Camera and Audio
Camera
By default camera app is set to shoot at 10MP with a 16:9 crop. This is hardly ideal for a 13MP sensor, but I wanted to give the camera a chance with these settings (assuming some sort of optimization might be at play) as this is the default and not likely to be changed by the user.
Here is the best result from the initial photo session with default image settings, featuring my German Shepherd, Nessie, who was nice enough to pose for me (or stand directly in my way):
I was looking for fine detail in the hair, the presense of noise with darker colors, and overall detail level of the background. Unfortunately I see very poor results here considering the light level and the fact that I had locked focus before shooting. The image has not been cropped or edited in any way, and if you zoom in on the file you'll see blurred edges and a significant amount of noise.
Zooming in it's easy to see compression and a lack of detail (click for full size)
Cameras can be a sticking point for an otherwise good budget device such as the recently reviewed Moto E, and here the low cost of the Zenfone 2 shows a bit for the first time. Image quality wasn’t up to the standard of the other cameras I tested (Nexus 6, iPhone 6), and there was a lack of fine detail and some visible noise even with shots taken in bright daylight.
The results weren't bad by any means, simply average. But there is a common use case (poor lighting) where the Zenfone's camera suddenly took a commanding lead over the other phones I tested, thanks to its special low-light shooting mode.
The results with the Zenfone 2's camera speak for themselves. I tried out the Nexus 6, an iPhone 6, and the Zenfone 2 with the same shot at dusk (at 8:52 PM EDT, to be exact) with only the faint light from a window across the room. There was no discernable photo result with the Nexus 6, which is a camera that needs a good light source to perform well without flash. The iPhone was much better, producing this image:
A look at the Exif data shows how the iPhone compensated for low light
Next we have the result with the Zenfone 2. I left the camera app at its out of box settings, simply choosing the low light shooting mode instead of the default "auto" setting. This photo, snapped literally within seconds of the iPhone, is amazing. It looks like a totally different time of day:
Look at that exposure time! 1/4 second will require a steady hand
The low-light mode combines a reduced resolution (3 MP) combined with a very long exposure (and I assume some amount of gain). With a result like this without a flash – especially from a quick handheld shot – I would never have guessed it was a smartphone, let alone a smartphone available for $299 as reviewed. The long exposure time would be problematic without steady hands or with an object in motion, but the result with still subjects is excellent.
Other functions of the camera worked well including autofocus (the usual tap to focus), which locked on the subject quickly and provided good results using the default app. I also tested Google's camera app, and the results were noteably worse. Additionally the stock ASUS camera software offers some manual control for those interested (ISO, exposure, etc.) as well. Ultimately I was impressed by the camera thanks to the great low-light mode, though the lack of fine detail in daylight shots was disappointing.
Sound Quality
Call quality was good with the Zenfone 2, with good volume and clarity from the earpiece speaker. Changing volume during a call took getting used to due to the rear volume buttons, as most phones use side-mounted controls. The microphone produced good sound and noise suppression seems to work well during a few outdoor test calls. Overall a very good, if unremarkable, experience (not a bad thing when it comes to making calls).
The Zenfone 2’s loudspeaker is located on the back of the phone, and as you might expect from such placement it is often rather hard to hear. If the phone is on a flat surface the rear speaker becomes much louder, as sound is able to bounce off the surface which creates natural amplification. When in hand, however, the speaker either sounds softer or is simply muffled, depending on how you hold the phone. I found myself unintentionally muting the speaker with my palm at times (particularly when using the phone with both hands), but this will vary from user to user.
Sound from the speaker was, as you might expect, thin with no discernable bass, and there was a slightly exaggerated treble which does at least serve to make voice sound brighter. Speakerphone calls are adequately loud, again depending on how the phone is being held, or where it is sitting with the rear speaker location. Using the 3.5 mm output with both headphones and as a line out in the car, I discovered much of that "thin" quality to the sound is not unique to the speaker, which was disappointing.
The sound with headphones was overly bright with very soft bass response, and though output was more than adequate (this phone can get very loud from the headphone jack) this would not be well-suited to any serious music listening.
Next we'll look at battery life and then go over some final thoughts.
Oh boy, now I can destroy my
Oh boy, now I can destroy my privacy for only $200! Thanks Pcper for letting me know about this amazing opportunity!
nobody cares about you so
nobody cares about you so your privacy is safe
Hi Sebastian,
thank you for
Hi Sebastian,
thank you for the detailed review! You might want to add that $199 model also supports Quick Charge technology, but doesn’t come with the Quick Charge adapter in the box.
Question, did you have a chance to use lower specs model (2GB/16GB Z5360 CPU)? I understand that it slower then $299 one, but how does it feel/respond during Lollipop normal usage?
Thank you!
Thanks, and the BoostMaster
Thanks, and the BoostMaster compatibilty is an important distinction. I didn't personally test the 16GB version with the Z3560, as the sample I was using was the $299 model. Given the way the SoCs are optimized I don't think there would be a significant UI/UX difference, but there's an obvious performance difference from our benchmarks in certain applications.
The best thing about this SOC
The best thing about this SOC is that it is not using Intel Graphics, so expect much better graphics from a GPU with the execution resources to do the JOB. I just wish that M$ could persuade Intel to use even higher end powerVR graphics and make a surface tablet useful for graphics uses. I hear that Intel is moving away from PowerVR to Mali graphics, but as long as its not Intel’s graphics.
Thank you Sebastian. I
Thank you Sebastian. I ordered $199 model for my dad and it should be here next week. It will be his first Android phone coming from candy-bar Nokia, so we’ll see how it’s going to be. But I didn’t feel he would need the higher spec mode and quick charger and microSDXC 64Gb card is around $40 from Amazon.
If Ryan was testing Z5360 model, could you ask him to chime in the comments with his experience of it?
Too bad that camera seems to be lacking a bit for daylight shots, though it seems that Asus releases firmware updates every couple weeks for this phone, so may be things will get better. If I like what I see, I might get myself a $299 one later this summer.Thanks again for the review!
I used the model with the
I used the model with the lower end processor but I will say that the experience and fluidity of the unit was just as Sebastian described in the review. It was smooth and I didn't know any performance penalties of the lower cost model even when I had both phones in my possession at the same time.
That’s good to know, thank
That’s good to know, thank you Ryan. I enjoy your site a lot and listen to the podcast on weekly basis. That’s actually how I remembered about ZenFone2 (even though I saw CES presentation about it), when Sebastian had as his pick couple weeks ago. Keep up a good work and thanks again!
Any chance you could find out
Any chance you could find out which benchmarks are x86 compiled and which ones are running ARM via translation layer? Or did you mention it and I missed it?
That’s a great question. I
That’s a great question. I need to do some research as I’m not sure off hand. The difference in performance in some of the benchmarks could easily be explained based on native/non-native code, though in the real world I do think it’s fair to judge it as-is considering one does have the option of downloading x86 apps from the Play store (not that devs would offer it at this point anyway).
bad.
bad.
Ryan..I really want to win
Ryan..I really want to win that car! It’s being given away on the next podcast I hear!
It has two 980ti’s installed
It has two 980ti’s installed as well I hear.
I would have guessed a pair
I would have guessed a pair of TITAN Z’s for the car. Gotta have that double precision for better handling