HONOR just launched the HONOR 8C – the entry-level companion to their HONOR 8X smartphone. Here are the official HONOR 8C tech briefing, price and deals!
The HONOR 8C Tech Briefing
Zhao Zhiwei, Head of HONOR Malaysia, shared the HONOR 8C’s key features in this video!
Display
The HONOR 8C comes with a 6.26-inch IPS display with a HD+ resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. It is a FullView display that offers a 86.6% screen-to-body ratio.
Performance
It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 mobile SoC, which has eight Kryo 250 cores running at 1.8 Ghz, and an Adreno 506 GPU.
RAM + Storage
The HONOR 8C comes with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal flash storage. It has a microSD card slot that supports up to 256 GB of additional storage.
Cameras
In the front, it has an 8 MP camera with a soft light flash. In the back, its 13 MP PDAF camera has a large f/1.8 aperture, and is paired with a 2 MP depth sensor.
Battery
Powering everything is a large 4,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery. HONOR says that it will last up to 2 days.
HONOR 8C Spécifications
Specifications
HONOR 8C
Display
6.26-inch IPS display
-720 x 1520 pixels (269 ppi)
Operating System
Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.2
System Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 632
Processor
8 x Qualcomm Kryo 250 (1.8 GHz)
Graphics Processor
Qualcomm Adreno 506
Memory
3 GB
Storage
32 GB
microSD card (up to 256 GB)
Front Camera
8 MP sensor with soft light flash (3 levels)
Rear Camera
Dual Lens Camera
- 13 MP PDAF camera with f/1.8 aperture
- 2 MP depth sensor
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz only)
Bluetooth : BT 4.2
USB : micro USB 2.0
Battery
4,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery (non-removable)
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, Rear-mounted
Other Sensors
Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Digital Compass
NFC
No
Dimensions
75.94 mm wide
158.72 mm tall
7.98 mm thick
Weight
167.2 grams
Colour Options
Blue / Gold / Black
HONOR 8C Price + Availability
The HONOR 8C is officially priced at RM 599 / ~US$ 147 / ~£111. It will be available for retail sale from 5 April 2019 onwards in three colour options – Blue, Gold and Black.
Lazada Exclusive First Sales
HONOR partnered up with Lazada to offer the Blue and Black models starting 27 March 2019 onwards. In addition, the first 1,000 buyers will receive an exclusive tote bag featuring their catbassador of the British short-hair persuasion!
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Realme began their global expansion with three big bangs – the Realme 2 Pro, the Realme 2 and Realme C1 smartphones. While the Realme 2 Pro is clearly positioned as a killer mid-range smartphone, there is still some confusion about the Realme 2 and Realme C1 smartphones.
Despite their names, both Realme smartphones are very similar in many aspects. They are even similar in design and size! In this comparison, we will show you the differences between the two Realme smartphones. Find out which is the best option for you!
Realme Smartphone Video Comparison
Let’s start with a video comparison of the three new Realme smartphones!
Realme 2 vs. Realme C1 – By The Numbers!
Display : Same
Both Realme smartphones have the same 6.2-inch IPS display with a HD+ resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels.
CPU + GPU : Same
Both Realme smartphones run on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 platform, with eight ARM Cortex-A53 CPU cores and the Adreno 506 GPU.
Memory : 2 GB vs. 3 / 4 GB
The Realme C1 comes with 2 GB of RAM, while the Realme 2 comes with either 3 GB or 4 GB of RAM.
Storage : 16 GB vs. 32 / 64 GB
The Realme C1 comes with 16 GB of storage, while the Realme 2 comes with either 32 GB or 64 GB of RAM.
Front Camera : 5 MP vs. 8 MP
The Realme C1 comes with a 5 MP front camera, while the Realme 2 comes with a higher-resolution 8 MP front camera.
Rear Camera : Same
Both smartphones boast the same dual-lens camera, with a 13 MP image sensor, and a 2 MP depth sensor. Their dual-lens camera is also supported by a single LED flash.
Fingerprint Sensor : Only In The Realme 2
Only the Realme 2 comes with a fingerprint sensor, and it’s located at the back.
Battery : Same
Both smartphones are powered by the same 4,230 mAh lithium-ion battery.
Colour + Finish : Diamond Cut vs. Mirror
The Realme 2 comes with a Diamond Cut glossy finish with 15 tangent planes. It is available in two colour options – Diamond Black and Diamond Red.
The Realme C1, on the other hand, has a mirrored glossy design, and comes in the Mirror Black and Navy Blue colour options.
Size + Weight : Same
Both Realme smartphones have the same dimensions, and even weight! They are both 75.6 mm wide, 156.2 mm tall and 8.2 mm thick, and they both weigh just 168 grams.
Price : Cheap, Cheaper… CHEAPEST!
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The Realme 2 comes in two variants. The high-end 4 GB + 64 GB model costs RM 699 / Rp 2,299,000 / ~US$ 167, while the mid-range 3 GB + 32 GB model costs RM 599 / Rp 1,999,000 / ~US$ 143.
The Realme C1 is available only with 2 GB RAM + 16 GB storage. It has a launch price of just RM 499 / Rp 1,499,000 / ~US$ 119!
But amazingly, Realme is currently offering the Realme C1 at just RM 399 in Malaysia for a limited time!That’s a RM 100 off – a 25% discount! You can get it from this link!
Realme 2 vs. Realme C1 Specifications Compared!
Specifications
Realme 2
Realme C1
Display
6.2-inch display
- 720 x 1520 pixels
- 19:9 aspect ratio, 271 ppi
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The Realme 2 smartphone has now been unveiled in Jakarta and Malaysia to thunderous applause. Here are the Realme 2 price and offers, as well as its official tech briefing and full specifications!
Who Is Realme?
Created by OPPO as a sub-brand, Realme recently became an independent brand. Realme Southeast Asia Marketing Director, Josef Wang, gave a quick overview of Realme as a new smartphone brand, and how well they did in their first market – India.
Realme Interview Session
We also had the opportunity to grill Realme’s Josef Wang and Felix Christian about their ties with OPPO and the three new Realme smartphones that they just revealed!
The Official Realme 2 Tech Briefing
The Realme 2 smartphone is a more premium version of the Realme C1 smartphone. Designed with the tagline “Power Meets Style” in mind, the Realme 2 boasts more elaborate craftsmanship than is usually seen in its market segment.
It is currently in its original Indonesian, but we are in the process of dubbing it in English, so check back later for the English translation!
