ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser hands-on, first impressions

The Zenfone 2 Laser is one of the latest smartphones that ASUS has unveiled this month. It features a 5.5-inch display, Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor, Android Lollipop, and a 13 megapixel main camera with Laser autofocus and dual-LED flash. Find out what we think about it by reading our first impressions below.

Being a member of the Zenfone 2 lineup, the Zenfone 2 Laser sports the similar design as the original Zenfone 2. Up front is a 5.5-inch IPS display but at a lower HD resolution or equal to 267ppi. Pixels are discernible but can still be considered as decent. The screen is vibrant with good colors and viewing angles. To top it off, it has Gorilla Glass 4 for protection.

Situated above the display are the earpiece, 5 megapixel AF camera, and the ASUS logo. Found below are three unlit capacitive buttons for navigation and the signature concentric-circle design on the chin.

The left and right sides of the device are devoid of any keys and buttons, but situated right up top are the headset jack, metallic power/lock button, and microphone. Placed at the bottom is the microUSB port and microphone.

Flip the Zenfone 2 Laser on its back and you will see the metallic volume buttons, speaker, the 13 megapixel shooter, dual-LED flash, and the Laser AF which is also found on the Zenfone Selfie. It actually makes us wonder why ASUS didn’t add a “Laser” on the Zenfone Selfie’s name.

Now for the rest of its rear, this part is actually what makes the Laser, or any other Zenfone 2 for that matter, an attractive smartphone. The plastic backplate has a matte metallic finish which helps keep smudges away and gives off a nice glow whenever the light hits it. Its curvature, on the other hand, makes the device easy to handle.

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) specs:
5.5-inch HD display @ 1280 x 720 resolution
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 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