Or the Smartphone that made me a whole lot smarter.
Or why theASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe and I could live happily ever after.
Or why I covet the ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe.
I received the ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe as a houseguest for a week, to experience it. Here's my review, even as I mourn the departure of this gorgeous and very intelligent beauty tomorrow. She's all packed and waiting, ready to run off to the next reviewer. Oh cruel World! I hope she'll come back home to me!
I was excited when this slick box arrived via courier, to say the least. I've seen a lot of ASUS ZenFone users rave about it and couldn't wait to see it for myself.
In the box, I got the phone, usb cable and plug. I also got the Xenon ZenFlash, an accessory to use with the phone.
The user manual really wasn't necessary. I think even first time users can easily figure out how it works as the phone is quite intuitive. I mean, if I can figure it out, anyone can!
My use of a phone is restricted to making and receiving calls, checking email, taking pictures and using social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). Google hangouts is a bonus. I enjoyed doing all that and generally ran my "Smartlife" with the ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe. I was able to download all the apps I usually use, even though the phone came preloaded with a truckload of applications that were new and fascinating.
The ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe is ultra-stylish. The touch screen is a dream to use. It simply glides from screen to screen and is most responsive. The rear of the phone has a convenient volume toggle. Nothing on the sides.
ZenFone 2 Deluxe is powered by a 64-bit 2.3GHz Super Quad-Core Intel® Atom™ Z3580 processor, and is the world's first smartphone with 4GB of dual-channel DDR3 RAM. It comes with a whopping 64GB space. And it is possible to add extra storage via a microusb drive.
At first, I wasn't sure if I liked the back of the phone - the gemcut surface, but it certainly wasn't a hindrance. And I found that it grew on me. I love that color and found that it fit quite happily in my hand. In fact, when I went out last week, it actually looked like an accessory, thanks to the jazzy back with its multifaceted design.
This smartphone is the biggest I've held, but it was quite light and comfortable. It would have been great to have a click at the back like the Zen selfie, but hey, what are thumbs for?
I loved that I could practically "write" - you know where you continuously move from letter to letter on the keyboard to form the word, as though you were writing - it is called ZENmotion and felt like it too! The Zen part, you know.
I must say that I was thrilled with the 5.5" screen that appeared larger than it was!
The 13MP rear camera is great and comes with some effects I have fallen in love with. I particularly liked the "feather" and this means I can awesomize my photos before I show them to the world. There are so many options that it took my breath away. Needless to say, I didn't get any work done the day I received it. I still have to get used to the camera settings. It was convenient to have my photos being automatically backed up on Google Photos.
By the way, I was pleasantly surprised when - I don't know what I pressed - some of my photos got turned into a movie with music. I really enjoyed that and could envisage the possibilities.
Don't laugh - but these pigeons are always ready to pose for me!
However, when I tried to click a photo after dusk on my terrace, in spite of the impressive flash that practically blinded the subject, the picture quality was poor. I am not sure if it was me who did not know how to adjust it. That notwithstanding, I still think the camera is very cool. There is also a 5MP front camera. Here's my playmate!
The ASUS Zenfone 2 deluxe came to my rescue last week when I had to quickly verify whether my name was spelled right in the local language - I took a screenshot and used the Facebook messenger app to check with a friend and got it confirmed, enabling me finish my data updation.
One of the most outstanding features of the ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe is the battery. There was this time when I was worried about the battery not lasting long enough to do something, and was zapped with the phenomenal BoostMaster feature - which freaked me out by fast charging: 0 - 60% in 39 minutes flat! Also, the Power & Boost app extends battery life instantly! I say the battery is a major deal breaker on this phone!
I don't know about others, but I thought the Flashlight feature totally rocked! We're enjoying almost 6 hours of power cuts every day and the flashlight was very convenient.
I felt a little silly that I couldn't figure out how to select several messages at the same time while checking email in Gmail and ended up opening each one to take action. But then, with the million options this phone comes with, one week certainly wasn't enough to learn everything about it.
Settings are super-easy to manage. For example, I could choose from various views ranging from running/downloaded/on SD card to "all". I won't go into a technical description - but suffice it to say that nothing is intimidating about the customization.
The ASUS ZenFlashNow, coming to the accessory I received with the ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe, the ZenFlash.
As it is, the phone has a brilliant and powerful flash that could practically light up the place. But the ZenFlash took it several notches higher. Not only is it revolutionary as far as performance goes, but also user-friendly, compact and instantly turns the phone into a professional camera.
The ZenFlash is:- The world's first Xenon Flash for ZenFone 2
- 100 times brighter than LED Flash
- Provide low distortion images with extreme details in low light condition
- Light weight (only 20g) and portable. Easy to store cables. Comes with a cute carrying case made of hard rubber that's pretty much like a key ring.
- 4.8 GN
- Gives 2.4m coverage distance compared to the LED flash which only gives 1m
- ZenFlash app can be downloaded in seconds from the Google Play Store and this enables exclusive control
70 degree beam angle
I installed the ZenFlash app, just plugged the ZenFlash into the phone and was good to go! It doesn't need to be charged and is automatically activated when the surrounding light is low. When I clicked these pictures, the room was pitch dark.
When not connected, its USB neatly tucks around the ZenFlash. The box came with an adhesive strip to attach the ZenFlash to the back of the phone, but I found that because of the gem-cut surface, it wouldn't stay put. This didn't bother me as the ZenFlash is very light and is quite alright, hanging from the usb cord.
Truly, the ASUS ZenFone 2 Deluxe is not just a mobile, but a work of art and I absolutely enjoyed using it.
