option in the navigation drop-down, which reduces the blue light emissions and thus keeping the eyestrain less when you browse a longer time. There is also a Splendid App, that helps you customize the display settings.

Software

Android 5.0 Lollipop
Zen UI

Last few months, I had tried various Zenfone 2 devices and is comfortable with the Zen UI. The user interface is colorful with large icons and is easy to use. The notification drop-down is prominent with large rounded icons. The UI offers various gesture options including double tap to wake and suspend, other touch gestures to launch apps directly when screen is timed-out. The lockscreen also has quick access to launch three apps, by default you have camera, dialer and messaging but it can be changed from the settings. There are also power management, background app management and glove modes. Asus also has bundled lot many apps pre-installed. Thankfully, many of the bloatware baggage can be offloaded. A Smart Group feature bundles similar category apps into one folder. First time, when you start using it, you find many folders and when you go to the app drawer, you find a whole bunch of apps categorized into respective folders. Swiping down from the top, takes you to search bar and swiping up from bottom leads you to a colorful, manage home options with many settings to customize the fonts, icon packs etc. There is a theme store with fairly good number of dressings to download. Double tapping the home button can re-size of the home screen for a better one-hand operation. In addition, there is also an Easy mode that gives a simplified home screen and also a kids mode. If you are upgrading from any other Zenfone devices, the Zen UI is identical across the devices with all the features intact. The UI is pretty good and Asus has done a good job to add its own flavour to Android.

Performance

Intel Atom Quad-core 2.3GHz
4GB RAM
PowerVR G6430 GPU
64GB / 128GB (256GB at select markets), expandable
3000mAh battery
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
OTG support

There aren’t many Intel-powered mobile devices in the market right now and Asus is the only mobile OEM that is faithful to the chipset maker. The quad-core Intel Atom processor housed inside is adequately powerful to handle day to day tasks. It’s performance pits it on par with the likes of Snapdragon 615 processors. A whooping 4GB RAM gives a big playground for the apps to work around. The device is snappier, it boots faster, the apps loads faster. While playing games like Asphalt 8, that can strain the hardware muscles, it never lagged and ran smoothly with no hiccups. While it handled the graphics well with no frame drops or stutters and transitions, few minute detailing were skimmed, though there was no jarring notes. I been using the Deluxe for more than a week now and I had no issues with the call quality. Voices are clear and crisp. The audio experience is good too. Though, it is loud, it is not the loudest I have seen. I prefer my music on earphones and with a good headset, it delivered good music. The default equalizer delivered decent output and the default music app is pretty nice. The 3000mAh battery also comes fairly well optimized. On a moderate use, it sailed through a days life. It also comes with a fast charging technology that can pump up 60% in 39 minutes.

Camera

13MP rear camera
f/2.0 aperture
5-element auto-focus lens
dual-color real tone flash
5MP front camera
wide-angle (85 degree) lens
f/2.0 aperture
Pixelmaster Camera 2.0

Asus delivered a satisfactory camera in Zenfone 2 laser, so I expect them to do a good job with the Deluxe too. Let’s see some sample snaps. First shot. My son’s Lego collection. I took it up close and liked the soft background and the crisp figurine. While the low-light photos can get noisier, you can make use of the low-light mode. It uses the PixelMaster technology, combining four pixels into one. It produces very good low-light picture, though you need a steady hand when the image is being shot. The below image is taken at the same time but in auto-mode, clearly showing how well the low-light mode performs. The macro shots also fared better. The Camera app comes with some 19 presets and it can come handy for the amateurs. There is also a manual mode for those who knows how to handle the ISO and shutter speeds. The Zenfone 2 Deluxe’s camera is not the best of the camera I have tested but it offers the best of the modes for casual photographers to make use of. Along with it, it delivers more than decent pictures.

Conclusion

The Zenfone 2 Deluxe is available for Rs 22,999 and this price band is quiet a tough arena to be in. It is pitted against Honor 7, One Plus One, Vibe Shot, Moto X Play, Gionee S7 all quiet capable in their own ways. What works for the ZenFone 2 though is a unique diamond-cut back panel, 4GB RAM and a whooping 64GB storage at the base level and a good all round performance with a decent camera. It delivers a near high-end performance at half a price. While there is competition, the Deluxe won’t disappoint you if you go for it. ]]>

This Diwali, Asus lights up 'Har Pal Happiness' offer

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 11:22:03 +0000

Asus is keeping itself busy with new launches and following it up with festive offers with various Indian engagement. With festive season already started in Indian sub-continent and Diwali just around the corner, Asus India has announced “Har Pal Happiness’ offer. The offer period starts on 13th October 2015 and will end on 11th November 2015. Under the offer, Asus will give a Flipkart gift vouchers worth Rs 1,000 every hour for those buying an Asus Zenfone. Also 1 lucky buyer will also stand a chance to win gold vouchers worth Rs 25,000 every day. For those buying Asus notebook, there is a special offer wherein the purchaser can avail assured gift worth Rs 12,499 by paying Rs 1,199 extra. The notebook buyers would receive a package including products like Bluetooth Portable Speaker worth Rs.4999, a Killer pack comprising watches and sunglasses worth Rs.4500, and Travel vouchers worth Rs.3000. Talking about the festive offer, Peter Chang- Regional Head, South Asia and Country Manager for ASUS India said,

