Ready for the catch? Asus has stuff

Ready for the catch? Asus has stuffed it to the gills with a ridiculous, insane, jaw-dropping amount of software bloat.

I know, it’s a little passe to complain about pre-installed software and Android skins. But trust me, things are bad:

Zenfone 2 Review: Why Shouldn't You Buy This Fantastic Budget Phone?

Not shown: three further screens of bloatware-app shame

How bad? Well, on first boot, the Zenfone had 67 installed apps. If I spread them all out on homescreens (a thing you should not do if you value your soul or spare time), there’s four entire screens of pre-installed software on this pocket computer. Including apps that spam you with prompts to speed up your phone!

Okay, a few of the apps are admittedly useful, like Google’s suite of services; others, like the Asus™ Share Link and Asus™ Party Link and Asus™ PC Link, to be expected but still annoying; the handful of random third-party apps (hi, Omlet Chat) are just weird.

Things don’t stop at gratuitous apps, either. The Zen UI badly duct-taped onto Android Lollipop is flat-out ugly. It’s Google’s Material Design, but with none of the taste or the minimalism, just the garish colors. You can get rid of the worst part of Zen by installing your own app launcher, which basically replaces the home screen, but you’re always going to be stuck with the awful notifications and Settings.

Once you get past the software (alcohol helps), you might notice that Asus has hit almost all the key elements of a good phone head-on. The screen is 1080p, which in practice means a resolution good enough that you’re never going to see a single damn pixel. Where it counts, the screen is great, if not mind-blowing: colors are bright where the OnePlus is washed out. The only real let-down is the brightness — it’s a little dimmer than the average, which makes using the phone under direct sunlight occasionally frustrating.

Zenfone 2 Review: Why Shouldn't You Buy This Fantastic Budget Phone?

The battery’s also surprisingly good. You’ll get a full day of use, if you abuse your phone with Bluetooth music streaming and turn-by-turn navigation; dial things back a little, and you can eke out two days of it buzzing your pocket.

On the $300 version, you get fast-charging technology that brings it up to 100% in an hour and half, but only using an Asus-provided charger. That’s good and bad: fast charging is a boon, but I guarantee you’ll end up charging your phone off a laptop or scrounged wall charger from time to time, and when you do, the 4+ hours it’ll take to charge will drive you slowly crazy.

The only major hardware disappointment is the camera. On paper, the 13MP sensor with a dual-tone flash should be fine, but some combination of poor optics and bad image processing makes the end result pretty dire. The actual process of taking photos is fine—the Asus camera interface is actually pretty good, and autofocus is fairly quick and accurate—but every image I’ve taken has been utterly destroyed by noise.

I mean, take a look at these two images:

Zenfone 2 Review: Why Shouldn't You Buy This Fantastic Budget Phone?

Zenfone 2 Review: Why Shouldn't You Buy This Fantastic Budget Phone?
Sample image and 100% crop, taken at f/2.0, ISO 50

I thought I took a gorgeous landscape pic (score one for early-morning climbing), but if you expand the photo, or god forbid look at the 100% crop, the noise will make you weep.

Lowering the ISO or changing lighting conditions doesn’t help, so I’m assuming it’s something to do with the software image processing. Either way, it doesn’t matter—the camera is fine for Snapchatting your dinner, but not much else.

Like

A phone that does all the phone things well. There’s nothing in the way of added extras like fingerprint sensors, waterproofing or curved screens; but at the core business of just being a smartphone, the Zenfone is pretty damn good.

I like the flip cover more than I was expecting. It provides a good way to check your phone when you’re around other people, while still showing that you’re just looking at the time, not completely ignoring the people around you in favor of Snapchat.

Zenfone 2 Review: Why Shouldn't You Buy This Fantastic Budget Phone?
No Like

The power button is awkwardly placed, and will constantly remind you that five years ago, people would’ve considered the Zenfone 2 to be a tablet.

The camera is fine for basic Snapchat duty, but image quality doesn’t hold a flame to any flagship handsets. A phone for amateur photographers this is not.

The plastic window on the flip case gets really grimy real fast, since it lacks the oleophobic coating found on the glass of the screen itself. Not a huge deal, but keep a cleaning cloth handy.

Should You Buy It?

Probably not. Smaller flaws aside, the Zenfone is a real achievement. A $300 phone—heck, $200 if you don’t play hardcore mobile games—has no right to be this good. if I were buying an Android phone off-contract, I’d much rather have it and $300 in change, than a Galaxy S6.

But the Zenfone 2 doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and OnePlus has already pulled off the same trick of incredible value. The Zenfone is an all-round better device than the OnePlus (just!), but in about two weeks, that’s not going to matter so much: the next iteration, the OnePlus Two, is due out at the end of July.

Given that the Two will almost certainly be another mid-priced Android handset with top-end specs, it’s probably worth waiting to see what comes out, at the very least. The Zenfone 2 is a fantastic phone for the money, but OnePlus redefined how much phone you could expect for $300 with the One; I’m willing to be that the Two will do everything the Zenfone 2 does, but with a slightly better camera, and a refreshingly non-bloated version of Android.

Asus Zenfone 2 Specs

Network: Unlocked, GSM (T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S.)
OS: Android 5.0 with Zen UI
CPU: 1.8Ghz/2.3GHz Intel Atom ($200/$300 respectively)
Screen: 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display (403 PPI)
RAM: 2/4GB ($200/$300)
Storage: 64GB, microSD slot expansion up to 64GB
Camera: 13MP rear / 5MP front
Battery: 3000 mAh Li-Po
Dimensions: 6.00 x 3.04 x 0.43 in
Weight: 6.00 ounces
Price: $200 (1.8GHz/2GB RAM) or $300 (2.3GHz/4GB RAM)
Contact the author at [e-mail].
Reply70 replies

Chris Mills’s Discussions
All replies

noooooope_no
Chris Mills
7/16/15 3:57pm
Why can’t there be an ok alternative like this for Verizon? whyyyyyyy
6
Reply5 replies

bangishotyou
Chris Mills
7/16/15 4:02pm
For those who care about this sort of thing, the phone has already had its bootloader unlocked and its been rooted for even longer. TWRP has also already been released for it and there’s even a debloated ROM for it.
28
Reply1 replies

60wat
bangishotyou
7/16/15 4:19pm
xposed is also supported
5
Reply

bangishotyou
60wat
7/16/15 4:24pm
And the reasons to buy this phone, for the tinkerers in the crowd, just keep on coming!
Reply

60wat
bangishotyou
7/16/15 4:27pm
4gb of RAM phone for $300. nothing lags on this phone. sure you could spend $700 on a new galaxy or similar, but there isn’t much difference when actually using them.
6
Reply3 replies
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Kết quả (Việt) 1:

Sẵn sàng cho việc nắm bắt? Asus đã nhồi nó mang với một số tiền vô lý, điên, hàm-thả của phần mềm sưng lên.Tôi biết, nó là một chút passe để khiếu nại về phần mềm cài đặt sẵn và Android da. Nhưng tôi tin tưởng, những điều được xấu:Đánh giá Zenfone 2: Tại sao bạn không nên mua điện thoại tuyệt vời ngân sách này?Không hiển thị: ba thêm màn hình ứng dụng bloatware xấu hổLàm thế nào rồi? Vâng, ngày đầu tiên khởi động, Zenfone có 67 cài đặt ứng dụng. Nếu tôi lây lan chúng tất cả ra ngoài trên homescreens (một điều bạn không nên làm nếu bạn có giá trị tâm hồn hoặc thời gian rảnh rỗi của bạn), có bốn toàn bộ màn hình của các phần mềm được cài đặt sẵn trên máy tính bỏ túi này. Bao gồm cả ứng dụng thư rác bạn với lời nhắc để tăng tốc độ điện thoại của bạn!Chấp nhận được, một vài trong số các ứng dụng được phải thừa nhận rằng hữu ích, như của Google mật của dịch vụ; những người khác, như Asus ™ chia sẻ liên kết và Asus ™ bên liên kết và liên kết PC của Asus ™, được dự kiến nhưng vẫn còn khó chịu; số ngẫu nhiên bên thứ ba ứng dụng (hi, thẻ Chat) là chỉ lạ.Những điều không dừng lại ở apps cho không, hoặc là. Giao diện Zen nặng ống-ghi âm sẵn vào Android Lollipop là flat-out xấu xí. Nó là của Google tài liệu thiết kế, nhưng với không có hương vị hoặc phong cách tối giản, chỉ là những màu sắc rực rơ. Bạn có thể loại bỏ phần tồi tệ nhất của Zen bằng cách cài đặt phóng ứng dụng riêng của bạn, mà về cơ bản thay thế màn hình, nhưng bạn sẽ luôn luôn bị mắc kẹt với các thông báo khủng khiếp và cài đặt.Một khi bạn nhận được qua phần mềm (rượu giúp), bạn có thể nhận thấy rằng Asus đã trúng hầu như tất cả các yếu tố then chốt của một điện thoại tốt head-on. Màn hình là 1080p, mà trong thực tế có nghĩa là độ phân giải tốt đủ rằng bạn sẽ không bao giờ nhìn thấy một điểm ảnh chết tiệt duy nhất. Trong trường hợp nó đếm, màn hình là rất tốt, nếu không phải cái tâm-thổi: màu sắc đều sáng sủa nơi OnePlus được rửa sạch. Chỉ thực sự để cho xuống là độ sáng — nó là một chút mờ hơn mức trung bình, mà làm cho sử dụng điện thoại dưới ánh sáng mặt trời trực tiếp đôi khi bực bội.Đánh giá Zenfone 2: Tại sao bạn không nên mua điện thoại tuyệt vời ngân sách này?Pin của cũng đáng ngạc nhiên tốt. Bạn sẽ nhận được một ngày đầy đủ sử dụng, nếu bạn lạm dụng điện thoại với Bluetooth âm nhạc trực tuyến và turn-by-turn navigation; quay số điều trở lại một chút, và bạn có thể cung như thế ra hai ngày của nó ù túi của bạn.Phiên bản $300, bạn nhận được sạc nhanh công nghệ mang đến cho nó lên đến 100% trong một giờ và một nửa, nhưng chỉ bằng cách sử dụng một bộ sạc Asus cung cấp. Đó là tốt và xấu: nhanh sạc là một lợi ích, nhưng tôi đảm bảo bạn sẽ kết thúc sạc điện thoại của bạn tắt một máy tính xách tay hoặc sạc scrounged tường theo thời gian, và khi bạn làm, những 4 + giờ nó sẽ mất tính phí sẽ ổ đĩa bạn điên từ từ.The only major hardware disappointment is the camera. On paper, the 13MP sensor with a dual-tone flash should be fine, but some combination of poor optics and bad image processing makes the end result pretty dire. The actual process of taking photos is fine—the Asus camera interface is actually pretty good, and autofocus is fairly quick and accurate—but every image I’ve taken has been utterly destroyed by noise.I mean, take a look at these two images:Zenfone 2 Review: Why Shouldn't You Buy This Fantastic Budget Phone?Zenfone 2 Review: Why Shouldn't You Buy This Fantastic Budget Phone?Sample image and 100% crop, taken at f/2.0, ISO 50I thought I took a gorgeous landscape pic (score one for early-morning climbing), but if you expand the photo, or god forbid look at the 100% crop, the noise will make you weep.Lowering the ISO or changing lighting conditions doesn’t help, so I’m assuming it’s something to do with the software image processing. Either way, it doesn’t matter—the camera is fine for Snapchatting your dinner, but not much else.LikeA phone that does all the phone things well. There’s nothing in the way of added extras like fingerprint sensors, waterproofing or curved screens; but at the core business of just being a smartphone, the Zenfone is pretty damn good.I like the flip cover more than I was expecting. It provides a good way to check your phone when you’re around other people, while still showing that you’re just looking at the time, not completely ignoring the people around you in favor of Snapchat.Zenfone 2 Review: Why Shouldn't You Buy This Fantastic Budget Phone?No LikeThe power button is awkwardly placed, and will constantly remind you that five years ago, people would’ve considered the Zenfone 2 to be a tablet.The camera is fine for basic Snapchat duty, but image quality doesn’t hold a flame to any flagship handsets. A phone for amateur photographers this is not.The plastic window on the flip case gets really grimy real fast, since it lacks the oleophobic coating found on the glass of the screen itself. Not a huge deal, but keep a cleaning cloth handy.Should You Buy It?Probably not. Smaller flaws aside, the Zenfone is a real achievement. A $300 phone—heck, $200 if you don’t play hardcore mobile games—has no right to be this good. if I were buying an Android phone off-contract, I’d much rather have it and $300 in change, than a Galaxy S6.But the Zenfone 2 doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and OnePlus has already pulled off the same trick of incredible value. The Zenfone is an all-round better device than the OnePlus (just!), but in about two weeks, that’s not going to matter so much: the next iteration, the OnePlus Two, is due out at the end of July.Given that the Two will almost certainly be another mid-priced Android handset with top-end specs, it’s probably worth waiting to see what comes out, at the very least. The Zenfone 2 is a fantastic phone for the money, but OnePlus redefined how much phone you could expect for $300 with the One; I’m willing to be that the Two will do everything the Zenfone 2 does, but with a slightly better camera, and a refreshingly non-bloated version of Android.Asus Zenfone 2 SpecsNetwork: Unlocked, GSM (T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S.)OS: Android 5.0 with Zen UICPU: 1.8Ghz/2.3GHz Intel Atom ($200/$300 respectively)Screen: 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display (403 PPI)RAM: 2/4GB ($200/$300)Storage: 64GB, microSD slot expansion up to 64GBCamera: 13MP rear / 5MP frontBattery: 3000 mAh Li-PoDimensions: 6.00 x 3.04 x 0.43 inWeight: 6.00 ouncesPrice: $200 (1.8GHz/2GB RAM) or $300 (2.3GHz/4GB RAM)Contact the author at [e-mail]70 repliesChris Mills’s DiscussionsAll repliesnoooooope_noChris Mills7/16/15 3:57pmWhy can’t there be an ok alternative like this for Verizon? whyyyyyyy6Reply5 repliesbangishotyouChris Mills7/16/15 4:02pmFor those who care about this sort of thing, the phone has already had its bootloader unlocked and its been rooted for even longer. TWRP has also already been released for it and there’s even a debloated ROM for it.28Reply1 replies60watbangishotyou7/16/15 4:19pmxposed is also supported
5
Reply

bangishotyou
60wat
7/16/15 4:24pm
And the reasons to buy this phone, for the tinkerers in the crowd, just keep on coming!
Reply

60wat
bangishotyou
7/16/15 4:27pm
4gb of RAM phone for $300. nothing lags on this phone. sure you could spend $700 on a new galaxy or similar, but there isn’t much difference when actually using them.
6
Reply3 replies
View all 70 replies