Asus zenfone 2 is there a built-in antivirus

Now I use Asus ZenFone 2 as my main smartphone, about which I have a story to tell. Perhaps I'll start with a little background, because ASUS is not a newcomer to smartphone manufacturing. It all started a long time ago, the whole era of Windows Mobile was associated with ASUS, but then the company turned more into computers. There was an experiment with Garmin, but somehow it didn't work out. The company began to return to the rut of smartphone building with transformers, where smarts were inserted into tablets. By the way, there were some very worthy representatives among them, and not just components of nesting dolls.

ASUS ZenFone 2 video review

Let's skip some historical moments and go straight to 2014. At its beginning, the company showed a separate line of Zenfone smartphones, which were distinguished by good filling for really ridiculous money. When I had the largest one on my review, I came to the conclusion that for the money it was almost the best choice. By the way, representatives of the line continue to be sold as more affordable, relevant, but no less balanced devices. Yes, and we have been filming with ZenFone 5 for a long time.

Well, the main thing to start with is its cost. It so happened that there are several ways to purchase an affordable flagship smartphone. The first is to order something from China. This is a good option, there are very decent and interesting solutions like OnePlus. But every year there are fewer available Chinese flagships, because the noun is turning into a very good name, the appetites and the cost of gadgets are increasing.

The second way is also good - you can consider purchasing the flagship smartphone of the past years. Even some models from 12-13 years old are still relevant. You can look at the same Nexus 5, SGS4 ...

But if these options don't work, there is a way out. Of course, I'm talking about Zenphone 2. The cost of my model is 300 euros. For this money, you get a top-end mobile processor from Intel, 2 GB of RAM, 13 MP main camera and 5 MP front camera, 5.5 ″ IPS-display with Full HD resolution, Android 5.0, two SIM card slots with two (!) radio modules, and all this in a nice package. And it is worth saying that during the use of the smartphone left an extremely positive impression, there is no feeling that you are using a compromise, where everything is there, but done through one place.

Design and ergonomics

The smartphone is plastic, and, as we have seen and heard in the case of the LG G3, the body is “metal bow”. In short, metal-like plastic. The main thing is that everything is in place, it does not play and does not creak, although slight crunches occur on my copy. I hope this will continue, since the case is collapsible.

As with the aforementioned LG G3, the volume rocker is located on the back below the camera. It does not protrude from the body, at first it is hard to find it, you need to get used to the location. The lock button (the second push-button) is located on top. It is uncomfortable, and this is almost the only drawback that I immediately noticed. Firstly, with such dimensions of a smartphone, it is not entirely comfortable to reach the top edge. Secondly, also to its central part. Thirdly, it is pressed rather tightly.

But there are also two advantages - when you give your smartphone to someone, he will not accidentally press the lock key. This happens when she is on the side. Second, the company clearly understood that it was necessary to offer a simpler solution for blocking / unblocking and made a doubletap. Like Nokia, HTC and LG. This function works well, only to block it you need to tap on the status bar or on an unoccupied space on the desktop. By the way, you can also unlock it with a double tap on any of the touch control keys.

What's more, there are gestures available right from the lock screen. For example, drawing the letter C will open the camera. Moreover, you can choose which one if you have several. Anyway, on any of the available gestures, and there are 6 of them, you can hang any application, even a third-party one.

The rest of the location is standard. The only surprises are under the cover. There is a battery here, but it will not work to replace it yourself. There are also slots for a memory card and two SIM cards. The cool thing is that the smartphone has two radio modules, the first slot supports any standards, up to LTE CAT4, the second only 2G. But during the conversation you will be able to get through to the second number.

In terms of usability, this smartphone is very good, but don't forget it has a 5.5 ″ display. If you've never used phablets before, try it first. The rest of the back cover repeats the shape of the palm, and the material is not slippery, it does not try to jump out of the hand.

Camera

I'll start with a small drawback - the camera is not at all recessed into the body, you have to be careful not to scratch the lens. In general, for its value, we have a very good option for photo lovers. At a maximum resolution of 13 MP, photos are taken with the correct aspect ratio - 4: 3. Photo quality during the day is more than acceptable. I enjoyed photographing with ZenFone 2 in Paris for my personal photo collection. The camera has a lot of settings and modes, I am glad that the most useful offer themselves at the right time. For example, if there is strong backlighting, the camera will prompt you to enable HDR. By the way, he is very Orthodox, as he takes up to 5 pictures in different exposures and glues them into one photo.

Examples without and with HDR

The presentation focused on the night mode - they say, there is no equal to the zenfon. Be that as it may, you won't get a beautiful photo, there will be a lot of noise, but really, where the others show just a black screen, there is something here. Maybe someone will find this functionality useful.

Examples of photos from the main camera

Examples of photos from the front camera

Sample video in 1080p

Sample video in 720p with stabilization

Display

As I said in the introduction, there is a 5.5 ″ IPS-screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The pixel density is 414 per inch, which is better than in the iPhone 6. The matrix was produced by Sharp. Of course, I can't say it's the best display I've seen, but it's good. Better than it was in the flagship LG G2, and even more so than in the Nexus 5. Viewing angles are maximum from all sides, excellent white color, but black in the dark turns a little gray. But far from the same as in the models mentioned above. Asus says they achieved a minimum display lag of 60ms. Unfortunately, there are no real drums for Android to test, only for Samsung in their brand store.

As always in the case of IPS-displays, I focus on the glass - whether it squeezes through and whether the stains float. This is especially true for such a diagonal. Here, Zenphone is surprisingly good. I expected purple stripes to float when pressed, but no, everything is reliable. Speaking of reliability, I will not carry out a crash test, but the Zenfone 6 I had on my review wound up very painfully right with glass on the asphalt.

Specifications

This is where the main differences between Asus ZenFone and other flagships lie. Inside is an Intel Atom Z3560 processor and PoverVR G6430 graphics. RAM in my copy is 2 GB, but there is also a version with the same processor and 4 GB of RAM. Built-in memory - 16 GB, can be up to 64. There is a slot for memory cards. All this together allows you to do whatever you want with your smartphone. Tanks, for example, run very smoothly, but the graphics are not the same as on iOS. Unfortunately, I have not seen it on any android.

Asus in 2014 opened a new line of Zenfone smartphones, which were distinguished by an acceptable price. Judging by the demand for such devices, the idea turned out to be successful, and the line received a logical continuation: Zenfone 2 ZE551ML, released in 2015, is a “living” proof of this. The smartphone boasts decent specifications, good design, and an attractive price: the younger version can be purchased at a price of 187 USD. But for the older version they will ask for up to 390 USD. It all depends on the configuration (and the promotion of the store). The prices shown are approximate and relevant at the time of the review.

