It is a well-known manufacturer of laptops, but for several years now the company has made us happy with mobile gadgets, which have good characteristics. For example, state employees are simple, but they are affordable. Well, flagships or near-flagships necessarily have good camera... This time the manufacturer presented another interesting phablet - Asus Zenfone 3 Laser ZC551KL... Of the characteristic features: fast autofocus, fresh platform and good design.

Appearance

It looks like the designers have finally ditched the radial patterns at the bottom of the dash. This feature has accompanied all the company's devices for several years now. Instead, we see an iPhone-like concept in an all-metal body. It is noteworthy that there is no frame in the device. The back is rounded to the front, which is protected by 2.5D glass. I am glad that, despite the large diagonal and relatively small frames at the edges of the screen, the device still received touch buttons: home, back and menu. Speaking of diagonals: here we have 5.5 inches, and the ipies matrix received a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels.

Now about the colors: the device is presented in silver and gold. Looks Asus Zenfone 3 Laser ZC551KL very stylish. The speaker grill is absent: here we see a row of neat holes on the bottom end. Important: do not underestimate the capabilities of the gadget in terms of sound, the speaker received 5 magnets at once. Behind, in addition to the camera with flash and the vaunted autofocus laser, we see a fingerprint sensor. And, judging by the fact that it is stretched, the sensor perceives swipes.

Characteristics

The platform of the device is built on the mid-segment snapdragon 430: not the pinnacle of performance, but fresh, besides, eight-core. It is worth noting that versions with different amounts of RAM and ROM are available, and the gadgets differ significantly: 2/32 GB or 4/64 GB, respectively. Expansion slot available. But, as already noted, the strengths are not in technical characteristics: here we see an application for a camera phone. All thanks to the Sony IMX214 sensor, as well as ultra-fast laser autofocus. How super fast? According to the manufacturer, the response time is 0.03 seconds. There is support for pixelmaster, i.e. pictures with a volume of 54 megapixels.

Well, if the price is right this device can be considered for purchase. True, the battery capacity is average by today's standards (3,000 mAh). Otherwise, photo flags are always desirable among a large audience of gadget lovers.

With the Laser prefix, Asus has always been the more affordable version of the company's flagships. We remember the previous generation of the series as very good and well-balanced devices in terms of characteristics. However, they have not been able to compete with devices from Xiaomi, Meizu and other Chinese manufacturers dominating in the mid-price category. Will the situation change now? Read our review of the Asus ZenFone 3 Laser, in which we will test the new product and analyze in detail its strengths and weaknesses.

Price and main characteristics

Official retail sales of ZenFone 3 Laser (ZC551KL) in Russia have already begun, the cost of the model is 17 thousand rubles.

Specifications:

• display: 5.5 ", IPS FHD 1920 * 1080 px;
• processor: Snapdragon 430 (1.4 GHz) + video accelerator Adreno 505;
• RAM: 2 GB;
• internal memory: 32 GB + memory cards up to 128 GB;
• camera: main - 13 MP (dual flash, laser autofocus, aperture 2.0), front - 8 MP;
• communication: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, LTE;
• battery: 3000 mAh.

Case dimensions - 149 * 76 * 7.9 mm, weight - 150 grams.

Completion and appearance

The smartphone is packed in a fairly large box made of white cardboard, on which images of the device and its main characteristics are applied.

The package includes:

• USB-C cable and charging adapter;
• paper clip for the card tray;
• wired headset.

The sound quality of the headphones is quite good and undemanding users will be able to use them for listening to music.

ZenFone 3 Laser is no different appearance, it looks like many other smartphones in an all-metal case, but it looks neat and the build quality deserves the highest rating.

The front side of the smartphone is covered with a rounded 2.5D protective glass, under the screen - touch control buttons, above it - front camera, earpiece and sensor unit. The glass has a good oleophobic coating and is easy to wipe off fingerprints.

On the back side there are 2 inserts for antennas, stylized as a chrome bezel (the same one frames the front of the case). The camera module, near which a two-tone flash and a laser autofocus rangefinder are located, protrudes significantly beyond the body.

