ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)

We can never deny the magic that the Zenfone 2 series has brought to ASUS. The family of smartphones has weathered the fierce competition in both local and international smartphone markets. Its popularity spawned several models under the same Zenfone 2 moniker; and the Laser 5.0 is not an exception. Crafted to carry the popular Laser Autofocus feature, the handset is the living testament of a midrange smartphone with a flagship-grade camera capabilities.

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser Review Philippines

We were privileged to win a Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 in the recently concluded Best Cebu Blogs 2015 as Best Cebu Technology Blog; and after using the handset in a few weeks, we experienced a better value handset compared to the original 5-inch Zenfone 2 released last year. Read our review and see if the Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 has what it takes to be your next daily driver.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 Review

The Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0’s design does not stray away from the previous Zenfone 2 handsets. Make no mistake, the Laser 5.0 comes with a minute design changes than the original. As a whole, we are still looking at the same curves on the corners and the back panel of the device. The latter makes the handset easily nestled on the hands. Likewise, the faux-metal back plate still infuses a premium appeal to a year old design philosophy.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)

Design

It is plastic, but it’s unapologetic. Hardcore Zenfone fans could also notice that the Intel branding at the back has been left in the cutting room; this is due to the fact that the Laser 5.0 employs a Qualcomm chipset. The Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 comes with a Snapdragon 410, to be specific.

The camera pod, LED flash and the laser autofocus are now collinear on the horizontal axis. The top-mounted power button is now “clickable” than ever, as well as the rear volume keys with its concentric circle patterns. I have no complaints of using the power button since it’s a 5-incher handset, but I think it’s a different story when it comes to the 5.5-inch variant. The top side also houses the 3.5-millimeter audio jack while the bottom side features the microUSB and the microphone.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)

Hardware

Under the removable brushed-metal plastic back lurks the 2070 mAh battery and the two micro SIM trays - both equipped with LTE connectivity. Likewise, the expandable microSD slot accepts up to 128GB. Digging further, the device ticks with the Snapdragon 410 SoC that packs 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU and Adreno 306 graphics processor.

Certainly, the chipset comes with more power for all-day computing. It’s snappy-fast with the 2GB of RAM on board. Though, I have to say I have experienced occasional lags somewhere in between. Of course, the most essential addition to the package is the LTE connectivity. Though both SIMs are capable of 4G, only one module could connect to mobile internet at a time.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)

Display

The panel rocks a high-definition display that punches the 5-inch diameter with 294 ppi pixel density. It is in fact running close to Retina-grade screen, in my opinion. The color reproduction is precise; images are vivid and viewing angles are exceptional.

Talking about touch sensitivity, the Zenfone 2 Laser’s panel is a solid performer. I am quite impressed on how accurate the screen is. Manufacturers always cut corners on low-cost phones, and the Taiwanese outfit spared the display on that thought.

Camera

The ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser is defined by its namesake. The new module now comes with a laser autofocus feature which accompanies the 13-megapixel rear shooter. This means that despite its midrange branding, ASUS employs a capable camera for the Zenfone 2 Laser.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)

It is now faster to focus objects. In a well-lighted environment, the camera produces sharp images. Outputs are more vibrant and infuse a good amount of details compared to the original 5-inch Zenfone 2.

I may have an issue with the HDR mode due to the fact that it makes a big difference to the original images. The dual-tone LED flash makes a good job in lighting shadows.

In lowlight, the Zenfone 2 Laser camera is one of the best phones I have tried in the Php 7K+ range. A dedicated lowlight mode might do its tricks but some traces of digital noise could still be seen in some outputs. Check out our camera samples below.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review: Sample Photos
Fully-lighted indoor

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review: Sample Photos
Lowlight Indoor

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review: Sample Photos
Lowlight Outdoor

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review: Sample Photos
Food Photography

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review: Sample Photos
Outdoor with Gloomy Environment

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review: Sample Photos
Outdoor with Gloomy Environment

Related: ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Lite Review

Gaming, Multimedia, and Benchmarks

The ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser is essentially closer to be the best value-for-money handset. In terms of general phone usage, the handset is very capable of churning every operation thrown at it. Gaming, for one, is surprisingly great for a mid-range processor. Titles like Immortal Dream X runs smooth with its GPU.

