Just imagine what budget Android smartphone you can get in the sub-10k price segment that has an amazing camera, good battery life, Dual-SIM support, and nice looks?
Allow me to introduce to you, the all new ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser, one of the few good options that are available in the market within Rs. 10,000 price segment.
I would say it has something that makes it stand alone among other smartphones like Lenovo K3 Note, Mi 4i, Moto G, etc.
Before we move further and start reviewing the device we have, I need to explain you about what all Zenfone 2 Laser variants are available in the market.
So, Zenfone 2 Laser comes in two series: ZE550KL and ZE500KL, which again have two different variants based on their configuration.
So in total, there are four variants of Zenfone 2 Laser are available.
Now, in ZE550KL series, the Rs. 9,999 variant comes with 5.5-inch display, 2GB RAM, and 16GB internal storage whereas the Rs. 13,999 variant has 3GB of RAM and rest of the specs are same as of Rs. 9,999 variant.
And both the variants of ZE500KL series features a 5-inch display, 2GB RAM, Quad-core processor, but the 8GB internal storage variant is priced for Rs. 9,799 and 16GB storage option is priced for Rs. 9,999.
Yes, Thanks, Asus for creating all this mess!
Asus ZenFone 2 Laser ZE550KL
- Rs. 9,999 (5.5-inch/2GB RAM/16GB Storage/Quad-Core)
- Rs. 13,999 (5.5-inch/3GB RAM/16GB Storage/Octa-Core)
Asus ZenFone 2 Laser ZE500KL
- Rs. 9,799 (5-inch/2GB RAM/8GB Storage)
- Rs. 9,999 (5-inch/2GB RAM/16GB Storage)
The one that we’ve got to review is ZE550KL Rs. 9,999 variant, which comes with a 5-inch 720p display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC, 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal memory, 13MP camera with lightning-fast laser focus with focusing speed of 0.2 seconds, 5MP front camera, Dual-SIM LTE connectivity, and a powerful 3,000 mAh battery.
On the software front, the phone comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box with company’s promise to update it on Android 6.0 early next year.
ASUS is currently offering the ZenFone 2 Laser in Pure Black, Ceramic White, Glamour Red and Sheer Gold color variants in the Indian market.
Design & Build
Let’s start off with the design, it is beautifully crafted with ultra-thin 3.5mm edges same as the original Zenfone 2.
Dimensions are 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9mm, and it Weighs 170 grams. Though 170g is a bit more weight, it is well managed and does not feel bulkier while holding.
The 13 MP rear camera is surrounded by a laser autofocus sensor on the right, flashlight on the left, and the Volume rocker right below it.
Snapping selfies, adjusting the volume feels completely natural, regardless of whether you are right- or left-handed. On the bottom of the back shell, you can see a big speaker grill.
The power button, 3.5mm audio jack, and a secondary noise cancellation microphone are fitted on the top, and MicroUSB port is at the bottom.
The front panel has a neat look with Asus logo just above the display alongside the front camera. And the light sensors and notification LED are positioned right beside it.
Below the display, there are three standard capacitive touch buttons to navigate Back, or on the Home screen, or to open the app drawer.
The back cover is removable and under the hood you can see a removable 3,000 mAh battery, microSD card slot, and two 4G LTE micro sim card slots.
Back is made of anti-slippery matte finish polycarbonate plastic that makes it pretty handy and comfortable to hold.
ZenFone 2 Laser: Display
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Moving towards display phone has 5.5 inch IPS LCD coming in at 1280-by-720p resolution that renders 267 pixels per inch. Sadly, not the best, but serves tasks well.
However, the display is dimmer compared to other smartphones in the same range, which makes difficult to see content, especially in the sunlight.
On the brighter side, the display has Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection that is said to be much better than gorilla glass 3. The display is quite crisp and color vibrant.
Processor & Performance
Powering the ZenFone 2 Laser is the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 1.2 GHz quad-core chip paired with Adreno 306 GPU, which is accompanied by 2GB RAM.