An unusual solution is a rectangular fingerprint scanner. This form did not affect its performance, the sensor responds quickly and adequately. Problems are observed only in the case of wet hands, but this is a common disease of any fingerprint sensors. In addition to unlocking your phone with a sensor, you can start the camera, take pictures and receive calls. It is capable of recognizing up to 5 different fingerprints, each of which can be set to launch the required application.

The layout of the ends of the smartphone is standard. Top - 3.5 mm jack.

Below is the USB-C port, and the main speaker hole.

On the right is the volume rocker and the off button.

On the left is a connector for a hybrid tray with cards, in which you can put 2 SIM cards or a SIM card and a memory card.

For a 5.5-inch screen diagonal, the smartphone is quite compact, primarily due to the small thickness of the side frames. However, due to the rounded shape of the ends and the smooth surface of the metal, it slips in the hand and constantly strives to slip out. ZenFone 3 Laser has to be slipped into a carrying case for comfortable use.

Screen

The display is the strong point of this smartphone. It uses a high-quality IPS matrix with FHD resolution, covered with Gorilla Glass 3. Color rendition, contrast, color temperature, brightness range - everything is at a very decent level, especially considering the cost of the device.

The ZenFone 3 Laser feature is the gloved control mode, which has no complaints about its implementation. There is also a blue light filtering mode, which makes it easier to read in a dark room, and a function to fine-tune the screen: you can independently control the white balance, color tone and saturation of the screen.

Performance

ZenFone 3 Laser is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor operating at a maximum frequency of 1.4 GHz and an Adreno 505 video accelerator. The smartphone has 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory, flash cards up to 128 GB are supported.

We didn't notice any jams in the interface during everyday use, the ZenUI shell is perfectly optimized. The device copes with Full HD video playback, surfing heavy sites and any standard tasks without any problems. In the Antutu test, the ZenFone 3 Laser benchmark scores 45 thousand points. The gaming performance of the smartphone is enough to run resource-intensive toys, but in the same tanks, to get 50 FPS, you need to reduce the graphics settings to low.

Camera

In terms of photography, ZenFone 3 Laser is good, it's not for nothing that it is positioned as affordable smartphone for amateur photographers. When shooting during the day, there is nothing to complain about at all - excellent detail, pleasant colors, a wide dynamic range.

When the lighting deteriorates, the picture starts to wash slightly, but the quality does not drop catastrophically, and there are no problems with focusing - thanks to laser autofocus, the smartphone correctly catches even fast moving objects.

The standard camera application pleases with excellent functionality. Besides good HDR and lots of automatic modes there is a mode for different shooting scenarios manual settings allowing, for example, to set a shutter speed of 32 seconds.

Keeps ZenFone 3 Laser branded when filming. It does not know how to shoot in 4K and does not have optical stabilization, but the digital stub does its job well, and the picture itself at 1080p 60fps is smooth, good detailing and correct color reproduction.

Speaker, sound quality

The new product from Asus boasts good sound in headphones. The smartphone has an NXP Smart AMP amplifier on board, due to which it can swing even high-impedance headphones. Music lovers will like the sound quality - the music plays in detail, the stage is felt, the elasticity of the bass and clear high frequencies. Not the level of flagships from Meizu, but very worthy.

The manufacturer has focused a lot of attention on the main speaker of the smartphone - it is made using 5 magnets and a special voice coil, which should provide high-quality sound. In practice, things are more modest, it is loud, but we did not notice any record clarity and richness of sound. You can compare the speaker with that of the Xiaomi Redmi 3S.

Battery

ZenFone 3 Laser is powered by a 3000mAh battery. The smartphone confidently survives until the evening even with intensive use, with continuous FHD video playback, the charge lasts for 7.5 hours, while gaming, the battery is discharged by 18-20% per hour. There is no QuickCharge function, it takes about 2 hours to charge.

Communication and Internet

The smartphone works with two SIM cards, but has one radio module. The network reception quality is consistently good, there is support for 3G and LTE. The connection time with navigation satellites on a cold start is 45 seconds, the phone confidently found 25 satellites during the test.

Wireless interfaces are represented by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. Also provided for connection to external devices via USB Type-C.