The design of the device is attractive and recognizable at the same time. A plate with a gradient pattern is located on the front part under the screen. The back cover is removable, slightly curved for a better grip, and with a pattern reminiscent of metal. There are several cover colors to choose from: black, white, gray, red and gold. There is not a single button on the side edges: the volume rocker is on the back, and the power button is on the top edge. Case dimensions: 77.20 x 152.50 x 10.90 mm. Weight: 170 g.

Features Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

Thanks to the ability to choose the configuration of the hardware, everyone can choose the appropriate option based on their needs and financial capabilities.

Processor and memory

The smartphone is sold in two main variations. The differences between them are the processor, the amount of main and RAM. In any configuration, a Power VR G6430 graphics chip is installed, as well as the ability to expand memory using MicroSD (up to 64 GB).

The simpler version of Asus Zenfone 2 received a prefix in the name ZE550ML. The smartphone has an Intel Atom Z3560 processor (4 cores, 1.8 GHz). The RAM is 2 GB and the ROM is 16 GB.

The older model with the ZE551ML prefix is \u200b\u200bequipped with a 4-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor, with a frequency of 2.33 GHz. The amount of RAM has been increased to 4 GB, and the built-in storage can be 32 and 64 GB.

The difference in performance with the naked eye is difficult to notice. Both devices are very fast, except that the version with 4 GB of RAM will see a faster switching speed between applications. Nevertheless, the Intel Atom Z3560 / Z3580 processors do not reach the rank of top-end, so the most demanding games on hardware resources will run without FPS sagging only at reduced graphics settings.

Autonomous work

The battery capacity is 3000mAh. Despite the opening cover, the battery is not removable. The manufacturer has successfully combined the battery capacity with powerful yet energy efficient hardware, as well as optimized the software. In total, all this made it possible for the device to work uninterruptedly for 24 hours, with a moderately active load. In practice, this means 2 daylight hours on a single charge. In the parameters there is a configurable power saving mode, including you can choose a super economical mode, which allows you to extend the battery life by a few more hours.

Camera

The main 13MP camera is equipped with a dual flash with a cold and warm glow, as well as laser autofocus. The camera app interface is quite simple but functional. In the settings there is an adjustment of manual shooting parameters, such as exposure, white balance, ISO. There is image stabilization, but at the software level. The large-aperture matrix allows you to get good pictures in low light. A decent result is obtained in the daytime, but the photos are inferior in detail to the pictures taken with the top flagships from the 2015 A-brands. The camera can blur the background, focus quickly.

Videos can be recorded at a maximum resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080). The video quality is acceptable, however, the stabilization does not do its job in the best way: the image jerks quite noticeably when shooting while walking.

The 5 megapixel front camera takes pictures very well: it is ideal for shooting self-portraits.

Display

5.5-inch display with IPS matrix, and FullHD resolution (1920 × 1080) is covered with Gorilla Glass 3. The oleophobic layer is really high-quality, prints hardly appear and are easily erased. The margin of brightness is high, and the visibility of the image is acceptable in sunlight. Color reproduction and contrast are good, viewing angles are maximum. You can customize the color mode, including the contrast and saturation of the image, or select one of the preset modes.

Networking capabilities

Under the cover of the smartphone there are 2 slots for SIM cards, one of them can work in 3G and 4G LTE networks, the other in 2G networks. But the most interesting thing is that two radio modules were built into Asus Zenfone 2! Those who actively use two SIM-cards will be able to easily switch between them during a telephone conversation. That is, while you are talking with relatives by your personal number, you can easily receive a call from a client or boss at a work number. The smartphone has an NFC module. GPS navigation works quickly and without any complaints.

Sound

The main speaker is loud, even very loud, the sound quality is relatively good. The same can be said for the sound through headphones. The earpiece speaker will delight the owner with the ability to hear a sufficiently loud and distinct voice of the interlocutor.

Software part

The operating system used is Android 5.1 with Asus ZenUI shell. The shell interface allows you to fine-tune desktops, widgets, sort applications by folders or hide them. But at the same time, the launcher looks beautiful and minimalistic, works quickly, and is not overloaded with unnecessary elements. Among the many features of Asus ZenUI, it is possible to note the presence of a built-in application autorun manager, which will help prevent the independent launch of individual software in the background, and thereby extend the battery life.

Pros and cons of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

Advantages:

• a decent indicator of battery life;
• two full-fledged radio modules;
• there is an event indicator;
• good camera;
• acceptable price.

Disadvantages:

• not very convenient location of the power button;
• the quality of the video being shot is not the most outstanding.

Our review of the smartphone Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

In the past, the segment of affordable flagships featured lesser-known brands from China. Asus has taken over this initiative and seems to be doing pretty well. If this continues and the company does not follow the path of greed, its smartphones will become very popular. The Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is a great phablet at a reasonable price, balanced in almost everything. Of course, it has more affordable Chinese counterparts, however, none of them can boast of Dual SIM Active.

This time there will be an unusual structure review and I'll explain why. Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML Is a very interesting smartphone due to its characteristics and, of course, prices. Here is an excellent display, powerful stuffing - we'll definitely talk about all this below. However, in the case of Zenfone 2, I specifically want to highlight the software component.

On top of Android 5.0, available right out of the box, there is a proprietary Asus ZenUI shell, which is not only stylish, beautiful and convenient, it also significantly expands the capabilities of the device. There are a lot of different settings and everything is presented in a very visual form. For potential device owners, I highly recommend not skipping this section of the review. The branded shell here is a truly competitive advantage. I will tell you about the most interesting points that seemed important and interesting to me. Go!

ZenUI - OS add-on

Let's start with the desktops. In the settings mode, you can edit anything: there are many different interface themes, you can separately change icon sets, edit the style of folders and the location of icons inside, set live wallpapers and so on. Animated wallpapers, by the way, are presented here directly from the manufacturer, in addition, of course, the very poor ones from Google. Unfortunately, not all of them work smoothly enough. The animation may be poorly developed, or too much hardware resources may be wasted.

There are really a lot of settings and you can customize the phone immediately after taking it out of the package. No installation of questionable software or obtaining Root rights is required. People far from w3bsit3-dns.com will be happy to get everything at once without unnecessary gestures.

The Asus Launcher (ZenUI) shell seemed to me one of the best on the market in terms of flexibility and appearance.

The only worthy competitor for it, it seems to me, is the interface from Huawei called.

I will single out one great feature for lazy users. In the settings of the application list, there is an item "Smart folder". When you click on it, all available applications are grouped by genre into their folders. The result is just two screens with programs instead of fifteen.

You can hang a password on some labels, while others can simply be hidden from prying eyes.

The system works very well. There are no crashes, glitches, freezes, no brakes at all. Interface animation flies.

