Planoman's Zenfone 2 Impressions

[GrooveRite]

Re: Planoman's Zenfone 2

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

Ahh ok! .25mm is good! .33mm is a lil too thick. I'm going to be honest, I've had the icarez .23mm on my G3 and its cracked 2 TIMES over silly small drops. A chip first always appears somewhere on the edge of the glass and then the crack comes shortly after whether you drop it or not! I have a glass right now on my G3 thats .3mm and it feels more' durable than the thinner ones I've had without much touch sensitivity loss. There are many glass protectors out there but many that are not reliable so choose wisely!

 

[planoman]

I thought it was .25mm. I read the 2.5 and assumed. .33 sounds pretty thick to me also. It arrives today and I will let you all know.

Posted via my ZenFone 2!

 

[GrooveRite]

I thought it was .25mm. I read the 2.5 and assumed. .33 sounds pretty thick to me also. It arrives today and I will let you all know.

Posted via my ZenFone 2!

From what I've read online, most users that have complained about touch sensitivity issues have been with .3mm and up. My .3mm screen on my G3 has been good so far and touch sensitivity hasn't been affected much if at all! Def let us know how your new glass holds up.

 

[anon(9268751)]

I ordered this a few days ago but it hasn't arrived, it's not tempered glass but it is a dry install and was recommended by a couple of different people on another forum. Xtremeguard is supposed to have a good reputation. They also make tempered glass but don't have one yet for the zen 2.
Asus ZenFone 2 Screen Protector

 

[anon(9268751)]

I got this case today. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU4463540
I'm pretty happy with the quality.

 

[planoman]

I got this case today. Amazon.com: Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) Case , HM-ANT Nillkin 0.6mm Nature TPU Soft case Crystal Case Clear Skin Soft Case Slim Case for Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML 5.5Inch (Gold): Cell Phones & Accessories
I'm pretty happy with the quality.

Nice! Is that the one with the little plugs for the ear bud port and USB port to protect from dust? How do you like it? Is it grippy on the sides?

 

[planoman]

I received my tempered glass protector today and it is definitely thick but it fits well and is clear and smooth. It does not cover the bottom chin of the device but stops after the buttons. Overall I have used other glass protectors that do not fit as well. While thicker than most, it does not affect the touch response. It has a cut out for the proximity sensor. For $10, it is a keeper. There were just not that many reviews to go off of but this one certainly will do the job if your normal brand is not yet making a glass protector for the Zenfone 2 or you do not want to spend more than $10. Picture attached below.

This is the model I ordered:
Amazon.com: ASUS Zenfone 2 5.5 Inch Screen Protectors,APLUS(TM) Tempered Glass Screen Protectors 9h Hardness, 2.5d Rounded Edges, 0.33mm Thickness for (ASUS Zenfone 2 (5.5' Inch 2015 Version)): Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[planoman]

5.5 inch screen is my personal sweet spot for a device. I have owed many devices with large screens including the original Galaxy Note International model before it was available here in the US. Then the Note for ATT and Note 2. The screens I have used at 5.5 inches were the OnePlus One, the G3 for a short period before returning it and the iPhone 6+. The Zenfone 2 is right in that sweet spot for me. The Nexus 6 is really larger than I want at 6 inches but I love getting the updates and flashing them onto my Nexus 6 where 5.1.1 is already available. The Galaxy S6 at 5.1 inches is a nice device but just seems small when I carry it. To be honest, I will probably carry the S6 on weekend when my battery life is not as important and for that superb camera also I usually wear shorts on the weekends and with more shallow pockets, a smaller device makes sense.

That leaves my Zenfone 2 to be my daily driver, at least for the next several weeks. I really like the UI and the features it has. It is the "just right" size with the features I want in my M-F work week!

What is your sweet spot on screen size?

 

[anon(9268751)]

Nice! Is that the one with the little plugs for the ear bud port and USB port to protect from dust? How do you like it? Is it grippy on the sides?

Yes it has the plugs for headphone and usb port it it has a gripping surface on the sides that cover the bottom 2/3 of each side. I like it. I have the gold back phone and ordered the gold hued case, its virtually transparent when on the phone. The only real cutouts are on the camera and flash, the rest are the flexible cover type except for the speaker which is grill type design with alternating openings

 

[B. Diddy]

Thanks planoman for your detailed review!

 

[anon(9268751)]

I ordered this a few days ago but it hasn't arrived, it's not tempered glass but it is a dry install and was recommended by a couple of different people on another forum. Xtremeguard is supposed to have a good reputation. They also make tempered glass but don't have one yet for the zen 2.
Asus ZenFone 2 Screen Protector

This one did not work out for me, although it is a dry install I couldn't get all the air bubbles out of it. I've ordered the tempered glass from ebay.

 

[Megsh]

Guys how's the support for this phone? I mean OS support as many brands like Huawei jst abandon their device once its launched??

 

[planoman]

Guys how's the support for this phone? I mean OS support as many brands like Huawei jst abandon their device once its launched??

Good question and this is my first ASUS phone. My ZenFone 2 received an update once I connected to Wi-Fi, but will defer to others on updates and support.

Posted via my ZenFone 2!

Update: I also received an update on 6/4/15. Which will make it the second update I received.

 

[Guytronic]

Guys how's the support for this phone?

Kind of difficult to answer since this phone is pretty recent.
Asus gives all kinds of included support access.

I've seen system updates plus all the ZenUI app updates within 2 days of ownership.
The Asus Launcher updated for me yesterday also.
I guess the coming weeks will tell as users report bugs and problems.

 

[planoman]

Guys how's the support for this phone? I mean OS support as many brands like Huawei jst abandon their device once its launched??

Yes, most of the the ASUS apps have updates waiting. They put their apps in the play store so they can be updated individually and not have to wait for an OS update. Anyone know how ASUS is at updating their phones and devices?

 

[B. Diddy]

They're generally good with system updates, and tend to push out maintenance updates as well (although maybe not so much now, due to the fact that a lot of their apps are now in the Play Store, as you pointed out). I saw a separate article that the Zenfone 4 and 5 are getting 5.0.2 soon, so hopefully ours will get that (or preferably 5.1.1, of course!).

 

[Megsh]

Thanks guys for all ur ans

 

[planoman]

I updated my Zenfone 2 this morning as there was an update available this morning.

After week if using the Zenfone 2 I switched to my Galaxy S6 for the weekend where I wear shorts and the smaller form factor is welcomed and I want more experience with the camera.

I am not sure what I am doing differently than others, but I am routinely getting 5 hours of SOT if I use my phone alot. I have also had days were I have had almost 50% battery life left after light days.

Not sure how much the signal affects battery life but in DFW, where I live, Att is very strong and I never have issues with strong signal strength.

Also just realize when comparing screen to AMOLED screen that IPS usually does not pop as much and it is usually duller. My S6 probably has the best screen on a device right now and it is brighter than an IPS panel. I have it set to about 40% and my Zenfone 2 set to about 60%. Is the Zenfone 2 screen the best? No it is not, but it is more than adequate in my usage. I own some of the best screens on my phones but i have not issues using the IPS panel on the Zenfone. Just my thoughts on the screens.

Posted via my Galaxy S6!

 

[B. Diddy]

I'll say this about Asus--they seem to really want to get this right, considering this is the 3rd system update since its release. On the one hand, it's a bit concerning that there was the need for all of these updates to fix bugs, but on the other hand, it's heartening to see that they're on top of it.

Also, I like how they actually give you a changelog. You can find it in the ZenTalk app, at the bottom in the FAQ section (Release Notes).

 

[Almeuit]

Thanks planoman for your detailed review!

I second this .