Asus ditches the notch with a ‘flip’ camera on the Zenfone 6

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Asus’ new flagship phone has an all-screen front, and the best selfie camera on any smartphone right now, according to a website that reviews photography equipment. 

The Taiwanese tech giant unveiled its flagship Zenfone 6, more than a week ahead of Taiwan’s Computex trade show. The Zenfone 6 drew long lines of tech journalists who were eager to see its “Flip Camera.” 

While Chinese rivals Oppo and Vivo slide and hide the front camera when it’s not in use, Asus made one of the more interesting solutions to the riddle of designing an all-screen smartphone while keeping the all-important selfie shooter. 

The Zenfone 6 doesn’t have a dedicated camera in front for selfies. Instead, its main camera module at the back flips outward to face the user when selfie mode is activated. 

This eliminates the need for a camera notch in front, which means the Zenfone’s 6.4-inch display is all screen. At the same time, this rotation of the camera module allows the same powerful photography hardware used to capture landscapes and sports for self-portraits.

The main module houses two cameras — a 48-megapixel shooter with an f1.8 lens and 26-mm focal length; and a 13MP shooter with an f2.4 aperture and a very wide 11-mm focal length. 

Asus’ new flagship also captures 4K video at 30 frames per second by default and full HD video at 240 fps. The tilt of the Zenfone 6’s Flip Cam can also be manually adjusted, which makes it easier for users to take shots and footage from different angles. 

Because of these features, photography website DxOMark gave the Zenfone 6 a selfie score of 98, the highest for any phone on the market right now. 

Asus also put top-of-the-line specs on its new flagship. The Zenfone 6 uses the latest Snapdragon 855 chipset with Adreno graphics, up to 8GB of memory, and up to 256GB of storage. 

The build quality is also excellent, with Gorilla Glass 6 on front and brushed metal at the back. 

The company seems to have also taken a cue from its line of Zenfone Max mid-tier phones that cater to people who want bigger batteries. The Zenfone 6 has a pretty big 5000 mAh battery. In comparison, most other flagships use 3,800 to 4,300 mAh batteries. 

Audiophiles who have already invested in high-end headphones will also be glad to know that the Zenfone 6 comes with a standard 3.5mm audio jack.

Asus did not say when the Zenfone 6 will be available in the Philippines or how much it would cost. 

A limited edition Zenfone 6 with 12GB of memory and 512GB of storage will also go on sale to mark Asus’ 30th anniversary.

The Zenfone 6 enters a brutally competitive smartphone market that, according to industry tracker IDC, has also declined 6.6 percent in the first quarter of the year.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

AsusPro business laptop: A featherweight that packs welterweight punch

MANILA - Business laptops are all about portability, power and battery life. As a category, they may not always be the prettiest of the lot, but in terms of practicality, they are at the top. 

The AsusPro doesn’t have the refined looks of the Taiwanese electronic company’s flagship ZenBooks, or the graphics processing muscle of its ROG gaming laptops. But at a little over 1 kilogram in weight, the Asuspro is much much lighter than either of them. For most business tasks, the AsusPro also gets the job done, plus a little more. 

Our review unit, dubbed the P5440, came with an 8th generation Core i5 processor running at 1.8 GHz, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB solid state drive, which are pretty standard for this class of laptops. But the AsusPro can also be configured to have up to 16GB of RAM and an additional 1TB hard disk drive. There’s also an option for a faster Core i7 processor.

The laptop has a 14 inch 1080p IPS screen that’s easy on the eyes, and thanks to its matte coating, doesn’t reflect much glare. The screen can also be tilted 180 degrees, which allows users to flat-lay the laptop on a table. This is a feature that could come in handy during a business huddle or a collaboration meeting when several people need to see what you are presenting on the screen. 

The screen however doesn’t swivel 360 degrees like in 2-in-1 models. You can’t use this notebook as a presentation screen, or a tablet like the Lenovo Yoga or Asus’ own Zenbook Flip and Vivobook Flip series. The screen also doesn’t support touch input nor does its trackpad function as an extra display like in Asus’ top-of-the-line notebook.