“Diwali is considered as one of the most auspicious periods of the year and it also has an emotional connect with the Indian consumers. The idea is to spread happiness and our campaign resonates exactly with these sentiments. ‘Har Pal Happiness’ campaign will definitely help the consumers celebrate Diwali in a special way. Having received an incredible response for all our products, India is an extremely important market for us and we are happy to give our customers another reason to interact with our laptops and smartphones. We have always aimed at raising the bar of luxury by offering our customers high-end products at competitive prices. This offer is another step in the same direction.”

]]>

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser Review : A reliable all-rounder

Lakshmi Rajan — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 01:23:59 +0000

Asus is all over with an entire battalion of Zenfone 2 series and we have a sharp shooter – the Asus Zenfone 2 Laser. What is important is with the Laser, Asus brings the laser technology on the camera to be more affordable and dims the halo out of the flagships. Even within the Zenfone 2 Laser there is a ZenFone 2 Laser 5.5 with 2GB of RAM and Snapdragon 410 priced at Rs. 9,999, and the ZenFone 2 Laser 5.5 with 3GB of RAM and Snapdragon 615 at Rs. 13,999. And then there is also a Asus ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL) with 6.00-inch 1080×1920 display but it is not yet available in India yet. What we have here though is the most affordable of the Laser variant, the Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL. Out of the box, we get only the basics apart from the handset.

Standard USB Cable,
Adapter,
User Manual and
Warranty Card

All the Zenfone 2 devices look all the same, so you don’t really have to stress out which of the models looks better. You just have to choose between the screen size and the innards. The Laser we got here sports a 5.5-inch display with a 720p resolution. The quality of the display is as good as any best in the category, if not better. It’s brighter, sharp and crisp. While there are a 1080p displays out there in the same price band, you don’t really miss out much here. Plus, the display looks natural. The design of the Laser could very well be the deciding factor when you choose it. To go curvy or for smooth, straight back. The Laser like the other Zenfone 2 devices has the curved body that hides the 10.3mm thickness on mid-point, making it sit pretty on palm and offering a good grip. For those looking at the numbers, its 143.7 x 71.5 x 10.5 mm and 170 grams in weight. Asus has taken a leaf out of the LG and has housed the volume rocker to the rear. Though it is meant to be more natural to use, you need to warm up and reconcile to the new alignment. It might not take much time to get used to but it cannot be said about the power button which is awkwardly placed on top, which is a disaster to reach out considering the big real estate of the phone’s screen. Luckily, Asus has added ‘touch to wake’ feature, which negates the need to reach out the power button each time to light up the display or to send it back to standby mode. On the rear is a promiscuous black eye on the side of the 13-megapixel rear camera which has a chrome ring to it. The black eye is the laser technology, the sole reason for the name of this device. Alongside the power button on the top is a 3.5mm audio jack and a noise cancellation microphone. The bottom has the microUSB port and a primary microphone. The left and right side are devoid of any controls. A speaker grille dots the rear side bottom. [gallery link="file" columns="4" ids="9892,9893,9894,9895"] There are three capacitive buttons and sadly, they are not backlit. Below the navigation buttons is a plate with a signature concentric circles pattern. a familiar customary design language with Asus phones. The Laser runs on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with Zen UI layered heavily on top of it. I quiet liked the Zen UI in spite of it being a bloatware. Many of the pre-installed apps can be fortunately uninstalled and for the few that won’t budge, there is an auto-start manager where you can deny them from starting in the boot and digging into the memory resources. You can quick access three apps from the lockscreen and you can customize them with your own set of apps. The notification drawer comes with big icons and occupies almost the entire screen, you can prune the list else might have to scroll down to access notifications. Asus has populated the screen with many folders, segregated on the basis of categories. I am not a fan of folders, though they reduce the clutter on the screen and makes accessing apps easier. Long pressing the home screen or swiping up from the bottom, opens the manage home where you can fiddle around the look and feel, there is also a theme section to browse many themes. For more on the features, you should take a look at the video below. https://youtu.be/alFgFOjioiM Asus are traditionally staunch proponents of intel chipsets but for Laser they have opted for Qualcomm chipset. The Laser ZE550KL is powered by a Snapdragon 410 processor. This is a quad core processor with four Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.2Ghz each. It is combined with a 2G B RAM and Adreno 306 GPU I was quiet satisfied with the overall performance of the Laser. It is very responsive and does not lag in day to day tasks. It is only when you play very heavy graphic intensive games, you find the graphics under performing and throwing occasional spanner in between but overall gameplay is smoother. The every day multi-tasking and usage is a breeze. Asus has crammed in 16GB of internal storage with around 11GB user available, thankfully you can expand via microSD card. Another plus point of the Laser is a good battery life. The 3000mAh battery does a neat job and delivers a full day;s battery life. Connectivity options include 4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. The sensors included are Accelerometer, eCompass, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Hall Sensor. Now let’s dig into the camera capabilities and of course with a laser technology to boast, it is the talking point of the phone. It is equipped with a Toshiba sensor, 5 piece lens setup. The laser autofocus lives up to its name, it locks the focus under 0.3 seconds when the subjects are closer. The images are overall good, with good color spread, tone and detailed. The day light pictures come really well and the phone even manages the low light conditions fairly better for its price. The camera mode is pretty slick with lots of ready presets. The 5MP front camera does a neat job too. [gallery link="file" columns="5" ids="9910,9909,9907,9908,9905,9906,9911,9912,9913,9904"] Overall, the Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is a great all rounder at the listed price of Rs 9,999. The price segment it comes in is crowded and faces stiff competition but the Laser is no slouch. It’s a phone that gives your overall performance is every department with battery life and camera in its favour. ]]>

