The Asus
Zenfone 3 is a lovable smartphone but the company felt the urgency of having a card in the dual-camera department. Zenfone 3 Zoom (ZE553KL) is the answer to this budding camera trend. Upon its availability in the Philippines, the Zenfone 3 Zoom stirs up the water with its very promising feature set.
Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom ZE553KL Review
Basically,
the handset is of flagship grade except the midtier Qualcomm chipset. The Zenfone 3 Zoom is
still running with the same SoC as the original Zenfone 3, the Snapdragon 625. The company
claims that the smartphone is crafted for photography-oriented users and we can
tell that it's more than just the camera. Join us a we dig deeper into the handset's features and camera performance in our Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom Review.
Design
Asus
deviates from the glass-metal-glass construction of the standard Zenfone 3. The current ZF3 Zoom variant borrows the chic back panel of the Zenfone 3 Max which houses the
fingerprint sensor, the dual-cam module, and its autofocus module. The handset does not shy away from a premium-build design; the chamfered back feels good on the hands which is now easy to hold. The whole design philosophy screams elegance when seen on
the wild.
The Asus
Zenfone 3 Zoom only measures 8-mm in terms of thickness. With its svelte form factor, it's easily
the slimmest among smartphones that crunches a 5000-mAh battery. At this depth,
it also manages to cram a dual-camera setup, however failed to hide the camera bump on the back panel. Just like the other big time releases, the Zenfone
3 Zoom gives a subtle valley in the rear panel for the fingerprint sensor. The
aluminum chassis exudes a bluish tint which gives the smartphone a very unique appeal. The sides are chamfered which houses most of the buttons and ports of the handset. There's the volume
rocker and power button on the right, SIM tray on the left, and the USB Type C and headphone jack at the
bottom.
Bottom: 3.5-mm Audio Jack, USB Type C Port, Speaker Grill |
While using
the handset, I could not think of anything else to improve the design. Though the handset is designed to be used with two hands because of its larger footprint, but you'll get the hang of it with continuous use.
Display
We are
talking about a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display. It's a different screen
technology from the IPS LCD of the standard Zenfone 3. The change of display
tech is very evident in the handset's color reproduction. The display is more
vibrant and immersive to look at. Colors pop and screen registers to be sharp. For a
general smartphone use, I would choose this display over its peers with 1080p resolution.
Camera
Initially,
I thought the dual-lens camera, in general, is only a gimmick. But when I
started taking photos with the Zenfone 3 Zoom, my impression substantially turned into enthusiasm. It
has two 12MP rear shooter, the main camera is a Sony IMX316 sensor which
captures more light than the secondary shooter. The latter gives the depth of
field or Bokeh effect which is very appealing in close-up portrait shots.
The camera
module produces great photos. Outputs register sharp in good lighting
condition and even in low-light environment. The combination of both the cameras
and Asus software makes a better post-processing of photos. It focuses more on
contrast and saturation. This means that colors are punched up a bit.
The 2.3x
Optical Zoom proves to be a very nifty feature. It zooms and takes photos
without sacrificing the quality of the image. However, I might prick a bit. The
2.3x Zoom is not consistent. Sometimes I end up having noises in zoomed
subjects especially in low-light, however a proper angle positioning of the
camera fixes it.
Check out
our series of shots when we tested the Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom in Bolinao,
Pangasinan:
Outdoor Well-lighted. Featuring Casa Almarenzo Bed and Breakfast Hotel in Bolinao, Pangasinan |
Outdoor Lowlight. Sunrise in Bolinao, Pangasinan |
Outdoor Lowlight. Sunrise in Bolinao, Pangasinan |
Outdoor Well-lighted 2. Rock Formation in Patar White Beach in Bolinao, Pangasinan |
Outdoor Well-lighted 3. Cape Bolinao Lighthouse in Bolinao, Pangasinan |
Indoor Lowlight. Featuring the Enchanted Cave in Bolinao, Pangasinan |
Outdoor Well-lighted 4. Enchanted Cave Park |
Above: Regular Setting l Below: 2.3x Zoom |
Zenfone cameras are great, and the Zenfone 3 Zoom's dual-camera module solidifies my claim. It could also record up to 4K videos which renders smoothly thanks
to the Snapdragon 625 and 4GB of RAM. Here's a sample video:
For more sample videos, you can go to our Youtube Channel.
Performance
Performance
The Asus
Zenfone 3 Zoom is definitely a worker in its own right. Though ticking with a
mid-tier chipset, it could chew everything thrown at it with ease. The handset
tallies a 62555 score in Antutu Benchmark which is definitely higher than what
the regular Zenfone 3 got when we reviewed it last year. For the purpose of comparison, both handsets have the same chipset.
