Android Asus

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser Review

Name: Asus Zenfone 2 Laser Review
Item: Asus ZenFone 2 Laser (US)
Rating: 6
Author: John V.

posted by John V. / Dec 07, 2015, 9:05 AM

Introduction

After the release of its Zenfone 2, Asus is doing all it can to capitalize on the phone’s success by doing what they do best – and that’s by coming up with several derivatives of its prized phone. The Zenfone 2 line has expanded to several variants since its inception, and for those who didn’t think its camera was fast enough, the Zenfone 2 Laser solves that by being fashioned with laser auto-focus tech. While it seems that the phone is otherwise unchanged, it’s still finding itself in that attractive mid-ranger space with its sub $200 outright cost.

The package contains:

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser
Wall Charger
microUSB cable
User guide
Warranty card

Design

No surprises here, it looks exactly like its sibling.

Not shockingly, the Zenfone 2 Laser looks exactly like its sibling, featuring the same faux metal finish casing. It’s not downright ugly, nor is it really stunning either. Sure, a sense of style is available by wisely choosing any of the interchangeable rear covers that Asus sells for the phone, but it’s still by and large conventional looking.

Nothing has changed with the arrangement of its buttons and ports, they’re all in the same locations as before. Taking a page from LG, the volume controls are located in the back of the phone, which are relatively easy to access by our index finger, but the power button still takes some getting used to because of its placement in the top center.

View more + 15 images

Front view
Side view

To see the phones in real size or compare them with other models, visit our Visual Phone Size Comparison page

Display

Not much has changed, but at least it continues to exude favorable qualities.

Specs-wise, there’s not a whole lot different here, seeing that it’s slapped with a 5.5-inch 1080 x 1920 IPS-LCD display. Frankly, we have no major complaints given its sharp looks, good details, and punchy color tones. Even though most of its characteristics are unchanged, its peak brightness output now maxes out at 403 nits, which is less than before and makes it a bit tougher to view on those sunny days. Another subtle change includes the switch to newer Gorilla Glass 4, ensuring that it’s more resilient to scratches and scuffs.

Display measurements and quality

	Maximum brightness Higher is better	Minimum brightness (nits) Lower is better	Contrast Higher is better	Color temperature (Kelvins)	Gamma	Delta E rgbcmy Lower is better	Delta E grayscale Lower is better
Asus ZenFone 2 Laser (US)	403 (Good)	23 (Poor)	1:1213 (Good)	7248 (Good)	2.68	3.25 (Good)	5.2 (Average)
Motorola Moto G (2015)	449 (Good)	19 (Poor)	1:1116 (Good)	7440 (Good)	2.27	5.87 (Average)	4.04 (Average)
OnePlus 2	564 (Excellent)	2 (Excellent)	1:2091 (Excellent)	7554 (Average)	2.46	2.18 (Good)	4.7 (Average)
Alcatel OneTouch IDOL 3 (5.5")	665 (Excellent)	29 (Poor)	1:960 (Average)	7280 (Good)	2.14	5.34 (Average)	5.68 (Average)

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The numbers below represent the amount of deviation in the respective property, observed when a display is viewed from a 45-degree angle as opposed to direct viewing.

	Maximum brightness Lower is better	Minimum brightness Lower is better	Contrast Lower is better	Color temperature Lower is better	Gamma Lower is better	Delta E rgbcmy Lower is better	Delta E grayscale Lower is better
Asus ZenFone 2 Laser (US)	73.9%	78.3%	77.3%	16.9%	1.5%	9.5%	41.3%
Alcatel OneTouch IDOL 3 (5.5")	79.2%	79.3%	72.3%	17.9%	12.6%	15%	38.4%
OnePlus 2	79.3%	85%	80.4%	11.1%	5.3%	58.7%	50.9%
Motorola Moto G (2015)	86.6%	84.2%	83.1%	7.6%	1.3%	32.7%	14.4%

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The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x: CIE31' and 'y: CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

These measurements are made using SpectraCal's CalMAN calibration software.

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36 Comments

1. iWin_Droid

Posts: 76; Member since: Jan 22, 2015

That's brutal, but 200 dollars is 200 dollars right?

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 9:09 AM 1

11. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

Oops!...I Did It Again..

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 10:21 AM 0

13. zeeBomb

Posts: 2318; Member since: Aug 14, 2014

Not much laser, 6/10 - IGN

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 10:24 AM 1

16. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

The thing i don't like about Asus phone is that their phone come loaded with bloatware. Yes! They can be worse than Samsung. If Asus ever choose to goes stock with regular update especially at their present selling price it will be a great buy at least for me.

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 10:32 AM 0

27. medtxa

Posts: 1655; Member since: Jun 02, 2014

I dont like how thick the phone is, minimum brightnes is also very high, bloatware is no problem if you can remove them (root). meizu m2 note is way better and cheaper..

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 4:50 PM 0

29. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

I have my fun with root now i tend to be less willing to root my phone because i like the assurance that non-root device offer. Most modern days app check for root and wants to enable their "enhance ability" which basically mean take control of my rooted phone. I have to block 99% of them. Quite a hassle, root still has a place in many geek's heart so pros and cons.

