ASUS Zenfone 3 Review

Today, we will be reviewing one of the most awaited smartphone in the market, the ASUS Zenfone 3. We’ve first seen this in Taiwan and we’re really excited to try it out for review after we’ve seen it at Computex. There are 3 different Zenfones that were announced in Taipei and there are two variants of the ASUS Zenfone 3 but today, we’ll review the 5.5-inch variant that comes with a 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Check out my review of the ASUS Zenfone 3 5.5 below.

The build is solid and premium

Unlike the ASUS Zenfone 2 series, the new Zenfones now pack a premium material and its design is far from the design language of the previous Zenfones. We now have glass and metal all over the smartphone instead of plastics. Actually, the smartphone feels like a flagship smartphone because of its design and construction.

The previous Zenfones previously packed a plastic brushed metal-look for the back cover but this time, they opted for a non-removable glass back along with the metal sides and a 2.5D glass on the front. The curved back is also gone on the ASUS Zenfone 3 but don’t worry because the smartphone is still handy and I do not have any problems using the smartphone even in one hand.

Yes, the smartphone feels like an iPhone with a combination of a flagship Galaxy smartphone. Is it bad? No. Because with the ASUS Zenfone 3, you could get half the price of those smartphones and yet, you still have the premium metal and glass build on the smartphone.

ASUS wants to remain the identity of the ASUS Zenfones by placing the fingerprint scanner at the back with a rectangular shape. While the volume button of the smartphone was placed on the side of the smartphone. And speaking of the fingerprint scanner, the smartphone can recognize your fingerprint really fast.

The ASUS Zenfone 3 also made the shift to USB Type-C from the Micro-USB which is placed below the smartphone while the speaker grill was placed on the side of the USB Type-C port. However, I was disappointed to know that the smartphone has a disappointing audio quality. It isn’t that loud but nonetheless, it is still better than the predecessor.

 Battery is superb

The 5.5-inch variant of the ASUS Zenfone 3 packs a 3000mAh battery which is adequate for its current hardware. And since ASUS has switched to Qualcomm processors now, the processors now produce less heat and they’re more energy efficient. Actually, I was surprised that the ASUS Zenfone 3 was able to last 16 hours of average use and most of the time, I wasn’t using my powerbank in a day of use of this smartphone

A better IPS Display

The ASUS Zenfone 3 packs a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display just like the previous generation but this time, it’s even better. The display is brighter than the previous generation and the colors were even more lively. Another thing to love about its display is the 2.5D glass which adds to the sexiness to the smartphone and actually, it also made the smartphone look like an iPhone.

Outside, the ASUS Zenfone 3 wouldn’t be a problem and its display is just perfect for Pokemon GO. Viewing angles were great and the colors and contrasts were fine on the ASUS Zenfone 3’s display.

ZenUI 3.0 is better but still come with bloatware

One of the things that you would easily notice on the ASUS Zenfone 3 is its included bloatware. While ASUS has managed to tone it down by removing redundant apps such as the messaging app being replaced by Google’s messenger app, the smartphone still comes with a lot of applications. The looks of the UI became better as this one now rocks a squarecircle icons and of course, it is still customizable.

Intel Out, Qualcomm In

One of the biggest changes that have been made in the Zenfone 3 is the switch from Intel processors to Qualcomm. In the ASUS Zenfone 3, they’ve switched to Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. It’s a new one and it’s a pretty good leap compared to last year’s 615, 616, & 617 Qualcomm processors.

The 5.2-inch variant comes with 3GB of RAM while the 4GB of RAM is made for the 5.5-inch variant but again, what we’re reviewing is the 4GB RAM variant and we’re pretty happy with how this smartphone performs. Multitasking won’t be a problem and there were no lags despite browsing with many tabs on chrome and also in playing games.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and the 4GB of RAM inside the Zenfone 3, of course, isn’t the best one that you can get in the market but it performed better than I expected. The smartphone was able to play all of the games that I’ve installed on it including Asphalt 8, GTA:San Andreas, GTA: Liberty City Stores, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Modern Combat 5 and NBA 2k16. Here’s our gaming test video of the ASUS Zenfone 3.

One of the added features that we can see in the current generation of Zenfones is the Game Genie and it’s an app that lets you record your gameplay or even stream it to your Twitch or Youtube Live.

Pokemon GO is probably one of the hottest game in the country right now and thankfully, you can now download the game on the Play Store and play it really well on this smartphone.

All of the games can run at the highest settings, however, don’t expect it to run it really smooth but nonetheless, these games ran pretty well and they’re really playable on the ASUS Zenfone 3. Here’s the Antutu score that we got from the ASUS Zenfone 3.

Camera has really improved

One of the gripes of some Zenfone 2 users last year was the camera. It tends to have less saturation and produce noises at some conditions but with the ASUS Zenfone 3, the camera has been greatly improved. We now have OIS and EIS which really improves taking photos even with shaky hands and it can now record in 4K.

The camera of the ASUS Zenfone 3 isn’t the best one that you can see in the market but in its price range, it performs pretty well. Actually, I think this is one of the best shooters at $249 (We still have to rely on its international SRP since as of this posting, the official SRP of the smartphone hasn’t been released yet).

Most of the shots were pretty good especially at well-lit conditions and low-light conditions, I notice that the ASUS Zenfone 3 produces brighter and better photos than other smartphones despite only having f/2.0 aperture. Check out the shots that I took using the ASUS Zenfone 3 below.

Verdict

As of this posting, the ASUS Zenfone 3’s local pricing hasn’t been announced yet but at Computex’s launch, we saw that the ASUS Zenfone 3 starts at $249 and that’s pretty great for what you can great from the smartphone. You have a premium and solid build and materials but you can also get a satisfying performance from the Snapdragon processor and a greatly improved camera.

This is not the best smartphone that you can get right now but this smartphone is probably the best bang-for-the-buck. This smartphone is not perfect and of course, it comes with flaws but damn, this smartphone is really great and I can’t wait for the local launch of the smartphone here in the Philippines.