Switching between applications occurs with barely noticeable delays and, if we agree that the maximum speed is 100%, then everything here works by about 90-95 percent, not lower. Even the Gallery loads all photos very quickly and there is no noticeable block loading of each image, which can be observed on some devices from competitors.

The screen can be turned off or vice versa, activated by double tap on its surface. Very convenient functionality that you instantly get used to.

The developers have even provided for a special children's mode, for which special thanks to them. When activated, only a limited number of apps are available for the child, which you approve in advance. Exit from the mode is done with a password, so precocious kids are unlikely to be able to do it on their own. Incoming calls are subject to restrictions, although this moment is configured in detail as needed.

I also liked the fact that you can set the time for games from 15 minutes to infinity in advance. Thus, you give the child to play and warn in advance that you will only have an hour of play, and then the phone will turn into a pumpkin. Whether the child believes it or not is no longer your concern.

It's nice that the manufacturer didn't forget to install the note editor. As many as two. You can enter text as usual using the keyboard, or you can use drawing your own doodles. The system does not recognize them, but only puts them in the line as is.

For some reason, many companies have opted to ditch these apps, although users often have to jot down something quickly. It gets to the point that some people take notes, creating new contacts! It looks terrible when there is a subscriber in the phone book called "Lunch at the housing office from 12 to 13".

The argument “Why do you need it when you can download any notebook from Google Play” is not appropriate. Usually, when there is a need to write something down, there is no time to delve into the jungle of the app store and look for something suitable there. By tradition, few people think about such moments in advance.

Now let's look at how you can keep all the available applications in good shape. First, there is a tool for configuring autorun. Some utilities strive to start automatically after a reboot. The user, of course, is not in the know, and the application, meanwhile, is actively consuming battery power.

In the same window, you can see the brush icon, by clicking on which, you can clear the RAM from any garbage hanging there.

For example, I got tired of watching how the default Dr. Safety lit up in the status bar for any reason, even if something seemed to him there. Well, I don't need the functionality of such applications! Why was it decided differently for me?

In addition, on smartphone a whole bunch of different "vital" programs are preinstalled.

This is the social network ZenCircle like Instagram, and task managers What`s Next or Do Later, and applications for transferring data between devices, and all sorts of advertising utilities. Some of this may really come in handy someday, but most of it is just rubbish that traditionally cannot be avoided. It is not so easy to remove them by standard means.

I did not like the fact that built-in applications such as Messages or Calls do not display new SMS or missed calls in real time.

You don't always look at the notification panel and it's easy to overlook the fact that they called you. However, in all other places in the system, if the information is updated, a tiny "N" icon will hang above the menu item, which obviously means "New".

There are many functional and not so much widgets. Many of them look stylish, informative and generally do not violate the feng shui of the interface.

Design

If I didn’t know what the Asus Zenfone 2 looks like, and it would have fallen into my hands without any identification marks on the case, I would have easily guessed, if not the manufacturer, then at least the region where it is located. You see, everything flows, everything changes, and the big Asian players continue to bend their line in design. I don't take the Chinese into account. The leaders in this respect, of course, are Samsung, but our Asus is not far behind. All of them cannot break the vicious circle of endless, little-different phone-bricks made of plastic. They try to move the buttons, add new colors (white, gold and even pink), the texture of the case, make inserts of metal, and phones, as they were faceless bricks, remain them now.

Zenfone 2 is a vivid representative (or maybe a victim) of such Asian conservatism. Yes, some elements of the exterior look good, but only individually. Putting it all together is boring and uninteresting.

Well, it doesn't play, the smartphone doesn't ring in hand, whatever one may say.

I'll tell you about the main nuances of operation. The first thing that gets attention is the back side. It is streamlined, the corners are beveled closer to the ribs, due to which you can cheat a little.

The specs say the device is a staggering 3.9mm thick, but unfortunately it's the thinnest edge. In the middle the device is a bit thick and it is not usual to hold it in your hands while all manufacturers are fighting for every tenth of a millimeter. Here it is 10.8 mm and all of them are felt, believe me, in full.

As for the width, then everything here is also not so simple. The device is really wide, and in general, very large. For those who love compact smartphones, our hero is not suitable. All dimensions are shown in the plate below in comparison with some key competitors.

The wide bezels on the sides of the display are very confusing. Actually, they are also rather big on other ends. Below is an example of an image from the official website and a real photo taken by me. In the first picture, the display is artificially stretched over the area of \u200b\u200bthe device and it is impossible to estimate the real width of the frames.

Above the screen is a front camera, a mesh of the earpiece, proximity and ambient light sensors, as well as an LED indicator of various events. The thing is necessary, useful.

The behavior of the automatic backlight brightness is also important. For the most part, the system copes with this task without problems, however, if necessary, the backlight slider can be adjusted independently. A trifle, but very important.

The situation with the touch control keys is interesting. I scold phones in which buttons are part of the interface, as they sometimes eat away the usable area of \u200b\u200bthe virtual interface. At the same time, I scold phones where the buttons are placed on the body, as a result of which it is difficult to hold the smartphone in a horizontal position - there is a great chance to accidentally touch some touch key and exit, for example, from the game at the wrong moment.

I will not be able to criticize Zenfone 2 in this regard. The touch buttons here are shifted closer to the display, and there is enough space under them to comfortably hold the device in hands. Eh, not my day!

Although no, there was a negative point. The symbols of the touch keys are not highlighted and in the dark it is not clear where to press.

The physical keys are scattered here, each in its own corners. The power button is located on the top. Its course is completely indistinct, it is not accompanied by any noticeable click, which is why there is no desire to press it again. Fortunately, the smartphone can be woken up with a double tap on the glass.

The volume keys are on the back. "Just like in the apparatus!" - you exclaim and you will be right. The approach is correct, the location is convenient, so why not.

It is embarrassing that above the volume control there is a peephole of the main camera, which also protrudes above the surface of the case. The lens will scratch quickly, as can be clearly seen in the photo below.

The multimedia speaker is again on the back of the device. The sound it makes is not bad, moderately clean, but somehow quiet - not above average.

A whole scattering of different colors will be available for sale: gray, red, white, red, black and (where without it?) Gold. The classic dark gray, which we have on the review, in my opinion, looks the worst.

Display

The device turned out to be a large, 5.5-inch screen with Full HD resolution. The dot density is more than sufficient 403 ppi. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with a high-quality oleophobic coating.

The touch layer here is very sensitive, and you don't even need to activate the mode of working with the device with gloves. One gets the feeling that sometimes you don't even have time to touch the surface of the screen, and the interface has already reacted to the touch. Roughly the same thing was observed in.

Considering that the screen is rather big here, it is logical that the developers have added one-handed control mode. To activate it, it is enough to double-tap on the touch icon with the house and the whole interface will shrink into a small window. Its size, by the way, can be stretched at your discretion.

