ASUS Zenfone Live L1 (ZA550KL) Review

ASUS Zenfone Live L1 is the company's entry to the budget segment. The Zenfone Live L1 is currently the company's most affordable release. It became official late 2018 and up until now, ASUS is trying to position the handset to those who value price above anything else.


ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review


ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review


The first ever Zenfone Live was a hit. Will the Live L1 follow suit? Join us as we dig deeper with our review of the Zenfone Live L1.

Design

The handset's design is pretty basic - the build quality looks like it's a handset from two years ago. The backing is a polycarbonate plastic which mimics a matte finish. Call this phone anything but a fingerprint magnet.

We got the black unit but it clings into with a grayish tone especially when struck by light. The build is pretty solid but the material is everything we expect for a sub-Php 6K handset.



ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Za550kl

The ASUS Zenfone Live L1 follows the standard button placements from previous Zenfones. The power button and volume rocker are placed on the right, while the SIM tray is housed on the left side. The single-firing speaker settles at the bottom together with the microUSB port; and the headphone jack is on the top side.

There's a noticeable seam where the display meets the frame. And you'll certainly miss swiping continuously on the edge of the display since the screen does not feature a 2.5D curved display. In fact, there are elevated lines along the edges of the display which hamper the swiping experience.

Display

The ASUS Zenfone Live L1 has a 5.5-inch HD+ IPS LCD display. Surprisingly, the quality is quite good for an entry-level device. It comes with an IPS panel, so using it outdoors would not be an issue.



ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Display

The display has good contrast and color saturation. Most phones in this price point have a yellow tint in the screen when seen in oblique angles, but you can't find it in the Zenfone Live L1's panel.

Hardware and Performance


The Zenfone Live L1 features a Snapdragon 425 processor that is coupled with 2GB of RAM. Popular titles like Mobile Legends run smoothly with the Zenfone Live L1. In our Antutu Benchmark, it scored 40,296.



ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Antutu


Streaming with Zenfone Live L1 is also a worthwhile experience. Netflix and YouTube run smoothly on this device. I also spent a considerable time watching my favorite shows online with this handset.



ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Netflix

The Outdoor Mode is also a nifty feature when you're trying to boost the volume especially when you're in an open area.

Camera


You can get decent shots using Zenfone Live L1's 13MP rear camera. For its price, the handset delivers photos with good color reproduction. Turning on the HDR mode will also help recover details in the frame. Color saturation is also convincing.


However, it is quite a challenge for the handset to get a decent shot at night, but a few change in settings could help produce a better looking photo. Noise is also very evident in low-light.


ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Camera

The device excels in its real-time beautification feature. If not the only one, it's one of the handsets that has a great implementation in this feature.



ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Sample Shot 1

ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Shot 2

ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Sample Shot 3

ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Sample Shot 4

ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Portrait Sample Shot





The 5MP Selfie camera also produced good looking social media selfies. Shots using the Portrait mode have commendable results with great edge-detection.


ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Sample Selfie Shots

Software

Out of the box, you'll have Android 8.0 Oreo skinned with the company's ZenUI 5.0. The newest version of ZenUI feels light and complements the modest hardware found in the Zenfone Live L1. User interface is also smooth when navigating apps, browsers, and on-screen tools. However, there are observable lags when multiple apps are opened at the same time due to its limited RAM capacity.


ASUS Zenfone Live L1 Review Software


Using lite-version apps like Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite, and Youtube Go would improve the user experience. There are bloatware apps that you don't need but ASUS thinks otherwise.

The phone also features a Face Unlock function; but I prefer to use traditional pattern unlock since the handset takes a considerable amount of time recognizing my face.

Of course, there are still many jewels found in the ZenUI. The Game Genie is a very convenient feature when playing games. It allows you to block notifications, calls, and keys while in-game. It also offers on-screen recording and even live streaming.

Battery

The 3000 mAh battery is decent enough to get you through a day of moderate usage. Considering that it only pushes 720p display on top of its modest hardware, you'll be surprised how far the Zenfone Live L1's battery would go away from the wall outlet. If you wouldn't mind charging your phone every night, I think the battery life will not be an issue.





The Wrap


The ASUS Zenfone Live L1 is a good entry-level handset. If you're coming from an old hardware and wanted to have a Snapdragon-powered handset, the Zenfone Live L1 could be a good choice.

I'm not sure if it still popular for an average consumer nowadays, but if you're fond of making live-streaming sessions in your social media accounts, then this handset will give you more flexibility and a good suite of tools to improve the experience.

It is only priced at Php 5,995, and you can have it in a cheaper price in some online deals. Cameras are just decent. Moderate gaming is surprisingly okay, and it also offers good multimedia experience.

Knowing that the entry-level market is a fiercely contested segment, there would definitely be a better option for this handset, but I think the ASUS Zenfone Live L1 deserves a second look. 

The ASUS Zenfone Live L1 also comes with an Android Oreo (Go Edition) version. I am more excited for this one since the software will be specially designed for entry-level smartphones like the Zenfone Live L1. It's priced at Php 4,995.

ASUS Zenfone Live L1 (Key Specs)

5.5-inch IPS LCD HD+ Display
18:9 Aspect Ratio
Snapdragon 425 (Quad-Core)

Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
Adreno 308
2GB RAM
16GB (Expandable)
13MP Rear Camera with PDAF, f/2.0
5MP Selfie Camera with Beautification Feature, f/2.4
Android 8.1 Oreo with ZenUI 5.0
3,000mAh


Highlights

Live Beautification Capabilities
Decent Display
Compact Body
Battery Life
Affordable

Lowlights

Unoptimized Software for a moderate hardware
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