But what it lacks in bells and whistles, it makes up for in one feature that’s very important to a lot of business travelers: weight. The AsusPro weighed just 1.23 kg. As someone who was more used to lugging a 15-inch MacBook Pro, this notebook felt almost impossibly light. After using it for about 2 weeks, going back to my MacBook Pro felt like carrying a kettlebell. 

The AsusPro is even lighter than the MacBook Air, whose most affordable 13-inch version weighs 1.25 kgs. The only other laptop I could think of that was lighter is the 12-inch MacBook, which is 0.92 kgs. Tech pundits however have pointed out that these 2 lightweight laptops from Apple both scrimp on ports and require users to carry dongles for peripherals.

The AsusPro meanwhile gives business users numerous I/O ports. If you need to connect external drives, monitors, projectors, speakers or just look at the photos and videos from your camera, the AsusPro has you covered. You don’t need to lug around a lot of dongles to connect peripherals to this machine as it has 1 USB-C port, 2 USB-3 ports, 1 HDMI port, an SD card reader, a power port and an audio jack. 

But in case you need to connect to older projectors that require a VGA port, Asus also sells a dongle for that. 

Since this laptop can connect via the superfast 802.11ac Wifi, there isn’t much need for a LAN port. But if you need faster gigabit access or your office supports the slower 802.11bg or 802.11n standards, you can also get a LAN dongle for this laptop. 

Dongles aren’t the most convenient solution, but it would have been silly to accommodate too many legacy ports on a laptop designed to be as portable as this. 

Typing on the AsusPro was excellent. I loved the feel of writing on this laptop because the keys were soft without being too feathery, and the layout was just right--it didn’t feel cramped at all. 
In low-light conditions, users can also turn on the keyboard’s backlighting. There’s also a fingerprint scanner next to the trackpad for extra security. 

Asus claims a 10-hour battery life for this laptop. I was never able to verify this, but casual days of web browsing, writing and watching videos on this machine for around 3 hours still left it with about 65 percent battery life, so the official estimate is probably not too far from real world conditions. 

This laptop also has enough processing power and memory to handle photo editing. It can even do some light video editing for business presentations or stuff that need to be uploaded to social media sites. But I wouldn’t recommend it for professional video editors.

The AsusPro’s magnesium alloy body also feels sturdy enough to handle the rigors of business trips and daily use.

For professionals who need a lightweight laptop that packs enough power for demanding business tasks, the AsusPro is a very solid choice.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Zenfone 5 review: Asus aims for the midrange crown

MANILA - When Asus unveiled the Zenfone 5 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, the Taiwanese tech company raised a lot of eyebrows because of the device’s striking similarity to Apple's iPhone X.

But when Asus formally launched the Zenfone 5 series last April 14 in Manila, people were no longer talking about its nod to the "notch," which has since appeared on phones by rivals Huawei, Oppo and Vivo.

At its local launch, the Zenfone 5 sold out in just 45 minutes, underscoring the lure of its design and specifications at a starting price of P19,995.

DESIGN

The Zenfone 5 has a beautiful metal and glass build. On the front there's a 6.2-inch "edge to edge" screen that's bright and sharp even in daylight.

Like a lot of high end phones being released this year, the Zenfone 5 ditches the familiar 16:9 HDTV screen standard for a sleeker 19:9 aspect ratio.

Asus said this narrower design allowed them to pack more screen real estate without making the unit too large and unwieldy. The switch to a narrower 19:9 ratio also made the new Zenfone a lot easier to hold and operate with one hand.

On top of the screen is the infamous notch, which Asus claims is 26 percent smaller compared to the iPhone X. The notch houses the 8MP front camera with an F2.0 aperture lens, as well as the sensor for the "Face Unlock" feature.

Asus also put a lot of thought into the design of the phone's back, which dazzles when it catches light, regardless of the color option (black or blue).

Unfortunately, like other phones that use a glass back, it’s also a magnet for fingerprints and smudges. You will need a case or cover for this phone.

