Introduction
The Asus Zenfone 3 is the destination of the companys "pursuit of superior function" combined with love for design and craftsmanship. Lofty goals for sure, but this isnt your typical flagship or mid-range phone.
The Zenfone 3 is a photography buff, it adores music and puts visuals on a pedestal. Really, there are pages of features of the PixelMaster 3.0 that drives the 16MP camera (loaded with OIS and a ton of focus assistants), the SonicMaster 3.0 that pushes 24-bit Hi-Res audio to the dual speakers and DTS sound to headphones, then theres VisualMaster 3.0 that drives the High Gamut screen.
Before were pulled into three directions at once, lets try to summarize and not miss the potential Achilles heel of the Zenfone 3 - the Snapdragon 625 chipset. Wed love to see it ace the battery test (its the first 6-series chipset built on a 14n m process), but neither the CPU nor the GPU as good as the Snapdragon 650, for example.
Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL key features
- Metal frame, Gorilla Glass front and back
- Dual-SIM, Dual Standby capability, VoLTE
- 5.5-inch Super IPS+ capacitive touchscreen with 1080p resolution and 401ppi density, Gorilla Glass protection
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset; octa-core 2 GHz Cortex-A53 (14nm CPU); Adreno 506 GPU
- 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB RAM and 64GB storage; a microSD slot (uses SIM 2 slot)
- 16MP main camera with f/2.0 lens, OIS, laser and phase autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash, 2160p@30fps video recording
- 8MP front camera with f/2.0 lens (85°), 1080p@30fps video recording
- Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with Asus ZenUI 3.0 overlay
- LTE Cat.7 (300Mbps), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth; GPS with A-GPS; GLONASS ; USB Type-C
- 3,000mAh battery, fast charging
- Fingerprint reader
- 24-bit Hi-Res audio, NXP smart amp
Main shortcomings
- Mid-range chipset with a high price tag
- Non-removable battery
- Keys below the screen lack backlighting
- Hybrid DualSIM/microSD card slot limits options
- Asus tends to preinstall lots of third-party software on its phones
If you need something more powerful, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe offers Snapdragon 820 (even 821), but this ZE552KL model has to make do with a mid-range chipset. That said, the Snapdragon 625 handles 2160p video capture, it offers a fast LTE modem and comes paired with up to 4GB of RAM too. With that in mind, it feels unfair to knock the chipset.
The camera has a laundry list of features - we alluded to some, but it has rare things like a color correction senso r and a triple autofocus system that can get a lock in as little as 0.03s. The image sensors is built to limit light bleeding and along with the dedicated hardware offers goodies like 4x Super Resolution and long exposures (up to 32s).
Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL official images
The 5.5" Super IPS + screen boasts a Tru2Life+ processor that borrows tech from 4K TVs. The Zenfone 3 is made for high contrast scenes - both being in them (the screens 600 nits of brightness promise great visibility) and showing them (intelligent contrast control delivers real-time HDR imagery on screen). The screen is as colorful as it is bright too with 100% NTSC color coverage (30% wider than sRGB).
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZTE552KL has a five magnet speaker hooked up to the smart amp. Overall they promise to be louder without distorting sound and thumping low frequencies too.
The Zenfone 3 has been available in Europe and Asia for quite a while now, but it was very expensive. However, Asus is launching it in the US soon and the base model (3GB/32GB) will cost $250 - a killer price for this screen and camera.
You can see theres plenty of tech under the hood to be excited about, so dont let hangups about the chipset hold you back - the Zenfone 3 promises to be an audio-visual experience of the highest order.
Unboxing the Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
Some companies have been skimping on the retail packages, but Asus is not one of them - the Zenfone 3 comes with a full complement of accessories. We start with a bulky charger that only delivers 10W of power (5V @ 2A). The phone does support fast charging, though. It can reportedly slurp up enough power for 2 hours of talk time in only 5 minutes of charging.
The charger couples with the USB Type-C cable, which can also carry data (at USB 2.0 speeds only).
The retail box of the Asus Zenfone 3
Finally, theres the in-ear headset with a one-button remot e. They look a bit plain, but the phone will make them sing with Hi-Res audio (4x CD quality).
Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL 360° spin
The Asus Zenfone 3 measures 152.6 x 77.4 x 7.7mm and weighs 155g. That makes it more compact and lighter than the iPhone 7 Plus, for example.
2.5D Gorilla Glass on both the front and back, coupled with the rounded off sides makes for a "smooth" in-hand feel. No sharp corners, nothing to make it feel bulkier than it is. The sides, by the way, are painted metal with a glossy, unpainted groove on either side, a nicely eye-catching design. The Zenfone 3 is beautiful and feels like a premium product.
