Page 7 : Overall Performance, Gaming Performance, Our Verdict

Overall Performance : AnTuTu Benchmark

AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.

	ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL)	honor 5X	Samsung Galaxy S6
TOTAL SCORE	36961	36983	75222
3D SCORE	2538	2446	20579
– 3D (Garden)	1550	1492	8104
– 3D (Marooned)	988	954	12475
UX SCORE	15220	16269	24065
– UX Data Secure	4483	4673	5507
– UX Data Process	2609	2438	4392
– UX Strategy Games	2169	2698	6948
– UX Image Process	2988	2599	3413
– UX I/O Performance	2971	3861	3805
CPU SCORE	15384	14031	25402
– CPU Mathematics	3296	2968	7823
– CPU Common Use	4891	4696	7585
– CPU Multi-Core	7197	6367	9994
RAM	3819	4237	5176

Other than some minor variations in performance characteristics, the 6″ ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL) [Amazon] was identical in performance to the honor 5X (Amazon) in AnTuTu Benchmark.

 

Gaming Performance : 3DMark

We tested the 6″ ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL)‘s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Sling Shot (ES 3.0) test.

	ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL)	honor 5X	Samsung Galaxy S6
Gaming Score	156	155	1508
Graphics	125	124	1510
Physics	1097	1149	1501
Graphics Test 1	0.3 fps	0.3 fps	8.6 fps
Graphics Test 2	1.4 fps	1.4 fps	5.3 fps
Physics Section 1	15.7 fps	18.8 fps	29.6 fps
Physics Section 2	11.9 fps	11.9 fps	15.4 fps
Physics Section 3	6.4 fps	6.6 fps	8.2 fps

Sling Shot is a very strenuous test, so it’s not surprising to see both the ZE601KL (Amazon) and the honor 5X (Amazon) flounder compared to the Samsung Galaxy S6. In the real world though, they both have no issues tackling the 3D games we throw at them.

 

Our Verdict

The 6″ ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL) [Amazon] is the phablet of the ZenFone 2 family. Unlike the other ZenFone 2 models, it skips the Intel Atom for a Qualcomm processor. The model we received was powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor, which is n par for this price segment.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 is slower than the Intel Atom Z3580 / Z3560 processors powering the other ZenFone 2 models, but faster than the low-cost Intel Atom x3-C3230 that powers the ASUS ZenPad 7.0 tablet, or the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 powering the 5.5″ ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE550KL).

The 6″ ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL) [Amazon] also comes with a full HD IPS display. This is perfect for watching 1080p videos, whether it’s recorded on the ZE601KL itself, or downloaded from the Internet. Of course, all that extra processing power and the higher resolution display come at a cost – reduced battery life. The ZE601KL has a 35% shorter battery life than the 5.5″ ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) on the same 3,000 mAh battery.

ASUS appears to have improved the 13 MP PixelMaster 2.0 camera used in the ZenFone 2 Laser. It no longer exhibits the yellow cast we saw in the flagship ZenFone 2 model. It has better exposure control – the subject is always well-exposed, although it overexposes bright backgrounds. The overexposure with bright backgrounds is also seen in the videos we recorded. The good news is the subject remains well-exposed. We hope ASUS can address this issue in a future firmware update.

[adrotate banner=”4″]The ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser’s hallmark laser focusing system only works for objects that are less than 50 cm away. It falls back to its contrast detection method for objects that are further away. Even with the range limitation, it’s very useful if your subject is in range… especially if there are subjects nearby that may interfere with the autofocus.

To use it properly, you should enable Touch Shutter so that when you touch on the screen, it will fire the laser, focus on the subject you just selected and take the shot – all in one go. This is especially useful for product shots where you want to focus on a particular part. The laser focusing system will guarantee that the part you want is in focus.

As such, we would recommend the 6″ ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL) [Amazon] to those who do a lot of product or miniature photography. The laser focusing system would be very helpful in this aspect. The small storage capacity is a minor hindrance – one easily solved by adding a microSD card.

The 6″ ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL) [Amazon] is best suited for those who want an affordable phablet with dual SIM, dual-standby capability and do not need a stylus. It offers an ambidextrous design with a large, full HD display protected by Gorilla Glass 4. All for just RM 1,099 (~USD 279). That’s a hard deal to ignore.

 

Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!