The vividness of the picture, contrast - everything is at a very high level, for which we can say thanks to the IPS-matrix. The viewing angles are generally good, but a slightly noticeable greenish tint appears under even slight deviation. Of course, everything is not as critical here as in Samsung products (not counting).

You can evaluate this parameter yourself by clicking on the link in. Below or on the right in those images, just the hero of today's review.

Technical specifications Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

• intel Atom Z3580 2.3 GHz processor (64-bit, 4 cores, 2 MB L2 cache)
• powerVR G6430 video chip
• rAM 4 GB LPDDR3-1600 (free about 2.8 GB, dual-channel)
• built-in storage 16/32, of which 25.53 GB or 64 GB data storage is available
• support for Micro SD memory cards up to 64 GB
• iPS 5.5 "display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (403 ppi)
• main camera 13 MP (autofocus)
• front camera 5 MP (fixed focus)
• battery 3000 mAh
• connectors: 3.5 mm audio output, Micro USB 2.0 (OTG supported), two slots for Micro SIM cards
• oS version Android 5.0
• sensors: light and proximity sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass
• dimensions 152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 - 10.8 mm
• weight 170 g

Wireless interfaces:

• 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE Cat 4)
• Wi-Fi (802.11 a / b / g / n / ac), Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• navigation: GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
• FM radio

I'll tell you a little more about the processor. So, the system on the Intel Atom Z3580 chip with a clock frequency of 2.3 GHz is used here as "brains". By the way, there is also a modification with the Intel Atom Z3560 model and a frequency reduced to 1.8 GHz, and in addition, with 2 gigabytes of memory installed as RAM. We have a more advanced solution on the test.

The processor belongs to the Moorefield family and is manufactured using 22-nanometer technology. The declared frequency is the maximum level that is reached in rare, necessary cases.

Responsible for the graphics is the PowerVR G6430 video accelerator, which is also used in the Apple A7 processor (iPhone 5S). The only difference is that Asus engineers slightly increased the operating frequencies to 533 MHz at the peak value. In terms of performance, the chip is slightly ahead of Adreno 330 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 800), but still inferior to Adreno 420 or the older solution from the PowerVR G6450 family. The latter is part of the Apple A8, which is installed in or 6 Plus.

3G or LTE is available only on one SIM card - the first. The second is equipped with a 2G module, which is suitable for voice calls. The settings cannot be changed as this is a hardware limitation.

The performance is sufficient for games of any level. Asphalt 8, Dead Trigger 2 (for some reason launched at low settings), Modern Combat 5 - everywhere the device showed itself from the best side, even at high graphics settings.

The presence of four gigabytes of RAM is a definite boon. Even with a dozen open tabs in the browser (Chrome) and running in the same number of background applications, performance does not drop. Open Internet pages do not reload on their own.

Front-camera

A 5-megapixel sensor with a wide-angle lens is installed in front, so that all relatives can fit into the frame. This is a real freedom for selfie lovers. The skin can be made porcelain, remove blemishes, add blush, enlarge the cut of the eyes, remove the cheeks that you had time to eat in the McDonald's. In general, everything that the average Asian needs.

In general, the front sensor produces pretty good pictures. The quality is quite consistent with the existing level among smartphones.

Main camera

The rear camera is represented by a 13-megapixel module with a 5-element lens and an f / 2.0 aperture. The resolution of the pictures is 4096 x 3072 pixels. Perhaps this is one of the weakest points of a smartphone. The camera installed here is of average quality. The automatic machine often makes mistakes with the exposure, the edges of some photos are blurry, and somehow there is too much noise in the photo. On the phone screen, the pictures look very good, but on the large monitor everything is not very good. Examples of photos taken in various conditions below.

Outcome

Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML could really surprise. At first, I perceived it as just another boring, uninteresting smartphone on the market. However, coupled with the software shell, the speed of work and the quality of the implementation of other functions, he was able to win my preference.

Buy the device is currently available for only 19,990 rubles. For example, on Gearbest.com the device costs ridiculous money. This is an average cost, since within the framework of the price war playing out on the Russian market, offers can be found even cheaper. For this money, the user risks (oh, how he risks) to get almost the best ratio price / quality.

However, all the same, there were some negative aspects. The first is questionable design. Despite the textured plastic, the play of light on the edges, the device looks boring. Secondly, the main camera is weak by the standards of top solutions. The latter is the first among equals, but at the level of average-priced devices.

Zenfone 2 cannot be compared to the flagships of this year from the first tier companies. On almost all fronts, he is losing the competition. However, the device was one of the first on the market to acquire 4 gigabytes of RAM. In my opinion, the smartphone from Asus has only one real competitor - this is. Both smartphones offer the user excellent workmanship and very high performance. The Chinese still has a better camera, or rather, two at once, but it costs 6-7 thousand rubles more. In general, let each user decide for himself what is more important to him.

The new leader of the grown up and no longer cheap line of smartphones

A year ago, when the appetites of the giants of the smartphone market were already sold out in earnest and the advanced audience looked seriously at the little-known Chinese alternatives, Asus presented under its authoritative name a trinity of different-sized budget Zenfone devices, among which every economical user could find a smartphone to his liking. Even at the first presentation, the manufacturer announced the work on the second generation of devices. And now, almost a year later, we are returning to Asus devices - to the Zenfone pair presented in Russia in general and its flagship representative Zenfone 2 ZE551ML in particular.

Video review

To get started, we suggest watching our video review of the Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) smartphone:

Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new item.

Key Features Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

• Single Chip: Intel Atom Z3580
• Central processing unit: 4 cores x86-64 @ 2.3 GHz (4 threads)
• GPU: PowerVR G6430 @ 533 MHz
• Operating System: Google Android 5.0 with Asus ZenUI
• Display: IPS, 5.5 ″, 1920 × 1080, 401 ppi
• RAM: 4GB LPDDR3
• Internal memory: 32GB eMMC
• Support for microSD memory cards up to 64 GB
• Mobile communication ranges: GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900; WCDMA 850/900/1900; TD-SCDMA 1900/2100; FDD LTE 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/9/177/18/19/20/28/29, TDD LTE 38/39/40/41
• Maximum speed: LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps, UMTS HSPA + / DC-HSPA + 42 / 5.76 Mbps
• Support for two SIM-cards of the Micro-SIM format
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 + 5 GHz)
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS / A-GPS / Glonass / BDS / QZSS
• Accelerometer, proximity and light sensors, gyroscope, compass, Hall sensor
• Rear camera: 13 MP, f / 2.0, dual flash, autofocus
• Front camera: 5 MP, f / 2.0
• Battery: 3000 mAh, non-removable
• Dimensions 153 x 77 x 11 mm
• Weight: 170 g

Four gigabytes of RAM is more than that of the flagships, and the amount of permanent memory is good (while the microSD slot is also preserved). The powerful SoC, decent camera and display force us to put the Zenfone 2 on a par with more expensive devices than the ones the line initially competed with.

