Asus ZenFone 2 Review: Powerful Yet Peculiar

Route in 1989, Asus began as a consultancy administration for motherboard makers. As indicated by industry legend, Asus got a leg up in the business in the wake of planning a motherboard for Intel's 486 CPU without access to a processor, notwithstanding settling issues that Intel's own particular designers had. 

Today, the two are still close accomplices, and Asus uses Intel's versatile processors in its cell phones and tablets. A year ago's ZenFone 4 (Audit | Pictures), ZenFone 5, and ZenFone 6 were runaway victories for Asus in India thanks essential to relentless evaluating and trustworthy execution. Presently, Asus has recently propelled another arrangement called ZenFone 2, and the organization has been from yelling from the housetops that the top-end variation has 4GB of RAM. 

Right now, Asus is offering the ZenFone 2 in four distinct variations in India: the ZE551ML (with 4GB of RAM, 64GB ROM and a 5.5-inch full-HD screen); the ZE551ML (with 4GB of RAM, 32GB ROM and a 5.5-inch full-HD screen); the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (with 2GB of RAM, 16GB ROM and 5.5-inch full-HD screen), and the ZenFone 2 ZE550ML (with 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM and 5.5-inch HD screen). To add to the perplexity, both ZE551ML (4GB) models utilize the 2.3GHz quad-center Intel Molecule Z3580 SoC while the ZE551ML (2GB) and the ZE550ML are controlled by the 1.8GHz quad-center Intel Iota Z3560. Costs range from Rs. 12,999 to Rs. 22,999. 

There are more variations of the ZenFone 2 which the organization may dispatch later. This naming plan will be truly mistaking for purchasers, in light of the fact that the model number alone does not mean anything. The people at Asus could undoubtedly have dodged this hotchpotch of variations. 

Classifications aside, Asus sent us an audit unit of the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage room. We put the telephone through its paces to see whether 4GB RAM really has any effect in genuine utilization.

Look and Feel

With the ZenFone 2, Asus has engineered a radical design change that is bound to invite differing opinions. The curve on the rear of the ZenFone 2 is slightly more pronounced, compared to its predecessor, the ZenFone 5 (Review | Pictures). Couple this with the brushed metal finish of the removable plastic back, and the phone reminds us of the HTC One (M8) (Review | Pictures), especially since our review unit was the Glacier Gray variant. All said and done, in our opinion, the phone does look premium.


The ZenFone 2's size falls somewhere in between that of the ZenFone 5 and the ZenFone 6 (Review | Pictures). The dimensions need to accomodate a 5.5-inch screen, and the weight has also increased as a result. The phone has dimensions of 152.5x77.2x10.9mm and weighs 170g. Despite these numbers, the ZenFone 2 doesn't feel chunky because of the curved rear. The phone can be gripped nicely but don't expect it to be comfortable to use with one hand.

The most detectable change is that the volume rocker has been moved to the back of the gadget. We saw such an execution interestingly on the LG G2, and it then proceeded through LG's consequent discharges. In LG's telephones, the force catch is wedged in the middle of the volume catches, while on the ZenFone 2, the force catch is on the highest point of the telephone. 

The issue with this position is that it is hard to achieve while utilizing the telephone with one hand. The catch is flush with the top edge, as an aftereffect of which ease of use takes a hit. Thankfully, you may never need to utilize this catch on the grounds that the product permits you to twofold tap the screen to wake the telephone or to put it to rest. The volume rocker has a marginally ribbed composition and better than average material input. It doesn't make a difference on the off chance that you are correct given or left-given; your forefinger regularly comes to for it.

The position of the physical catches implies the left and right edges of the telephone are bare. The Smaller scale USB port and mouthpiece are at the base of the telephone. A 3.5mm jack and amplifier are exhibit on the top on either sides of the force catch. Aside from the volume rocker, the back side of the telephone additionally houses the cam and the speaker grille. 

The showcase takes up near to 70 percent of the front of the ZenFone 2, and the bezel is genuinely thin on all sides. The earpiece, front cam, surrounding light sensor and warning Drove are lined up over the screen. The telephone has a line of capacitive catches beneath the presentation, which aren't illuminated. Underneath them is metal "button" which keeps on utilizing Asus' trademark concentric circle wrap up. It adds a dash of character to the outline of the telephone.

Specifications and software

Our survey unit is the top-end ZE551ML variation of the ZenFone 2, which has the most top of the line segments of the lineup. The telephone has 4GB of RAM, which is the first for any cell phone we've investigated. It likewise has a 2.3GHz quad-center Intel Iota Z3580 processor with an incorporated PowerVR G6430 GPU. Of course, the same illustrations chip is additionally utilized as a part of the iPhone 5s. The telephone has 32GB of inward storage room and there is a microSD card space which can be utilized to include 64GB more space. Moreover, the Miniaturized scale USB port can be utilized to connect outside USB drives to. 

The telephone acknowledges two Smaller scale SIM cards. The essential SIM card can interface with 4G systems including the 2300MHz Indian 4G recurrence band. Both SIM cards can join with 3G systems. Other network choices incorporate Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/air conditioning and NFC. The ZenFone 2 has a 13-megapixel essential cam with double Drove blaze and a 5-megapixel front-confronting optional cam. The telephone likewise has a genuinely extensive 3000mAh battery in the engine.

The 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen has a resolution of 1080x1920, which translates to a pixel density of 403ppi. Images look crisp and the colours are also accurately reproduced. Even the viewing angles are pretty good. The only weakness of this screen is that even at maximum brightness it looks a bit dull, which in turn affects the sunlight legibility.

Asus ships the ZenFone 2 with Android Candy out-of-the-container, covered with Asus' custom ZenUI skin on top. ZenUI is truly a flight from stock Android yet includes a couple of flawless changes that could be helpful for very much a couple of clients, and is as zippy as ever. For instance, the Savvy Bunch usefulness in the application drawer bundles comparative applications together into organizers, which proves to be useful when you would prefer not to experience the inconvenience of sorting applications one by one. Likewise, the Application Lock highlight gives you a chance to add a secret word to any application, keeping others from opening things you don't need them to. 

Zen UI likewise takes into consideration a considerable measure of customisation, and you can change subjects, symbol packs and the landing page looking over activity. The one-gave operation capacity has been changed marginally to permit more control to the client - you can now physically drag from the edge of the screen to set the screen size without needing to manage with preset screen sizes. ZenMotion is another programming highlight that gives clients the capacity to draw motions on screen when the telephone is snoozing, to open any specific application. Asus additionally includes an in-house applications: Asus ZenCircle, an informal communication device for inventors; PhotoCollage; WebStorage, a cloud-based capacity arrangement; and Mirror, which gives you a chance to utilize the front cam and screen as a mirror.