The back features the phone's two main cameras and a fingerprint scanner. Yes, while the Zenfone 5 has Face Unlock, it still includes a fingerprint reader at the back.

The 12MP main shooter uses a F1.8 aperture lens with a focal length equivalent to a 24mm lens on a DSLR. It provides a nice flat field of view.

The 8MP second camera meanwhile uses an F2.0 aperture lens, with an equivalent DSLR focal length of 12mm that allows a wide-angle view for landscapes and tight indoor shots.

On the right side of the phone are the power button and volume controls. The left side houses the simcard tray.

Like in the other offerings of Asus, you can opt to install two sims on the Zenfone 5, or use the extra sim slot for a microSD card for extra storage.

At the bottom of the phone is a USB-C port for charging and data transfers and a 3.5mm audio jack for people who don’t want to switch to wireless earbuds.

SPECS

Despite its impressive design and build, the Zenfone 5 is not Asus' flagship as it uses the Snapdragon 636 chipset, which is meant for mid-range phones. Its RAM options start at 4 GB and tops out at 6 GB, which was top-of-the line up to 2 years ago, but is just mid-tier now.

Storage also tops out at 64GB, which is adequate for most users, but is just mid-tier with the present crop of phones with double or quadruple the on-board storage. But since it can accept a microSD card with a capacity of up to 2TB, power users always have the option to add more memory.

Asus’ flagship is the Zenfone 5z, which will be released in June. It will use Qualcomm's top of the line Snapdragon 845 chipset, up to 256 GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.

But other than chipset, RAM and storage, the Zenfone 5 and the 5z are similar in all other respects - the cameras, screen, build are the same for both models. And unless you really need to do some serious video editing or gaming on your phone, the specs are more than adequate for everyday apps.

USER EXPERIENCE

Asus has thankfully refrained from its past practice of putting a lot of bloatware into the Zenfone 5. Aside from Android’s standard Google apps and a few of Asus' own apps, which were neatly stored in folders, the only other apps installed in our review unit were Facebook and Instagram, which people will likely install anyway. The cleaner ZenUI interface also complements the sharp bright and nearly bezel-less screen.

Face unlock worked well and was surprisingly not awkward to use at all. But you need to hold the phone correctly to your face. If you hold it at too low an angle, it won’t recognize you. The fingerprint scanner at the back meanwhile worked flawlessly.

If you like watching YouTube videos and HD movies on your phone, you will be glad to know that the notch doesn’t become an annoyance when viewing full screen videos thanks to the phone’s 19:9 aspect ratio. You don’t have to get OCD with the notch covering parts of a video here.

Despite its midrange chipset, it wasn’t a laggard either when it came to gaming. The first person zombie shooting game Dead Trigger loaded pretty quickly and played flawlessly on the Zenfone 5. Sound was pretty decent too. If you need extra performance for more demanding apps, a feature called Boost can add oomph when it’s needed.

The phone’s 3300 mAh battery was more than enough for a day’s use, sans gaming. But if you’re concerned about battery life, a feature called PowerMaster can turn off non-essential apps that drain your battery.

Asus also says that its AI Charging helps reduce battery wear when you charge your phone overnight.

Experts advise keeping your battery charged between 20 to 80 percent of capacity to prolong battery life. Charging your phone overnight meanwhile strains the battery by keeping it at 100 percent for a prolonged time.

Asus says the Zenfone 5’s AI can detect your activity patterns, know when you’re about to sleep, and keeps the phone charged up to only 80 percent until you wake up.

AI or artificial intelligence has become the latest gimmick in smartphones, with every major manufacturer making a claim about AI features. Asus is no different and boasts that the Zenfone 5 has a chock full of AI, especially in its camera system. But we will leave the review of the Zenfone 5’s camera in another article.

Suffice to say, after using it for a week as a daily driver, the Zenfone 5 is a solid all rounder.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Asus showcases new gadgets at Computex 2017

As the month of May crossed over to June, tech journalists and bloggers worldwide flocked to Taipei for Computex 2017.