Smartphones of well-known brands that are similar in characteristics have a higher price due to the "image" of the devices. Deprived of such gloss Asus Zenfone is ideologically closer to the flagship devices of lesser-known Chinese manufacturers, which have a more reasonable price-performance ratio. Therefore, they are presented in the table above. And I must say, against their background, the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is not lost at all.

But this model is still the most powerful in the updated line. One more modification with a 5.5-inch display will be presented in our country. Let's compare the two new products with last year's Zenfone models.

* at the time of publication of the corresponding article

Apparently, the four-inch Zenfone did not gain much success - devices with a much larger display diagonal are offered in Russia. Their cost has grown significantly: before, the official price tags listed the amounts of $ 199 and $ 149. The difference in prices between the new models is not very significant and fully justifies the difference in capabilities. The appetite of the Taiwanese company is growing, inspired by the success of the first generation of smartphones.

This concludes the excursion into the lineup and return to the main character - Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML.

Contents of delivery

The box of the new Zenfone looks about the same as the box of the old one, with circular slots in a cardboard case. The IF Design Award 2015 sticker contrasts with the calm palette of the packaging.

The smartphone comes with a Micro-USB cable, AC adapter, instructions, and a wired headset with anti-tangle flat cable. And a set of additional silicone plugs of other sizes.

I remember that not every Zenfone indulged us with a complete headset - the largest model did not have it before. This is all right here.

Appearance and usability

While creating Zenfone 2, the manufacturer decided on some rather daring experiments, but they did not touch the front panel. At the front, Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is indistinguishable from the first six-inch device in the line.

Above are compactly placed camera lens with LED indicator, earpiece, light sensor and Asus logo. By saving space, the manufacturer has achieved that the display occupies 72% of the front panel.

This figure could have been even higher if it were not for the business card of the series - a relief insert made of concentric circles under the display. By the way, the distance between these circles is 0.13 mm. The touch buttons below the screen are still devoid of backlight

As before, the new Zenfone uses an arched design: the smartphone tapers from the middle to the edges. In press releases, the thickness is 3.9 mm, but its case reaches only at the very edge, in the middle it thickens to 10.9 mm.

This is even more than that of the first Zenphones (with the exception of the four-inch one), and even more so compared to modern competitors. But, thanks to the narrowing to the edges, the device is quite comfortable in the jeans pocket: the corners do not bulge out and the fabric does not rub. So "more than a centimeter" is not a sentence, no matter how much advertisers want it.

The Zen design has also been applied to the rear panel. It is textured with the same parallel lines with a 0.13 mm pitch. The solution turned out to be successful: the appearance has become more interesting, and the smartphone is fixed more reliably in the palm of your hand, and there are no fingerprints left.

The speaker grill is located at the bottom, under the logos, no changes are observed here. The wide slot has only an aesthetic function here, the speaker itself occupies a small area in the left corner.

The main external change in Zenfone 2 is the rearrangement of the mechanical buttons. We had the opportunity to use the smartphone for several weeks and get used to these updates. Of course, they cannot be called convenient. In order to press the volume buttons, the smartphone must be squeezed tighter in the palm of your hand. It takes too much time. It was much easier to poke the thin keys on the side edge with your thumb. In addition, it is not uncommon for the volume buttons to be felt in your pocket if, for example, you use your smartphone as a player. It used to be easy because the buttons on the sidebar were quick to blindly locate. And now everything is not so: through the fabric of jeans, the keys practically merge with the rear panel, and the device has to be fished out of a tight pocket every time.

The situation is no better with the power button, which is now aligned in the center of the upper edge. To reach it with the same hand that holds the smartphone, the device must be moved. It will not be possible to do this instantly - the smartphone is too large. The mechanical buttons feature a concentric circle Zen pattern. Next to the power key is a headset jack and a second microphone.

The main microphone is at the bottom, next to the Micro-USB connector.

The smooth side edges of the smartphone are devoid of any functional elements, only there is a slot at the bottom right, necessary to detach the back cover. This cannot be done without the help of nails. And even if the manicure is not a pity, there may be problems with the first latch. Here you need to do everything as in the instructions: with one hand you pry off the back cover, with the other - push the phone in the opposite direction. After several such openings, the lid in the area of \u200b\u200bthe upper edge began to move away from our sample. Moreover, the width of the slot was enough for grains of sand to be hammered in, not to mention the smaller particles.

Under the cover there are two Micro-SIM slots, and they are not equal. In Zenfone 5, the operating modes could be easily switched through the OS interface, but now you have to remove the cover to do this. Nearby is a microSD slot allowing for 64GB storage expansion.

Due to the method of fixing the rear panel, the smartphone quickly loses its gloss of novelty. The glossy sides surrounding the screen are covered with scratches, and, as we said, small particles are clogged into the slot. But the new Zen-lid proves to be very durable.

To slow down the annoying cushioning process, Asus offers the Zenfone 2 View Cover Deluxe. It is installed instead of the standard rear panel. Covering the cover is the same on the front and back. It resembles leather to the touch, but it has a more original pattern, and it is more convenient to use than a standard cap.

There is a round plastic window on the front through which you can receive notifications and control some basic functions. The plastic protects the main display, but on the other hand, it can affect the quality of the rear camera (if you fold the cover). In addition, touching the display often has to be repeated, because the touch screen does not perceive them in the best way through the partition. Such a cover will cost 1990 rubles.

The package from Asus is complemented by a couple of accessories.

The branded external battery Asus Zenpower, with dimensions slightly smaller than that of a cigarette pack, has a capacity of 6510 mAh, which allows you to recharge the ZE551ML twice. And a little more will be left as a last resort. Officially, the price of the battery is 1190 rubles.

More interesting is the second device - a compact docking station. It consists of two magnetic halves, complete with a leather case and a Micro-USB cable

The halves move apart, a smartphone is inserted into their grooves.

The functional half is equipped with a Micro-USB connector for connecting a charger and a regular USB for an external drive. Switching between them is done with a small button. The operating mode is indicated by the color of the indicator. The usefulness of such an accessory, of course, is doubtful, but it is implemented in an interesting way.

In addition to the above, Asus introduced removable flash units on the Russian market. Xenon ZenFlash connects via USB OTG, attaches to the rear panel and, according to the manufacturer, provides a hundred times brighter light than the built-in flash of a smartphone. The simpler LolliFlash consists of two LEDs and connects via a 3.5mm jack. These accessories will be sold at prices ranging from 1,090 and 590 rubles, respectively.

