ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: first impressions, benchmarks, 3D gaming, camera


asus zenfone 3 review video
asus zenfone 3 review video

ASUS unviled the ZenFone 3 series in May, though it will not be available until sometime in August. Led by 5.7-inch flagship ZenFone 3 Deluxe, the ZenFone 3 premiers as a mid-range device with two variants – a 5.5-inch screen version with 3000 mAh battery, and a 5.2-inch screen version with 2600 mAh battery.

Price attractively at $249 for the 5.2-inch model, the ZenFone 3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, 16MP Sony IMX230 camera with laser AF and OIS,  fingerprint sensor, and Quick Charge support.

The ZenFone 3 bears little resemblance to its predecessor, the ZenFone 3. The power button and volume rocker has been moved to left, the space below the rear camera now occupied by a fingerprint sensor. Gone is the removable battery, with ASUS opting for a unibody, Gorilla-glass encased crystalline chassis instead. The trademark rear loudspeakers have been moved to the bottom of the unit, and though the ZenFone 3 still provides Dual-SIM support, you no longer have a dedicated expansion slot. The second SIM slot doubles as a MicroSD expansion slot, so users will have to choose between having a second SIM, or expandable storage.

We were able to go hands-on with an early engineering unit during our visit to ASUS headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.

Click play on the video to watch our ZenFone 3 hands-on review. We also have a separate 3D gaming review of the ZenFone 3 here.

ASUS ZenFone 3 5.5 (ZE552KL) technical specifications

Dimensions 152.6 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm (6.01 x 3.05 x 0.30 in)
Weight 155 g (5.47 oz)
Display 5.5″ 1920×1080 Super IPS+ w/ Gorilla Glass
SIM Micro-SIM + Nano+SIM (swap with MicroSD) 4G LTE
OS Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) + ZenUI 3.0
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
CPU Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU Adreno 506
Memory 3/4 GB RAM, 32/64 GB ROM
Expansion microSD, up to 128 GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
Camera 16MP rear (Sony IMX230) f/2.0 + Laser AF + OIS + LED flash, 8MP front f/2.0
Battery 3000 mAh non-removable
Features Fingerprint sensor, fast charging via USB type-C
Colors Sapphire Black, Moonlight White, Shimmer Gold
GPS GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
Price TBD
Antutu 59724 (overall)
Epic Citadel 43.4 fps @ 1920×1080 (ultra high quality)

ASUS ZenFone 3 5.2 (ZE520KL) technical specifications

Display 5.2″ 1920×1080 Super IPS+ w/ Gorilla Glass
SIM Micro-SIM + Nano+SIM (swap with MicroSD) 4G LTE
OS Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) + ZenUI 3.0
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
CPU Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU Adreno 506
Memory 3/4 GB RAM, 32/64 GB ROM
Expansion microSD, up to 128 GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
Camera 16MP rear (Sony IMX230) f/2.0 + Laser AF + OIS + LED flash, 8MP front f/2.0
Battery 2600 mAh non-removable
Features Fingerprint sensor, fast charging via USB type-C
Colors Sapphire Black, Moonlight White, Shimmer Gold
GPS GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
Price $249 (~Php 12000)
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