People looking to buy a new smartphone as a Christmas gift to a loved one might want to check out Asus' latest line of ZenFone handsets available on the market. They offer the same specifications as other well-known smartphone brands but at more affordable prices.
Here is a quick rundown of three of Asus' ZenFone smartphones: the ZenFone 2 Laser, ZenFone Zoom, and the ZenFone Selfie.
Asus ZenFone 2 Laser
Dimensions: 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.8 mm (6.16 x 3.04 x 0.43 in), weighs at 170 g (6.00 oz)
Display: 5.5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 720 x 1280 pixels (~267 ppi pixel density)
Platform: Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop), planned upgrade to v6.0 (Marshmallow)
Memory: 16 GB (Internal), Up to 128 GB (micro SD), 2 GB RAM
Camera: 13 MP (Rear-facing camera) with laser autofocus and dual-LED (dual tone) flash, 5 MP (Front-facing camera) with autofocus
Battery: Li-Po 3000 mAh battery
At first glance, the ZenFone 2 Laser might be mistaken for the original because of their similar ergonomically pleasing designs. What sets the two apart though is the ZenFone 2 Laser's autofocus system that makes use of a laser pointer placed near the rear-facing camera.
The ZenFone 2 Laser also allows users to remove the smartphone's battery as well as access its microSD slot and dual SIM slots by opening its back cover.
While the phone's curved back and flat edges do allow for better handling, its considerably large size still makes it quite difficult to use especially when holding the device with one hand.
Some ZenFone 2 Laser users also noted of how cumbersome it is to access the handset's power button, which was placed on the center top of the unit. However, this can be addressed by tapping on the screen twice in order to switch the phone on.
The 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen displays clear 1080p HD images and videos at 30 frames per second, but the brightness of the screen tends to be conservative even when placed at the highest settings.
The addition of the Splendid color settings to the ZenFone 2 Laser gives the unit better color calibration compared to the original ZenFone 2.
For its hardware, the ZenFone 2 Laser features a Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410 processor, a 3 GB of RAM and an Adreno 306 graphics processor. The phone's performance remains virtually the same as the original despite Asus' decision to switch to Qualcomm chipsets from Intel ones.
Fans of mobile gaming may find the ZenFone 2 Laser a decent one to use, except when playing processor-intensive games.
Asus ZenFone Zoom
Dimensions: 158.9 x 78.8 x 12 mm (6.26 x 3.10 x 0.47 in), weighs at 185 g (6.53 oz)
Display: 5.5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 1080 x 1920 pixels (~403 ppi pixel density)
Platform: Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop)
Memory: Up to 128 GB (Internal), Up to 64 GB (microSD), 4 GB RAM
Camera: 13 MP (Rear-facing camera) with laser autofocus, 3x optical zoom, OIS and dual-LED (dual tone) flash, 5 MP (Front-facing camera)
Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 3000 mAh battery
Considered to be Asus' first camera-centric smartphone, the ZenFone Zoom is fitted with optics that makes it look like a regular point-and-shoot camera. It is made from a combination of metal and plastic materials that provide it with a sleek yet durable design.
Two noticeable features of the ZenFone Zoom are the two-stage camera shutter button and the video record button placed at the right of the phone to let users capture stunning images more easily. The SIM card slot and microSD slot are both accessible by removing the plastic back cover.
Just like the ZenFone 2 Laser, the ZenFone Zoom also uses a 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen that can display images at a 1080p resolution.
The phone is powered by a quad-core 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor capable of clocking at 2.3 GHz, a PowerVR G6430 graphics processor and a 4 GB of RAM. This gives the ZenFone Zoom a similar performance benchmark as the high-end version of the ZenFone 2.
In line with its camera-centric design, the phone has internal memory storage of up to 128 GB, which makes the device ideal for storing a large number of images and videos. The memory storage can also be expanded using a 64 GB microSD card.
Photography enthusiasts may find the ZenFone Zoom quite interesting to use because of its 13 MP rear-facing camera with a 3x optical zoom. Combined with its built-in optical image stabilization and laser auto-focus system, this feature allows users to take clear images more easily than with regular camera phones.
Asus ZenFone Selfie
Dimensions: 156.5 x 77.2 x 10.8 mm (6.16 x 3.04 x 0.43 in), weighs at 170 g (6.00 oz)
Display: 5.5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 1080 x 1920 pixels (~403 ppi pixel density)
Platform: Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop), planned upgrade to v6.0 (Marshmallow)
Memory: 32 GB (Internal), Up to 128 GB (microSD), 3 GB RAM
Camera: 13 MP (Rear-facing camera) f/2.0, 28mm, laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash, 13 MP (Front-facing camera), f/2.2, 1080p, autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
Battery: Li-Po 3000 mAh battery
As the name suggests, the ZenFone Selfie is specially made for people who love to take pictures especially of themselves.
The phone's most distinct feature is its front-facing camera that is fitted with wide-angle lens and an f/2.2 aperture. This allows users to brighter selfie shots even when there are only minimal amounts of light available.
Its 5.5-inch full HD display provides good viewing angles and shows images in bright and vibrant colors.
The ZenFone Selfie comes with a quad-core Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615 processor, a Adreno 405 graphics processor and a 3 GB RAM.
The specs of the Selfie is supposed to provide it with better performance, but according to some users, the phone seem to be sluggish at times and menu animations appear to be slow to load.
Its internal storage is pegged at 32 GB but it can still be expanded using a 64 GB microSD card.