Hardware
Theres a repeating motif, the Zen design, which features a concentric-circle pattern. You can see it on the back of the phone, on the front (its the default wallpaper on the screen) and even on minute details like the Power and Volume buttons.
The chamfer of the metal frame has been cut by diamond tools for a precisi on finish. The forms of the frame flow nicely into the contoured Gorilla Glass on the front and back. Asus boasts a 77.3% screen-to-body ratio on the 5.5-inch Zenfone 3.
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL is one beautiful phone
The way light falls on the matte metal sides and glints off the shiny chamfer flows through the 2.5D glass is particularly attractive. That beauty is only spoiled by the gallery of fingerprints that quickly accumulates (its a high maintenance phone).
The Zenfone 3 ZE552KL comes in Sapp hire Black (like ours), Moonlight Silver (white glass, gold metal), Shimmer Gold (all gold) and Aqua Blue. For one reason or another, the circular pattern on the back of our unit is only visible when there is a strong direct light source.
On the front, the top and bottom bezels are well populated. Above the screen is the 8MP selfie camera on the right and the tiny notification light on the left. The proximity and ambient light sensors are hidden below the glass too.
8MP selfie camera, proximity and ambient light sensors (not pictured: a tiny notification LED)
Under the screen are three capacitive keys. Note that they are not backlit, making them a little hard to use in the dark (at least at first while you get used to their l ocations).
The capacitive keys below the display lack backlighting
The two hardware keys are on the right - a Volume rocker above the Power key. Both are big enough and have a concentric circle texture that makes them instantly recognizable by touch. Were quite happy with these keys, they are equally easy to use with both hands.
On the left is the two card tray - it can carry either a nanoSIM + microSIM or you can swap in a microSD card for the nanoSIM.
Power and volume keys on the right • Notice the texture • Two card tray (hybrid) on the left side
Theres a wired port and a microphone each on the top and bottom sides of the Zenfone 3. Asus kept the 3.5mm headphone jack (on top) and went with a USB Type-C (on the bottom). Also on the bottom is the loudspeaker, which boasts 5-magnets and a dedicated amp for greater bass and lower distortion.
3.5mm jack on top • Secondary mic • USB Type-C port and a 5-magnet loudspeaker
The back is by far the busiest place on the phone. If we had to nitpick, wed say the square camera module does not jibe with the circular pattern that permeates the rest of the Zenfone 3. Same goes for the prolonged rectangle of the fingerprint reader, but swipe gestures here play an important role (more on that later) so were willing to forgive that one.
The camera does protrude from the back, but dont worry too much about scratches, the camera lens is protected by a sapphire cover.
Then theres the Laser AF system (dark element on the left), the dual-LED, dual-tone flash (right), which shares a window with the color correction sensor.
The camera sensor also supports Phase Detection autofocus, the softwar e helps out with continuous AF tracking. Then theres the optical image stabilization module, which works in 4-axis and is helped by the electronic stabilization (which adds roll correction into the mix).
Square camera and fingerprint on top of a circular pattern • The camera has many assistants • It does stick up, though
We love the design of the Zenfone 3 ZE552KL, though we do wish Asus picked something more fingerprint resistant for the back (even applying a coating to the glass would have helped). The phone is perfectly put together w ith no gaps or tolerances.
Display
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL sports a 5.5" screen with 1080p resolution. Its a Super IPS+ panel with excellent viewing angles and impressive brightness - Asus promises 600nits! It also promised 100% NTSC color coverage, which would make this a truly impressive display.
Our measurements confirm the 600nits of brightness claim - easily achievable in manual mode, Auto mode offers no additional boost so you are in full control. At full blast, the black levels remain quite reasonable at 0.45nits for 1,300:1 contrast ratio. Thats comparable to the iPhone 7 Plus screen and better than the LG V20 screen.
The Zenfone 3 screen has amazing range, it managed to get down to just 4.9nits when we dragged the brightness slider to minimum. Theres also a blue light filter toggl e in the notification area to further improve late night viewing (checking a 600nit phone at night is painful, trust us. Also blue light can mess up your sleep cycle).
| Display test | 100% brightness |
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | Contrast ratio |
| Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL | 0.448 | 607 | 1355 |
| Samsung Galaxy C7 | 0.00 | 422 | ∞ |
| Samsung Galaxy C7 (Max auto) | 0.00 | 625 | ∞ |
| Huawei nova plus | 0.31 | 397 | 1281 |
| LG V20 | 0.43 | 475 | 1097 |
| LG V20 Max auto | 0.59 | 628 | 1064 |
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | 0.41 | 573 | 1398 |
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus (max auto) | 0.50 | 681 | 1362 |
While bright and with high contrast, the high reflectivity of screen keeps its sunlight legibility score relatively low. LCDs of similar brightness do better - sometimes much better. True, they are usually flagships, but a 3+ score is not unexpected when were talking 600nits. Even dimmer screens can score higher (both LCD and AMOLED).