Video review Asus ZenFone 3 Laser

Competitors, conclusion

If you need a smartphone for gaming, then ZenFone 3 Laser will definitely be a bad choice - for 17 thousand, the market is full of more productive solutions (Xiaomi RN3P, ZUK Z2). But in terms of photo capabilities, the hero of our review is one of the best in his class, only can compete with him on an equal footing!

The front of the phone looks impersonal - rounded edges, medium thickness of the frame, touch buttons under the screen (without backlighting, so at first they are not even visible) and edging along the edges of the front panel. Interestingly, there is even a glass slightly curved at the edges (2.5D), but it is curved just a little, just enough to say that this feature is formally implemented in the design of the device. When you look at the front panel, it is not clear what kind of smartphone it is in front of you - their name is legion. Only by turning it, you can see the typical features for Zenphones of this year - textured metal, a pair of horizontal stripes at the top and bottom, a rectangular lens (for some reason sticks out of the body) with sensors on the left and right, and a vertically elongated fingerprint scanner. The side ends have got nice-to-touch convex shapes, as well as a power key with a volume rocker on the right.

The Asus Zenfone 3 Laser fits well in the palm of your hand thanks to its rounded shape, but is already large for comfortable one-handed operation. Phone dimensions: 149 × 76 × 8.1 mm, weight - 145 grams. It has become much more compact than its predecessor and not only, even the Huawei Honor 5X a little bit, but larger and heavier. Zenfone 3 Laser bypasses the more expensive and premium Zenfone 3 ZE552KL, second only to flagships like the OnePlus 3 (and then only in thickness and width).

The case of the Asus Zenfone 3 Laser is made of metal, so it is non-separable. By the way, during the very careless use, we have planted only one not the most noticeable scratch on it. The build quality is high and the smartphone feels solid and solid.

The Asus Zenfone 3 Laser ZC551KL smartphone can be bought in two colors: gold and silver.

Screen - 4.7

The screen of the new Zenfone 3 Laser can be called quality and fits somewhere between the mid-range and top-end. It is bright enough, clear, with accurate color reproduction and even a mode of operation with gloves.

The phone is equipped with a Full HD display (1920 × 1080 pixels) with an IPS matrix. The pixel density is 401 ppi, like the iPhone 7 Plus. The image is very clear, individual dots will not be conspicuous. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, which looks a little curious considering that predecessors, such as the Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE500KL, had the newer Gorilla Glass 4. It seems strange that stocks went into production from dusty warehouses. But by and large, these are our troubles, because it is better with protection than without it at all. Indeed, we didn’t like only the viewing angles of the screen, they are wider for the brothers in the line. The measured brightness range turned out to be better than average - from 8 to 488 nits. The minimum value is quite comfortable for the dark, and the maximum should allow you to work with the screen in bright light. But in practice, the display is readable under the sun with little difficulty, although it is an order of magnitude better than last year's model. The auto brightness function is present and works quite adequately, but not so fast when you need to lower the brightness. The contrast is good, 980: 1, good for a mid-range phone, but sometimes higher (up to 1400: 1 for the iPhone 7). Color gamut - 97% of the standard, color accuracy was high, comparable to some TVs. The color temperature is too high - in the best traditions of the company, which is evident from the slight bluish tints on the display. It can, of course, be corrected in the display settings, but you have to do it yourself, not relying on the manufacturer. Separately, we note such a plus as the mode of operation with gloves, and here it is not for show, but really works.

Camera

Zenfone 3 Laser received mid-range cameras at 13 and 8 MP. There is nothing to highlight in them, except for the chip in the form of laser focusing, but they are quite suitable for a passing shot and a decent selfie.