The new Zenfone will go on sale not only with the usual monochrome, but also with striking designer rear panels. Among them, of course, the most attractive pair in the photo is the Illusion Series.

Screen

Before we start examining the screen according to our traditional method, let us mention one unpleasant feature of the sensor itself. If you type on the keyboard with the thumb of your right hand, Enter is often mistakenly triggered - the button in the lower right corner, where the screen is not very sensitive. Especially when you need to reach the buttons in the upper left corner of the keyboard. For this reason, even if the palm size allows you to operate the smartphone with one right hand, depending on your patience, sooner or later you will have to use your left.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev... Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects anti-glare properties of the screen are not worse than those of the screenGoogle Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Asus Zenfone 2, then they can be distinguished by their size):

The screen of the Asus Zenfone 2 is slightly darker (brightness in photos is 125 versus 128 for the Nexus 7). The doubling of reflected objects in the Asus Zenfone 2 screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) ( screen type OGS - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass / air) with greatly different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outside of the screen there is special oleophobic (grease repellent) coating (very effective, better than Nexus 7), therefore, fingerprints are removed much more easily, and appear at a slower speed than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and when displaying a white field on the whole screen, the maximum brightness value was about 270 cd / m² (and 330 cd / m² when using third-party programs to adjust the brightness), the minimum was 26 cd / m². The maximum brightness is not very high, however, given the excellent anti-glare properties, something on the screen can be disassembled even on a sunny day outdoors (and in automatic mode the brightness is noticeably higher - see below). In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by the light sensor (located in the upper left corner on the front panel). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. This function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 33 cd / m2 (normal), in an office illuminated with artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets to 180 cd / m2 (just right), in a very in bright surroundings (corresponds to bright daylight outdoors, but no direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) increases to 400 cd / m² (sufficient). The brightness slider is 50% - the values \u200b\u200bare as follows: 26, 100 and 400 cd / m² (acceptable values), at 0% - 26, 50 and 210 cd / m² (the last two values \u200b\u200bare underestimated, but this is expected). Turns out that the automatic brightness adjustment function works adequately... At any brightness level, there is practically no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering either.

This smartphone uses matrix type IPS... The micrographs show the typical IPS sub-pixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large gaze deviations from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting the shades. For comparison, we present photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Asus Zenfone 2 and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m2 (across the white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera was forced to 6500 K . White field perpendicular to screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And the test picture:

The color rendition is good and the colors are saturated on both screens, the color balance differs slightly. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens, but the contrast on the Asus Zenfone 2 screen dropped noticeably due to the significant increase in black levels. And a white box:

The brightness at an angle of the screens decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in exposure), but in the case of the Asus Zenfone 2, the drop in brightness is slightly less. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened strongly and acquires a violet or red-violet hue. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is about the same!):

And from a different angle:

When viewed from a perpendicular view, the black field uniformity is good:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is not high - about 600:1 ... The response time for the transition black-white-black is 17 ms (10 ms on + 7 ms off). The transition between gray tones of 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes 23 ms in total. The gamma curve, plotted using 32 points at equal intervals in terms of the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.58, which is noticeably higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve strongly deviates from the power dependence:

Due to the aggressive dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image (moreover, without a clear pattern detected), the obtained dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential output of shades of gray by almost the whole screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining the contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with invariably average brightness, and not single-color fields across the entire screen. In general, such a non-switchable brightness correction does nothing but harm, since a constant chaotic change in screen brightness can at least cause some discomfort. However, the manufacturer, represented by Asus, continues to implement this function with enviable persistence in its mobile devices with a screen.

From a practical point of view, the color gamut is equal to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix light filters mix the components together to a moderate extent:

As a result, the colors visually have natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is not much higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the spectrum of the absolute black body (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the color temperature and ΔE vary little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of the color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance there does not really matter, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

In this device, in the screen settings, you can select one of four profiles and in three of them the slider of the color temperature is active (in the profile Reading it is replaced by the yellowness increase slider), and in the profile User there are also hue and saturation adjustments.

Profile Bright differs in a raised color contrast:

And it has no practical sense, like the rest of the color rendering settings, except for adjusting the color temperature. The graphs above show the result (data signed as Corr.), obtained after our attempt to correct the color temperature, for which we had to resort to several iterations. It cannot be said that there is a special need for such a correction, but it has become, perhaps, a little better.

Let's summarize. The screen has sufficiently high maximum brightness and excellent anti-reflective properties, so the device can most likely be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is permissible (and in a bright environment it is necessary) to use and mode with automatic brightness adjustment, working adequately... The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, no flicker and no air gap in the layers of the screen, good black field uniformity, as well as sRGB color gamut and acceptable color balance. Significant disadvantages - aggressive non-switchable dynamic backlight adjustment and poor black stability to deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the plane of the screen. Nevertheless, given the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered high.

Sound

In terms of sound, the new Asus Zenfone brings nothing new to the series. You can adjust the sound through the proprietary AudioWizard, as well as using the equalizer in Asus Music.

The countable performance of the ZE551ML has been pulled up to the flagship level, but the sound quality remains the same. That is, by no means outstanding. The smartphone has a Realtek ALC5647 DAC, the same as before. When listening through the rear speaker, the middle frequencies prevail, there is almost no bass, as well as the upper register. When headphones are connected, the situation in the lower case improves somewhat. There are no wheezing sounds at any volume level. As for the conversational dynamics, we will not complain about its work: the interlocutor's speech is legible, the timbre is not distorted.

The device has an FM radio and a call recording function. Automatic recording of all conversations or only from a limited list of numbers is available through the settings.

Camera

The maximum image resolution of the rear camera is 13 MP (4096 × 3072). He commented on her work.

	Decent sharpness across the frame. The "wet sharping" strikes the eye, removing small unsharp details.
	The camera works poorly with shadows A weak sensor is felt.
	Sometimes the pictures are too blurry.
	The work of the shumodav is visible in the sky.
	Details in the shadows and not only are "eaten" by noise.
	Strong and bright sharping is visible on wires and branches.
	The numbers of the cars are practically indistinguishable.

Text in room lighting and also with flash. In both cases, the text worked well.
Close-up photography under indoor lighting, as well as with a flash. The camera copes well with macro photography, especially in good lighting conditions.

The camera has a mode for taking pictures with a resolution of 50 megapixels. However, it does not make much sense, since it does not give noticeable improvements. Although the overall image becomes a little sharper, no detail is added.

We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.

It is impossible to call a good camera - it has too many shortcomings, with good work at first glance. With a detailed study of the images, problems with sharpness become noticeable, sometimes very significant. Coarse and incomplete noise reduction also contributes to image degradation. The program does not work very well, in particular, it abuses sharping. As a result, images are often out of focus.