Realme 2 Specifications
Specifications
Realme 2
Display
6.2-inch display
- 720 x 1520 pixels
- 19:9 aspect ratio, 271 ppi
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Realme 2 Key Features
Here is a summary of its key features :
2.5D Composite Multi-Laminate Back Panel
The Realme 2 features a diamond-inspired back cover made from a composite material with multiple glass-like layers that are scratch- and wear-resistant. It is also optically-coated to deliver a refractive lustre.
Notch Full Screen
The Realme 2 has a 6.2-inch Notch Full Screen, with 88.8% screen-to-body ratio. Thanks to its bezel-less design, it offers a 17% larger view for gaming and multitasking.
Long-lasting 4,230mAh Battery
The Realme 2 has a large 4,230 mAh battery that is managed by their AI Power Master software to provide all-day endurance, by intelligently suspending inactive apps and processes to minimise power consumption. Here are the results of Realme’s lab tests :
Normal Network Calls
44 hours
Music Playing (WiFi)
18 hours
Video Playback (WiFi)
15 hours
Gaming (WiFi)
10 hours
Surfing the Internet (WiFi)
18 hours
AI Power Manager
Without affecting smooth working of apps, AI Power Manager automatically optimises the power consumption of apps and controls the number of active processor cores.
App-Freezing Power Saver: Smartly restricts apps running in background to reduce overall power consumption and extend battery life. On average this feature allows the applications to save power by 5%-11%, and it can also be manually adjusted.
Quick App Freezing: AI Power Manager can put the background apps in the quick-freezing folder to effectively cut off the frequent and meaningless mutual wake-up between apps to save power. Laboratory data: About 5% energy saved per 24 hours compared to mobile phones without turning on app-freezing.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 is an octa-core processor built on the 14 nm process technology, and runs at 1.8 GHz.
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Efficient, low power consumption with the ARM Cortex-A53 processor cores that consumes less power, and employs an efficient performance boosting feature;
Its GPU is 25% faster in image rendering, with 30% lower power consumption than the Snapdragon 435.
Memory + Storage
The Realme 2 in two variants – 3 GB of RAM with 32 GB of storage, or 4 GB of RAM with 64 GB of storage. It can be upgraded with a microSD card of up to 256 GB in capacity.
AI Photography
The Realme 2 has an AI-powered dual camera in the rear. It consists of a 13 MP camera paired with a 2 MP depth sensor, that is capable of recording 1080p videos. In the front, it has an 8 MP selfie camera that supports Portrait Mode, and AI Beauty Selfies.
The Complete Realme Jakarta Presentation
Here is the complete Realme Jakarta presentation for the Realme 2 Pro, Realme 2 and Realme C1 smartphones :
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The Realme C1 smartphone has now been unveiled in Jakarta and Malaysia to thunderous applause. Here are the Realme C1 price and offers, as well as its official tech briefing and full specifications!
Who Is Realme?
Created by OPPO as a sub-brand, Realme recently became an independent brand. Realme Southeast Asia Marketing Director, Josef Wang, gave a quick overview of Realme as a new smartphone brand, and how well they did in their first market – India.
Realme Interview Session
We also had the opportunity to grill Realme’s Josef Wang and Felix Christian about their ties with OPPO and the three new Realme smartphones that they just revealed!
The Official Realme C1 Tech Briefing
The Realme C1 smartphone is really a cut-down version of the Realme 2 smartphone. Offered at an incredibly low price, it’s designed to be the “New King of Entry Level” smartphones, in Realme’s own words.
It is currently in its original Indonesian, but we are in the process of dubbing it in English, so check back later for the English translation!
Realme C1 Specifications
Specifications
Realme C1
Display
6.2-inch display
- 720 x 1520 pixels
- 19:9 aspect ratio, 271 ppi
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Realme C1 Key Features
Here is a summary of its key features :
Notch Full Screen
The Realme C1 has a 6.2-inch Notch Full Screen, with 88.8% screen-to-body ratio. Thanks to its bezel-less design, it offers a 17% larger view for gaming and multitasking.
Nature-Inspired Design
Mimicking the natural reflection of a water surface, the rear panel is made of 12 layers of nanoscale composite material. The result is a mirrored design that reflects light with every movement you make.
Long-lasting 4230mAh Battery
The Realme C1 has a large 4,230 mAh battery that is managed by their AI Power Master software to provide all-day endurance, by intelligently suspending inactive apps and processes to minimise power consumption. Here are the results of Realme’s lab tests :
Music Playing (WiFi)
18 hours
Video Playback (WiFi)
15 hours
Gaming (WiFi)
10 hours
Surfing the Internet (WiFi)
18 hours
AI Power Manager
Without affecting smooth working of apps, AI Power Manager automatically optimises the power consumption of apps and controls the number of active processor cores.
App-Freezing Power Saver: Smartly restricts apps running in background to reduce overall power consumption and extend battery life. On average this feature allows the applications to save power by 5%-11%, and it can also be manually adjusted.
Quick App Freezing: AI Power Manager can put the background apps in the quick-freezing folder to effectively cut off the frequent and meaningless mutual wake-up between apps to save power. Laboratory data: About 5% energy saved per 24 hours compared to mobile phones without turning on app-freezing.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 is an octa-core processor built on the 14 nm process technology, and runs at 1.8 GHz.
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Efficient, low power consumption with the ARM Cortex-A53 processor cores that consumes less power, and employs an efficient performance boosting feature;
Its GPU is 25% faster in image rendering, with 30% lower power consumption than the Snapdragon 435.
Memory + Storage
The Realme C1 comes with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of internal flash storage. It can be upgraded with a microSD card of up to 256 GB in capacity.
AI Photography
The Realme C1 has an AI-powered dual camera in the rear. It consists of a 13 MP camera paired with a 2 MP depth sensor, that is capable of recording 1080p videos. In the front, it has a 5 MP selfie camera that supports Portrait Mode, and AI Beauty Selfies.
The Complete Realme Jakarta Presentation
Here is the complete Realme Jakarta presentation for the Realme 2 Pro, Realme 2 and Realme C1 smartphones :
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The Vivo V9 smartphone was just launched, boasting a FullView display and “enhanced AI-powered experience“. And just in case the new features don’t impress you, they also introduced not one, not two, but THREE new celebrity endorsers.
The Vivo V9 Launch & Celebrity Endorsements
Vivo believes in the power of launch gambits and celebrity endorsements. Check out the awesome laser light show they put up, and the ringing celebrity endorsements of Janna Nick, Joyce Chu and Alvin Chong.
