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The Personal Blog of Philip Andrew D. Mayol – Cebu Blogger

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0

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We move so fast these days. Even though time stays the same, it feels like everything just happened only yesterday. I am not sure if this does fit in if we talk about “focus”, well, I hope it does. Because with the new Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 smartphone, you can take more focused photos with autofocus laser technology.

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In Search Of Incredible

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 (ZE500KL) is already powered with an Android OS version 5.0 (Lollipop) and flaunts a 5-inch full HD multi-touch screen that can give you a better view of your photos, videos, messages and everything that needs to have lifelike colors.

It was released in August of 2015, so this smartphone is quite new to the market. It is very light and comfortable to hold with this 140g weight (with the battery), and it’s attractive with the Asus ZUI.

The menu transition is good and fast as it is housed with Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410 chipset and a Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU with 2GB RAM. I’ve got the Glamour Red, but the Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 comes in Black, Ceramic White, Silver, Purple, Aqua Blue, and Sheer Gold.

Ergonomically designed, the Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 is awarded the Design Award 2015 because of its flawless curves and the volume/shutter button at the back panel that can be operated and triggered using your index finger.

Camera With Laser Autofocus Technology

What I like about this smartphone is the camera: an 8MP, laser autofocus lens, with dual-LED (dual tone) flash at the rear; and a 5MP, autofocus lens at the front. So, I didn’t waste my time to test its capabilities and I went out with friends and took some photos with the most photographed objects: food!

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This giant watermelon sundae (Photo taken using Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0)
Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 | Skip The Flip
In Focus: Banana and Chocolate Parfait from Starbucks (Photo taken using Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0)

The laser autofocus technology will let you focus your camera quickly and that said, avoid blurry picture when you’re in a hurry. But of course, you need to have a stable frame to make your every picture great, crisp, and clear.

If you notice that when you wanted to focus the object on the frame of your camera, you need to tap the screen and wait for a period of time for the camera to adjust and focus. With Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0, when you tap the screen, it will focus right away you won’t even notice it did. That’s the help of the laser autofocus technology which you can locate on the right-hand side of the rear camera lens at the back panel.

Since I am using my smartphone as a primary camera, the Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 can support up to 128GB microSD card for added external disk space. However, it already has 16GB ROM but knowing that the card slot can cater a much bigger capacity, it’s all good. I have in it a 16GB microSD card.

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The front and back of Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0

I also tried the camera in a much closer object to attain the blurry background. By the way, I am not a professional photographer. So, I might not be using the technical terms on this post and may divert to layman’s terms. I did it when I am having my lunch at KFC and tried taking a picture of the soda cup and I was satisfied by what I’ve taken. Check the photo below.

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Say cheese, Colonel Sanders! (Photo taken using Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0)

Testing the camera to a much more challenging situation, the Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 can also compete. I took the last photo below, outdoors, and this is the outcome.

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Enjoying the summer heat at the Chateau by the Sea in Mactan Island, Cebu (Photo taken using Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0)

More Features

In communication point of view, the smartphone can support dual SIM with both 3G WCDMA/ 4G LTE network band enabled. However, you cannot activate the services to both SIM cards at one time.

From the moment I took the unit out, fresh from the box, and even with the plastic wrapped on the screen, I was delighted with how clear the video. The Asus Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 has HD 1280×720 display and a Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 screen.

The screen size is quite impressive, 5.0 inches, which has approximately 67.1% screen-to-body ratio, and again, the multi-touch capacitive touchscreen that can show you 16M colors.

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 Technical Specifications

Here’s the summary of its technical capabilities:

Platform Android 5.0 (Lollipop)
Color Black/Ceramic White/Silver/Purple/Aqua Blue/Sheer Gold/Glamour Red
Dimension 143.7 x 71.5 x 3.5 ~ 10.5 mm (LxWxH)
Weight 140g (with battery)
CPU Qualcomm MSM8916 QuadCore 1.2GHz
Memory 2GB LPDDR3 RAM
Storage 16GB eMMC Flash
5GB free lifetime ASUS WebStorage
Memory Slot MicroSD card (up to 128GB)
Connectivity Technology WLAN 802.11 b/g/n
USB 2.0
Bluetooth V4.0+EDR +A2DP
Dual Micro SIM card
SIM1 Support2G/3G/4G
SIM2 Support2G/3G/4G
Dual SIM Dual Stand By
Network Standard WCDMA/TD-SCDMA/TDD-LTE/FDD-LTE
Data Rate:
DC-HSPA+: UL 5.76 / DL 42 Mbps
LTE Cat4:UL 50 / DL 150 Mbps
3G: WCDMA
4G/LTE
ASUS phone 4G/LTE band compatibility varies by region. Please check compatibility with local carriers If intending to use your ASUS phone outside the original purchase region.
Navigation GPS, GLONASS, AGPS & BDS
Display 5-inch, HD 1280×720,TFT
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4
Battery 2070 mAh Li-Polymer
Camera Front 5 Mega-Pixel, PixelMaster
Rear 8 Mega-Pixel, w/ flash, w/ LED Flash, Wide View, PixelMaster
Audio Slot 3.5mm
Sensor Accelerator/G-Sensor/E-Compass/Proximity/Ambient Light Sensor/Hall Sensor

You can even tweak your settings in order to suit your visual preferences. You’ll also have a wider viewing angle thanks to this phone’s In-Plane Switching technology. Producing consistent colors even at varied positions, IPS enables you to move around and prevent experiencing strain that comes from a stationary position.

Final Thoughts

Seeing the specifications of the Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0, what I wish it should have is more battery power. It has 2070mAh, and more likely with the excessive use of the camera, the applications and of course, making sure that you are always connected online, a good 3000mAh battery is way better. But more so, you can have an Asus Zenpower battery pack that is as handy as a credit card.

And also, the packaging should also come with a free Asus ZenFone cover because the back panel is prone to scratches.

The virtual keyboard is also quite narrow for my big fingers, so sometimes I mistakenly press another key and it goes back to the main menu.

It does not have a stand-alone camera shutter button when you take photos using the rear camera. But if you’re going to do selfies, the volume button at the back, which can easily be operated using your index finger, can be the shutter button. Just amazing!

Overall, I love the Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 and I always have it with me for my photography stints. And the Glamour Red color is just fabulous.

So, are you considering to get this smartphone? The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 is a good deal.

Get a brand new Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 from Lazada Philippines today.

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.0 (ZE500KL)

8.4

Camera

8.0/10

User-interface

9.0/10

Connectivity

8.5/10

Battery

8.0/10

Overall

8.5/10

Pros

  • Laser Autofocus Technology
  • Fast menu transition
  • Clean User-interface
  • Color (especially the Glamour Red)
  • Dual SIM card slot that both support 3G/4G/LTE

Cons

  • Battery (only 2070mAh)
  • No added phone case/cover in the box
  • Narrow virtual keyboard
  • No free microSD card
  • No stand-alone camera shutter button (since the phone centers on taking pictures)
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Philip Andrew Mayol
Philip Andrew Mayol
I'm a freelance digital content creator. I write online for blogs full-time, and sometimes press materials for companies. I also conduct workshops and seminars for content creation and smartphone photography. I'm a Computer Engineer and have worked professionally as a Leadership and Management Trainer and Coach for a BPO company in Cebu City for 5 years.

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I'm a blogger, a crazy kid, and a happy piece of a blob. My star sign is on the cusp of the Crab and the Lion. I am Julian.