I can relate to the excitement of waiting for a phone to be available commercially. Blame all the hype and media propaganda. And the last time I remember getting excited was for the 41 MP Nokia 808 Pureview as well as the Lumia 1020 which offered the same megapixel camera. I was also hyped by the Meizu MX5 because it was allegedly going to offer a similar high resolution camera, although it was only up 20 something MP. I'm still with my ancient 3 year old phone though and I don't plan on buying anything new while it still works. :)
Back to the hype on phones, last year up to early this year, the ASUS Zenfone 2 was definitely the talk of the town. While it was already available in the Philippines since summer (some even sold it online, the international version that is), we only had it on hand recently after comparing several shops (both offline and online) in terms of pricing and version. We looked for the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML, specifically with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB internal storage. Some stores only have the 2 GB RAM and the 16 GB or 32 GB version. Some are also priced too much. So we only settled for the best deal (not cash, as always) through Electro World. It was incidentally the same store where I got my phone from in 2012. Their bag by the way has since then improved. It's no longer the red unfashionable bag but a very appealing handy bag which can be reused.
This is the box of the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML:
Here's what's inside the box:
And now for the actual Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML unit (front and back):
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML Full Specifications
- 5.5-Inch Full HD IPS Display (1080 x 1920 Pixels, 401 ppi)
- Scratch Resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with Zen UI
- Intel Atom Z3580 Chipset
- 2.3 GHz Quad Core 64-bit CPU
- PowerVR G6430 GPU
- 4 GB of RAM (other units only have 2GB RAM)
- 13.0 Megapixel Autofocus Main Camera with LED Flash
- 5.0 Megapixel Front Camera
- 64 GB Internal Storage (most units only have 16 GB or 32 GB)
- Expandable Up to 64 GB via MicroSD
- Dual SIM (Micro + Micro)
- 4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE and GPRS Networks
- Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Hotspot
- NFC Support
- Bluetooth 4.0
- GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS
- USB OTG Support
- 3.5 mm Audio Jack
- E-Compass
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Ambient Light Sensor
- 3, 000 mAh Li-Po Battery (Non-removable)
- 152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 – 10.9mm @ 170 g
This information was lifted from this post on Pinoy Techno Guide.
Personal Hands On Review
Personally, the WOW factor in those features listed above for me include the 2.3 GHz Quad Core 64-bit CPU, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB Internal Storage, 4G LTE data connectivity, and Bluetooth 4.0. I can attest to the fact that this phone is REALLY fast mostly because of those features I've mentioned. The lighting charger charges fast as well although the battery is built in so you better not be using the phone while it's charging or leave it completely drained prior to charging in order to prolong the battery life. The easy three tap option to lock and unlock the screen is fun too. This prevents the home button from being overused. You can also lock certain apps like Facebook to prevent anyone from snooping around your stuff. Doing so will enable the camera to capture your photo and report you to the owner soon as he/she starts using the phone again.
The headset isn't much though. You are better off using a different device for listening instead. It's also quite expensive to protect the screen because tempered glass cover is more costly (around 500 pesos, although there are online stores offering something as low as 150 pesos) than the usual screen protector. In terms of camera function, it's nowhere close to the old phone I use but maybe because we haven't tinkered long enough to play with the image and video editing options of the Zenfone 2 yet. This isn't my phone by the way.
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML Camera Test HDR Images and Videos
These are some photos taken using the HDR capability of the phone:
Here are videos on the other hand:
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