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ASUS Zenfone 2 Review

Slayher

Got a question that's not answered in this review? Post the comment and I'll answer it for you.

The Zenfone 2 that I'm reviewing today is the 64GB Storage + 4GB RAM model.

 

What is the ASUS Zenfone 2?

The most bad-ass smartphone on the market now!

 

What color is this device available in?

The device is available in Black, Silver, Gold and Red.

Want to see how the colors look? I'll have images below of the colors.

 

Color Black:

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Color Silver:

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Color Gold:

914RlX9zQ5L._SL1500_.jpg

 

Color Red:

81PCSiG78jL._SL1500_.jpg

 

 

Why did I get this phone?

I wanted a new daily driver as I've been using the iPhone 6+. I miss how customization Android was, once I had the Zenfone 2 in my hand I knew I was gonna love it.

The build quality is awesome and stands up well against other devices, it also feels well in the hand! I feel as if the curve makes it feel better in my hands then my iPhone 6+.

Switched from the iPhone 6+ to the Zenfone 2 now as a daily device driver.

 

Written Review:

I was a little skeptical at first because I was thinking of switching my daily which was my iPhone. I had no idea if I was going to like this device or not, and it turns out I did. I'm glad I obtained this unit, there's a lot of things that I love about the phone and there's a lot of things that I don't like about the phone. I actually don't mind the Zen UI at all, I just dislike all of the multiple applications they have pre-installed for you. I have listed those applications in the con sections if you scroll down this page. I don't like that a lot of applications in the App Drawer are bloatware and not needed. I love how it feels in the hand, it feels better than my old daily driver which was my iPhone 6+. When I first got the device, I thought I wasn't going to be able to get used to the volume rocker which is located on the back of device and it turns out I love it now. The design on the phone is clean and I love that out of the box we get 64GBs of storage. Not only do we get that storage but we also get 100GB of Google Drive so we have a total of 164GB of storage. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention you can install a SD Card in there for even more storage, so imagine 164GB+64GB which will be 228GB of storage on a smart phone. Absolutely insane if you think about it, plus this device is the first one with 4GB of RAM which is perfect for multi-tasking. I'm going to continue to use this phone as my daily driver, but the more I use it the more I get used to it and I enjoy it. If the bloatware wasn't there and multiple of the same app wasn't there, this device would feel and be much better.

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1HoCSjE

ASUS: http://bit.ly/1AhyCmq

Newegg: http://bit.ly/1Gl24sH

B&H: http://bhpho.to/1QYNY3i

 

ASUS Social Media:

Their Twitter: http://bit.ly/1EYCyFt

Their Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1Fl6bDb

Their Website: http://bit.ly/1Fvk3Oj

Their Instagram: http://bit.ly/1EgnS2H

 

What's the specs?

CPU: 64-bit Intel Atom 2.3GHz

GPU: 6430 PowerVR 533MHz

RAM: 64-bit Dual-Channel 4GB

OS: Android L

Screen: 5.5in FHD

 

What's in the box?

This is what was included in the box:

1x Charging Wall Adapter

1x Micro USB

1x Phone

 

Pictures of the Zenfone 2:

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What software comes pre-installed?

Wow.... 71 Applications in the App Drawer

 

50+ Games!

Amazon Kindle

ASUS Support

AudioWizard

Auto-start Manager

Backup

Browser

Calculator

Calender

Camera

Chrome

Clean Master

Clock

Contacts

Data transfer

Do It Later

Docs

Downloads

Dr. Safety

Drive

Email

File Manager

FlashLight

FM Radio

Gallery

Gmail

Google

Google Settings

Google+

Hangouts

Kids Mode

LiveWater

Maps

Messaging

MiniMovie

Mirror

Music

MyASUS

Omlet Chat

Party Link

PC Link

Phone

PhotoCollage

Photo

Play Books

Play Games
Play Movies

Play Music

Play Newstand

Play Store

Power Saver

Quick Memo

Remote Link

Settings

Setup Wizard

Share Link

Sheets

Slides

Sound Recorder

Splendid

SuperNote

System update

Themes

TripAdvisor

UP

Weather

WebStorage

What's Next

YouTube

ZenCircle

Zinio

 

How many of those apps are NOT necessary?