The lab test makes it very clear that the camera is best used to shoot outdoors in good light. Even so, it will only produce an average result.

In this form, the camera, perhaps, is suitable for undemanding documentary or artistic photography, but it is worth keeping in mind its problem areas and taking them into account when creating valuable images.

The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels (shooting up to 2560 × 1920) and a lens with an aperture of f / 2.0. Alas, it lacks autofocus, but it is equipped with a video stabilization function. The result can be described as good, although the lack of autofocus is noticeable.

Interestingly, in the middle of the left border of the frame, we see the same artifacts as in Nokia N1 on a similar SoC. And the rest of the video parameters of these two devices are practically the same. But if this level is normal for a tablet, then from a smartphone, of course, you want better quality shooting.

Telephone part and communications

Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML supports all major bands of second and third generation networks, as well as LTE Cat4 with a maximum speed of 150 and 50 Mbps for download and upload, respectively. The faster LTE Cat6 standard is not implemented. In addition to mobile networks, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac is used for Internet access (with separate antennas for receiving and transmitting). Other wireless standards include Bluetooth 4.0 LE and NFC. Connecting drives via USB OTG is supported.

Navigation on the smartphone works fine, almost immediately after switching on, GPS satellites and coordinates are determined, then Glonass and the Chinese BDS are pulled up. The Japanese QZSS has even appeared on the list a couple of times.

The smartphone has two slots for Micro-SIM cards on board. The first slot supports any mobile communication ranges stated in the specification. The second slot is capable of functioning only in second generation networks, and data transmission is not available to it. The good news is that the smartphone also has two radio modules: while one SIM card is being used, the second one also remains active.

The phone app has a new VIP tab where you can add your most important contacts. There is a filter by VIP group in branded applications, the list of which is traditionally rather large for ASUS: there are utilities for creating notes, backups, and several applications united by the word “Link” in the name, with which you can transfer files between devices, organize remote control and duplicate the screen.

The advantage of VIP contacts is that the SMS application has a tab with a quick filter for this group. Another cool feature is Private Messages. Here you can collect secret correspondence and protect them with a password, but they will not be visible in the general window.

The numeric keypad supports Smart Dial, search by the first letters of the name, and the alphabetic keypad supports Swype input. It has light and dark themes and three levels of height. And, I must say that when choosing the lowest of them, the message can be typed without much effort with one hand. This will be even easier, since the number of accidental keystrokes on Enter is reduced, because you don't have to stretch your thumb far.

OS and software

All new Zenfone models, of course, receive Android 5.0 out of the box. But in all fairness, under ZenUI's signature sauce, the difference between Kit Kat and Lollipop becomes much less noticeable. If it were not for the notifications on the lock screen and the icon of the current user in the corner, without additional manipulations it would be difficult to declare with complete certainty about the OS version.

The main advantage of ZenUI is its extensive customization options. Don't like the font color / size / style - it's easy to change them. I do not like the fact that on different screens the status bar characters merge with the background - it is easy to make it less transparent (even black). Icons can also be changed, three sets are available by default. Appearance settings are quickly triggered by shifting from the bottom of the display.

Interestingly, desktops are missing an essential Android element like the Google search bar. Moreover, it was not just made invisible, as it can be done in other phones - there is simply no line, and, accordingly, there is more useful space on desktops. And the line appears only on the screen of recent applications, launched through the right button under the display.

Conveniently implemented Android slide-out menu. Previously, depending on the side of the shift, either notifications or switches were launched. Now a single slide opens notifications, and a double one opens toggles. Traditionally, this ZenUI element provides ample opportunities: 4 icons for launching applications and 12 icons for other functions. Among them, we note the quickly beloved memory cleaning in one click, as well as the transition to the settings for choosing a SIM card for calls.

ZenUI supports gesture control. They are divided into two groups - movement gestures and touch gestures. The first group only includes the ability to shake the device, which will result in a screenshot and a task added to Do It Later. We have not been able to track exactly how to shake, and in principle there is little benefit from such a function. But what comes in handy are touch gestures. A double poke turns the screen on and off. Display off recognizes the spelling of six different letters, each of which can be assigned to launch any application.

Through the screen of recent applications, it is easy to access the task manager, assess the load of RAM by background processes and, if necessary, terminate unnecessary ones. Any window is pinned to the entire screen using a pin icon, and until you press the two extreme keys under the screen at the same time, this lock will not be disabled. This is very convenient, for example, if you use a smartphone with a car mount as a navigator.

In general, the operating system is very stable, without freezes and shutdowns - four gigabytes of gluttonous Android is more than enough. But sometimes there are bugs that need improvement. For example, when switching users, the phone slows down and several information windows sometimes overlap. Pop-up messages sometimes hang on top of other windows and disappear only when the corresponding application is closed. In the settings of the notification modes, it would be worthwhile to slightly tweak the interface, and translate some menus from English to the end. We found all these shortcomings after several OS updates "over the air", on the ASUS_Z00A-2.15.40.13_20150506_3876 version.

The interface for the smart cover is well implemented. Through horizontal scrolling, information about the weather, events, notifications, as well as turning on the flashlight is available; by shifting down, additional information on the selected screen opens. If necessary, the image from the camera even fits into the small window.

The originality and functionality of ZenUI also has a side effect: it takes a smartphone about a minute to turn on and then load the OS. Also, a couple of very annoying applications for optimizing work came with our smartphone. Well, we've really improved performance by removing this software.

Performance and heating

Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is powered by Intel Atom Z3580, the most powerful Intel Moorefield. The cooperation between Asus and Intel in the production of mobile devices has a rich history, but it seems that some of the parties are not satisfied with it: it is already known that the future Zenfone 3 will be based on Qualcomm's SoC, Snapdragon 615.

For now, we are dealing with the x86-64 architecture. The Intel Atom Z3580 single-chip system was used in the Dell Venue 8 7840 and Nokia N1 tablets. It consists of four cores, clocked at 333-2333 MHz, and a PowerVR G6430 GPU (457-533 MHz). The configuration is complemented by a record 4 GB of RAM, as well as 32 GB of permanent memory (of which 25.53 GB is available to the user).

I remember that the Dell tablet was not inferior in performance to the Apple iPad Air 3 (adjusted for resolution). Let's see what Zenfone shows.

In Antutu, the new Asus outperformed all competitors, even the powerful MX4 Pro (although the 38 point difference here, of course, does not mean anything). Geekbench did not have such surprises. It is significant here that the results of the x86-64 architecture and the Krait 400 at the same frequency are almost the same. In multi-core mode, only smartphones with SoC based on ARM Cortex architecture are ahead.

