ASUS Zenfone Selfie Review

Recently, the ASUS Zenfone Selfie was launched in the Philippines and I was one of the lucky reviewers who were able to get this smartphone before its launch. It’s so special because compared to other smartphones, the ASUS Zenfone Selfie packs a front camera that is really made for selfies along with the Dual-LED Dual-tone flash which is really great for building and having a normal skin-tone even with LED Flash.

Design

The design of the ASUS Zenfone Selfie doesn’t depart from the original and familiar Zenfone 2. The ASUS Zenfone Selfie features an arc back which is comfortable to hold despite having a large display and a thicker dimensions. The volume button is still placed at the back which is more convenient for me to reach and more useful when taking selfies.

Noticeably, the ASUS Zenfone Selfie is taller than the Zenfone 2 but that doesn’t mean that the smartphone is harder to use. The power button is placed at the top of the phone and it is kinda hard to reach when you’re using the smartphone in one hand. Thankfully, there’s a double tap to wake feature on the ASUS Zenfone Selfie so you don’t have to reach for that power button at the top.

The one that I got is the white one and it is also available in pink and teal. Obviously, those colors are chic and the ASUS Zenfone Selfie aims to be the most chic and feminine Zenfone in the series. A really great strategy since this smartphone’s main feature is its amazing front camera.

Gone are the brushed metal back design on the ASUS Zenfone Selfie. Instead, you’ll see a matte back with a texture that is familiar to most mid-range smartphones. It’s nice to hold and it doesn’t slip in my hand despite having a curve and large design.

The ASUS Zenfone Selfie’s back is still removable and this time, you can now remove the battery of the smartphone. A feature that some Zenfone fans are looking for. Of course, this smartphone still supports MicroSD card slot and Dual SIM with LTE. Just like the ASUS Zenfone 2, the audio quality is just satisfying. Not the best but I’m quite satisfied with how it worked.

The ASUS Zenfone Selfie might have a removable battery but this time, the smartphone doesn’t support fast charging anymore. Not really a dealbreaker for me but for some people who are already use to charging their phones in less than 2 hours, you might feel a little bit different with the ASUS Zenfone Selfie.

Speaking of battery, the ASUS Zenfone Selfie got a 3000mAh battery which isn’t really that bad and I was actually surprised that this smartphone was able to last up more than my Zenfone 2. The battery last up to more than a day on my average use.

Display

The ASUS Zenfone Selfie got a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display. These days, resolution of smartphones aren’t a biggie any more compared to the past few years. The ASUS Zenfone Selfie’s display was quite alright and I notice that it is brighter than my ASUS Zenfone 2. The whites are brighter and the colors were more vivid. Overall, the ASUS Zenfone Selfie’s display was good.

Software and Performance

The ASUS Zenfone Selfie got a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor with a 3GB of RAM. It’s different from the one on the ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE551ML that packs an Intel Atom processor and 4GB of RAM. Basically, if you’re not familiar with those numbers, the ASUS Zenfone Selfie got a more slower hardware but that doesn’t mean that the ASUS Zenfone Selfie’s performance suck.

The 3GB RAM of the ASUS Zenfone Selfie is enough for multi-tasking. I didn’t experience too much lags but I notice that the ASUS Zenfone 2 can handle more games and applications simultaneously. The Snapdragon 615 might have a bad reputation for bringing unreasonable heat to some smartphones but in the case of the ASUS Zenfone Selfie, the smartphone gets warm but not to the point that the ASUS Zenfone Selfie gets really hot.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor of the ASUS Zenfone Selfie isn’t the chip-maker’s best processor for their smartphones. Yes, it is powerful but some games including Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas can’t run on the highest settings on this smartphone. But don’t worry, toning down the settings of the game would let you run the game smoothly.

Despite its lapses, I’m still happy with how the ASUS Zenfone Selfie performed. The smartphone is fast when navigating and I barely experienced lags on this smartphone. it’s really nice to use and a breeze to navigate. The smartphone might not be a gaming phone compared to the ASUS Zenfone 2 but the real world performance and experience of the ASUS Zenfone Selfie is still good.

At Antutu, I got a score of 34468 which is expected on a smartphone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor with 3GB of RAM.

Camera

The ASUS Zenfone Selfie got a 13-Megapixel Rear Camera with Dual-Tone Dual-LED Flash but this time, this one also got a laser auto-focus which means that this smartphone can focus on objects faster than any Zenfone before. And it’s true. The ASUS Zenfone Selfie can capture images faster than the Zenfone 2 and still, the awesome features of the ASUS Zenfone 2 are still here in the ASUS Zenfone Selfie.

I notice that there are more depth in most photos and the low-light shots were brighter than expected. And as expected, the HDR shots that I took using the ASUS Zenfone Selfie were pretty deep and good.

The front camera might not have a laser-autofocus but this one can shoot fast and takes better selfies than other smartphones. The Dual-tone Dual-LED Flash produces more natural skin tones and the selfies were pretty great on the ASUS Zenfone Selfie. The software is very user-friendly too which makes the phone a really good smartphone for taking selfies.

To know more about its camera, check out my camera comparison of the ASUS Zenfone Selfie vs. Samsung Galaxy S6.

Verdict

The ASUS Zenfone Selfie is a really good smartphone. It may not be as powerful as the ASUS Zenfone 2 but the experience and the camera of the smartphone were pretty good. If you are into selfies and taking photos especially with using the front camera then you might want to check out the ASUS Zenfone Selfie. Although, it is only available in teal, pink, and white.

The ASUS Zenfone Selfie is available right now for P11,995.