The Vivo V9 Feature Presentation
Not impressed by laser light show, or celebrity power? Let Vivo Oversea Product Manager Guo Chao Yang give you an incredibly detailed presentation on the Vivo V9 smartphone.
FullView Display
The Vivo V9 is as compact as a traditional 5.5-inch phone but offers a 6.3-inch display. The screen size was increased by 5.2%, with 19% thinner side bezels, compared to the previous generation’s Vivo V7+.
AI Photography
The Vivo V9 has a 24 MP front camera, and a dual-lens main camera with 16 MP and 5 MP sensors. These cameras have been enhanced with “AI capabilities” that are based on software and machine learning.
Its Super HDR feature auto-detects the surroundings in order to produce better colours, more details and better tones. Super HDR captures and merges more frames and intelligently merges them to cater to more extreme lighting scenarios. it also employs smart scene detection to balance the lighting of the person and the background to create a natural feel.
AI Face Beauty identifies users’ age, gender, skin tone and texture, as well as the surrounding lighting environment. Its AI algorithm, trained using a database of almost one million facial images from around the world, allows AI Face Beauty to adapt and apply the ideal algorithm for optimized photos. As your usage increases, the AI will also learn your customized setting preferences, automatically creating the ideal photo every time and exactly the way you want.
The new AI Selfie Lighting feature also allows you to create artistic photo masterpieces anytime anywhere without an elaborate equipment setup. The Vivo V9’s AI algorithm transforms the facial profile in the original 2D photo into a 3D model to process the light accents authentically. You can choose from a range of effects like Natural Light, Studio Light, Stereo Light and Monochrome Background.
AI-Optimized Mobile Experience
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The Vivo AI Smart Engine learns your usage habits and preferences, to help prioritize processing and storage resources. As the AI Smart Engine picks up on your usage habits, it can accurately predict your next move and have your favorite apps launch 20% faster.
The updated AI Face Access technology can detect the reflection of natural skin and the subtle movements of the face to further reduce the possibility of accidently unlocking when shown photos or videos. AI Face Access for App-Lock even helps secure your data and privacy for individual applications.
The AI Attention Sensing also recognizes when you’re looking at the phone to keep disruption to a minimum by automatically reducing the volume of message alerts, incoming calls and alarms, since you’re already looking at the screen.
Updated Game Mode
Updated Game Mode delivers the hyper-focused environment required for the most dedicated gamers with the ability to block all messages, calls and alerts while gaming. Alternately, you can set it up to display phone calls from designated contacts only. The new picture-in-picture for games feature means you won’t even have to exit the game to reply to critical messages.
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The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro was one of the key smartphones revealed at the ASUS “We Love Photo” event in Taipei. In fact, it is the top-of-the-line model in their Selfie line of smartphones, with two selfie cameras – one of which is capable of taking 24 MP photos! Let’s take a close look at the new ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie (ZD552KL) smartphone, and see if this is the ultimate selfie smartphone!
Updated @ 2017-10-24 : Added a selfie video comparing the viewing angle and video recording quality of the two selfie cameras. Made various other updates and minor corrections to the review.
Originally posted @ 2017-09-14
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro Specifications
ASUS launched the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (ZD552KL) together with a lower-end ZenFone 4 Selfie (ZD553KL) model. What’s the difference? Here is a comparison table of their key specifications :
Specifications
ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro
ZenFone 4 Selfie
Model
ZD552KL
ZD553KL
Design
2.5D contoured Corning Gorilla Glass display with metal unibody & multiple colour selections
2.5D contoured glass display with metallic-finish unibody
Display
5.5" Full HD AMOLED display (1920 x 1080)
Greater than 500nits brightness for excellent outdoor readability
Capacitive touch panel with 10 point multi-touch sensing (support glove touch)
5.5" HD IPS LCD (1280 x 720)
400 nits brightness for excellent outdoor readability
74.2% screen-to-body ratio
Operating System
Android 7.0 Nougat with ZenUI 4.0
Android 7.0 Nougat with ZenUI 4.0
System Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
Processor
8 x ARM Cortex-A53 (up to 2 GHz)
8 x ARM Cortex-A53 (up to 1.4 GHz)
Graphics Processor
Qualcomm Adreno 506
Qualcomm Adreno 505
Memory
3 GB RAM / 4 GB RAM
4 GB RAM
Storage
64 GB internal flash storage
One microSD card slot (up to 2 TB)
64 GB internal flash storage
One microSD card slot (up to 2 TB)
Hi-Res Audio 192kHz / 24-bit support (4 X CD quality)
5 Magnet Speaker for louder sound and less distortion
DTS HeadPhoneX: 7.1 Virtual surround
5 Magnet Speaker
Battery
3,000 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
3,000 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-removable)
Available Colours
Rogue Red / Sunlight Gold / Deepsea Black
Rose Pink / Mint Green / Sunlight Gold / Deepsea Black
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Unboxing The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) comes in a white cardboard box with a sleeve cover. As it comes in three colour options (at launch), you should check for the correct colour using the helpful colour sticker at the lower right corner of the sleeve’s back.
Inside, you will find the following items :
One ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (ZD552KL) smartphone
One ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro bumper case
One set of User Guide, Warranty Information Form and IMEI stickers
One 10 W ASUS USB charger with micro USB 2.0 cable
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The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro Up Close
Thanks to its thin bezel design, the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) has a 5.5″ full HD AMOLED display in a form factor that is smaller, thinner and lighter than the iPhone 7 Plus. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass with a 2.5D contoured edge that merges seamlessly with the diamond-cut chamfer.
Everything is packed into a metal unibody chassis that is just 6.85 mm thick, and weighs only 147 grams. And yes, it has the 3.5 mm audio port. ASUS obviously put a considerable amount of work into the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check).
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, which they used most recently in their ZenFone 3 Zoom smartphone. Like the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom, it also comes with 4 GB of LPDDR3 SDRAM and 64 GB of internal flash storage.
Two Selfie Cameras!
This is the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro’s killer feature – two front cameras for the perfect selfies. They consist of a main high-resolution selfie camera, and a wide-angle selfie camera for group shots. They are both supported by a soft LED flash that is designed to deliver enough fill light for selfies without overexposure and harsh shadows.
The main DuoPixel selfie camera (on the left) has a high-resolution Sony IMX362 sensor paired with f/1.8 lens. This camera boasts twice the light sensitivity of competing selfie cameras, and the astounding capability to take 24 MP photos. Heck, it can even record 4K selfie videos!
The wide-angle selfie camera (on the right) has a 5 MP Omnivision 5670 sensor paired with f/2.2 lens. With a 120° field of view, It allows you to capture a group shot (a wefie) without using a selfie stick.