Asia's biggest annual tech show showcased the latest in digital computing technology wherein Asus took center stage.

The Taiwanese tech giant trotted out an assortment of laptops, 2-in-1 convertibles, and a smartphone that can support both virtual and augmented reality.

Tech blogger Jam Ancheta, who was at Computex 2017, joins Future Perfect to discuss more about Asus' new gadgets.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Asus launches 3 new Zenfones at Computex

TAIPEI -- Asus seems bent on changing the game again. After disrupting the mid-end market with affordable phones with monster specs last year, the Taiwanese electronics giant is shaking up the ecosystem yet again with its latest crop of Zenfones.

At Computex, which is the biggest tech fair in Asia, Asus took the wraps off three new shiny Zenfones. The rest of the smartphone market better take notice. Why? Because these devices pack an awesome lot of power, and (to borrow an observation from Engadget) sport the kind of elegance that used to be the domain of flagship phones costing twice as much.

1. Zenfone 3 Deluxe

First to be unveiled was the Zenfone Deluxe. Like a lot of new phones coming out right now, this handset has an aluminum unibody and rounded edges. But you also need to give credit to Asus for adding a bit of their touch to this now familiar look.

While other phones still show antenna bands around the back, Asus was able to hide the antenna on its new Zenfones, thus giving them a cleaner and more elegant feel. One glance at this handset lets you know that this phone is clearly aiming for the higher end of the market. And yet it’s price of just US$499, or roughly P24,000, is just almost just half the price of major flagship phones.

Zenfone 3 Deluxe Specs

Screen: 5.7 in, 1080x1920, Super AMOLED
Platfrom: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, Android Marshmallow
Memory: Max of 6GB
Camera: Main - 23MP, f2.0, 4K video
Front - 8MP, f2.0, 1080p video
Connectivity: LTE, HSPA
Battery: 3000mAh non-removable
Other Features: USB type C, Fingerprint scanner, up to 256GB storage
Colors: Silver, Gray, Gold
Announced price: Starts at US$499

Asus also made some significant upgrades to the screen. The Zenfone Deluxe sports a 5.7-inch Super Amoled Full HD screen. The screen is gorgeous, with colors and contrasts that hang in there with the best that the Koreans, Japanese and Cupertino have to offer.

The design may look familiar, but the phone’s guts definitely push the envelope. The top-end Zenfone Deluxe boasts of a monstrous 6GB of RAM. That is probably more RAM than you’ll ever need for day to day tasks, and effectively future-proofs your phone against whatever memory-hogging app that may arrive in Google Play. Console-level gaming, video-editing, professional photo-editing all become possible on this phone.

Speaking of photos, Asus also leveled up the camera of the Zenfone Deluxe. My main complaint with the previous generation of Zenfones was that they took photos that were just OK -- not exceptional or bad, but just OK. The Zenfone Deluxe aims to change all that.

Asus has placed a huge 23MP Sony sensor into the camera of the Zenfone Deluxe. To keep images blur-free, Asus also put a 4-axis optical image stabilization into the Deluxe and complemented this with electronic image stabilization. Strangely though, Asus kept an f2.0 lens on the primary camera of the Zenfone Deluxe. This seems odd given that other high- end smartphones are already using much more superior f1.8 and f1.7 lenses.

The Zenfone Deluxe also packs in a slew of other technologies like phase detection and continuous autofocus into its camera. Llike a lot of high end smartphones right now, the Deluxe can also shoot smooth 4K video thanks to all the other hardware enhancements.

Some of the pictures and videos taken with the Deluxe during the demo at Computex were pretty impressive, but it remains to be seen whether Asus’ foray into the higher end category can keep up with the best phone cameras right now. I can’t wait to get my hands on a review unit and see if the hype lives up to the reality.

Other hardware improvements include a fingerprint sensor, quick charging capabilities, and a USB 3.0 Type-C connector for faster charging and file transfers. And if you really like shooting 4K video, you’re not likely to run out of space as the top end Deluxe will give you 256GB of stage.

