ASUS Zenfone 3 ZE552KL, the complete review

Let's not deny it: we were quite excited to publish this review. We follow the trajectory of ASUS since the company arrived in Brazil in 2014, something often overlooked by most. While companies like Samsung, LG, Sony and Motorola have been around for several years, the Zenphones They've been with us for just over two years. Despite this, ASUS arrived and arrived beautiful, today being one of the most desired brands of Brazilians. This places a huge responsibility on the Zenfone 3, whose mission is to continue the company's work here.

Since Zenfone 5, who arrived to compete with the second generation Moto G, the main target of ASUS is the Motorola. O Zenfone 2 arrived as a competitor of Moto X (Play e Style). This third generation is no different. The target is now Moto Z Play, which has very similar specifications. Will he do well in this task? Let's see in the full review below. (https://flucamp.com/)

Design

Both Zenfone 5 as much as Zenfone 2, within a safety margin, share branding details. That changed in this generation. The plastic structure was replaced by glass in the front and back with metal edges. Regardless of your specifications, your new design is unquestionably premium. It doesn't have anything to do with the main tops of the market, which arrived at a much higher price.

Like all glass smartphones, it is a fingerprint magnet. ASUS tried to minimize this, there is a layer oleophobic, but brands are inevitable. And, of course, that makes its grip more slippery, especially compared to the Zenfone 2. In addition to being completely smooth, it doesn't come with the texturing on the back of its big brother. A protective cover is almost a prerequisite here, both to improve the grip and to protect the glass.

• Dimensions: 152,6 x 77,4 x 7,7 mm
• Weight: 155 grams

On the right side we have the volume controls and the Power button. On the back, the camera, two tone flash, laser focus and fingerprint sensor. On the front, only the control buttons for the Android (which do not light up) and an important change: no ASUS logo, which certainly made it more beautiful. On the underside, the reversible connector USB Type C and speaker. And, finally, the audio connector on top.

Fabric

The Zenfone 5's screen was “ok”, with enough quality not to disappoint, but also not to surprise. O Zenfone 2 it had the same screen, only a little bigger and with a higher resolution. Full HD. The technology, however, was basically the same. already the Zenfone 3, keeping the 5,5 inches and resolution 1080p do Zenfone 2, has a completely different screen. The technology here is Super IPS +, and just turn on the smartphone for the first time to realize its quality.

We were even glad that ASUS kept the Full HD resolution. On the one hand, it already has quality to spare and a pixel density of 401, more than enough to not be able to differentiate the individual pixels. On the other hand, it doesn't overload the configuration, since there are fewer pixels to move, compared to screens Quad-HD. In addition to saving the battery, quite an added benefit.

Color quality is not lacking, with well-calibrated contrast and the ability to deliver fantastic peak brightness. We had no problems using it directly against sunlight, which is extremely important. To close the set, the protective glass is the Gorilla Glass, ensuring good protection against scratches and scratches. Both at the front and at the rear.

Asset

Unlike the Zenfone 2, the Zenfone 3 does not arrive as the most powerful model of the ASUS. This post is for Zenfone 3 Deluxe, with chip Snapdragon 821 e 6 GB of RAM. the focus ofthe Zenfone 3 it's cost-effective, so your setup works accordingly. In this case, we have the chip Snapdragon 625 da Qualcomm with 8 Cortex A53 cores running at 2,0 GHz, 4 GB of RAM e Adreno GPU 506.

Yes, it comes with twice as many cores as the Snapdragon 821, but it uses literal implementations of the Cortex A53, not the powerful ones kryo colors. This is exactly why it is considered an intermediate chip, belonging to the family 600 of Qualcomm chips. But performance is not lacking here. We run several games and apps and we don't experience crashes or slowdowns at any time. be running Real Racing 3 ou Dead Trigger, or switching between various apps, the performance is fluid and competent.

Storage and system

The version we got for testing – ZE552KL - comes with 64 GB internal memory and card support micro SD from to 256 GB. Plenty of room, to say the least, and a strong point against the Moto Z Play, which works with 32 GB by default. It is worth mentioning, however, that the user must choose between two different setups, since the drawer for the micro SD card is the same as used by the second SIM card. That is, between SIM + micro SD card ou 2 SIMs.

Announced worldwide before Android 7.0 Nougat, Zenfone 3 comes with Android 6.0.1 of manufactures. ASUS guarantees the update to the next version, still without a specific date. On top of Android we have the ZenUI 3.0, which is not much different from ZenFone 2's ZenUI (Android 5.0) in visual terms. But it is more fluid, not overloading the configuration as was the case with previous versions. By using an architecture ARM, it is now very, very difficult to use the 4 GB of RAM.