The two cameras work individually – you switch from one camera to another, depending on whether you want a close up selfie, or a group wefie..
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The 24MP DuoPixel Technology
You may be wondering how the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) takes 24 MP pictures with a 12 MP Sony IMX362 sensor. Note that these 24 MP pictures are taken in a single shot, not stitched from multiple shots (e.g. ASUS Super Resolution). And no, they didn’t just double the pixels.
What they did was make full use of the Sony IMX362 sensor.
The IMX362 is a Dual Pixel Autofocus sensor, which means each pixel has two photodiodes. Usually, the two photodiodes are used separately to speed up autofocus, before being combined to capture the pixel data.
When you enable the ASUS DuoPixel Technology for 24 MP photos, the signals from the two photodiodes are not combined to create the final pixel. Instead, they are used to create two pixels, effectively doubling the resolution to 24 MP.
DuoPixel does not merely duplicate the pixels. The two photodiodes are effectively two pixels sharing the same microlens, each recording different beams of light. This is an elegant way to double the effective resolution of the photo. The only drawback – low light performance will suffer because each “pixel” now receives only half of the light. Not to worry though. You can disable DuoPixel for maximum low light performance.
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The 16 MP PixelMaster 4.0 Camera
Even though the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro’s main focus is the front camera capabilities, ASUS did not neglect the rear camera. It has 16 MP Sony IMX351 sensor coupled with f/2.2 lens and an LED flash. It is capable of recording 4K videos. The camera does not support OIS (optical image stabilisation), but is electronically stabilised on 3 axes when it records full HD videos.
If 16 MP is not good enough, this camera supports the ASUS Super Resolution technology that captures and combines four 16 MP photos to create a 64 MP photo. The camera also supports a new Time Lapse Mode with Power Saving, which lowers the screen brightness and puts the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro into the Airplane mode. Now you can take long Time Lapse videos without worrying about running out of power.
Hybrid SIM & Fingerprint Sensor
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) has dual SIM, dual standby capability. It has a hybrid SIM tray for two nano SIM cards. The second SIM card tray (SIM2) doubles as a microSD card slot (up to 2 TB). Both SIM1 and SIM2 support 3G and 4G connectivity, but only one SIM card can connect to the 3G / 4G network – the other can only connect to a 2G network.
The ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) has a fast, all-aspect fingerprint sensor integrated into the Home button. Our tests showed that it requires just 12 finger presses to register a fingerprint, and is very fast and accurate in recognising the registered fingerprint.
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ASUS SonicMaster 4.0
The audio aspect of smartphones is often overlooked. The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) has an impressive set of hardware and software audio technologies, which ASUS markets as SonicMaster 4.0.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) is Hi-Res Audio-certified, so you can enjoy 24-bit / 192 kHz audio. It also supports DTS Headphone:X for virtual 7.1 channel surround sound over your headphones. It has a 5-magnet speaker driven by the NXP Smart Amp with 40% more power output and less distortion.
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Setting Up The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) ships with Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and ASUS confirmed that it will be upgraded soon to Android 8.0 Oreo. It also comes with 100 GB of free Google Drive storage for 1 year. Let’s show you just how easy it is to set-up the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro.
The Ergonomics
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) may have a large 5.5″ display, but it is svelte at less than 75 mm wide and slim at less than 7 mm, even with the camera bump. It is surprisingly light at just 147 grams.
The large display with its full HD resolution is just perfect for watching movies. We also applaud ASUS for using an AMOLED display – it is generally more vivid and power-efficient.
We especially like the satin finish of the anodised chassis. It is smooth and comfortable to touch, and is resistant to fingerprint smears. The provided bumper case increases grip while protecting the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) without making it overly bulky, or covering up its look.
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Available Memory & Storage
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) comes with 4 GB of LPDDR3 memory, of which 1.8 GB (45%) is free to use. That is about as much memory as some smartphones ship with, so don’t worry about running out of RAM with the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro!
The ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) also comes with 64 GB of internal flash memory. Of that, just under 51 GB is available to use. If that’s not enough, you can top it up with a microSD card (up to 256 GB).
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Main Camera Performance – Photos
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) uses the 16 MP Sony IMX351 sensor for its main camera, paired with f/2.2 lens. The full 16 MP resolution is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio. Each picture has a resolution of 4640 × 3480 and a file size of between 6 to 8 MB.
Here are 10 high-resolution samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.
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Selfie Cameras Performance – Photos
The main selfie camera has an excellent 12 MP Sony IMX362 sensor with fast f/1.8 lens, and a resolution of 3928 x 2944. The wide-angle selfie camera has a 5 MP Omnivision 5670 sensor with f/2.2 lens, and a resolution of 2552 x 1912.
Here are three examples demonstrating the difference between the 12 MP main front camera, and the 5 MP wide-angle front camera.
12 MP Main Selfie Camera
5 MP Wide-Angle Camera
12 MP Main Selfie Camera
5 MP Wide-Angle Camera
12 MP Main Selfie Camera
5 MP Wide-Angle Camera
The Omnivision 5670 sensor lacks the resolution of the Sony IMX362 sensor but did surprisingly well. While we naturally prefer the greater detail and colour saturation of the main selfie camera, the wide-angle selfie camera sure is useful in packing in more people, or more of the scenery in the background.
The wide-angle camera is best used in bright conditions. While it may not produce very high resolution photos, they are absolutely perfect for social media.
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Main Camera Performance – Video Recording
We tested the main camera’s video recording performance in both 1080p and 4K resolutions. It supports EIS (electronic image stabilisation) but only when it records 1080p video.
While it supports Hi-Res Audio, that’s only for playback. It does not support Hi-Res Audio recording. The noise cancellation is decent, but the recorded audio is a little too bright and lacks punch.
Video Recording Test #1 : Piano (1080p)
The electronic image stabilisation worked well, greatly reducing the amount of hand shake in this video. However, the image itself appears to be somewhat blurred, with the colours muted and highlights overblown.
Video Recording Test #2 : Piano (4K)
The image quality when recording at 4K is so much better – sharp, with much greater detail and well-saturated colours. It’s worth trading the hand shake for the much better image quality.
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Video Recording Test #3 : Street Market (1080p)
The image quality in this test was better than what we saw in the Piano test, although the highlights were still overblown. The 3-axis EIS worked well though.
Video Recording Test #4 : Street Market (4K)
The resolution is really good – you can take very good screenshots from the video. But the lack of image stabilisation means that 4K recording is best done when you are stationary… or well, just use the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro with a gimbal.