2. Zenfone 3

Next to be introduced was the Zenfone 3, the heir to the very successful Zenfone 2 from last year.

This variant does not have the aluminum unibody construction of the Deluxe. Instead it uses Gorilla Glass 2.5D in the front and rear. The glass also gently curves to edges of the phone, giving it a very refined look. Make no mistake about it, this phone feels very premium despite its US$299 or P14,000 tag, which is almost ridiculous.

Zenfone 3 Specs

Screen: 5.5 in, 1080x1920, Super IPS+
Platfrom: Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, Android Marshmallow
Memory: Max of 4GB
Camera: Main - 16MP, f2.0, 4K video
Front - 8MP, f2.0, 1080p video
Connectivity: LTE, HSPA
Battery: 3000mAh non-removable
Other Features: USB Type C, Fingerprint scanner
Colors: Silver, Black, Blue, Gold
Announced price: Starts at US$299

It also uses the same camera technologies found in the Deluxe, but with a smaller 16MP sensor. Other than that, the Zenfone 3 shares virtually the same specs with the Deluxe, except for the processor and the RAM which has been bumped down to just 4GB to make it more affordable for the mid-end market.

3. Zenfone 3 Ultra

Last to be introduced at Computex was the Zenfone Ultra, a 6.8-inch “phone.” Based on the size alone, you could surmise that this phablet is more tablet than phone, and unless you have palms as big asShaq’s, you will need both hands to use it.

Zenfone Ultra Specs

Screen: 6.8 in, IPS, 1080x1920
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 652, Android Marshmallow
Memory: Max of 4GB
Camera: Main - 23MP, f2.0, 4K video
Front - 8MP, f2.0, 1080p video
Connectivity: LTE, HSPA
Battery: 4600 mAh
Other Features: 7.1 DTS Surround Sound, Powerbank function, USB Type C, Fingerprint scanner
Colors: Silver, Gray, Pink

Personally, I am not a big fan of Godzilla phones. But Asus says that it is not aiming the Ultra for casual users like me, but for multimedia lovers, or people who want to watch movies and play games on the go.

Like the Deluxe, the Ultra also sports a sleek aluminum unibody design. It also has a 23MP camera and most of the hardware specs of the Deluxe except for the processor and the RAM, which was also bumped down to a max of 4GB.

But Asus also gave the Ultra a lot of enhancements that make it veritable multimedia workhorse.

They made the Ultra’s full HD screen extra bright. The company claims that the Ultra’s images remain clear and bright even under direct sunlight. At the Computex demo, the Ultra sat next to an iPhone 6s Plus and both phones placed under a bright white LED light. The Zenfone Ultra’s screen remained clear and bright while the iPhone could barely be seen. It will be interesting to get hold of this phone and test its claims in real world conditions when it comes out.

The Ultra also boasts of really good audio. I was able to try it using Skullcandy headphones at the Asus booth in Computex, and they weren’t kidding when they said the Ultra could pump out excellent 7.1 surround sound to your eardrums. If you like watching movies on the go, this is one phablet you definitely need to consider. And this monster phablet starts at just US$479 or around P22,000.

Gadget aficionados, however, will have to wait a few more weeks to get their hands on these new models. Asus expects to bring these new Zenfones into the Philippine market around August.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Asus unveils robot Zenbo at Computex

TAIPEI -- Computex, the largest tech expo in Asia, is a stage for some of the biggest product launches and unveilings by Asian electronics companies.

This year’s Computex did not disappoint, with Taiwanese giant Asus announcing a major foray into robotics with the unveiling of a personal robot, dubbed the Zenbo.

Zenbo’s launch was a big deal. Every tech journalist at Computex was expecting new phones, tablets, wearables and VR kits. But the a robot like Zenbo? No one saw that coming.

Zenbo kinda looks like something from a Pixar design factory. If Wall-E and Eve decided to have kids, Zenbo would probably look like one of the offspring. It’s small, it’s cute, it rolls on wheels, and has got that non-threatening interface that old folks and little kids would love.

Asus dubs the Zenbo as a smart assistant. You communicate with the Zenbo using voice commands instead of a remote. According to the short demo, Zenbo can help out in the kitchen with a recipe, help your kids with their homework, and even dial an emergency number if an accident happens inside your home.

It can also read a bedtime story to your kids, play music, take photos and video, and even control your smart home and smart appliances.


You could think of it as a personal butler like, or an electronic yaya. While it’s not exactly on the same level yet of the positronic Andrew in Robin William’s film “Bicentennial Man,” the Zenbo presents a huge leap in the direction of smart robotic assistants. Why? Because you don’t have to sell your kidney to buy one.

Asus chairman Jonney Shih said that their goal was to enable robotic computing for every household. With a target price of US$599, or roughly around P28,000, Asus may have just found the sweet spot for personal robots. If Asus manages to meet this target price, this will put Zenbo’s cost lower than a Samsung Galaxy S7 or an iPhone 6S Plus. It’s not hard to imagine Zenbos appearing in the homes of many gadget aficionados based on that price point.

I am actually a bit skeptical about that target price, as similar robots cost much much more. Softbank’s Pepper robot sells for around US$1,900. But if there’s one company that can develop and sell affordable robots, it’s probably Asus.

Asus created an entirely new category of computers when it introduced the EeePC way back in 2007. This little laptop ushered in the world of cheap portable computers called netbooks. The Taiwanese company did this again in 2011 when it launched the Eeepad Transformer, which created a category of affordable laptop-tablet hybrids.

Hopefully, Asus can leverage its manufacturing and engineering expertise and make the Zenbo a truly affordable home robot.

Gadget geeks who want to get their hands on the Zenbo, however, will have to wait a little longer. Asus has not yet announced a launch date for the Zenbo.

From the demo I saw at Computex, it was also pretty obvious that Zenbo wasn’t ready for primetime. But if you’re a developer, you’re in luck because Asus welcomes developers who want to create new apps and capabilities for their home robot.

Will Zenbo usher in a new era of home robots? Many gadget aficionados certainly hope so.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Asus ZenFone Zoom seeks to replace digicams

MANILA - Taiwanese computing firm Asus has recently released a smartphone with a powerful camera touted to replace traditional digital cameras.

Fast-charging, edgy, and boasts of huge storage, the new Asus Zenfone Zoom seeks to replace powerful digicams. But is it worth your money?

Here are five specifications of the Asus phone, ZenFone Zoom, as seen on ANC's Future Perfect.

1. Its camera boasts of 3x optical zoom, macro focus up to 5 centimeters

The Zoom's 13-megapixel camera uses Asus' dual periscope mechanism that uses ten mirrors. This mechanism also keeps the phone's chassis at a relatively slim 12 millimeters.

The Zoom also has dual LED flash and laser autofocus for crisp images. It also allows macro focus down to five centimeters distance.

2. It packs 128 gigabytes of internal storage, with a micro SD slot

Aside from its powerful camera, the Zoom claims to have as much as 128 GB of internal storage which can be further expanded with a micro SD card. One can also use a USB through the Zoom's on-the-go connector for additional space.

3. Sleek leather back cover

Its leather back cover adds sophistication and class. The Zoom also comes with a leather strap.

4. Full charge in a little over an hour

The Zoom's boost master technology supposedly give the phone a full charge in just 70 minutes.

5. Corning Gorilla Glass protects the screen from scratches

The Zoom has a 5.5-inch Corning Gorilla Glass 4 screen. It runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop), and has a 2.3 Ghz quad-core processor. One can also choose from 2 GB or 4 GB RAM.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Asus introduces new smartphones to PH market

The Taiwanese computing firm Asus gave mobile gamers a smartphone to lust after when it launched the Zenfone 2 earlier this year. Asus touted it as the first smartphone in the world with 4 gigabytes of RAM.

Asus also introduced to the Philippine market three more variants of the Zenfone with hardware specs that have never been seen until now on any android smartphone.

ANC Future Perfect

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Review: Asus Zenfone 2, a 4GB monster phone

Smartphone makers like to trumpet how their handsets are “quadcore” or “octacore.” There was a time when this may have sounded impressive, but not anymore. I’ve tried and tested several smartphones, all stuffed with more cores than my desktop. While they all seemed great at first, sooner or later they ran into an issue which rendered all that processing power practically useless --memory.

If you think it’s a chore to “free” memory and erase app caches on your smartphone because because it’s getting unbearably slow and you can’t install new apps, you can blame the paltry 1GB or 2GB spec’d on your phone. Thankfully, smartphone makers are wising up and addressing this issue instead of continuing this largely meaningless contest over cores.

Asus blazed the trail on this front when it unveiled the Zenfone 2 earlier this year at CES. While most flagship handsets were still doing fine with 3GB of RAM, Asus made gadget-geek headlines when it announced that its next flagship phone would feature 4 frigging glorious gigabytes of RAM.

As a mid-end handset, the flagship Zenfone 2 ZE551ML already stands out from the competition on just its specs.

5.5-inch full HD IPS display
64-bit Intel Atom 2.3GHz Z3580 quad-core processor
4GB of RAM
32GB of storage, expandable via microSD
13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
Dual SIM
3G, LTE, NFC
Android 5.0 Lollipop
3000mAh battery

Costing less than P16,000, Asus’s top-of-the-line smartphone is practically a steal as it boasts of LTE connectivity, NFC, and 32GB of internal storage.

The Zenfone 2’s build quality is also pretty good for phones in this price range. The back cover may be made of plastic instead of aluminum or glass like in many high-end phones, but the Zenfone doesn’t look or feel cheap. Its brushed metal finish gives it a premium look. The phone also feels solid and sturdy in the hand and never slippery.

Its screen is also pretty impressive. The colors on the 5.5 inch full HD display are vivid, and the pictures and graphics are sharp and clear. While a lot of flagship phones today are already spec’d with QHD screens, all those extra pixels aren’t really going to be noticed in everyday use. They also just end up eating more processing power and battery life.

The Zenfone 2’s 1080p screen is more than adequate for a lot of users. Strangely though, my locally branded phone seems to have a much brighter screen than the Zenfone even when the latter’s display is set to brightest.

Asus uses a proprietary Android skin called the ZenUI on its phones, similar to Samsung’s TouchWiz and HTC’s Sense. I must admit that I wasn’t really a fan of the ZenUI when I first tried it. The minimalist interface was too stark for my taste.

But Asus put a lot of functionality into the ZenUI. taking its cue from the iPhone 6, the Zenfone 2 allows you to use the 5.5 inch phone with just one hand. When you tap “one-handed operation” icon on the ZenUI home screen, the viewable screen shrinks and moves to the left-hand corner so that all the icons can be reached by your left thumb.

Another nifty trick, borrowed this time from Cyanogenmod, is the ability to access a few basic apps via a feature called ZenMotion. You can double tap on the screen to wake up your phone, or draw patterns like “S” to access messaging, and “C” to launch the camera.

Speaking of the camera, selfie-shooters will also be happy to know that Asus has bumped up the front-facing camera on the new Zenfone to 5MP from the previous generation’s 2MP. Asus kept the main camera at a midrange 13MP, but announced a slew of improvements to the hardware and software.

I was quite excited to test the Zenfone 2’s camera in the great outdoors after playing around with it during the Zenfone 2’s Southeast Asian launch in Jakarta. I got a test unit from Asus Philippines, and took it to a mountain biking trip in Benguet. I was expecting to be blown away by the photos I took with the Zenfone 2. After all, Asus had the audacity to compare its camera with industry-leaders Apple and Samsung during the Jakarta launch.

 So how did it go? The Zenfone 2’s low-light mode was excellent when shooting in the more shaded areas of the pine forest I biked through. Its HDR mode was also very good when shooting against the light -- much better in fact, than the Samsung Galaxy S6.

