Asus ZenFone Zoom - In-detail Review
The Asus ZenFone Zoom was launched in India in two colours Black and White though we missed out on the Orange, and that is a big bummer. But, it still is a win for India as we get it before the US for the first time in the Zenfone history. Here are the images that we were provided in the press release -
Asus in India launched its most expensive phone offering ever. Aptly named the Asus ZenFone Zoom, with 3X Optical Zoom which compared to even the highest end phones in the market is what that would stand out as the other phones offer a Digital Zoom which is not good to even start with. Asus priced the phone at Rs 37,999. There was also, a kit pack that would include ZenFlash, and a Tripod with the phone and would cost you Rs 39,999.
Specifications -
| ASUS ZenFone Zoom | |
| Processor | PC – Grade 64-bit Z3590 Intel SuperQuad-core CPU 2.5Ghz |
| Operating system | ASUS ZenUI under Android 5.0 (Lollipop) |
| Display | 5.5-inch with 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution and 403ppi pixel density
IPS display with 400cd/m2 brightness and full-screen lamination Scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 with anti-fingerprint coating |
| PixelMaster cameras | Rear: 13MP, f/2.7 aperture, 10P HOYA lens, 3X optical zoom/12X total zoom, with 4 stop optical image stabilization (OIS), laser auto-focus and dual-color Real Tone flash
Front: 5MP, f/2.0-aperture, wide-angle 88-degree lens with PanoSelfie PixelMaster features include Low Light mode, Backlight (Super HDR) mode, Beautification mode, Professional (manual-settings) mode |
| Network standards | GSM/GPRS/EDGE; WCDMA/HSPA+/DC-HSPA+; FDD-LTE
(Network support varies by country) |
| Memory and storage | 128GBROM
LPDDR3 4GB RAM Micro SD card slot (up to 128GB expandable) |
| Wireless | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth® 4.0 |
| Connectors | 3.5mm audio jack, single micro-SIM |
| Location sensors | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, QZSS,SBAS,BDS |
| Other sensors | Accelerometer, proximity, ambient light, gyro, digital compass and Hall-effect sensors |
| Battery | 3000mAh non-removable lithium-polymer |
| Colors | PURE LEATHER BACK with Pure Black, Ceramic White colors |
| Dimensions
(H x W x D) |
158.9 x 78.84 x 11.95~5mm |
| Weight | 185g |
Design
The Asus Zenfone Zoom is made out of a single block of aluminium which undergoes 15 processes to make the body then the metal exoskeleton is injected with plastics that are to be used. The phone is 5mm thick on the sides though the rear bulged out camera does add to the bulk of the phone itself.
The phone itself on the outside maintains the class with premium materials like handmade leather back, metal buttons, gorilla glass 4 screen, etc. The left side has no buttons, the right side has the volume rockers, power button, Camera shutter button, Video Record Button. The top side has the Secondary Noise Cancelling microphone, and the 3.5mm jack. The bottom has the primary microphone and the Micro-USB port.
The back as previously mentioned is made out of premium high quality handmade leather, The back can be removed to reveal a single SIM card slot which is a bummer as Asus has been providing us with Dual SIM slots till now and now they are just offering 1, and the back also contains a microSD card slot. The Camera module is the centre attraction as it occupies most of the back with a 10 element HOYA Lens.
The feel of the phone is great as it feels premium when held in hand, though the weight is a lot more than my tastes but due to the build quality of the phone it can be forgone, the front is a FHD 5.5inch panel which has amazing colour reproduction, and gives you an awesome experience.
Display
The Asus Zenfone Zoom comes with a 5.5inch Full HD display with a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The Display has the new Tru View Technology of Asus that gives you much accurate colours and a better viewing experience. The display has good viewing angles and does not give you colour distortion on any angle. The display even performs well in sunlight and it is fully legible in direct sunlight outdoors. The Movie viewing experience is great as the display changes itself and adapts to the tone of the movie so that long watching hours do not hurt your eyes.
Inside the Zenfone Zoom
The Asus Zenfone Zoom sports a Intel Atom Z3590 quad core processor which is clocked at 2.5GHz. And to give such a powerful processor justification the phone rocks 4GB of DDR3 RAM. This gave us one of the best performances from a phone that we have seen recently.
The Phone along with 4GB of RAM comes with a whopping internal storage of 128GB, also you can expand the storage upto 128GB with a MicroSD card. The Zenfone Zoom also has a Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with AGPS and so on.
Software
The Asus Zenfone Zoom comes with Android 5.0 with the ZenUI and will be soon updated to Android 6.0, The ZenUi has not changed much since the Zenfone 2, the software look is great but the bloatware isn't though you can uninstall it, it still feels like a chore that could have been avoided. Still missing is the fact that Asus is still using a Flashlight app rather than how android provides a widget in the top bar, we also see the addition of the Laser Ruler which let’s you measure the distance from your subject.
Camera
The Asus Zenfone Zoom comes with a 13MP Primary Camera and a 5MP secondary camera. The Primary Camera has a sensor of 53MP. Now what is unique about the Phone is that it has a 3X Optical Zoom and then further 3X digital Zoom also. Though the market has had its share of optical zoom smartphones, this is the only one that looks like a smartphone. Asus has put inside the Zenfone Zoom a 10-element Hoya lens configuration which uses a dual prism periscope module design to capture light. The lens arrangement is sideways rather than seeming to come out of the phone and it has been done to keep the phones profile slimmer, but still the phone has a slight bulge on the camera.
The camera comes with all the modes that the Zenfones have ever seen like laser auto focus, manual shooting modes, super resolution, etc.. The Zenfone Zoom also has the 32 second exposure mode, for using which you will need a tripod, but it surely will be worth it as it gives you stunning shots. The camera of the Zenfone Zoom is simply stunning and ASUS has delivered on the name Zoom.
And when paired with the The ZenFlash and the LolliFlash from Asus the camera gave us amazing shots, like the shots you would have expected from a DSLR with a professional Flash.
Battery
The Asus Zenfone Zoom rocks a 3000mAh Li-polymer battery, which is not removable, which is the trend we are seeing a lot in the market. It comes with what Asus is calling BoostMaster Technology which can charge the Zenfone Zoom from 0 to 60 percent in 39mins, that is what Asus said but when we tested it out the charging time was even lower than what they said.
Sound
It simply is one of the best sounding Zenfones available in the market, with the ASUS SonicMaster 2.0 technology it is just simply one of the best sounding phones in the market.
Pros -
- LTE enabled
- 13 MP pro camera
- Android Lollipop
- Corning Gorilla Glass
Cons -
- Heavy
- Average battery life
- Single SIM
Conclusion
Though being the most pricey Zenfone in market ever at 37,999. The Zenfone Zoom does bring a lot to the table on it's plate like the 3X Zoom. But the software is where i get troubled as it has not changed at all and still has tons of bloatware that thankfully you can uninstall. The Camera experience was great and got us some amazing shots. The overall experience was seamless and we found the phone to be really really good. We definitely recommend the Asus Zenfone Zoom.
Final Decision -
Go For it the Asus Zenfone Zoom is really one of the better phones that this year has to offer.