Video Recording Test #5 : Video Selfie Test
Both front selfie cameras can record videos at the full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080. The main selfie camera is noticeably brighter, but the wide angle camera has better control of the background highlights. The video from the wide-angle camera has a noticeable fisheye effect – you get a much wider view, but the corners will be distorted.
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Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro
ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
OPPO F1s
Work Performance Score
(Average)
7837
6655
4954
3884
Web Browsing
8623
7595
5143
3688
Video Playback
5282
4545
4515
3789
Writing
7692
7264
4948
4141
Photo Editing
10766
7824
5243
3933
Both the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) and the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, but the Selfie Pro is almost 18% faster. In any case, they both did much better than the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017), and the OPPO F1s in this test.
Battery Life – PCMark
We then tested the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) has a relatively small 3,000 mAh lithium-ion battery. It lasted 10.25 hours in our battery test, which is pretty good considering its higher performance. Incidentally, you can see that the battery is calibrated to show 100% for the first 7-8% of its total capacity.
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Battery Recharging Performance
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) comes with a 10 W fast charger. It takes about 128.5 minutes (2 hours 8.5 minutes) to recharge its battery from 20% to 100%.
That’s a battery life : recharging ratio of just 4.8:1 – which is rather disappointing. After all, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom uses the same 10 W fast charger to deliver a battery life : recharging ratio of 6.5:1.
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Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro
ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
OPPO F1s
Gaming Score
14015
13844
13540
7666
Graphics
13470
13372
13548
7511
Physics
16328
15797
13510
8265
Graphics Test 1
80.7 fps
80.3 fps
81.1 fps
49.4 fps
Graphics Test 2
46.0 fps
45.6 fps
46.2 fps
24.4 fps
Physics Test
51.8 fps
50.1 fps
42.9 fps
26.2 fps
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) uses the same Qualcomm Adreno 506 GPU as the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom, so it performs at about the same performance level.
Overall Performance
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
While the smartphone industry is focused on dual-lens main cameras, ASUS is taking a chance with the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro. Instead of placing two cameras at the back, they placed two cameras in the front. Now you have the choice of a high-resolution selfie camera, and a wide-angle selfie camera to fit more people or background into your picture.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) is targeted at the Millennials who show a clear preference for taking and sharing selfies and wefies on social media. They generally do not care about the resolution of their pictures because they almost exclusively share their photos and videos with their family and friends on social media and instant messengers.
What matters far more is the ability to take good selfies and wefies. Even better if they can create dramatic shots without resorting to ungainly selfie sticks. That’s where the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro’s wide-angle selfie camera comes in.
Its 120° field of view allows you to really pack in more people, or more of the background, into your selfies. And you can now take wefies, and more dramatic shots without using a selfie stick. Once you tried it, you will wonder how you ever “lived” without wide-angle selfie cameras!
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Of course, not all selfies require a wide-angle camera. For close-up shots with your loved ones, you will want a regular selfie camera with a field of view of 80° to 90°. You will also want the photos to be in high resolution for posterity. For that, you use the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro’s DuoPixel camera.
Not only can it take 24 MP selfies, it is paired with a fast f/1.8 lens and the awesome Sony IMX362 sensor with large 1.4 µm pixels. This makes for great selfies even in low-light conditions.
Even though it is a selfie-focused smartphone, ASUS did not skimp on the rear camera – it has a 16 MP camera with an LED flash. Neither did they skimp on its performance, memory and storage. It boasts a fast octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor, with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. And all that is packed into a thin and light chassis, with a very nice 5.5″ AMOLED display.
It’s not all perfect though. We did not like the 1080p video recording quality of the rear camera, and its battery recharging speed is rather slow. And we wish ASUS would have paired the wide-angle selfie camera with a faster lens for better low-light performance.
All that in mind, the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro is a great smartphone for those who love to take selfies. The wide-angle camera alone is worth the switch because it gives you better flexibility and creative options. For that reason, we think the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (Price Check) deserves our Reviewer’s Choice Award.
Other ASUS ZenFone 4 Articles
Here are the links to our other ASUS ZenFone 4 previews and articles :
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23rd March, 2017 — ASUS today announced ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada), the world’s slimmest and lightest 5.5-inch smartphone with a high-capacity 5000mAh battery and a dual-camera system that delivers photographic perfection.
The ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom
ZenFone 3 Zoom’s innovative dual-camera system consists of two cameras: A main camera with an f/1.7-aperture, 25mm wide-angle main lens paired to a 12MP SONY IMX362 sensor with large 1.4µm pixels (1/2.55in sensor size); and a dedicated 59mm, 12MP zoom camera with an instant 2.3X optical zoom and a 12X total zoom.
This setup ensures sharp focus for subjects at any distance. ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) also has the first ASUS SuperPixel Camera that enables it to shoot photos quickly and clearly in night-time or low-light environments. The SuperPixel Camera combines advanced hardware and software enhancement by ASUS SuperPixel technology to achieve light sensitivity that is 2.5 times[1] (2.5X) greater than that of the Apple iPhone 7 Plus (Amazon | Lazada), and 10 times that of an average smartphone.
ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) houses an incredible 5000mAh battery that has a much higher capacity than that of an average smartphone. This is paired to a powerful yet energy-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 14nm processor, enabling the new smartphone to achieve an amazing 6.4 hours of continuous 4K UHD video recording and an outstanding 42 days of standby time.
The high-capacity battery also gives ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) the ability to double up as a power bank to charge other devices. Remarkably, the high power density of the battery allows it to be fitted into a super-slim, 7.9mm full-metal chassis that weighs a mere 170 grams, making it the world’s thinnest and lightest 5.5-inch smartphone with a 5000mAh battery.
[1] Compared to the iPhone 7 Plus (Amazon | Lazada) main camera (f/1.8 with 1.22µm pixel size)
[2] Compared to average smartphone cameras (f/2.0 with 1.0µm pixel size)
Built for photographic perfection
The ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) is the most accomplished camera smartphone to date from ASUS, with a list of new features designed to make it unrivalled in mobile photography. These include:
Dual-camera system — ZenFone 3 features an all-new ASUS SuperPixel Camera for unbeatable low-light photography, plus a dedicated 12MP, 59mm camera for instant 2.3X optical zoom and 12X total zoom, making the best camera mode for different subject types and focal lengths instantly available to photographers.
The main SuperPixel Camera is ideal for shooting general subjects and macro shots as close as 10cm, while the optical-zoom camera is excellent for distant subjects. The biggest advantage of having two cameras with lenses of different focal lengths is the ability to let users switch lenses and compose in different perspectives.