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser Features list, Tips and tricks

Lakshmi Rajan — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 08:41:14 +0000

Take a breathe! Asus ZenFone 2 comes with 4GB of RAM

Lakshmi Rajan — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 17:27:06 +0000

Asus has been doing pretty well for itself with the affordable Zenfone range of android smartphones and it is learned they have sold over 8 millions of the devices so far. The company has cracked up the new year with Asus Zenfone 2, a beast of a device that might very well be the first Smartphone to come with a 4GB of RAM. The new dual-SIM ZenFone 2 gets a 5.5-inch IPS display strengthened by Gorilla Glass 3,1080p resolution and runs on Android 5.0 lollipop dipped in Asus’s ZenUI and also supports LTE. But the better is yet to come. The device comes in two variants. If the base version powered by 1.8GHz Intel processor (Z3560), 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage does not excite you check this out – a 2.3GHz (Z3580) with F-O-U-R GB of RAM and 64GB of local storage. The devices also comes with a 3,000mAh fast-charge battery that can go from 0 to 60 percent in a mere 39 minutes. Bring it on! On the camera side, it features a 13-megapixel f/2.0 camera with a dual-color “Real Tone” flash, and the front side comes with a 5-megapixel f/2.0 setup. Taking a leaf out of the LG’s flagship devices, the new Zenfone 2 also gets the volume rocker positioned on the rear below the camera. What it means to the Zenfone’s “Ergonomic Arc” design? Well a beautiful design that tapers from 10,9mm in the middle to just 3.9mm at the edges.Weighing 170gms, the new Zenfone 2 will be available on Osmium Black, Sheer Gold, Glacier Gray, Glamor Red and Ceramic White. All this good stuffs come starts at $199 and that takes the challenge directly to the likes of Xiaomi camps.

Asus ZenFone 2 Specifications

Display	5.5-inch IPS @ 1920 x 1080 (403 ppi)
SoC	64-bit Quad Core Intel Atom Z3560 @ 1.8 GHz or Z3580 @ 2.3 GHz
Memory	2 GB or 4 GB LPDDR3
GPU	PowerVR G6430 @ 533 MHz
Storage	16 GB/32 GB/64 GB, microSD
Battery	3,000 mAh with fast-charge technology
Cameras	Front: 5MP, f/2.0, 85-degree wide angle Rear: 13MP, f/2.0, 5-element lens, AF, dual-color ‘Real Tone’ flash
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, microUSB 2.0 Cat 4 LTE Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/9/17/18/19/20/28/29/38/39/40/41 (varies by region)
Dimensions	152.5 x 77.2 x (10.9 – 3.9) mm
Weight	170 g
Operating System	Android 5.0 Lollipop w/ASUS ZenUI

]]>

Take a breathe! Asus ZenFone 2 comes with 4GB of RAM

Lakshmi Rajan — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 17:27:06 +0000

Asus ZenFone 2 Specifications

Display	5.5-inch IPS @ 1920 x 1080 (403 ppi)
SoC	64-bit Quad Core Intel Atom Z3560 @ 1.8 GHz or Z3580 @ 2.3 GHz
Memory	2 GB or 4 GB LPDDR3
GPU	PowerVR G6430 @ 533 MHz
Storage	16 GB/32 GB/64 GB, microSD
Battery	3,000 mAh with fast-charge technology
Cameras	Front: 5MP, f/2.0, 85-degree wide angle Rear: 13MP, f/2.0, 5-element lens, AF, dual-color ‘Real Tone’ flash
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, microUSB 2.0 Cat 4 LTE Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/9/17/18/19/20/28/29/38/39/40/41 (varies by region)
Dimensions	152.5 x 77.2 x (10.9 – 3.9) mm
Weight	170 g
Operating System	Android 5.0 Lollipop w/ASUS ZenUI

]]>