And.... 27 of those are useless and bloatware and many of them may be installed via Play Store

 

50+ Games (If users wanted to install games they would download them from the Play Store)

Amazon Kindle (If users wanted the Amazon Kindle app they could of went to the Play Store and downloaded it, no need to have this pre-installed)

ASUS Support, My ASUS (It would be nice if ASUS included this somewhere in the settings instead of a standalone application in the app drawer)

AudioWizard (It would of been awesome if ASUS included this directly into their Music application)

Auto-start Manager (I understand the thought of helping us save memory, but we have 4GBs which is more than good enough for any mobile tasking)

ASUS Backup (If users wanted to backup their data and installed apps, users would of went into settings --> Backup & Reset no need for a standalone app)

Chrome (No need to pre-load Chrome as the phone comes with the stock Browser, we could of installed Chrome from the Play Store)

Clean Master (Not needed in app drawer, would of been awesome to see a "hide" option for this app to only use whenever needed)

Data Transfer (No need for this, nowadays carriers have data transfer units in stores or users manually install everything)

Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides (We could of manually installed this via Play Store if we needed it)

Kids Mode (No need to have this in the app drawer, could of been implemented via the settings such as other flagship devices)

LiveWater (An app just for an live wallpaper? Seriously? We can just long-press on the home-screen click "Wallpapers" and pick the live wallpaper from there)

Mirror (We can use the camera, no need for an separate mirror app that clutter space in the app drawer)

Omlet Chat (I understand the Omlet + ASUS merge, but we didn't need this pre-loaded! We could of installed this via Play Store)

Play Books, Play Games, Play Movies, Play Music, Play Newsstand (No need to pre-load these, we can manually install them via Play Store if needed)

Power Saver (No need to have this in the app drawer, could of been implemented via the settings such as other flagship devices)

Setup Wizard (Once we setup the device, we can always change a few things in the settings! Why have a standalone app)

System Update (No need to have this in the app drawer, you could do a system update in Settings --> About --> System Update)

TripAdvisor (Bloatware)

UP (Bloatware)

 

Pros:

  • Comes with 100GB of Google Drive for 2 years
  • Charges 60% of battery life in 39 minutes
  • Low Light Mode (When taking pictures, it increases the brightness of the photo and makes it stand out even in low lighting areas unlike other devices)
  • Android L (Newest operating system for Android)
  • Worlds 1st Smartphone with 4GB RAM
  • Factory Unlocked (For Any GSM Carrier)
  • Expandable Storage
  • $299 price tag

 

Cons:

  • Bloatware... A lot of it
  • Locked Bootloader
  • Included multiple of the same app functions such as 2 Browser Apps (Google Chrome + Stock Browser) and 2 Music Apps (Play Music + Stock Music)
  • Non-removable battery

 

Previous Reviews:

ASUS ROG Nomad Backpack

GAEMS Black Edition - Vanguard

ASTROGaming 2015 A40

ASUS ROG G751JT-CH71

Phantom Glass

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Screen on time during normal usage? Battery seems really lacking on Zenfore in my opinion.

Location: Kaunas, Lithuania, Europe, Earth, Solar System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Gould Belt, Orion Arm, Milky Way, Milky Way subgroup, Local Group, Virgo Supercluster, Laniakea, Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex, Observable universe, Universe.

Spoiler

12700, B660M Mortar DDR4, 32GB 3200C16 Viper Steel, 2TB SN570, EVGA Supernova G6 850W, be quiet! 500FX, EVGA 3070Ti FTW3 Ultra.

 

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you seem to have just listed off specs and facts obtained by others

My Rig  

 
PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/kGNksY

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($379.00 @ shopRBC) 

CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK THEMIS 65.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($34.99 @ NCIX) 

Motherboard: MSI CSM-H87M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($78.83 @ DirectCanada) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($139.99 @ Memory Express) 

Storage: Kingston Fury 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($71.34 @ DirectCanada) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($92.95 @ Vuugo) 

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card  ($298.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($125.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($66.99 @ NCIX) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($116.00 @ shopRBC) 

Case Fan: Cougar Turbine 120 (4-Pack) 60.4 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($23.99 @ NCIX) 

Monitor: HP 22xi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($187.11 @ Amazon Canada) 

Monitor: HP 22xi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($187.11 @ Amazon Canada) 

Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($114.99 @ NCIX) 

Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse  ($76.99 @ Amazon Canada) 

Headphones: Kingston HyperX Cloud Pro Headset  ($78.98 @ DirectCanada) 

Total: $2074.22

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when availableGenerated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-10 15:33 EDT-0400Build log http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/303263-the-dell-from-hell/#entry4121100 

Phone Compassion Spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EN6s426gyxqPloIqT4wQ7Y7yovkkQy_5B3djVN-N-R8/edit#gid=0


Gta V Pc Online Crew http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/344773-unofficial-linus-tech-tips-gta-v-crew-pc/

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Screen on time during normal usage? Battery seems really lacking on Zenfore in my opinion.

I'm going to be completely honest, I haven't even checked but since I'm using it as my daily driver and always use it I'll report back to you whenever it's low battery.

