ASUS Zenfone Zoom First Impressions, Sample Photos

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.

Asus Zenfone Zoom launched in PH for Php26,995

Asus Philippines has just launched the Zenfone flagship in Cebu during Sinulog Festival, the Asus Zenfone Zoom.

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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 a slightly newer and faster Intel Atom Z3590 quad-core chip with a maximum clock speed of 2.5GHz per core.

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Asus ZenFone Zoom 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

The Asus Zenfone Zoom will retail for Php26,995 with a whopping 128GB of internal storage, just as predicted. It is expected to hit the stores by next week.

The post Asus Zenfone Zoom launched in PH for Php26,995 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

Asus Zenfone Zoom launched in PH for Php26,995

Asus Philippines has just launched the Zenfone flagship in Cebu during Sinulog Festival, the Asus Zenfone Zoom.

asus zenfone zoom resize

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 a slightly newer and faster Intel Atom Z3590 quad-core chip with a maximum clock speed of 2.5GHz per core.

zenfone-zoom-launch-photo

Asus ZenFone Zoom 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

The Asus Zenfone Zoom will retail for Php26,995 with a whopping 128GB of internal storage, just as predicted. It is expected to hit the stores by next week.

The post Asus Zenfone Zoom launched in PH for Php26,995 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

ASUS Zenfone Max Tops Our PCMark Battery Test

We’ve been keeping tabs on smartphones that have the longest battery lives and so far we’ve got quite a list. A new contender in the form of the ASUS Zenfone Max recently joined in with its 5000mAh battery capacity. After running our standard PCMark Battery Test, it was able to surpass all the other devices in terms of how long it could last on a single charge.

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 Battery CapacityPCMark Battery Test
ASUS Zenfone Max5,000mAh19 hours, 59 minutes
Starmobile UP Max5,000mAh15 hours, 26 minutes
Lenovo Vibe P15,000mAh13 hours, 41 minutes
Infinix Hot Note4,000mAh13 hours, 15 minutes
ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL3,000mAh12 hours, 31 minutes
O+ Ultra4,000mAh11 hours, 24 minutes
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact4,500mAh10 hours, 31 minutes
OPPO R7 Plus4,100mAh10 hours, 26 minutes
Motorola Moto E (2nd-Gen)2,390mAh10 hours, 24 minutes
Alcatel Flash Plus3,500mAh10 hours, 23 minutes
Lenovo P704,000mAh10 hours, 16 minutes
OnePlus 23,300mAh9 hours, 45 minutes
LG G4 Stylus3,000mAh9 hours, 34 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+3,000mAh9 hours, 32 minutes
LG Google Nexus 5X2,700mAh9 hours, 28 minutes
ASUS Zenfone Selfie3,000mAh9 hours, 20 minutes
Lenovo PHAB Plus3,500mAh9 hours, 10 minutes
BlackBerry PRIV3,410mAh9 hours, 6 minutes
ZUK Z14,100mAh9 hours, 2 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S62,550mAh8 hours, 53 minutes
Xiaomi Mi4i3,120mAh8 hours, 51 minutes
Samsung Galaxy Tab A4,200mAh 8 hours, 35 minutes
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 32,910mAh8 hours, 34minutes
Samsung Galaxy Note 53,000mAh8 hours, 33 minutes
Meizu M22,500mAh8 hours, 21 minutes
Huawei Honor 4C2,550mAh8 hours, 16 minutes
Sony Xperia Z52,900mAh8 hours, 6 minutes
ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE550ML3,000mAh8 hours, 6 minutes
Samsung Galaxy A83,050mAh8 hours, 6 minutes
Sony Xperia Z33,100mAh8 hours, 0 minutes
Sony Xperia M4 Aqua2,400mAh7 hours, 49 minutes
Alcatel Flash 23,000mAh7 hours, 47 minutes
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact2,700mAh7 hours, 47 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge2,600mAh7 hours, 46 minutes
Huawei G83,000mAh7 hours, 42 minutes
Huawei Mate S2,700mAh7 hours, 39 minutes
Lenovo K804,000mAh7 hours, 28 minutes
Huawei P82,680mAh7 hours, 21 minutes
ASUS Zenfone 2 Deluxe3,000mAh7 hours, 8 minutes
HTC One M82,600mAh7 hours, 8 minutes
ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE551ML 1.8GHz3,000mAh7 hours, 7 minutes
Sony Xperia C5 Ultra2,930mAh7 hours, 6 minutes
Lenovo A70002,900mAh7 hours, 6 minutes
ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE551ML 2.3GHz3,000mAh6 hours, 56 minutes
Starmobile Knight Elite2,600mAh6 hours, 52 minutes
Lenovo Vibe Shot3,000mAh6 hours, 49 minutes
Cherry Mobile G12,500mAh6 hours, 38 minutes
Asus ZenPad S 8.0 4GB3,950mAh6 hours, 37 minutes
O+ XFinit2,000mAh6 hours, 37 minutes
LG G43,000mAh6 hours, 25 minutes
Lenovo K3 Note3,000mAh6 hours, 24 minutes
Cherry Mobile Flare X3,000mAh6 hours, 17 minutes
HTC One M72,300mAh6 hours, 11 minutes
Motorola Moto X2,300mAh6 hours, 2 minutes
OPPO N3 3,000mAh 6 hours, 2 minutes
Lenovo A7000 Plus2,900mAh6 hours, 1 minute
ZenFone 2 ZE500CL2,500mAh5 hours, 58 minutes
Torque Droidz Octave1,900mAh5 hours, 47 minutes
Acer Liquid Z5202,000mAh5 hours, 44 minutes
Huawei Mate 74,100mAh5 hours, 31 minutes
Prestigio 5508 Duo2,300mAh4 hours, 59 minutes
Asus ZenPad 7.0 Z370CG3,950mAh4 hours, 56 minutes
Asus ZenPad S 8.0 2GB3,950mAh4 hours, 49 minutes
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.44,900mAh4 hours, 43 minutes
Cherry Mobile MAIA Smart Tab3,800mAh4 hours, 43 minutes
Huawei Honor 6 Plus3,500mAh4 hours, 39 minutes
Starmobile Knight Vision2,450mAh4 hours, 35 minutes
O+ 360 HD2,000mAh4 hours, 20 minutes
Asus Zenfone C2,100mAh4 hours, 20 minutes
Google Nexus 52,300mAh4 hours, 13 minutes
Cherry Mobile Flare XL2,300mAh3 hours, 55 minutes
Ekotek Ekotab Encore 3G2,500mAh3 hours, 43 minutes

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The ASUS Zenfone Max tops the list with just a minute shy from 20 hours of usage. With the distance of time compared to the second placer, the Starmobile UP Max, it seems like the Zenfone would be a tough champion to dethrone. Until then, you may read our hands-on and first impressions on the device by hitting this link.

The post ASUS Zenfone Max Tops Our PCMark Battery Test appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

ASUS Zenfone Max Hands-On, First Impressions

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. We’ve got an early preview of the unit before the company releases it this weekend and here is our quick hands-on of the device.

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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.

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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.

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’ll be bringing it out of town during ASUS’s media launch (where we’ll also get to play with the Zenfone Zoom) at Sinulog Festival in Cebu City. They will also announce the local price of both handsets during the event. Stay tuned!

The post ASUS Zenfone Max Hands-On, First Impressions appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.