The processor is same that is used in Moto G 3rd Gen, which come off as a solid performer in our experience.
Gaming performance was beyond my expectation as I was able to run almost every game smoothly. It did pretty well with Asphalt 8, Angry Birds 2 and Real Racer 3.
I am happy to report that the Laser never was overheated or made me feel uncomfortable to hold.
Software & UI
Zenfone 2 Laser runs on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop along with highly customizable ZenUI, which is a very feature rich UI.
You can see a lot of toggles here, one thing you will notice here is if you keep brightness on auto mode it makes your display dull comparing to manual mode, so I kept it in manual mode during my testing.
We have few useful features like a blue light filter that actually dulls the screen and make your late night browsing painless.
It also comes with lots of preloaded bloatware apps which has made the phone experience bitter instead of better.
Since it runs ASUS own custom ZenUI, Laser also features Zen motion touch gestures.
Double tap on the screen to wake and sleep the phone seems pretty useful when the power key is located like on the top of Burj Khalifa!
Having Zen Motion gestures enabled, simply draw C on display to open the camera. If you draw V, calling keypad will be opened. You can also add your custom gesture as well.
Double tap on the screen to wake and sleep the phone seems pretty useful when the power key is located like on the top of Burj Khalifa!
One more feature before I move forward is glove mode that I find quite useful. You can go ahead and use the phone even putting on gloves. You will love this feature, especially in winters. And yes, Winter is coming!
Storage
It has 16GB internal storage but offers 10.80GB of user usable space that is ample in my understanding. Moreover, it can be expanded up to 128GB through microSD card. Pretty surprising in a 10K sub-range phone!
Asus ZenFone 2 Laser Camera
The camera is the key highlight of the phone with the laser autofocus where ASUS claims a fix on focus subject with a lightning speed of 0.2 seconds, especially in dim light conditions.
Having onboard 13MP rear shooter, pictures in day light are superb. Exposure, color accuracy, and focus, of course, are totally acceptable. But when we move into indoor light or low light conditions, the camera was sort of weak, images are not that sharp and lacks in color production. It can also record videos at 1080p resolution.
The camera also has a Full Manual Mode; that gives you the power to adjust all the settings of the camera according to your preference.
In total, there are 13 professional settings and controls that you can manually adjust.
To my surprise, Zenfone 2 Laser rear camera performance is much better than that of Zenfone 2.
The Front 5MP shooter is good enough for selfies. The f/2.0-aperture lens and 85-degree field of view allow you to take the panoramic selfie of up to 140 degrees. Snap yourself and all your friends together.
Battery
Zenfone 2 Laser has given its user one more reason to rejoice, and it’s the 3,000 mAh removable rock solid battery that delivers a day’s performance on heavy usage and can last two days with moderate usage that is best in my understanding of other same budget Android devices.
Regarding connectivity options, it features Dual SIM slot with 4G support, Bluetooth 4.0, standard Wi-Fi, GPS, MicroSD card, and Micro USB port.
In-The-Box Content:
- ZenFone 2 Laser Phone Unit
- Standard USB Wall Socket Charger
- Micro USB 2.0 Cable
- And Literature Package
Pros:
- It has one of the best rear cameras for this price range.
- Design and sturdy built.
- Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection.
- Can handle graphic intense games very well. No heating issues observed.
- Amazing Battery Life
- Zen UI with Zen Motion gestures
Cons:
- No 1080p display while you can get the same on other available options.
- Charging time! It took me over 3 hours to charge from 10% to 100%.
- Also, Sound of the phone is just ok and not that clear and loud. Moreover, the speaker is located at the unusual place, so whenever you hold the phone to watch a video, the speaker grill gets covered which holds back the audio even more.
ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser Picture Gallery
The Verdict
So, apart from few minor cons in the ZenFone 2 Laser, but if you look at the complete package along with the specs loaded, ZenUI, camera, and the price which is Rs. 9,999, you are getting a lot from the device and is our pick out of the bunch.