I just fully charged the phone 100% so I'll let you know tomorrow via this thread.

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Almost a year ago, ASUS released the Zenfone series--the Zenfone 4, 5, and 6--across several countries in Asia, including where I'm from (Philippines). I think they wanted to see if their new Zenfone line would let them penetrate the smartphone market, that's why they only released in a few countries. Luckily for them, their "bang-for-the-buck-better-hardware" phones became popular to a lot of consumers, since they are with the lowest prices (if I'm not mistaken) with such specs. Their Zenfone 5 were (and up to this day) is still the best seller among the three. That is why they also released versions of the Z5 with updated batteries and other stuff. 

 

I think this success led them to release a new flagship phone that they can market to compete among other flagship phones in the western parts of the world (i.e., Samsung, HTC, Nexus), hence the "highly upgraded Zenfone 5," the Zenfone 2. Just my opinion, though. 

 

I think the way they market the Zenfone 2 in the US/Canada--low prices and you can buy them independent of data carrier--can really make an impact, even if some features are "meh."

 

Sorry for the long post. ;)

I want to build a rig, but I'm not a gamer.   :mellow:

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Tempted to buy one as a spare "mess around with android" phone

Desktop - Corsair 300r i7 4770k H100i MSI 780ti 16GB Vengeance Pro 2400mhz Crucial MX100 512gb Samsung Evo 250gb 2 TB WD Green, AOC Q2770PQU 1440p 27" monitor Laptop Clevo W110er - 11.6" 768p, i5 3230m, 650m GT 2gb, OCZ vertex 4 256gb,  4gb ram, Server: Fractal Define Mini, MSI Z78-G43, Intel G3220, 8GB Corsair Vengeance, 4x 3tb WD Reds in Raid 10, Phone Oppo Reno 10x 256gb , Camera Sony A7iii

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I'm presently putting my ZF2 thru its pace along with my main phone, and even coming from good phones like the Note 3 and my present LG G Pro 2, this phone doesn't feel lacking in any way. The bloatware is a bit of a pain, but this phone feels fluid and wicked fast even when compared with them. Had a full charge 48 hours ago, been using it lightly, playing music, watching short vids and updating a crapload of apps via WiFi, battery's now 15% and I'm recharging it.

Main Rig: AMD AM4 R9 5900X (12C/24T) + Tt Water 3.0 ARGB 360 AIO | Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme | 2x 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3600C16 | XFX MERC 310 RX 7900 XTX | 256GB Sabrent Rocket NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 3.0 (OS) | 4TB Lexar NM790 NVMe M.2 PCIe4x4 | 2TB TG Cardea Zero Z440 NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 | 4TB Samsung 860 EVO SATA SSD | 2TB Samsung 860 QVO SATA SSD | 6TB WD Black HDD | CoolerMaster H500M | Corsair HX1000 Platinum | Topre Type Heaven + Seenda Ergonomic W/L Vertical Mouse + 8BitDo Ultimate 2.4G | iFi Micro iDSD Black Label | Philips Fidelio B97 | C49HG90DME 49" 32:9 144Hz Freesync 2 | Omnidesk Pro 2020 48" | 64bit Win11 Pro 23H2

2nd Rig: AMD AM4 R9 3900X + TR PA 120 SE | Gigabyte X570S Aorus Elite AX | 2x 16GB Patriot Viper Elite II DDR4 4000MHz | Sapphire Nitro+ RX 6900 XT | 500GB Crucial P2 Plus NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4.0 (OS)2TB Adata Legend 850 NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 |  2TB Kingston NV2 NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 | 4TB Leven JS600 SATA SSD | 2TB Seagate HDD | Keychron K2 + Logitech G703 | SOLDAM XR-1 Black Knight | Enermax MAXREVO 1500 | 64bit Win11 Pro 23H2

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 are the preloaded apps available to uninstall?

Some apps are available to uninstall, but other apps all you can do is "Disable" it via Settings --> Apps (Not uninstall)

Some apps yes, some apps no.

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I think if you want to absoluteley delete all of the unnecessary apps to you, you have to root the phone.

I want to build a rig, but I'm not a gamer.   :mellow:

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I'm presently putting my ZF2 thru its pace along with my main phone, and even coming from good phones like the Note 3 and my present LG G Pro 2, this phone doesn't feel lacking in any way. The bloatware is a bit of a pain, but this phone feels fluid and wicked fast even when compared with them. Had a full charge 48 hours ago, been using it lightly, playing music, watching short vids and updating a crapload of apps via WiFi, battery's now 15% and I'm recharging it.

Even with the first Zenfone series release, most people were amazed at how responsive it was.

