Asus Zenfone 2 Laser: Minimalistic, yet sleek & sharp

Taiwanese smartphone maker Asus is back with a wide range of phones in the budget segment. I got a chance to use the Zenfone 2 Laser for about a week. Here are my thoughts.

Design & performance

The 5.5-inch Asus Zenfone 2 Laser looks sleek and sharp, with smaller bezels and matte rear finish. It is not very heavy and is good for single-handed use. The placement of buttons, however, might not please all. The 1.2 GHz processor and 2GB RAM are powerful enough to run all your apps. I encountered some lags while playing heavy games but those can't be termed a deal breaker. The minimalistic user interface, based on Android Lollipop deserves appreciation. The 3,000mAh battery lasts 10 hours easily on heavy usage.

Camera

You might be curious to know what this 13MP Laser focus camera is all about and how it works. In simple terms, the camera emits a tiny infrared laser, which bounces off the subject and back towards the camera, where it is registered by a sensor. By judging the distance between the object and lens, the camera understands where to focus. Though it's not always accurate, it's a helpful feature. Overall, the images clicked with the device came out sharp. The front camera serves the purpose of decent selfies and video calls.

Verdict

At Rs 9,999, Asus Zenfone 2 Laser might not offer anything outrageously awesome, but small things like a good user interface, big battery life, sleek looks and a decent camera easily make it one of the best smartphones in the range. 

SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 5.5-inch
OS: Android 5.0
SoC: 1.2GHz, quad core
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16GB (expandable up to 128GB)
Camera: 13 MP; 5MP
Battery: 3,000 mAh
Price: Rs 9,999