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 8:25 PM 1

21. Hexa-core

Posts: 2131; Member since: Aug 11, 2015

It sure is!

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 12:27 PM 0

28. ibend

Posts: 6747; Member since: Sep 30, 2014

want to hear something funny? Alcatel OneTouch IDOL 3 (5.5") have similar spec, priced at $300 and get 8.5 even more funny? Moto G 2015 use 720p screen, SD410 and get 9/10, lol

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 6:27 PM 6

35. elitewolverine

Posts: 5192; Member since: Oct 28, 2013

because the score is nothing but subjective...they have no point system at all that would justify WHY they gave it what it did. If they were to do say, 10 points for each check, then put a ratio in place for practicality, like calls being more than design camera being more than weight of device things like that. Then run the numbers and spit out a score. Here its...oh look pretty phone lets give it a 8.5, despite shaky video, call quality sucking and oh did we mention we like its shiny outside...

posted on Dec 08, 2015, 7:33 AM 0

2. Arch_Fiend

Posts: 3951; Member since: Oct 03, 2015

The Phone Isn't That Great And Deserves The Rating It Got But I Guess You Really Can't Ask For Much Better At $200 Huh.

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 9:19 AM 1

15. zeeBomb

Posts: 2318; Member since: Aug 14, 2014

True that Jaden. Truuuuuue DAT.

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 10:28 AM 1

18. Arch_Fiend

Posts: 3951; Member since: Oct 03, 2015

You Know It.

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 10:53 AM 0

3. EcoCare

Posts: 444; Member since: Jul 30, 2014

Come on now. It's for 200 bucks.

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 9:20 AM 4

31. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

As far as PA John V is concern it will get 6 even if its priced at $10. Fortunately for Asus their core customers come from China, Taiwan and South East Asian and having a 2GB, 5.5inch FHD, 4G phone at $200 is still a good deal.

posted on Dec 08, 2015, 3:52 AM 1

4. SirYar

Posts: 351; Member since: Jul 02, 2014

It's not a great device, so the rating is somewhat justifiable. I could get my self a much superior and brand new G2 for the price..

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 9:24 AM 1

36. elitewolverine

Posts: 5192; Member since: Oct 28, 2013

with warranty?

posted on Dec 09, 2015, 7:11 AM 0

37. EcoCare

Posts: 444; Member since: Jul 30, 2014

Really? For that price you'll get top-tier Zenfone 2, which is better than that.

posted on Dec 11, 2015, 9:58 AM 0

6. jesus_sheep

Posts: 279; Member since: Apr 18, 2015

Zenfone 2 = HTC M9+? What??

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 9:31 AM 0

10. crm_bstind

Posts: 11; Member since: Nov 27, 2015

Not so great phone moto g3 alcatel idol 3 are much better than this

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 10:12 AM 0

26. Coconut00

Posts: 485; Member since: Jan 13, 2015

The Zenfone 2 Laser is better and cheaper than the Moto G and slightly better than the Idol 3 but cheaper.

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 4:11 PM 3

17. Odeira

Posts: 300; Member since: Jun 29, 2012

Stop complaining. This device is clearly INFERIOR to the Alcatel Idol 3! That very much deserves an 8.5 from PhoneArena, and it only costs 250USD. ASUS innovated with absolutely NOTHING with this phone, it's absolutely derivative, and for 200 USD, that's still no excuse. Alcatel innovated with the Idol 3, why didn't ASUS?

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 10:45 AM 0

19. iWin_Droid

Posts: 76; Member since: Jan 22, 2015

The Idol 3 is only superior to the Zenfone 2 laser in loudspeaker quality, not to mention the Idol 3's design looks more generic.

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 11:23 AM 3

22. Hexa-core

Posts: 2131; Member since: Aug 11, 2015

Well said!

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 12:30 PM 1

25. Coconut00

Posts: 485; Member since: Jan 13, 2015

Also the Zenfone 2 Laser is cheaper.

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 3:22 PM 1

30. Odeira

Posts: 300; Member since: Jun 29, 2012

But it runs essentially stock Android, so it's faster and smoother. And screw the "generic" design, the Idol is easier to hold unlike this brick!

posted on Dec 07, 2015, 10:00 PM 0

38. EcoCare

Posts: 444; Member since: Jul 30, 2014

You can't debate Android skins and actually this Zenfone is easy to hold as well because of curved back.

posted on Dec 11, 2015, 10:04 AM 0

33. MichiGo

Posts: 173; Member since: Sep 09, 2014

I would take the OnePlus X over this

posted on Dec 08, 2015, 5:50 AM 0

34. soldier820

Posts: 115; Member since: Jan 27, 2015

not a bad phone, and the price is nice

posted on Dec 08, 2015, 6:47 AM 0

39. buy_from_cbuystore

Posts: 6; Member since: Oct 05, 2014

A Marvel of Craftsmanship and Engineering,in The Palm of Your Hand ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE601KL) has incredibly-slim 3.9mm edges. Ergonomic Arc Design with Intuitive Rear Controls Available in cbuystore