ASUS SuperPixel Camera — ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) features a new main ASUS SuperPixel Camera that can shoot photos quickly and clearly in night-time or low-light environments. The SuperPixel Camera consists of three main components:
Large 1.4-micron pixel size — Larger pixels increase the camera’s sensitivity to light, and decrease the graininess of resulting photos, especially those shot in low-light environments. ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) uses the Sony IMX362 sensor with pixels measuring 1.4 microns (µm) wide pixels and a 1/2.55-inch sensor size, which is one of the largest of any smartphone camera sensors, making the camera excellent for low-light photography.
Large f/1.7 lens aperture — the large aperture allows for more light to enter the sensor compared to other smartphone cameras.
ASUS SuperPixel technology — A combination of the new ASUS SuperPixel engine hardware and image digital-signal-processing software that that boosts light sensitivity up to four times (4X) by intelligently controlling ISO levels while shooting, and removing noise in post-shot processing.
High-resolution SuperPixel selfies — ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) features one of the highest-resolution front-facing cameras of any smartphone. It has a 13MP SONY IMX 214 sensor with an f/2.0 aperture lens that shoots high-resolution selfies and also benefits from ASUS SuperPixel technology to achieve twice the light sensitivity. It also features a new ‘screen flash’ mode that uses the display as a flash in low-light environments.
ASUS 0.03s TriTech+ autofocus — ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) has an improved ASUS TriTech+ autofocus system with new Dual Pixel PDAF technology as one of its three focusing technologies along with the second-generation laser autofocus and subject tracking autofocus. ASUS TriTech+ automatically chooses the best technology to use depending on the subject, and achieves focus in an amazingly fast 0.03 seconds — the world’s fastest autofocus.
Dual Pixel PDAF — Each pixel on the sensor is now divided into two phase-detection sections that can detect the movement of subjects by analyzing the variations between the light rays hitting the two sensors. Working together with all the other 12-million pixels on the sensor, ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) is able to achieve rapid phase-detection autofocus even in low-light conditions.
Second-generation laser autofocus — Which has three times (3X) the range of standard laser focusing systems which can benefit shooting close-up subjects within 1.5 meters.
Subject-tracking autofocus — The system cleverly tracks moving subjects while the user is shooting, so they will never be out of focus. Subject tracking is enabled by default for both still images and videos.
RAW file support — ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) offers photographers the freedom to shoot and store compositions in RAW format. RAW files save the full data of the photo captured by the camera’s sensor and are ideal for enhancement with editing software, where users are able to uncover fine details in areas of shadow, or recover overexposed areas in the highlights, with much less degradation of of image quality when compared to editing JPEG image files. RAW support will be available with Android 7.0 ‘Nougat’.
Full Manual mode — This mode enables full control over ZenFone 3 Zoom’s extensive camera settings. These includes white balance, exposure value (EV), focus, and ISO settings, and an impressive shutter-speed selection of between 1/16000 sec and 32 seconds. In ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada), this mode also allows users to override the automatic camera selection and choose to use either the 25mm, f/1.7 lens of the main camera or the 59mm lens of the zoom camera.
Continuous autofocus 4K UHD video recording — For video recording, ZenFone 3 Zoom’s subject tracking autofocus system allows the smartphone to continuously focus on subjects while recording video at stunning 4K UHD resolution.
ZenFone 3 series camera features — ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) also comes with all the powerful photographic features of the ZenFone 3 series including:
Four-axis optical image stabilization (OIS) and three-axis electronic image stabilization (EIS) to prevent hand movements from blurring photos or making videos appear shaky.
Ultra-sharp 4K UHD video recording at 3840 x 2160 resolution.
RGB Color-correction sensor that automatically adjusts the colors in a photo to look natural and accurate.
48MP Super Resolution mode that combines four native 12MP photos to create a single image with exceptional 4X clarity, greater detail and less noise.
19 different unique and versatile modes that optimize the camera to shoot scenes or add special effects to photos.
Ultra-large 5000mAh battery and reverse-charging ability
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With a charge rating of 5000mAh, ZenFone 3 Zoom’s battery has one of the highest capacities of any smartphone — and the world’s highest capacity in its class.
Paired with the powerful yet battery-efficient 14nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, this high-capacity battery enables ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) to achieve an amazing 6.4 hours of continuous 4K UHD video recording time, or 42 days of standby time, without worrying about running out of charge.
ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) is the world’s slimmest and lightest 5.5-inch 5000mAh smartphone, and is a mere 7.9mm thin and weighs just 170 grams. ZenFone 3 Zoom’s high battery capacity also lets it double up as a high-speed power bank for charging other devices via an automatic reverse-charging capability.
Strong-yet-beautiful display
ZenFone 3 Zoom’s display is a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED panel with high 500cd/m2 brightness for outdoor-readable images with extreme clarity and contrast, and a color gamut that is more than 100% of the NTSC color space. It also features a blue-light filter that prevents eye strain over long periods of viewing.
ZenFone 3 Zoom (Amazon | Lazada) is also one of the first smartphones to have a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 display cover panel that is 70%-more resistant to drop damage compared to the previous Gorilla Glass generation. This panel has been crafted and shaped to fit within the phone’s beautifully small, sandblasted aluminum-alloy body. A fingerprint sensor is conveniently placed at the back of the smartphone for easy accessibility.
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OPPO just launched the OPPO R9s at an amazing price of RM 1,798 / ~US$ 399. The OPPO R9s (Lazada, Amazon) emphasises the main camera, which now boasts a 16 MP Sony IMX398 sensor with a f/1.7 lens. This makes the OPPO R9s (Lazada, Amazon) one of the most affordable smartphones with a top-of-the-line main camera.
In this article, we will share with you the full specifications, and our hands-on preview, of the OPPO R9s (Lazada, Amazon) smartphone. Check it out!
The local pricing for the OPPO R9s (Lazada, Amazon) is an astounding RM 1,798 (~US$ 399) here in Malaysia. This is about RM 300 / ~US$ 69 cheaper than other countries!
The OPPO R9s (Lazada, Amazon) can be pre-ordered from now until 13 January 2017 from OPPO Malaysia’s website, Lazada Malaysia, 11Street and the 1,200 OPPO sales points across Malaysia. It will also be available through Maxis and Celcom.
Delivery and first retail sales of the OPPO R9s (Lazada, Amazon) will begin on 14 January 2017. It will be available first in Low Yat Plaza, Kuala Lumpur and VivaCity Megamall, Sarawak.
