Planoman's Zenfone 2 Impressions

[planoman]

Received a Zenfone 2 Silver 64GB ZE551ML courtesy of ASUS and Android Central! Thank you to them both! It is charging right now, but I did initially set it up on wifi and a few apps. I have not set it up and checked it our in depth but some initial impressions:

A very nice build quality for $300. I have owned a OnePlus One and this device is every bit as nice as that and more affordable. It has a nice size and weight and feels great in the hand. I compared it to my Nexus 6 and iPhone 6+ and it more manageable in the hand than the Nexus 6.

I remembered how useful knock on and knock off are! Although the power button is on the top in the routine part of your day, you will not use the power button but just double tap on and off. All devices need to have this!

The screen is not as bright at a comparable level of brightness but the customizability of this device is pretty intensive. It will take me a few days to learn all the settings. There are different screen settings i.e. balanced, reading, vivid and custom.

Also lots of shorts cuts from the screen when off similar to the OPO. I will cover them more later tonight.

More to come...

 

[planoman]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

Hold the power button and volume down key for a second to take a screen shot.

Here are the gesture short cuts and screen setting. Very customizable!

 

[Jdane07]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

I have mine set to take a screenshot with holding the recent apps button for a couple seconds. Super convenient.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[planoman]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

I have mine set to take a screenshot with holding the recent apps button for a couple seconds. Super convenient.

Posted via the Android Central App

Nice! I saw that setting! So many settings! Very useful stuff!

 

[planoman]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

So easily customized. Themes, icon packs, scroll effects enable you to develop hundreds of combinations for your Zenfone 2. Here is the default theme and icon pack and then the default theme with the silhouette icon pack. Just flick up from the bottom screen edge to bring up the manage home settings.

 

[planoman]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

I have spent several hours with my Zenfone 2 and I can certainly say that ASUS has a winner on their hands! It can seriously make you wonder why spend the premium prices of flagships 600 to 800?!

The build quality, Zen UI, and performance are really top notch.
The UI is fast, fluid and infinitely customizable. When I popped in my ATT SIM card it was instant LTE and with good speed and signal strength. The wifi connected without issue on my 2.4 and 5 GHz bands and is smooth. The call quality was great with the earpiece speaker loud and clear on the calls I made.

The only areas I do not really have a feel for is how all of my apps work, the camera and the battery life. I plan to start tomorrow with a full battery to see how it does. I will try to get at least 4+ hours of on screen time and will test the camera in daylight.

 

[anon(9268751)]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

Where are the settings for screenshot method? Haven't run across those.

 

[planoman]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

Where are the settings for screenshot method? Haven't run across those.

press power and volume down for a second or if you want the button it is: settings, under device- ASUS customized settings, recent apps key and select tap and hold to capture screen.

 

[planoman]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

Impressions of full 14 hour day with the Zenfone 2! I started with a fresh boot and 100% power at 7 am this morning. The weekends are usually light days for me, so I had to try to use my phone a lot to get 4 hours of on screen time.

I owned a OnePlus One for about 6 months and at the time it was being called the "Flagship Killer" because of it's impressive spec sheet and customizability. It was indeed a nice device and at $350 an unheard of bargain in the world of $600 to $800 flagship devices. I knew ASUS through my Nexus 7 2012 and it was an impressive little tablet in it's day. The Zenfone 2 continues on that path of an extraordinary value.

I was able to put the Zenfone 2 through it's paces today and tried to use as many of the features as I could to see if it could be my daily driver among other impressive flagships that I have: Nexus 6, iPhone 6+, Galaxy S6. I used NFC, Bluetooth in my car, casting youtube onto my Samsung smart TV and phone calls, emails, texts, apps, etc. The short answer is the hardware is top notch and the Zen UI is very smooth and remarkable in it's usefulness. It is nowhere as buggy as my OPO was where we would wait for new updates to fix whatever got broken in the last update...Yes, this could very easily be my daily driver and has caused me to question the 700+ I spent on the Nexus 6 last November not to mention my 6+...

I have some NFC tags I have used for years at home, car, keychain. I download the app, trigger, and without setting up anything the tags all work fine and carry out their appointed tasks. Connecting the bluetooth to my vehicle was equally easy. The bluetooth worked fine without a hitch which is not always the case i.e. my iPhone 6+ was borked on the bluetooth when new until apple send out a quick update. I was able to cast youtube videos of Vet Ranch (my daughters favorite) onto our Samsung TV and it was as flawless as my Galaxy S6 which is made to connect to their TVs. Everything I did on the device worked well. Themes, icon packs etc all worked without a hitch. I commend ASUS on such a clean UI build. I have already mentioned all the handy built in short cuts which work well.