The parameters of the camera are quite typical - a medium-sized sensor (1/3 ") with a medium aperture (f / 2.0), about the same as everyone in its price range. Of the unusual chips, there is a color correction sensor and laser focus. This year it performs better - its predecessors we didn’t always focus correctly the first time, we didn’t face such a problem in this generation. Although this system is still slower than the top models such as LG G4 or LG G5. Shooting quality is average for its resolution, at least the camera The level of detail is average, the camera reproduces the captured colors well. True, the sharpness in the frame is not very uniform. In any case, the phone copes well with daytime shots and will replace your budget camera for passing shots. the camera has a simple and intuitive interface, but there are many superfluous, in our opinion, modes such as "Children", "Smile", "Smart delete" and some others. with a weaker camera, manual mode is available here. It has the following set of settings:

• focusing - from macro to infinity
• shutter speed - from 32 to 1/1000 second
• ISO - 50 to 3200
• exposure - from −2 to +2
• color temperature - from 2500 to 6500 K in 50 degree increments.

Manual mode also shows the level for the horizon. True, in our case, he was somewhat mistaken and suggested that the horizon be overwhelmed, apparently, the gyroscopes in the smartphone work a little incorrectly, incorrectly determining their place in this world.

The front camera with a fairly large aperture (f / 2.0) and a high resolution of 8 MP is capable of taking good selfies even indoors. The maximum photo resolution is 3264 × 2448 pixels. Full HD video, panoramas, GIFs and a range of face enhancers are available.

Photo from the camera Asus Zenfone 3 Laser ZC551KL - 2.9

Photo from the front camera Asus Zenfone 3 Laser ZC551KL - 2.9

Working with text - 5.0

Working with text on the Asus Zenfone 3 Laser is convenient and pleasant thanks to the advanced keyboard. In it you will find support for continuous input of words (Swype) and markup of additional characters. Switching between languages ​​takes place both with a separate key and with a "swipe" on the space bar. For text editing, there is a special window with icons for typical actions (like the iPhone 6 Plus in landscape mode). From the unusual, we note the adjustment of the size of the keyboard, moving it across the screen and setting the delay of long press.

Internet - 3.0

The Asus Zenfone 3 Laser comes with Chrome browsers and Puffin. You've probably already come across the first one, in addition to the typical functions, you can synchronize tabs and history with the desktop version and scale the text to the selected size with a double click. Puffin turned out to be an unusual browser in terms of its interface and two functions - a virtual touchpad and a joystick that float over the image. Only they are not so convenient to use, perhaps it is more suitable for tablets. In addition, if you enable them, the browser starts to slow down noticeably. Do not forget that you are not tied to these browsers, install any other of Play Market- not a problem.

Communications - 2.6

The set of communications on the Asus Zenfone 3 Laser is the most common, or standard for today:

• simple wifi b / g / n
• LTE support
• Bluetooth 4.2
• A-GPS with GLONASS and BeiDou
• Micro-USB 2.0
• FM radio (requires earphones)
• two SIM cards (Micro format).

There is nothing special to note here. The USB connector is simple, the radio module is one, the slot for the second SIM card is combined (either communication or additional memory).

Multimedia - 3.6

We cannot call the Asus Zenfone 3 Laser smartphone a multimedia model, it only supports the most common audio and video formats, and its sound quality is average. The phone comes with simple, inexpensive headphones.

The phone refused to play AC-3 music, but it copes with high-quality FLAC. Videos from TS, RMVB, FLV, WMV, as well as some videos in MOV and sometimes MPG formats did not start from the video. But it copes well with 2K and 4K video. It's a bit of a pity, but the phone only has built-in video and audio players, although the same Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra uses the proprietary Music application.

Battery - 3.1

The autonomy of the phone can be called average, it is lower than that of its predecessor, and many phablets with the same screen diagonal work longer. A smartphone was enough for us for a day, in some cases for one and a half, but not more.

The battery capacity of a smartphone is typical - 3000 mAh, the same, for example, in the mid-range Huawei Honor 5C or the flagship Xiaomi Mi 5. In the video test (Airplane mode and at maximum brightness), the phone lasted 7.5 hours, slightly more than the Huawei P9 or Lenovo Vibe Shot. The result is above average, but not impressive. Its predecessor worked for 10 hours, but this is not surprising at all, its screen brightness and resolution were much lower. The audio player mode turned out to be a more difficult test for the Asus Zenfone 3 Laser - 57 hours, which is not enough, the same iPhone SE worked a little longer, and only the Huawei P9 Lite was noticeably worse. When it comes to games, an hour in races drained the battery by about 20%, and this is already a good result, which means that gamers can have a phone for almost 5 hours, which is much better than the typical 3-3.5 hours. At the same time, during the tests, it turned out that the smartphone takes an unexpectedly long time to charge - it took almost three hours.

