Asus ZenFone 2 Laser ZE601KL Review

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser Review: After the massive success of Asus ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 2, Asus is doing everything possible to create another success story for budget phone buyers. The company has already unleashed some spectacular beauties with tempting features, but now, it is going for the buzz kill with a slew of ZenFone 2 variants packed with new and innovative features!

Crafted to perfection, the already too impressive Asus ZenFone 2 gets an add-on upgrade with ZenFone 2 Deluxe, ZenFone Max, and ZenFone Laser. They all look very similar from outside, but under the hood, a bunch of tweaks create a thick line of difference for smartphone enthusiasts. The stunningly beautiful ZenFone 2 Laser is company’s first camera focused smartphone in the sub 20k category. The handset not only endows a slick photography experience but also gives you top-tier performance with powerful innards. It comes in three sub-variants, out of which the 6-incher model ZE601KL sits as our pick of the day. We tried and tested the device thoroughly, and here’s what we have on its overall performance!

Design and Build Quality

No surprises here, the new Asus ZenFone 2 Laser continues the path started by ZenFone 2 and later models. The brushed metal casing of the handset looks fairly impressive, but the overall profile feels slightly bulkier than normal. The 6-inch panel is really enormous, and you’ll definitely face some problems while holding or carrying it around, at least for first few days. Apart from this, there’s nothing that looks changed from ZenFone 2. The buttons and ports are in the same place, and volume rockers are placed on the back just like older LG phones. Reaching out to the power button on the top is also a small matter of concern for people with small hands.

Display and Visual Experience

Embracing the entire ZenFone experience, Asus has featured a razor sharp 6-inch full-HD IPS display with ZenFone 2 Laser ZE601KL. The phone comes protected with Gorilla Glass 4, and gives a prolific visual experience with rich colours, better contrasts, and 367 pixels per inch. It stands out in the category, and offers a picture-perfect experience with sharp colour tones and fine details. In fact, with Gorilla Glass 4 on board, the drop-damage resistance of the device has increased to a whole new level, and now it can easily bear accidental falls or drop-downs. In a nutshell, it’s an ideal treat for multimedia buffs and always on-the-go users.

Innards and Performance

According to on-paper specs, Asus ZenFone 2 Laser ZE601KL packs a strong punch with Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor bundled with 3GB RAM and 32 gigs of inbuilt memory. The handset not only claims to offer buttery-smooth performance, but also creates an ideal ecosystem for seamless work and play with Adreno 405 GPU and an additional microSD slot for expanding memory. It offers a perfect package for on-the-go gamers and movie lovers.

Throughout our testing phase, Asus ZenFone 2 Laser performed quite impressively. It handled basic and heavy apps without any lags, and worked seamlessly while surfing internet or navigating through the interface. In the benchmarks, the phone got scores of a typical mid-ranger device, and was just at par with Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3, which ships in the same price bracket.

In a nutshell, the real world performance of this phablet is really good, especially considering its lucrative price point.

Interface and functionality

On the software side, Asus ZenFone 2 Laser runs the same Android 5.0 Lollipop based ZenUI that shipped with the original ZenFone 2. The UI and app icons are quite intuitive, but the amount of bloatware on the handset is really heavy. You’ll get a plethora of pre-installed apps, some of which will come out handy, while the rest will have to be uninstalled from the package.

On whole, everything looks like a decent package for smartphone enthusiasts. Switching between apps is really smooth, and there’s full autonomy for customizing fronts, wallpapers, transition effects, and a bunch of other elements.

Camera Performance

As we said earlier, the main highlight of Asus ZenFone 2 Laser its prolific camera setup. The power-packed device sports a 13-megapixel PixelMaster camera with laser autofocus, dual-tone flash, Largan 5P lens, and an aperture as wide as f/2.0. It creates an ideal ecosystem for shutterbugs with different shooting modes, and takes true-to-life images in just two seconds.

From image quality to focus speed, the camera of this handset outperforms all mid-rangers in the sub-20k category. The images are very well detailed, and there are no signs of grains or overexposure even in lowlight environments.

Even 5-megapixel front-camera performs better than expected. It takes picture-perfect wide angle selfies, just as we all want.

Battery Backup

Despite being small for a 6-inch display, the 3000 mAh Li-Po battery bundled with ZenFone 2 Laser endows sufficient juice for seamless work and play. According to Asus, this battery can give you at an entire day of usage with continuous data access, few calls, and online audio-video playback. This adds a lot to the package, and makes ZenFone 2 Laser one of the finest smartphones with enormous battery backup in the bag.

Pricing and availability

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser ZE601KL is available exclusively via Flipkart.com at Rs. 17,999.

Conclusion

In our opinion, Asus ZenFone 2 Laser is an ideal package for budget phablet lovers. The phone has got no major downside and is really tempting for big-screen lovers who want top-notch performance and glitzy looks. It offers buttery smooth performance with Snapdragon 616 SoC, delivers sharp and colour rich images with 13MP PixelMaster camera, and runs seamlessly throughout the day without running out of juice or heating up excessively. Long story short, it’s a perfect masterpiece from the Taiwanese conglomerate!

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