But its camera was surprisingly not as spectacular in normal light. The quality of the photos was average. When you zoom in, the pictures look like they’ve been oversharpened. Many of the details were lost and the output was nowhere near that of the Samsung Galaxy S6 or the iPhone 6.

But while the Zenfone 2’s camera was a bit underwhelming, it’s multitasking performance was almost unbelievable. Thanks to its 4GB of RAM, the Zenfone 2 blasted through all of the heaviest apps I could throw at it.

 Games like “Injustice: Gods Among Us,” “Electronic Arts UFC,” “The Walking Dead,” and “Redbull Air Race” loaded and ran without a glitch. The graphics were truly impressive. I could even switch between these very heavy games without the phone telling me that I was running out of memory. And all the while, I was still running Chrome, Facebook, Pages Manager, Twitter, Instagram, and Sketchbook X in the background.

4GB of RAM may seem like overkill, but a lot of people also said that about smartphones with multi-core processors. And look where we are now.

Asus made ripples in the smartphone market last year when it launched its line of cheap but capable phones. This year, the Taiwanese electronics giant is again pushing the envelope.

The Zenfone 2 is set to be launched in the Philippines this May 16.

Pros:

4GB of RAM means you never run out of memory
Bright Full HD screen
LTE
NFC
32GB of storage (64GB, 128GB options available)
Awesome specs at an affordable price

Cons:

Camera is average
Battery life is also average

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

ASUS Eee PC 1025 Flare Series with 2-Second Resume

MANILA, Philippines — ASUS has launched the Eee PC 1025 Flare Series, an Intel Atom Cedar Trail-powered netbook with a brand new design. The latest Intel Atom dual-core processor offers four times the graphical performance compared to the previous generation, while consuming less battery. The Eee PC 1025 comes equipped with the exclusive ASUS Super Hybrid Engine II with Instant On technology, which enables 2-second resumption from sleep mode and up to twenty-one days of standby time. Full HD 1080p video playback on HDTVs comes by way of the HDMI output port and the Eee PC 1025 provides Blu-ray 2.0 support as well. Connectivity is a breeze too with the built-in USB 3.0, DLNA, and Wi-Fi Direct.

Brand new design, both inside and outside

The Eee PC 1025 Flare Series comes in eleven different colors, including Addict Pink, Mysterious Blue, and Plucky Purple. ASUS has also enhanced the design through additions such as the metallic-like finish on the lid, as well as chrome accents around the sides of the netbook. With the exclusive ASUS Super Hybrid Engine II technology with Instant On, the Eee PC 1025 can resume from sleep in just two seconds. With up to twenty-one days of standby time, users need not worry about running out of battery. Finally, built-in data security features ensure zero data loss, with user data automatically saved to the hard drive when the battery drops below 5%.

Powerful performance with long battery life

The Eee PC 1025 Flare Series comes equipped with the latest Intel Atom Cedar Trail dual-core processor clocked at 1.8GHz, and supports up to 2GB of DDR3 memory and up to 500GB of hard drive space. Users will also receive 3GB of cloud storage space on ASUS WebStorage.

The latest Intel Atom processor offers six times the graphical performance compared to previous generations, and fully supports Blu-ray quality videos. Super Hybrid Engine II technology manages the battery life to give users up to twelve hours of use with one charge.

Multimedia and sharing

The Eee PC 1025 Flare Series provides Full HD 1080p video playback. Built-in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 keeps users connected; while USB 3.0** provides data transfer speeds ten times faster than USB 2.0.

With DLNA support, users can stream music, photos, and videos to any DLNA-compatible devices in the home, such as the flat-panel TVs. Wi-Fi Direct enables users to transfer files wirelessly between the Eee PC 1025 and other devices directly without having to go through a network. This is very convenient for file sharing on-the-go.

USB Charge lets users charge electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets, via the USB port even when the Eee PC 1025 is powered off.

Smart camera

The Smart Camera features a 4x zoom, which allows users to quickly focus their images depending on how far they are sitting away from the camera. A convenient sliding cover is also included with the webcam to increase privacy.

source: mb.com.ph