The camera is fine. I have been using a Galaxy S6 for weeks so it skews my impressions because it is the best camera I have used on a smart phone. The Zenfone 2 camera is pretty good also. Outdoors it is very good and indoors it is average. If a camera is the number one criteria for a smartphone then this is not your device. If a nice, dependable shooter will work for you then the Zenfone 2 is on your short list...factor in the $300 for the top model, and it may be at the top of your list.

I am posting my battery stats after a 14 hour day. This is the first full day of use. YMMV as we all know. I have the power saver set to customize (100% of screen setting) and ultra saving mode to kick in at 15% remaining battery. The screen is set to about 60% manually. Full sync and no social media.

The Zenfone 2 is this years "Flagship Killer"! It really is a very competent device in many ways. The screen is not as bright as other flagships, but is is a full HD panel and the $300 price is less than half of other devices I have purchased. ASUS has a winner on it's hands. I have no doubt that this device will sell many millions and deservedly so!

 

[planoman]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

Hit 5 hours 12 minutes before my phone hit 15% battery remaining and went into ultra power savings mode I had preset. Overall, I would say this is battery will easily last me for most of my average days.

 

[skatergirl]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

Where is that setting. I want that. I use hand swipe on my Note 4 for screenshots.

 

[skatergirl]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

I found the setting. Awesome. So easy. Easier than hand swipe.

 

[jpr]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

I found the setting. Awesome. So easy. Easier than hand swipe.

While not as convenient as that one, you can also take a screenshot in the pull down menu. That's the way I've been doing it. I really miss my Menu key, so I have the Recent button set to show menu on long press.

 

[planoman]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

Yes, I have seen three ways to take a screen shot: The power/volume down button, in the quick settings, and using the recent apps key! Lots of nice and handy features and shortcuts built into the OS.

I also love the fact that you can downward swipe anywhere on the screen to get the notification screen to pull down not only from the notification bar.

 

[planoman]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

I use the Zenfone 2 on the ATT network in the DFW area and so far the connection to the LTE network is great. It will take this week all around the metroplex to see how the connection holds up to the Nexus 6 which has superb Motorola radios. I'll report back at weeks end. Voice calls sound great and the earpiece speaker is loud and clear. I have not used the phone in a two SIM configuration as Josh Exmoor has, please see his thread for details on that interesting feature. I can't wait to go to try it out in a dual SIM configuration. My work phone is Verizon so no SIM to try out. When traveling abroad I buy a local SIM with voice and data and will put my ATT SIM into slot 2 for voice/text.

I made several calls this morning while running errands over the bluetooth in my car and the Zenfone 2 performed flawlessly. The only thing this phone does not have that I might use is wireless charging. I use it with my S6 to just top off as needed through the day. Although the battery life is fine on the Zenfone 2 since I have the charging pad, I would use it if the Zenfone 2 had the ability.

I just ordered a Tempered glass screen protector that will be here tomorrow. Gotta love Amazon! I decided not to go with the flip case and am using a case I bought weeks ago. It is okay but leaves the top and bottom exposed which I am not crazy about. Links below:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU4460944

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU4460944

Does anyone have a good TPU case they recommend? I am thinking about this one...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WUKLPX4...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU4460944

 

[Guytronic]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

Does anyone have a good TPU case they recommend? I am thinking about this one...

Haven't received it yet.
Ordered the Asus bumper case from B&H for $14.99.
I'll post back when I get it here.

 

[GrooveRite]

I have this one on my queue but I think I like yours too Planoman!

ASUS Zenfone 2 Case, X-CASE Ultra Slim Scratch Resistant Smart Case... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y7FYFJ6...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU4460988

 

[anon(9268751)]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

please let us know how that tempered glass screen protector fits, I've been considering that one and this one which is a little thinner
Premium Real Tempered Glass Screen Film for Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML 5 5 | eBay

 

[GrooveRite]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

please let us know how that tempered glass screen protector fits, I've been considering that one and this one which is a little thinner
Premium Real Tempered Glass Screen Film for Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML 5 5 | eBay

Doesn't say how many mm anywhere?!

 

[anon(9268751)]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

Doesn't say how many mm anywhere?!

The one from Amazon is .33mm and the one from ebay is .25 mm
You have to scroll down aways to see the thickness on ebay