Camera

The Zenfone 13's 2 megapixel camera was capable of producing great photos. However, not without a very strong post-processing, which prevented the use of the camera for a few seconds. Well, that's not a problem here. The Zenfone 3 camera has 16 megapixels I are Sony IMX298 sensor, counting on f / 2.0, phase detection flash, and4-axis optical stabilization, two tone flash e HDR. The latter is available both automatically and more precisely (HDR Pro).

The automatic mode is perfectly capable of handling the vast majority of situations without any problems. And, of course, there's a manual mode with some excellent control options, ideal for anyone who wants to control every aspect of their photo. The front camera does not disappoint: it has 8 megapixels, same aperture as the rear camera and is capable of taking excellent quality selfies. As with the Zenfone 2, there is software for “embellishment", correcting some imperfections In real time.

Videos

The rear camera is capable of filming in 4K (2106p @ 30fps), Full HD (1080p @ 30fps e 1080p @ 60fps) to HD (720p@30fps where slow motion). The quality? Enough to spare a dedicated camcorder in most situations. There is no trembling, with the optical image stabilization springing into action without fail. The same goes for the front camera, which requires few corrections from the original video even though it is restricted to 1080p @ 30fps without stabilization.

It's worth an addendum: we don't feel the Zenfone 3 overheated in almost any situation. Not in benchmarks or when it's loading. The exception is videos, when recorded in 4K or 1080p@60fps, which heat up the model (quite a bit) within a few minutes. The camera software didn't actually crash, but it's a note worth clarifying.

Be sure to check out the video reviews, where we've included video samples.

Battery

With 3000 mAh In terms of capacity, the battery of the Zenfone 3 is the same size as the previous generation Zenfones. In this list we include the Zenfone 2, Zenfone 2 Deluxe, Zenfone 2 Deluxe Special Edition e Zenfone Zoom. Despite this, its autonomy is much better. A combination of the most economical chip (Snapdragon 625) with the choice for the Full HD screen, one of the advantages over Quad-HD screens.

We didn't have to charge it more than once a day not even once. Even in testing periods, with frequent benchmarks and lots of photo and video samples. Point for ASUS here, as much of this efficiency is also due to its proprietary power management. To close the set, we have fast charging at 10 watts, fully charging it in just over an hour. In addition, the device heats up very little during the process.

Extras

The fingerprint sensor stands out here. Absent in the previous generation, it plays an important role in the Zenfone 3. In addition to being extremely accurate, it unlocks the screen even when it is off, in a fraction of a second. The fingerprint registration is simple and quickly recognizes the fingerprint, in addition to having the extra function of unlocking the screen with a double touch. Again, even when the screen is off.

Connectivity

• Wi-Fi in the patterns A, B, G, N e AC with support for hotspot e Wi-Fi direct;
• Bluetooth 4.2 LE on A2DP, EDR and support to AptX (high resolution audio via Bluetooth);
• GPS on A-GPS e GLONASS;
• FM radio;
• Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor e compass;
• Dual chip 4G LTE, using the same drawer for the second chip and for the micro SD card (that is, you must choose between one and the other);
• High-resolution audio through the headphones (24 bit/192Hz);

It is worth mentioning the audio quality with headphones. The included headphones are basic, but the Zenfone 3 shows off its power with higher quality headphones. Its audio amplifier is a little less powerful than the one on the Zenfone 2, but the final quality is unquestionably good, separating the mids, bass and treble well.

Conclusion

O Zenfone 3 arrived in the world in Computex 2016, one of the main technology fairs in the world, in Taipei, Taiwan. Now, a few months after his official announcement, he lands in Brazil, and his arrival is awaited by many fans of the brand. As expected, it has been repositioned. Instead of offering as much as possible within a reasonable price, his strategy is different. Represents a category escalation, now appearing in the “intermediate-premium” category. Intermediate on chip, premium in design and extra features.

It would even be unfair to classify the Zenfone 3 as an intermediary pure and simple because of its chip. Especially when we remember that he has 64 GB in a lower price range. We didn't miss a single feature, from the camera to the design and screen quality. We can confidently say that ASUS got the segmentation right, bringing a more affordable complete model and a more advanced one, focusing on those who are willing to pay for the best experience the company can offer. In the second case, we are talking about the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, positioned in a more expensive segment.

Curious? Also check out the video review of Zenfone 3: