Category: zenfone

Asus Zenfone Zoom and Zenfone Max Now in Stores

Daniel Morial

Good news Zenfone fans! The two new Asus smartphones that have just launched are now available in all authorized resellers throughout the Philippines.

The Zenfone Zoom which features 3x optical zoom for consumers wanting to zoom in on their subject without losing clarity unlike other smartphones that relies on digital zoom. Apart from its camera-centric nature, it’s also a powerhouse smartphone with the beastly Intel Z3590 quad-core processor clocked at 2.5GHz, 4GB of RAM, and a whopping 128GB of internal storage.

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Asus ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML) specs:
5.5 inch IPS LCD display @ 1920×1080 pixels, 401ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
2.5GHz Intel Atom Z3590 64-bit quad-core CPU
PowerVR 6430 GPU
4GB RAM
128GB internal storage
up to 128GB via microSD card
13-megapixel rear camera w/ 3x optical zoom, dual-tone LED flash
5-megapixel front-facing camera
Dual-SIM
LTE Cat4+
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS w/ A-GPS support
3000mAh Li-Po battery
Android 5.0 Lollipop w/ Zen UI

Check out our first impressions on the device here, and also some sample shots taken here.

The Zenfone Max, on the other hand, is an Android smartphone for those who are always on the go. With its 5,000mAh battery, you’d definitely won’t need a charger as often as before. If you’re familiar with all the Zenfones in the market, the Max is basically an amped version of the Laser 5.5-inch variant due to its large battery capacity.

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ASUS Zenfone Max (ZC550KL) specifications:
5.5-inch HD IPS display @ 1280 x 720 resolution, 267ppi
Gorilla Glass 4
64-bit 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor
Adreno 306 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
Expandable up to 128GB via microSD
13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser autofocus, and dual-tone LED flash
5MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Bluetooth 4.0, A2DP, EDR
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
Dual-SIM, dual standby
4G LTE
5000mAh Li-Po battery
156 x 77.5 x 10.6mm
202 grams
Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI

We already reviewed the Zenfone Max so be sure to check out how it fares through our tests here.

The Asus Zenfone Zoom is currently priced at Php26,995 while the Zenfone Max has a friendlier tag of Php8,485. You may check out the Asus Philippines Facebook page for a list of stores when you can get your hands on these two Zenfones.

The post Asus Zenfone Zoom and Zenfone Max Now in Stores appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

ASUS Zenfone Max Review

Kevin Bruce Francisco

Created to solve the woes of running out of battery when no smartphone chargers are around, the ASUS Zenfone Max carries a 5000mAh battery that the company claims could last for 38 days of standby time. Could it really be a reliable partner for everyday use? Read our review and find out.

Note: Since the Max shares almost identical specs as the Zenfone Laser, we will be incorporating some of the aspects from that review into this one. If you want to skip to the part where we test its battery life, head to the third page of this article.

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Design and Construction

Coming from the same Zenfone family, the Max has an identical face along with other models in the series. The display spans 5.5 inches across and is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 just like the Zenfone Laser. Down below are the usual capacitive buttons that are no longer visible when you use the phone in the dark.

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Looking at it from the side, it has a slightly thicker profile than other Zenfone 2 models due to its massive battery. The increase in width isn’t that much noticeable, but it’s the weight that will get your attention at 202 grams. Again, the battery is responsible.

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The body is made with metal that rigidly supports the chassis of the device. It is then sandwiched by the display and a plastic back cover. All the buttons are kept on the upper right side. Here we have the volume rocker and power/lock button.

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Breaking the all-metal frame is a single 3.5mm audio jack up top and a microphone pinhole alongside a microUSB port at the bottom for charging and transferring files.

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The Zenfone Max has also been blessed with the same laser autofocus technology that appeared in the Zenfone Laser, helping you focus on subjects much faster. Together with dual-tone LED flashes, the handset aims to provide its users capable optics at their disposals whenever they demand it. Additionally, the back cover is textured and has a rubbery coating to it, but is made of plastic.

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Meanwhile, we still have the back-firing speakers located at the lower end of its rear.

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Popping off the cover, we will be exposed to the dual-SIM slots along with the microSD slot for expansion. Also seen here is the Zenfone Max’s non-removable 5000mAh battery. According to the company, the reason why they made it so is to ensure that this 1-cell battery gets the right voltage, in addition to other safety purposes. Also, since this specific model is one of the first units to be handed out, the battery is still exposed. The final version will have their batteries in black wrapping.

asus-zenfone-max-review-philippines-13

In general, the Max slightly carries the familiar look of Zenfones but is heavier and chunkier than the previous models due to the size of its battery.  It’s not totally a bad thing since, in return, you get more power for your handset to last longer.

Next page: Display and Multimedia, Camera, and OS, UI, and Apps

The post ASUS Zenfone Max Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

ASUS Zenfone Max Review

Kevin Bruce Francisco

Created to solve the woes of running out of battery when no smartphone chargers are around, the ASUS Zenfone Max carries a 5000mAh battery that the company claims could last for 38 days of standby time. Could it really be a reliable partner for everyday use? Read our review and find out.

Note: Since the Max shares almost identical specs as the Zenfone Laser, we will be incorporating some of the aspects from that review into this one. If you want to skip to the part where we test its battery life, head to the third page of this article.

asus-zenfone-max-review-philippines-11

Design and Construction

Coming from the same Zenfone family, the Max has an identical face along with other models in the series. The display spans 5.5 inches across and is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 just like the Zenfone Laser. Down below are the usual capacitive buttons that are no longer visible when you use the phone in the dark.

asus-zenfone-max-review-philippines-7

Looking at it from the side, it has a slightly thicker profile than other Zenfone 2 models due to its massive battery. The increase in width isn’t that much noticeable, but it’s the weight that will get your attention at 202 grams. Again, the battery is responsible.

asus-zenfone-max-review-philippines-88

The body is made with metal that rigidly supports the chassis of the device. It is then sandwiched by the display and a plastic back cover. All the buttons are kept on the upper right side. Here we have the volume rocker and power/lock button.

asus-zenfone-max-review-philippines-12

Breaking the all-metal frame is a single 3.5mm audio jack up top and a microphone pinhole alongside a microUSB port at the bottom for charging and transferring files.

asus-zenfone-max-review-philippines-14

The Zenfone Max has also been blessed with the same laser autofocus technology that appeared in the Zenfone Laser, helping you focus on subjects much faster. Together with dual-tone LED flashes, the handset aims to provide its users capable optics at their disposals whenever they demand it. Additionally, the back cover is textured and has a rubbery coating to it, but is made of plastic.

asus-zenfone-max-review-philippines-4

Meanwhile, we still have the back-firing speakers located at the lower end of its rear.

asus-zenfone-max-review-philippines-3

Popping off the cover, we will be exposed to the dual-SIM slots along with the microSD slot for expansion. Also seen here is the Zenfone Max’s non-removable 5000mAh battery. According to the company, the reason why they made it so is to ensure that this 1-cell battery gets the right voltage, in addition to other safety purposes. Also, since this specific model is one of the first units to be handed out, the battery is still exposed. The final version will have their batteries in black wrapping.

asus-zenfone-max-review-philippines-13

In general, the Max slightly carries the familiar look of Zenfones but is heavier and chunkier than the previous models due to the size of its battery.  It’s not totally a bad thing since, in return, you get more power for your handset to last longer.

Next page: Display and Multimedia, Camera, and OS, UI, and Apps

The post ASUS Zenfone Max Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

Asus Zenfone Max official priced at Php8,495

Daniel Morial

As anticipated, Asus has brought another Zenfone device to our shores and it’s no other than the Asus Zenfone Max.

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The Asus Zenfone Max has the biggest battery capacity among its Zenfone cousins, or even with most Android phones in the market. It has a 5000mAh battery along with the usual Zenfone features like laser autofocus and PixelMaster cameras.

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ASUS Zenfone Max (ZC550KL) specifications:
5.5-inch HD IPS display @ 1280 x 720 resolution, 267ppi
Gorilla Glass 4
64-bit 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor
Adreno 306 GPU
2GB RAM
8GB/16GB internal storage
Expandable up to 128GB via microSD
13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser autofocus, and dual-tone LED flash
5MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Bluetooth 4.0, A2DP, EDR
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
Dual-SIM, dual standby
4G LTE
5000mAh Li-Po battery
156 x 77.5 x 10.6mm
202 grams
Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI

We already have a quick hands-on of the device that you can read out here. Also, the Zenfone Max tops our PCMark battery test charts with an impressive 19 hours and 59 minutes score. The Asus Zenfone Max will retail for Php8,495 this first quarter of 2016.

The post Asus Zenfone Max official priced at Php8,495 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

ASUS Zenfone Zoom First Impressions, Sample Photos

Kevin Bruce Francisco

We’re here at the official launch of the ASUS Zenfone Zoom in Cebu City, Philippines and we take a quick look at the phone as well as the photos that it could produce straight from its shooter.

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As we know, the Asus Zenfone Zoom is a pocket-camera smartphone capable of 3x optical zoom, as the name suggests. It also has optical image stabilization and laser autofocus working together to give a clearest and sharpest image it can do. It’s powered by an Intel Atom Z3590 quad-core chip with a maximum clock speed of 2.5GHz per core.

During our short time with the Zoom, our initial impression is that it sits well on the hand and its ergonomics has been designed for easy shooting. The implementation of its physical shutter button does not only makes it easy to shoot or start recording video, but it also functions as a shortcut button to the Camera app — for those times that you quickly need to whip out your camera. It’s a bit heavy, too, but its 5mm at thinnest metallic unibody makes up for that weight since it’s easy to handle.

Check out more of the device in this collection featuring its form factor and button placements:

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We were excited to know what kind of photos the Zenfone Zoom could produce, so we fired up its camera and took the following shots on Automatic settings. We will have more sample photos as we take the device out for a test run later today. For now, here are the initial images:

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In terms of image quality, we feel like some of the colors are washed out and not as vibrant as we want them to be. Details on images are impressive, thanks to the 10-element Hoya lens partnered with a 0.03-second laser autofocus. Do take into consideration that the above shots were taken indoors, so we still have to find out how it would perform with an abundant light source.

Below is a quick run-through on the user interface of its Camera app for the full manual controls:

ASUS Zenfone Zoom specifications:
5.5 inch IPS LCD display @ 1920×1080 pixels, 401ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
2.5GHz Intel Atom Z3590 64-bit quad-core CPU
PowerVR 6430 GPU
4GB RAM
128GB internal storage
up to 128GB via microSD card
13-megapixel rear camera w/ 3x optical zoom, dual-tone LED flash
5-megapixel front-facing camera
Dual-SIM
LTE Cat4+
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS w/ A-GPS support
3000mAh Li-Po battery
Android 5.0 Lollipop w/ Zen UI

The Asus Zenfone Zoom will retail for Php26,995.

The post ASUS Zenfone Zoom First Impressions, Sample Photos appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.