Performance - 2.9

The performance of the smartphone is not high, but it is sufficient for most telephone tasks.

An entry-level solution is used as a chipset - Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 430 (eight Cortex A-53 cores, frequency up to 1.4 GHz). But the volume random access memory not bad - either 2 or 4 GB of RAM at once. Four gigabytes at once to the "initial" chipset looks disproportionate, it would be better if they saved money on them and chose a more powerful processor. On the one hand, this cannot be called a big disadvantage. On the other hand, the phone works relatively smoothly, but often skips a little in its dashingly twisted, heavy interface. For example, when starting an application, you will have to wait for half a second or a little more, the same amount will have to wait when switching between them and many other typical actions. But this will only annoy you if you're used to fast, smooth-running smartphones. In games, the Zenfone 3 Laser performed even slightly worse than the Zenfone 3 Max, apparently due to the higher Full HD resolution. On the one hand, a clear screen is good, on the other hand, again, it looks a little out of place with not the most strong processor and graphics. But this does not mean that you have to greatly limit yourself in games, just to enjoy a smooth game, you will have to make do with low graphics settings.

We also checked if the smartphone overheats from such tasks. Half an hour of racing in Asphalt 8 left it cool, without heating the body by more than 37 degrees, it is not even noticeable on the hands.

If we look at the benchmark results, we can see that the Asus Zenfone 3 Laser gets pretty modest scores:

• in GeekBench 4 (processor test) - 1964 points (200 more than the LG Nexus 5 already three years ago, and then only because of twice as many cores)
• in AnTuTu (mixed test) - 43871 (twenty thousand lower than Asus Zenfone 3 ZE520KL)
• in 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (graphics test) - up to 9564 (lower than the old Lenovo P70).

Memory - 5.0

The internal memory of the Asus Zenfone 3 Laser can be called solid - 32 or 64 GB, even quite a lot for a model of this level. If it turns out that this is not enough, you can add up to 256 GB using a memory card. In our 32 GB version, we had 23.8 GB available.

Features of the

The Zenfone 3 Laser smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and the company's own ZenUI 3.0 interface. Most likely, over time, an update to Android 7 will be released (in any case, the predecessor was updated from five to six).

Features include support for two SIM-cards, a metal case and a fingerprint scanner - although today this is, rather, not even a feature, but a general trend. In addition, we note our own functional interface, which is also quite heavy and clogged with various applications, which are often not the most useful. Well, the most important feature is the laser focusing of the camera. The laser works, but it cannot be said to drastically change the overall quality of shooting, rather, it is a pleasant addition to the mid-range camera.

ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser has an acceptable 5.5-inch diagonal and a thin bezel (2.58 mm). The resolution of the local display is 1920 × 1080 pixels, and the screen itself is contrasting and bright. It is a pleasure to watch videos and show off your vacation photos.

The smartphone is comfortable in the hand, but if you compare it with, the latter, despite the glass surface, sits more securely in the palm of your hand. But the impact resistance is lower, since the protective Corning Gorilla Glass covers both the front and back sides, while ZenFone 3 Laser (ZC551KL) enclosed in a one-piece aluminum case, and the protective glass only protects the display. At the same time, the smartphone does not lose its premium look.

ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser: equipment

In terms of performance, we did not have any complaints. Thanks to the powerful stuffing, the smartphone works smartly and quickly responds to touch input. The OS is Android 6.0 with the proprietary ASUS Zen UI and software add-ons that, with one click, allow you to clear the memory of unnecessary background tasks. However, this device still does not compete with top models.

On board ZenFone 3 Laser (ZC551KL) installed 8-core CPU Snapdragon 430 with GPU Adreno 505, 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of built-in. The memory is enough to store several thousand photos, and the performance of the smartphone is quite enough to play not too resource-intensive games.

