ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra Review

When the ASUS Zenfone 3 series was announced, the surprising product of the 3 is the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra. It is the biggest Zenfone ever and it packs some features that are aimed at consumers who are really into media consumption such as watching movies on Iflix, Netflix, and YouTube. Do you want to know more about this device? Check out our review below

It’s a giant smartphone

At 6.8-inch, Of course, you would already expect that the smartphone packs a gigantic display and the looks? Actually, looking at it reminds me of the Galaxy Note because of the inclusion of the home button on the front which also serves as the fingerprint sensor. The oval volume button was also placed at the back which retains the identity of the Zenfone.

The smartphone does have a curve sides but not a curved back which makes the smartphone harder to hold. But knowing that the smartphone has a display near a tablet, I guess you would already expect that the smartphone wouldn’t be ergonomic to your hands.

Just like its Zenfone brothers, the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra packs a premium build and in this smartphone, we got a flat metal back and curve sides with chamfered edges. However, the design and construction of the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra reminds me of a Galaxy Note but nonetheless, the build of the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is really premium.

Present on the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is also a USB Type-C and according to the white paper, the Zenfone 3 Ultra will be able to output video via HDMI on its Type-C Port. I know, that sounds really great however I don’t have that type of port and right now, there are only a few and probably expensive USB Type-C cables that give HDMI output. Oh and yes, the Zenfone 3 Ultra supports fast charging and the smartphone can also be used as a powerbank.

ASUS is also really serious with its speakers as this one does have a crisp, loud, and clear speakers on the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra and yes, it is really amazing and for movie lovers, this one supports Virtual 7.1 surround sound and the Zen ear in-earphones that come with it sounds really damn good. The ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is truly a device made for media consumption.

A GIGANTIC DISPLAY

Alright, I’m confused. Actually, I don’t know whether this device is a tablet or a phone. It has a 6.8-inch display and actually, sometimes I feel awkward answering calls from this phone because this smartphone is just too big. But don’t worry, after a few days of using it you’ll get used to it.

One of the biggest features of the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is its 4k TV-grade processor inside its hardware. It actually helps a lot to make your multimedia experience even better because it brings blur-free and really smooth videos with it whatever movies or videos that you play with it. It’s actually a cool feature and you can’t find that on most smartphones.

According to the specifications, the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra supports HDMI on its USB Type-C and I think it’s a great feature to those people who are always on the go and use their laptops for presentations. Instead, they can just use their Zenfone 3 Ultra and plug in their Type-C to HDMI adapters. However, it’s still hard to find thoseUSB Type-C to HDMI adaptors

There might be a 4K TV-grade processor inside the ASUS Zenfone 3 but the display is still a 1080p display. I know, by today’s standards, most smartphones are now on 4K, especially at this size. But looking and using the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra’s 6.8-inch Full HD display is still nice, you wouldn’t notice the difference between a 2k or 4k display and a Full HD if you’re not really into it. And if you’re a VR fan, well, the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra might be too big for you and I’m pretty sure that most headsets wouldn’t fit on this one.

Overall, the 6.8-inch display is not for everyone but for those people who are into multimedia consumption, I’m pretty sure that they would love it, however, some people might find this too big. But in my use, I love it and the colors were great and it is very useable even outside.

A more powerful processor inside

Inside the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is a more powerful processor than the one on the ASUS Zenfone 3 and whenever you’re planning on using it for light use or heavy gaming, the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra can handle it pretty well. I’ve tried editing videos and also watching 4K videos on the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra and it’s very flawless. I don’t actually have any problems with it.

Playing games on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 with 4GB RAM inside isn’t a problem too and I can even play NBA 2k17 at the highest settings without a single lag, however, it isn’t running on the smoothest frame rates.

ZenUI 3.0 still comes with bloatware

Ok, the ASUS ZenUI 3.0 still comes with a lot of bloatware and when I noticed that after a few weeks of using the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra, the memory usage is a little bit too high but still, I didn’t experience lags or slowdowns on the smartphone.

In case you’re using the smartphone in one hand, there’s a one hand operation on the smartphone and it allows you to use the smartphone with a smaller display that you can use with one hand. It’s actually just similar to other brands that have this feature.

A 23-megapixel rear camera

Compared to its smaller brother, the ASUS Zenfone 3, this one has a better camera sensor and there’s the 23-megapixel rear camera on the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra and get mixed results with its camera. Yes, the camera is better than the other Zenfones that I’ve tried but it isn’t the best camera smartphone in its price range.

Most photos that I took under pretty good lighting conditions resulted to some great photos but some are a miss. Same with the low-light conditions. Check out the sample shots that I took and be the judge of it.

Verdict

The ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is the biggest Zenfone in the series and not everybody would like its size. It actually feels like a tablet with phone functionalities. If you’re planning on buying a giant smartphone for watching movies, browsing the web, and playing games then you would probably love the smartphone. The 4K TV processor is a big game changer for people who are into watching movies. As long as you like a big smartphone then, the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is probably the best giant smartphone for you because this smartphone is truly a multimedia monster.

The ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra is now available