RAM management is also a walk in the park. We have bombarded the handset with several apps and it seems to stack all the titles with ease. Of course, there's an occassional choking but the Snapdragon 410 recovers in a negligible amount of time.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)

Audio and Video Playback are also smooth. However, I could tell that ASUS did not pay much attention to the speakers. It is advisable to use an external speaker for complete sound entertainment. However, I am drooling over the fact that ASUS packaged a stereo earbuds with the Zenfone 2 Laser.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)
Antutu Benchmark 6.0 Result

In our Antutu Benchmark test, the handset got a peak score of 20619. The benchmark covers 3D rendering, CPU test, UX test and RAM speed test.

Battery

The ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 comes with 2070 mAh battery. In our standard battery test, we have subjected the handset to continuous usage. We tried 3 hours of surfing via 4G LTE network, 60 minutes of Spotify music streaming, 45 minutes of video playback, three dozens of snaps, 30 minutes of gaming, 5 minutes of calls and overall 10 minutes of chat app usage.

In the end of the test, the handset managed to register 17 percent in the battery indicator from a fully-charged initial status.

Software

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop with Zen UI on top. Using the ZenUI is smooth and zippy. Every customized item that the proprietary skin included comes with a necessary value to the whole Android experience. ASUS also promised to bring the latest Marshmallow version into the handset which is a good thought to look forward to.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)

One significant addition is the quick access app scheme in the lockscreen which has proven to be effective in our day to day interaction. Like any other Android skins, the ZenUI also support gestures to launch apps called ZenMotion.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)

Other essential features are also tiled in the Notification Center like the One Hand Operation, RAM cleanup and Flashlight. The Ultra Saving Mode is also a noteworthy feature which squeezes our batteries whenever we need longer phone mileage. The Manage Home menu is accessible upon swiping up from the bottom of the homescreen. Of course, there's a bunch of bloatwares that can't be uninstalled.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review (ZE500KL, Z00ED)

Conclusion

I got ASUS' point in introducing the Zenfone 2 Laser line. With the ZE500KL (Z00ED), it wanted its users to enjoy the same camera quality that it has installed in its higher-end Zenfone 2. But it does not end there; ASUS brought a more convincing Laser autofocus system on the table.

With its current price of Php 7299, the handset ticks several positive features I need in a smartphone - Gorilla Glass 4, 4G LTE connectivity, 2GB of RAM, etc. And if you could live with some minor flaws such as speaker quality and battery life, this smartphone is definitely a steal buy.

What We Like:

  1. Camera with faster focus
  2. Great display with Gorilla Glass 4 protection
  3. LTE connectivity
  4. Faux metal design
  5. Value for money price
  6. Stereo Earbuds that comes out of the box

What We Don’t Like:

  1. Poor speakers
  2. Battery Life
  3. Bloatwares

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Specs

  • 143.7 x 71.5 x 10.5 mm, 140 grams
  • 5-inch TFT HD Display with 720 x 1280 pixels at 294 ppi
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 4
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC
  • 1.2-gigahertz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU
  • Adreno 306 GPU
  • 2GB RAM
  • 8GB, 16GB Internal Storage
  • up to 128GB via microSD
  • 13-megapixel primary camera, Laser Autofocus, two-tone LED Flash
  • 5-megapixel Autofocus Front Camera
  • Dual SIM (Micro)
  • 4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE and GPRS Networks
  • Wi-Fi b/g/n
  • Wi-Fi Hotspot
  • Bluetooth
  • GPS with A-GPS
  • microUSB 2.0
  • FM Radio
  • 3.5mm Audio Jack
  • Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI
  • 2,070mAh Li-Po Battery
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