ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser : Review & Smash Test

ZenFone, a range by Asus, is doing incredible in the smartphone market. The different versions comprises commendable specs including different resolutions, RAM, chipsets, storage capacities, and camera resolutions etc, to equip a perfect smartphone. Assessing the popularity of Zenfone 2, Asus has launched its version, Zenfone 2 Laser. So let’s get buckled up to see what this Pandora ’s Box has to offer us.

Look and Feel

By looking at Asus Zenfone 2 Laser, you will not be able to differentiate it with its predecessor. With distinctive concentric circle patterns, volume rockers, hard buttons placement, etc., the phones are almost doppelgangers.

The display comprises of 720X1280 pixel resolution with adequate brightness, sharp colours and balanced contrast.

Software and Specifications

As opposed to usual Intel mobile chipsets, Asus has decided to run Zenfone 2 Laser on Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. There are two variants of this version, the exorbitant one uses Snapdragon 615 chipset with 3 GB Ram while economy one uses Snapdragon 401 SoC with 2 GB RAM. The rest of common specs in both the versions includes a 13 megapixel rear camera, 5- megapixel front camera, 16 GB internal storage, 128GB expandable support, 3000mAh battery, two SIM slots and a 4G connectivity.

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser has Android 5.0 mobile operating system beautified with ZenUI. This UI has very comfortable customizations with quick launch camera, gesture apps launching and enhanced security.

Camera

As the name suggests, the selling point of this phone is its laser-autofocus rear camera with dual-tone flashlight. We tested the camera in well-lit conditions as well as indoor settings, the camera resulted sharp images and good colour contrast which got further perfected on usage with HDR mode and careful focussing. The Laser focus works best for shorter distances where plenty of information is gathered quickly and accurately within a reasonable close shooting sphere.

Coming to camera app, it has a plethora of shooting modes and tweaks with clever filter and options to modify time lapse, depth of field while also to create a GIF.

Performance

With laser autofocus the camera performance of the phone is very favourable, being an entry level smartphone, its smart camera outdo all the other basic smartphones. Games like Asphalt and Dead Trigger 2 ran smoothly with low battery drainage and minimal heating. User interface is comfortable while test videos gave a smooth performance with no lag whatsoever. Also, the benchmark tests including GFXBench, Antutu and Quadrant produced exceptional results for a budget phone.

Coming to battery, we did a rigorous usage and found the phone lasted for good 10 to 12 hours starting from a full charge.

ZenFone 2 - Smash Test

We played the Zen-Smash game against ZenFone 2 Laser by hitting few Table Tennis smashes using the phone. Next, we banged it head-on on Pool Table using a Cue-Ball.

Watch the video to know if ZenFone 2 Laser survived the Zen-Smash Test !

Verdict

The phone is best suited for people who crave for a good camera for an affordable pocket. For Rs. 9,999 the smartphone offers a laser powered autofocus system which helps focussing the subject area properly with an invisible laser pattern resulting in better shots with quicker focussing.

So get set go and check this phone before having a buying decision.