Zenfone 2 ZE551ML shows itself perfectly in gaming benchmarks, coming out in Ice Storm Unlimited as far as the first place. Let's finish the performance study with browser tests

Zenfone 2 again snatches victory from MX4 Pro in one of the tests, but according to the results of the whole study, we must admit that its position is next to Oppo N3 behind Meizu MX4 Pro. The results of our hero met all expectations. Even if it falls short of the latest flagships, its performance is certainly high.

Let us now evaluate the heating of the smartphone. Below is a thermal image of the rear surface (top in the photo - left), obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:

It can be seen that the heating is localized in the upper part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 44 degrees.

Video playback

Zenfone never learned how to digest XviD, which is disappointing. Support for AC3 tracks is also not provided.

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. For this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Testing methods for video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)"). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the frame output of video files with different parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and the frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In our tests, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware mode. The test results are summarized in the table: Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion for outputting frames, the quality of video files playback on the screen of the device itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform intervals of intervals and without frame drops. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly on the edge of the screen in true Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen depends on the actual range in the video file, and for typical files it is the standard range of 16-235, that is, in the shadows and in the highlights, all gradations are displayed.

Battery life

The battery capacity of the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is 3000 mAh (11.4 Wh). And according to this indicator, our hero is again side by side with the Oppo N3. In general, for devices of this size, this is not an outstanding value.

The smartphone has several power saving modes. Two of them are based on functionality limitation, so we used the third, Optimized Power Saving, for reading and video. In the reading mode on the smartphone, not just one page of the book was launched, but autowiring, due to which the operating time compared to competitors could be slightly less.

The Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML, like many other powerful smartphones, proves to be more energy efficient as the load increases. He cannot be considered an outsider - after all, with 3D games, he worked at the level of the leaders. But in reading mode, the new Zenfone noticeably yielded to all the listed competitors, and this scenario is still the most relevant. In the near future, we will investigate how autoflowing affects device loading and will come to a completely unified methodology.

The characteristics of the smartphone claim support for the BoostMaster fast charging technology, but in our case it did not work - the smartphone was charged evenly for a little over three hours. Perhaps the whole point is in a third-party adapter for a domestic outlet, which we were forced to use in tests.

Outcome

Previously, all the disadvantages of Zenfone smartphones were crossed out by the cost of these devices, because of which they could be forgiven a lot. With the new prices, the future of the series doesn't look so bright anymore. The second generation Asus Zenfone smartphones have broken out of the budget segment and have taken places in the middle price range. At the same time, not all models meet the technical requirements of the newly acquired positions, and even the older ZE551ML has not grown in some aspects compared to last year's devices. Sometimes it pleases: the display of the device retained a fairly high quality. Sometimes it upsets: the sound and the camera remained at the budget level. Zenfone 2 ZE551ML captivates with quantitative characteristics, as it should be for the flagship of the series, and there is nothing to complain about: a powerful processor with a decent amount of RAM and flash memory ensure excellent performance of the proprietary ZenUI in Full HD resolution. True, not very long.

During the presentation, the manufacturer announced the estimated prices of smartphones. Zenfone 2 ZE551ML in the maximum configuration costs 19,990 rubles. The basic model ZE550ML, the characteristics of which we gave at the beginning of the article, is 14,990 rubles. In addition, it became known about an intermediate modification of the ZE551ML with a 5.5-inch FullHD-display, SoC Intel Atom 3560, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of permanent memory. Its price will be 17,990 rubles. At Asus Premium service centers in Moscow and St. Petersburg, it will be possible to hand over the Zenfone of the previous generation and get a discount on the new one (up to 3,500 rubles).

This smartphone looks quite interesting. What immediately disliked the design - large frames, both on the sides, and above and below. The back cover is removable and comes in several colors. There are premium covers that can be purchased separately, however, this cannot be done in Russia yet (the information is relevant at the time of writing the review). As we know, LG was the first to abandon the buttons on the sides, transferring them to the back of the device. Asus repeated this in this smartphone, but not as a carbon copy, the power button went up. I remember earlier, a few years ago, the power button at the top - it was a common truth. Now, given the huge dimensions of the device, the button at the top is completely inconvenient. The smartphone is really large, the display diagonal is close to the phablet, plus the frames. It is virtually impossible to operate with one hand, since this problem is solved programmatically, as well as the problem of inaccessibility of the power button, we will talk about this below.

Width

Height

Thickness

Weight

Shell

The smartphone is preinstalled with a 32-bit (according to the benchmarks) version of Android 5. Shell zenUI. What can I say, here and there in the shell bugs slip. With updates, these little things will, of course, become less, but for some reason Asus never publishes information about the timing of updates. There are problems, but they are being solved, it only takes time until the shell is a little damp. But this does not mean that it is not functional, on the contrary. There are simply an unreal number of functions and chips here. For example, a double tap will help to lock and unlock the smartphone, since the power button is very far away, this is a plus. In addition, double tap on the home button reduces the screen size, it is easier to use the smartphone with one hand, this solves the problem of a large screen. The screenshot is taken not by a key combination, but by long pressing the application list button. The curtain has a very wide functionality, a lot of settings. I was pleased with the presence of an autorun manager, in which you can disable all unnecessary applications so that they do not take away RAM and drain your smartphone. The smartphone gesture control system is perfectly implemented: draw a letter on the locked screen, the application opens, you can configure the action when you shake the smartphone. Very important for elderly people, Easy mode, which turns the interface into a Windows analogue. Separately, I would like to note the software ability to record a telephone conversation, here it is, a very useful thing.

Specifications

• CPU

  Intel Atom Z3580, 4 cores 2300 MHz

• Video processor

The bundle is exotic for today's market, but the processor is 64-bit, and the frequency is rather big 1800 MHz. It turned out that the decision to use this particular pair was correct. The smartphone works correctly, no friezes appear when using, although the screen resolution is fullHD. The performance benefits from this.

Memory

Our model has 32 GB of main memory, supplemented by micro SD up to 64 GB. There is a software option for installing games and applications on a memory card, which made me happy. Now the most important thing. This smartphone, specifically our tested model, is the first in the world with 4 GB of RAM! Just think, I have so many guys in my laptop, and this is a smartphone. On the one hand, this is, of course, marketing. In principle, a smartphone and 3 GB of "RAM" with a margin, and on the other hand, 4 GB - this is a push into the future, there is where the manufacturers of both "hardware" and software are striving.

Communication

Like all modern flagships, this surprisingly inexpensive smartphone by modern standards supports all communication standards. The smartphone has as many as 2 radio modules, this is just wonderful, it is a rarity on the market. There is also a negative point, the radiation from them is twice as large, respectively. If you are not afraid of this, then this moment will not upset you. It's easier to list what the smartphone does not support. There is no infrared port. Everything else is there, even FM radio, even GPS, which works great, we tested it, we are sure of it.

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updated when new information becomes available and published after careful review