In terms of
the regular day to day use, the Zenfone 3 Zoom could serve as a reliable
driver to your daily tasks. Music streaming via Spotify is a breeze with its
built-in Hi-Fi amplifier. Video playback and streaming also renders smooth with
less hiccups whenever we jumped frames. The Snapdragon 625 also highlights the
good news that the Zenfone 3 Zoom comes with a 5000 mAh battery due to its
power efficiency.
Likewise,
graphic-intensive games like Asphalt 8 and Need For Speed run smoothly.
Fan-favorite title Mobile Legends also offers engaging gaming experience in this smartphone.
Software
Here comes
the ZenUI 3.0. Two years ago, I loved this skin running on the very popular
Zenfone 2. Fast forward to 2017, I think this UI has been through enough
butt-hurt with its bloated apps and slightly outdated design. However, there are still
few things I love about the software, the rounded apps in the lockscreen, the
knock-on feature and Game Genie to name a few.
Reorganization and redesigning of the ZenUI is an overdue idea. If
Asus would like to compete in the upper midrange to flagship tiers, software
redesigning would definitely be a good starting point for the development of the next Zenfones.
Battery
The battery
life of the Zenfone 3 Zoom is very exceptional. The efficiency of the 5000 mAh
battery is in high bars. For a regular to medium use, the battery tended me for
about 40 hours. In a session between charges, the Zenfone 3 Zoom gave me about
12 hours of screen time within 40 hours.
This includes three dozen of shoots which I took within an hour of playing with the camera app. I extensively connected to WiFi for internet browsing for two hours, three hours movie streaming, two hours music streaming via Spotify, played one hour of graphic intensive gaming app and shuffled three messaging apps every now and then.
At the end of the session, I still managed to get 6 percent of battery life. Another token for the battery is that it does not overheat when used simultaneously.
This includes three dozen of shoots which I took within an hour of playing with the camera app. I extensively connected to WiFi for internet browsing for two hours, three hours movie streaming, two hours music streaming via Spotify, played one hour of graphic intensive gaming app and shuffled three messaging apps every now and then.
At the end of the session, I still managed to get 6 percent of battery life. Another token for the battery is that it does not overheat when used simultaneously.
The Wrap
Most of us
agree that last year’s Zenfone 3 is a great smartphone, it is an amazing sequel
to the iconic Zenfone 2. Though the Zenfone 3 gave Asus the
consistency that we need, we craved for another device that could seal the company's position in the fiercely contested smartphone market. And the Zenfone 3 Zoom
did not only seal the Taiwanese giant's footing but it also solidifies Asus place in the
mobile industry.This is due to ZF3 Zoom's amazing feature set and price standpoint.
The Zenfone
3 Zoom definitely proves the tradition of excellence rooted in the company’s
devices. There’s more to love about the Zenfone 3 Zoom. Its design is the best
I’ve seen from the company so far. Its body is ridiculously
thin for a smartphone that packs 5000 mAh battery. It has the chassis and
finish of a premium device. The display is very stunning with the new AMOLED
technology; and it currently holds one of the best smartphone cameras due to
the unfailingly solid performance of the dual-lens set-up. It could easily be a photographer's delight.
Sure, the
Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom has compromises, all phones do. The software poses a great challenge
for the company to improve in the upcoming iteration of the Zenfone lineup. But all
in all, it’s still one of the best smartphones released this year with its
exceptional value, stand-out camera and generous battery life.
PROS:
Stunning
Display
Premium
Build and Design
Great
Battery Life
Solid
Camera
Good pricing
Good pricing
CONS:
Bloated
Software
Asus
Zenfone 3 Zoom ZE553KL Specs
154.3 x 77
x 8 mm, 170 grams
5.5-inch
AMOLED Display, 1080 x 1920 pixels at 401 ppi
Corning
Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm
Snapdragon 625
Octa-core
2.0GHz Cortex-A53 CPU
Adreno 506
GPU
4GB of RAM
32GB/64GB/128GB
Internal Memory up to 256GB expandable
Dual 12MP
rear camera, (25mm, f/1.7 and 59mm, f/2.8) with Laser AF, Phase Detection AF,
LED Flash, 4-axis OIS, 2.3x optical zoom
2160p video
at 24fps, 1080p video at 30fps
13MP front
camera with f/2.0 aperture lens, 1080p
4G LTE, 3G,
2G
Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g/n, WiFi Direct, Hotspot
Bluetooth
4.2
GPS, A-GPS,
GLONASS, BD
FM Radio
USB Type C
USB OTG
3.5mm Audio
Jack
Fingerprint
Sensor
Gyroscope,
Proximity, Compass, Accelerometer Sensors
Android 6.0
Marshmallow OS with ZenUI 3.0
5000mAh
Li-Ion Non-Removable Battery
QuickCharge
Fast Charging
Navy Black,
Glacier Silver, Rose Gold
Price in
the Philippines: Php 23,995