ZenFone 3 Laser (ZC551KL) supports the installation of two SIM-cards, and the second slot can be detached for (up to 128 GB), if 32 GB seems a little to you. The battery here is also impressive - 3000 mAh. This is quite enough to take photo walks all day long and not worry that the smartphone is about to run out.

ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser: camera

For its price range, the 13MP PixelMaster, powered by a Sony IMX214 sensor with a maximum aperture of f / 2.0, is more than good. So that ZenFone 3 Laser (ZC551KL) will definitely delight you with good shots. We liked that the laser autofocus allows the camera to lock onto a target in a fraction of a second, and the color correction sensor allows for natural color reproduction in photographs.

However, if you want a better camera, pay attention to the older model. We tested these two devices together, and we liked the quality of the latter better. The test shots below were taken on ZenFone 3 Laser (ZC551KL) in cloudy and clear weather on automatic settings with HDR. For the enthusiast, there are plenty of manual adjustments, including a super-resolution mode (52 megapixels).

ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser: test results

We tested the performance in the synthetic test AnTuTu Benchmark, where the smartphone scored 155,958 points, as well as in the PCMark benchmark. Detailed test results are shown in the screenshots below.

Mobile phone ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser ZC551KL 32GB (gold)

BEAUTIFUL METAL CASE

ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser reflects the highest craftsmanship and impeccable taste. Metal case with a carefully polished surface, well-thought-out ergonomics, two premium colors (silver and gold) are a masterpiece of modern design and innovative technologies that you don't want to let go of your hands.

BRIGHT AND CLEAR IMAGE

ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser features a superb 5.5-inch Full HD display with 500 cd / m2 brightness for a stunning picture, even on the sunniest day. The screen is covered with a durable protective glass with rounded edges. Thanks to its ultra-thin bezel (2.58 mm) and large area (more than 77% of the front panel size), it does not affect the compactness of the smartphone in any way.

EXCELLENT SPEED AND REALISTIC SHOTS

PixelMaster 3.0 takes ZenFone 3 Laser photography beyond the reach regular smartphones... To capture the unique beauty of the world around it in its unmistakable splendor, this model is equipped with a sensor with a resolution of 13 megapixels, a fast f / 2.0 lens and a high-precision laser autofocus system that fires in just 0.03 seconds. Add to this the effective electronic image stabilization system and color correction sensor, you can be sure that you can get clear pictures and videos with accurate saturated colors with just one touch. PixelMaster 3.0 is a real revolution in mobile photography.

PHOTOS THAT LIKE THE REAL WORLD

A special technology for manufacturing a light-registering matrix with deep pixel isolation, which blocks the flow of light photons between adjacent cells, improves the overall image quality. Thanks to the color correction sensor, which detects objects with unusual lighting in the frame, it becomes possible to take pictures with the most natural color reproduction. These features work well with advanced shooting modes such as Super 4X and High Dynamic Range (HDR) with real-time display of the result - even before you press the shutter.

8MP FRONT CAMERA

ZenFone 3 Laser is equipped with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, and the portrait enhancement function allows you to automatically beautify selfies in real time: remove skin imperfections, correct facial features.

MULTI-FUNCTIONAL FINGERPRINT SCANNER

The rear-mounted fingerprint reader not only instantly unlocks your smartphone, but also supports several other useful features. For example, swiping from top to bottom, you activate front camera to take a selfie, and then take a picture by touching the same scanner, which in this case will act as a duplicate shutter button. Double tapping the scanner allows you to receive incoming calls, and the launch of your favorite applications (up to five!) Can be tied to touches with different fingers.

SPEAKER WITH 5 MAGNETS

Featuring a 5-magnet speaker and a metal-fired voice coil, ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser delivers rich, clear sound. To configure it, use the AudioWizard utility, which offers you to choose one of several modes, each of which is ideal for a certain type of application (movies, games, music, etc.).

IMPROVED USER INTERFACE

The ZenFone 3 line of smartphones features a ZenUI user interface designed specifically for mobile devices ASUS, therefore, you are offered an improved design, increased performance and many additional features over the standard interface. Convenient and functional, ZenUI 3.0 is not just a user interface, it is a reliable assistant that is always at hand!