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The ASUS ZenFone 2 family of smartphones and phablets was notable for its use of Intel Atom processors, as well as their ambidextrous design. While the Intel Atom processors were powerful, they guzzled power and had trouble gaining traction in the smartphone market.
Hence, it comes as no surprise when ASUS revealed in Computex 2016 that the new ZenFone 3 series would be powered by Qualcomm processors instead. That decision probably contributed to Intel’s decision to quit the smartphone market for good.
Here is how the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) compares against the other two ZenFone 3 models :
Specifications
ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL)
ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZU680KL)
ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL)
Display
5.7" Super AMOLED
(1920 x 1080 pixels, 386 ppi)
79% screen-to-body ratio
3,000,000 : 1
contrast ratio
ASUS TruVivid technology
Bluelight Filter
6.8" IPS display
full-screen lamination
(1920 x 1080 pixels, 324 ppi)
79% screen-to-body ratio
178˚wide-viewing angle
ASUS TruVivid technology
Bluelight Filter
5.5" Super IPS+ display
(1920 x 1080 pixels, 401 ppi)
500 nits brightness
77.3% screen-to-body ratio
2.1mm slim bezel
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
2.5D contoured Corning Gorilla Glass
Operating System
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
ASUS ZenUI 3.0
SoC Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
(MSM8996)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 652
(MSM8976)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
(MSM8953)
Processor
Quad-core Kyro (2.15 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A72 (1.8 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.4 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (2.0 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.4 GHz)
Graphics Processor
Qualcomm Adreno 530 (624 MHz)
Qualcomm Adreno 510
Qualcomm Adreno 506
Memory
Up to 6 GB
Up to 4 GB LPDDR3
Up to 4 GB LPDDR3
Storage
Up to 128 GB (UFS 2.0) internal flash storage
microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Up to 128 GB internal flash storage
microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Up to 64 GB internal flash storage
microSD slot (Supports up to 2 TB)
Front Camera
8 MP, f/2.0 aperture
85˚ wide-viewing angle, Auto Focus
8 MP, f/2.0 aperture
85˚ wide-viewing angle, Auto Focus
8 MP, f/2.0 aperture, Fixed Focus
Rear Camera
23 MP Sony IMX318 sensor
0.03 second TriTech auto-focus
6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens
4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)
Dual-LED real tone flash
Sapphire lens protection
23 MP Sony IMX318 sensor
0.03 second TriTech auto-focus
6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens
32 second long exposure
4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)
Dual-LED real tone flash
16 MP Sony IMX298 sensor
0.03 second TriTech auto-focus
6P Largan f/2.0 aperture lens
32 second long exposure
4 Stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
3-Axis EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)
Dual-LED real tone flash
Sapphire lens protection
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The ASUS ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) Smartphone
With a 5.5″ display, the ASUS ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) is the smallest model in the family. However, because all three ZenFone 3 models have the same Full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920, the its display boasts the highest pixel density of 401 ppi. The much larger ZenFone 3 Ultra (ZE680KL), for example, has a pixel density of only 324 ppi.
The ZenFone 3 (Amazon) has a very premium feel, thanks to its use of 2.5D contoured Corning Gorilla Glass that seamlessly fits the metal frame carved out of aerospace-grade aluminium alloy. It has a nice heft at 155 g / 5.5 oz – not too light, and not too heavy.
Unlike the ZenFone 3 Ultra, the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) uses a more conventional design – the Volume buttons are placed on the right side, with the Power button. The SIM card tray is placed on the left side. So this is no longer the ambidextrous design that ASUS ZenFones are known for.
The ZenFone 3 also features an improved 5-magnet speaker with Hi-Res Audio support. Not only does it deliver higher fidelity audio, it is now 20% louder with 42% less distortion.
Hybrid SIM & Fingerprint Sensor
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) has Dual SIM, Dual Standby capability, with both SIMs supporting 4G. The SIM card tray is located along the left edge, and supports two nano SIM cards. The second SIM card tray is a hybrid SIM tray, which allows you to install a microSD card instead. In other words, it supports either a second nano SIM card, or a microSD card, but not both at the same time.
Unlike the ZenFone 3 Ultra, the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) uses a fingerprint sensor that is located at the back, just under the main camera. This is an all-aspect fingerprint sensor that unlocks the smartphone in just 0.2 seconds. It can also be programmed to activate specific apps (like the camera) with different fingers.
PixelMaster 3.0 Cameras
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) sports a decent 8 MP front camera with f/2.0 lens for selfies. While not as good as the 16 MP front camera of the OPPO F1s “Selfie Expert” smartphone, it has a higher resolution than the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, and is capable of recording 1080p videos. The only downside? It doesn’t support screen flash.
The killer feature of the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is the much improved PixelMaster 3.0 camera at the back. It features a 16 MP Sony IMX298 sensor with new features like fast hybrid autofocus and 3-axis electronic image stabilization.
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ASUS paired it with f/2.0 Largan lens with 4-axis, 4-stop optical image stabilization, and a second-generation laser auto-focus sensor.
What all that means is you can capture very high resolution photos and videos in poorly-lit conditions. Any blurring that occurs due to hand shakes and wobbles will be greatly reduced or eliminated.
Focusing is also much faster, thanks to the new laser sensor that accurately detects the range of objects in low light at up to 1.5 m away.
In addition to 1080p videos, the PixelMaster 3.0 camera can also shoot 4K videos. To top it off, it encodes the 4K videos using HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) to keep the file size small while maintaining a high level of image quality.
Finally, the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) does not have any noticeable limit on how long you can record videos, or how large their file sizes are. We have recorded videos of over 120 minutes in length, and over 11 GB in size. Most smartphones have a 4 GB limit, even if they do not have a time limit.
Setting Up The ZenFone 3
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, which should be familiar to many Android users. It is very easy to setup. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only 5 minutes to finish the setup process.
If there’s one thing we dislike, it’s the additional apps that the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) automatically downloads, even if you skip the “free apps” offer at the end of the setup process. Our sample downloaded Need For Speed : No Limit, SimCity, Lazada, Beauty Plus, iReader and Google Slides.
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Ergonomics
When you power it up for the first time, you will be struck by how beautiful its display is. This may not be a QHD display like those on the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) or the HTC 10 (Amazon), but you won’t be able to tell the difference. The Super IPS+ display also offers a boost in brightness (up to 500 nits), which is especially useful outdoors in bright sunlight.
The smaller form factor means it is an easier fit for most hands. The ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is also much lighter than its big brother, the ZenFone 3 Ultra – so holding it in one hand is not a problem at all. That said, the Gorilla Glass back makes it just as slippery to grip as the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon).
