Asus ZenFone Zoom De-coded, World’s thinnest smartphone with 3X optical Zoom, here we are with the review of smartphone.
Sick and tired of bulky smartphones? Bored with the fake promises of having jazzy cameras in super-expensive smartphones?
Well! My friends, we have a good news for you. Hold your breath for Asus ZenFone Zoom, World’s thinnest smartphone with 3X optical Zoom. Just holding the phone for merely 5 minutes in our hands, we instantly knew why this stylish beauty created a massive buzz at CES 2015. Priced at Rs 37,999, this camera-centric phone is a must look out for in the niche category of smartphones. Asus has also announced a ZenFlash and tripod bundle that can be paired with the Zenfone Zoom, which will be available at Rs 39,999. With this pricing, Asus at last managed to enter the niche category of smartphones.
Camera
As camera is the key feature of this phone, we set out to further explore the realms of its lens world! While having the very first look at the phone, we were amazed to see that ZenFone Zoom looked like any other Asus phone, but one needs to turn it around to feel and experience the real beauty of this magnificent smartphone.
The rear of the phone in itself is an indicator of its camera’s high-end abilities. The large camera module at the back houses a 13 megapixel sensor and a 3x optical zoom mechanism. In addition to offering a 3x zoom feature, the camera has optical image stabilization, a 10-mirror, four-piece camera lens produced by Hoya, laser autofocus, and a color temperature flash unit.
The best thing that we loved about this phone, ZenFone Zoom has zoom lens that don’t protrude out, all the zooming be it in or out takes place internally, making the smartphone look sleek and stylish.
The front camera is of 5 MP and f/2.0 aperture which enables ZenFone Zoom to click panorama selfie. Asus smartphones have always boasted about their selfie mode, however, when tested the selfie camera failed to capture accurate skin tones. This comes as a little shock seeing the product hype and pricing of the product.
The added features of the phone include Pixel master software with different modes like Backlight, beautification and object removal.
Asus ZenFone Zoom also has an advanced Manual mode for experienced photographers. Here we have blog on pictures clicked with Zenfone Zoom
Another major setback that we faced while reviewing Asus ZenFone Zoom is that despite all the above features, the video recording is limited to 1080p at 60 fps. The camera doesn’t support 4K video recording and is a major let down!
Zenfone zoom – 3x Optical zoom Camera Specification
Battery
Be it Blackberry or iPhone, battery has always been the talk of the town. The ZenFone comes packed with a 3000 mAh non-removable lithium-polymer battery. Asus claims that its BoostMaster technology for turbo-speed charging can take the battery level in the ZenFone Zoom from 0 to 60 per cent in just 39 minutes. Though, we are yet to claim that!
Design and Display
The phone feels the best when we held in hand. No doubt, Asus has laid special emphasis when it comes to the designing of Asus ZenFone Zoom. The overall look and feel of the phone is spectacular. It is a 5.5″ phone with a full HD display and Gorilla glass 4 protection. The display has good viewing angles and it appears vibrant with good levels of brightness.
The front panel of the phone consists of on-screen buttons.
Asus Zenfone Zoom 5.5 Inch HD Display
As we have a look at the front panel of the phone, the headphone jack is on the top and microUSB port is placed right at the bottom. The phone carries a Volume Rocker and Power button on the right side panel plus a dedicated camera shutter button and also a video recording button at the lower end of the right side. Meanwhile, the left side panel of the phone has been left totally vacant.
Asus Zenfone Zoom Black Top View
Asus Zenfone Zoom Bottom View
To further escalate the look of this premium smartphone, the back is made of plastic with an overlapping of leather on it, which gives it an extremely refined and classy look. It is removable with the micro SIM card slot and non-removable battery underneath. The back panel is as stylish as it could get.
While there is a slight hump at the back, but the phone has been designed in such a way that the bump goes unnoticed, making the phone less bulky, easy to hold and click fancy shots.
Asus Zenfone Zoom Right Side View Volume Rocker, Power button and Camera Shutter
Rounded Edges ZenFone Zoom
Zenfone Zoom BackPanel
Build
The heart of any phone lies in its build. Asus ZenFone Zoom uses intel’s Quad-core 64-bit Atom chipset and 4 GB RAM. Internal storage is huge at 128 GB and an option of microSD slot. The rear camera on which the phone is focused is a 13 MP, a f/2.7 shooter with 10 element HOYA lens.
When it comes to the software, Asus ZenFone Zoom runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop OS, wrapped under ZenUI. In terms of connectivity, there are various options available which include Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, 4G LTE and GPS.
The ZenFone Zoom comes in two solid colors – Black and White.
Conclusion
Despite Asus Zenfone Zoom being the most expensive ZenFone in its series, but this splendid smartphone did manage to capture our hearts. Leaving aside its cons, this camera- centric smartphone is a decent buy. In the due course of time can only we judge the true potential of camera-studded smartphone but at the moment, the ultra-sleek and stylish Asus ZenFone Zoom is all set to lock horns with its competitors in the market! It is a sure-shot must buy for all the ZenFone loyalists and amateur smartphone photographers out there.
Quick Specs review of ASUS ZenFone Zoom
Processor: PC – Grade 64-bit Z3590 Intel Super Quad-core CPU 2.5 GHz
Operating System: ASUS ZenUI under Android 5.0 (Lollipop)
Display: 5.5-inch with 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution and 403ppi pixel density IPS display with 400cd/m2 brightness and full-screen lamination
Scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 4 with anti-fingerprint coating.
Cameras: Rear: 13MP, f/2.7 aperture, 10P HOYA lens, 3X optical zoom/12X total zoom, with 4 stop optical image stabilization (OIS), laser auto-focus and dual-color Real Tone flash
Front: 5MP, f/2.0-aperture, wide-angle 88-degree lens with Pano Selfie
Pixel Master features include Low Light mode, Backlight (Super HDR) mode, Beautification mode, Professional (manual-settings) mode
Memory: LPDDR34GB RAM
Storage: 128GB ROM Micro SD card slot (up to 128GB expandable)
Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth® 4.0
Battery: 3000mAh non-removable lithium-polymer
Colors: PURE LEATHER BACK with Pure Black, Ceramic White color
Weight: 185g
Price: Rs 37,999
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