ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser Review

Performance and Benchmarks

Powered by a Snapdragon 410 quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM, and Adreno 306 GPU, the Laser proved to be a solid mid-ranger. Although it doesn’t have a lot to boast when it comes to benchmark numbers, it can get through tasks without choking. We played EA UFC and it was able to run well with minimal lags and without much warming.

• AnTuTu – 22,332
• Quadrant Standard – 14,518
• Vellamo – 1,971 (Chrome), 1,394 (Multicore), 932 (Metal)
• 3DMark Sling Shot ES 3.0 – 59
• Gaming temperature – 39C

Connectivity and Call Quality

The Laser comes with your usual connectivity features like 4G LTE, dual-SIM (micro), WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS. There’s no NFC but not really a huge let down. Both SIM card slots support mobile data and dual-SIM call forwarding. Call quality is good and has no problems connecting to mobile data as long as strong reception is available.

Battery Life

Equipped with not-so-power-hungry specs coupled with a 3,000mAh battery, we were able to get good mileage on the Laser as it can last a whole day with constant WiFi connectivity, a few hours of mobile data, light calls and texts, and couple of hours playing games. On PCMark’s battery bench, we we’re able to get a solid 12 hours and 31 minutes of battery life.

Conclusion

ASUS has a strong yet affordable offering with the Zenfone 2 Laser. At Php7,695USD 131INR 11,116EUR 125CNY 955 for the 5-inch ZE500KL model, and Php8,695USD 148INR 12,561EUR 141CNY 1,079 for the 5.5-inch, ZE550KL model, buyers can get a Lollipop-powered smartphone with a good build and design, decent display and performance, and great battery life. Add to that the more than capable 13 megapixel shooter with Laser-guided autofocus which appeals to casual shooters who demand better AF performance.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) specs:
5.5-inch HD display @ 1280 x 720 resolution, 267ppi
Gorilla Glass 4
1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor
2GB LPDDR3 RAM
16GB internal storage
Expandable up to 128GB via microSD
13MP rear camera with Laser autofocus (0.3 focus time), dual-tone LED flash
5MP front AF camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE, 3G
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
3,000mAh removable battery
Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI
152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 ~ 10.8 mm
170 g
Charcoal Black/Ceramic White/Glamour Red

What we liked about it:
* Good design and build
* Good camera w/ Laser AF
* Lots of built-in camera features
* Decent performance
* Good battery life
* Affordable price

What we didn’t like:
* Lots of pre-installed apps
* UI looks clunky
* Low usable storage