Available Memory & Storage
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) comes with either 3 GB or 4 GB of LPDDR3 memory. Our review sample came with 4 GB of memory. Only 3.5 GB was usable, of which 1.1 GB was used by the Android operating system and background apps. This left 2.4 GB of free memory for us to use. That’s more than enough memory to run multiple memory-guzzling apps simultaneously.
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) also comes with a generous amount of internal storage – 64 GB. Out of the box, just under 52 GB was available for use. That should be plenty enough for most users, but is expandable via a microSD card (up to 2 TB). It also comes with 100 GB of free Google Drive storage for 2 years.
Camera Performance – Photos
The resolution of the new PixelMaster 3.0 camera is very good. The full 16 MP resolution is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio. Each picture has a resolution of 4656 x 3492 and a file size of 3.5-5 MB.
Here are six high-resolution samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.
The Sony Exmor-RS IMX298 is a really good sensor. The colours are vivid but not unnaturally so. However, the highlights are blown out. This was not so much of a problem with the IMX318 sensor used in the ZenFone 3 Ultra.
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Camera Performance – Video Recording
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is capable of recording 1080p and 4K videos, with both 4-axis optical and 3-axis electronic image stabilisation enabled. To test its video recording capabilities, we recorded a street market and a koi pond in daylight, and a night dance as well. They were all recorded in both 1080p and 4K resolutions. Check them out!
The videos show how helpful the advanced optical and electronic image stabilisation is in the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon). While it may not be quite as smooth as an actual gimbal like the DJI Osmo Mobile, it is a great improvement on what we saw with the previous-generation ASUS smartphones, like the ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser.
The amount of detail captured, especially in the 4K videos, is amazing. However, you can also see how the highlights are blown out. This is especially noticeable in the bright background of the Piano and Night Dance videos.
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Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the ZenFone 3’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
ASUS ZenFone 3
ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra
HTC 10
honor 8
Work Performance Score
(Average)
6405
6313
6105
6350
Web Browsing
8045
6257
5782
8073
Video Playback
3469
4287
3321
4396
Writing
7316
7166
7463
6231
Photo Editing
8246
8262
9694
7352
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor powering the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) did very well in this test, besting the ZenFone 3 Ultra (Snapdragon 652), the HTC 10 (Snapdragon 820) and the honor 8 (Kirin 950).
Battery Life – PCMark
We then tested the ZenFone 3’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) only comes with a 3,000 mAh battery, but it lasted almost 12 hours in this test! This is 22 minutes longer than the battery life of its big brother, the ZenFone 3 Ultra, which boasts a 53% larger 4,600 mAh battery. This is excellent battery life.
Battery Recharging Performance
The ASUS ZenFone 3 comes with a 10 W fast charger. Take a look at how fast it recharges the 3,000 mAh battery.
It took us 99 minutes (1 hour 39 minutes) to recharge the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) from 19% to 100%. That’s a battery life : recharging ratio of 7:1 – very impressive!
As the charger does not support any fancy fast charging technologies like Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, the charging profile is a relatively flat curve. It showed slightly faster charging up to the 70% charge level, before tapering off a little.
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Overall Performance
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
ASUS ZenFone 3
ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra
HTC 10
honor 8
TOTAL SCORE
62761
76096
113813
90737
3D SCORE
13022
18816
50700
17706
– 3D (Marooned)
7906
10861
34778
9829
– 3D (Garden)
5116
7952
15922
7877
UX SCORE
23789
26794
30890
34550
– UX Data Secure
5847
5077
6319
7338
– UX Data Process
3109
4198
3379
5513
– UX Strategy Games
4254
7503
5433
9745
– UX Image Process
7443
6879
9521
5017
– UX I/O Performance
3136
3137
6238
6937
CPU SCORE
20342
23689
21915
32255
– CPU Mathematics
4226
6950
8494
10483
– CPU Common Use
6593
6311
5931
8543
– CPU Multi-Core
9523
10428
7490
13229
RAM
5608
6797
10308
6226
The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is not going to win any gaming awards. It was fast in 2D graphics and CPU processing, but performed poorly in the 3D tests. It was far slower than top-of-the-line smartphones like the HTC 10, and even some mid-range smartphones like the Kirin 950-powered honor 8.
Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the ZenFone 3’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
ASUS ZenFone 3
ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra
HTC 10
honor 8
Gaming Score
13956
17719
23171
18659
Graphics
13484
21124
27512
19993
Physics
15903
11328
14925
15127
Graphics Test 1
80.5 fps
115.2 fps
136.6 fps
122.5 fps
Graphics Test 2
46.1 fps
76.3 fps
106.4 fps
67.4 fps
Physics Test
50.5 fps
36.0 fps
47.4 fps
48.0 fps
The Qualcomm Adreno 506 GPU in the ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is no 3D powerhouse and it shows. It was half as fast as the HTC 10 (Adreno 530), 36% slower than the ZenFone 3 Ultra (Adreno 510), and 33% slower than the honor 8 (ARM Mali-T880).
Our Verdict
The ZenFone 3 smartphone family represents a concerted effort by ASUS to break into the premium smartphone market. The ASUS ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) model itself represents the tip of the spear. After all, it is the most affordable variant in the family.
Now, we must point out that this is not the best smartphone for 3D gaming. The ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is very fast at 2D games, and work applications, but it falters in 3D gaming performance. But if you do not intend to play 3D games on it, this is a very good smartphone for everything else.
It has a really good front and back cameras. Yes, the highlights are overblown (can ASUS fix this in a firmware update please?), but the optical and electronic image stabilisation has been greatly improved. The resulting pictures and videos are quite amazing. They are sharp, and the colours vivid.
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The ZenFone 3 (Amazon) also supports 4K video recording, in addition to 1080p recording. And some of you might like to know that it can record videos of indefinite length and file size. No more 30 minute limit. No more 4 GB limit. Just awesome for recording events like your child’s football game or a friend’s wedding!
You will also love the long battery life and the short recharge time – something you will appreciate if you are always on-the-go and have little access to a power point. The same goes for its large memory and storage capacity. With 4 GB of memory, and 64 GB of flash storage, you will find it hard to run out of both.
And last but not, the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) is a work of art. It exudes luxury with the 2.5D curved glass on both sides melding into the solid metal frame. That is a luxury that comes with a price premium – one that many will feel well worth it.
We are so impressed with the ASUS ZenFone 3 (Amazon) that we feel it deserves no less than our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Congratulations, ASUS!
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