I want to build a rig, but I'm not a gamer.   :mellow:

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Some apps are available to uninstall, but other apps all you can do is "Disable" it via Settings --> Apps (Not uninstall)

Some apps yes, some apps no.

how much internal storage do they take up, how much is left

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how much internal storage do they take up, how much is left

So the phone was 64GBs of storage and when 54GBs are left.

(Keep in mind, I have 2 downloaded apps and some of the memory is taken up by Android L (The operating system)

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Can you install apps in an sd ? Because according to what you say all the bloatware takes up 10gbs of space , is this right ? Also , is any of the bloatware apps running consistently on the background ?

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Can you install apps in an sd ? Because according to what you say all the bloatware takes up 10gbs of space , is this right ? Also , is any of the bloatware apps running consistently on the background ?

You need to keep in mind like I said the operating system takes up space, as well as the bloatware.

Plus I have 2 apps (of mine) installed and yes, you should be able to install apps in an SD card.

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Can you install apps in an sd ? Because according to what you say all the bloatware takes up 10gbs of space , is this right ? Also , is any of the bloatware apps running consistently on the background ?

You mean external sd card? I believe you can. In the ZenUI, there is "ASUS Customized Settings" in the settings menu where you can select your preferred app installation destination--internal storage or external. [emoji1]

I want to build a rig, but I'm not a gamer.   :mellow:

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Can you install apps in an sd ? Because according to what you say all the bloatware takes up 10gbs of space , is this right ? Also , is any of the bloatware apps running consistently on the background ?

Right now, with Android L as the OS (mine's the 32GB model), and all the bloat ware installed, I see 23.1GB being available....that's 8.9GB used for Android L and other apps (including bloatware). I honestly don't know how these people came up with 10GB taken up by bloatware.

Main Rig: AMD AM4 R9 5900X (12C/24T) + Tt Water 3.0 ARGB 360 AIO | Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme | 2x 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3600C16 | XFX MERC 310 RX 7900 XTX | 256GB Sabrent Rocket NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 3.0 (OS) | 4TB Lexar NM790 NVMe M.2 PCIe4x4 | 2TB TG Cardea Zero Z440 NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 | 4TB Samsung 860 EVO SATA SSD | 2TB Samsung 860 QVO SATA SSD | 6TB WD Black HDD | CoolerMaster H500M | Corsair HX1000 Platinum | Topre Type Heaven + Seenda Ergonomic W/L Vertical Mouse + 8BitDo Ultimate 2.4G | iFi Micro iDSD Black Label | Philips Fidelio B97 | C49HG90DME 49" 32:9 144Hz Freesync 2 | Omnidesk Pro 2020 48" | 64bit Win11 Pro 23H2

2nd Rig: AMD AM4 R9 3900X + TR PA 120 SE | Gigabyte X570S Aorus Elite AX | 2x 16GB Patriot Viper Elite II DDR4 4000MHz | Sapphire Nitro+ RX 6900 XT | 500GB Crucial P2 Plus NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4.0 (OS)2TB Adata Legend 850 NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 |  2TB Kingston NV2 NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 | 4TB Leven JS600 SATA SSD | 2TB Seagate HDD | Keychron K2 + Logitech G703 | SOLDAM XR-1 Black Knight | Enermax MAXREVO 1500 | 64bit Win11 Pro 23H2

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One last thing , is the screen bright enough to use in bright sun and how good are the viewing angles ?

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One last thing , is the screen bright enough to use in bright sun and how good are the viewing angles ?

I've been using it and it's fine to use in the bright sun! I work outside and I've been able to use this phone outside when the sun is beaming.

Compared to the iPhone 6 Plus (My old device, the iPhone does have more brightness than the ASUS Zenfone 2.

Viewing angles are great.

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I played with a few of the international versions when I had them at work. Though it was the slower model 2GB and 16GB storage. Performance wise it was really smooth. But the brightness was on the lower side compared to other phones.

 

 

One of the biggest concerns I had was actually with thermals. Did you find the phone runs warm after extended use or was it fine for you?

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I've been using it and it's fine to use in the bright sun! I work outside and I've been able to use this phone outside when the sun is beaming.

Compared to the iPhone 6 Plus (My old device, the iPhone does have more brightness than the ASUS Zenfone 2.

Viewing angles are great.

Thank you for the help :)

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I've been using it and it's fine to use in the bright sun! I work outside and I've been able to use this phone outside when the sun is beaming.

Compared to the iPhone 6 Plus (My old device, the iPhone does have more brightness than the ASUS Zenfone 2.

Viewing angles are great.

 

What about screen relectivity? The 5s isn't as reflective as some other phones, how is it compared to the 6+?

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Thank you for the help :)

No problem man, I hope you grab one! :)

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