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Sony Xperia X Compact
3.694 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - HTC One S
2.901 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c< br />2.506
- Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406< /li> - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
2.378 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Apple iPhone 4S
2.269 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
2.145 - LG Aka
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual2.026
- Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - Meizu m2 note
1.892 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 - HTC Desire C
1.3 - Sony Xperia C
1.283 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
From the settings you c an access the Splendid app, which s used to adjust the screen colors. The default Balance mode is not that accurate with a cold white balance and an average deltaE of 5.5 (max 9.7). Vivid mode pumps up the contrast and saturation for extra punch at the cost of accuracy.
We found that staying on Balance mode and dragging the Color temperature slider all the way to the right offered much better color accuracy - average of 2.8 (very good) and improved maximum of 5.7. Not as good as the leading flagships, but better than the LG V20 and close to the Pixel XL.
You can manually adjust the Hue and Saturation sliders, which can create some psychedelic results, but is not particularly useful otherwise.
The VisualMaster 3.0 technology promises 100% NTSC color coverage. For comparison, sRGB is just 72% NTSC. This is distinct from color accuracy, its about how many colors can be displayed (similar to Apples Wide Color). Of course, youll need the right content to benefit from th is and most content out there is limited to sRGB.
Connectivity
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL is based on the Snapdragon 625 chipset, which delivers Cat. 7 speeds - up to 300Mbps downlink and 50Mbps uplink, thanks to 2-carrier aggregation. Both SIMs can be used for LTE.
The phone has two phone lines, which enjoy VoLTE for higher quality sound. Asus says the Zenfones are more resilient to signal dropouts than, ahem, a certain Cupertino-based competitor. The noise reduction will help VoLTE do its best even in noisy environments.
Local wireless connectivity is shored up with dual-band Wi-Fi up to 802.11ac. Bluetooth is version 4.2, then theres. Positioning is covered by GPS, GLONASS and Beidou.
The Zenfone 3 has a USB Type-C port on the bottom, which is wired only for USB 2.0 speeds.
Battery life test
We ran into some issues while testing the standby performance of the Zenfone 3 ZE552KL, so expect an update to this section in the follow ing days.
We do have the numbers for the individual tests and they are quite good for a phone with a 3,000mAh battery. That capacity s about average for a 5.5" phone, certainly, there are others with a few hundred milliamp hours more. The phone bets on the super-efficient Snapdragon 625 chipset, which is built on a 14nm fabrication process (most mid-range chipsets are built on a 28nm process, which is not nearly as efficient).
Note that while our retail package came with a regular 5V 2A charger, the phone supports Quick Charge 3.0, which boosts charging speed from 10W to up to 18W. The battery is not removable, so quick top ups can save your bacon.
Both web browsing and video playback took 10 hours to drain the Zenfones battery. Thats better than, say, an LG V20 (3,200mAh), which lasted about 8 hours on both. A Huawei nova plus (3,340mAh) lasts 11:30 and 10:30 hours respectively, so in the same ballpark. The Samsung Galaxy C7 (both it and the nova use Snap dragon 625) went up to about 15 hours for both tests, really stretching its 3,300mAh battery, even with its bigger 5.7" screen.
The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case youre interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones weve tested will compare under your own typical use.
User interface
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with ZenUI 3.0 on top. The customizations reach quite deeply into the standard Android look.
The Power button is comfortable enough to use, but the fingerprint reader is just quicker and more convenient. Its always on and fast too, just place your finger on it, and in an instant, youre dropped on the homescreen.
Alternative unlock methods are ZenMotions touch gestures. You can lock/unlock the phone with a double tap (disabled by default) or draw a letter to launch an app instantly - e.g. "C" for main camera, "S" for selfie cam, "V" for phone and so on.
Extra functionality for the fingerprint reader • And more • Gestures on a locked screen
However you launch the camera, the fingerprint reader can be used as a shutter key (this works great for selfies). It can also start the camera with a double tap, so it goes like this: tap to unlock, double tap to launch the camera and tap again to take a photo. With some practice, this can be done very fast.
The lockscreen is a typical Asus affair. Youre greeted by a time-and-weather widget, but also three shortcuts to the dialer, messaging app and Chrome. They are customizable too, and you can assign any installed app of your choice to either of the three slots.
The list of notifications follows, double tapping on one takes you straight to the app that pushed it. If you have a secure lock set up (e.g. fingerprint or PIN), youll need to unlock the phone before you continue. We find it quicker just to unlock the phone with the fingerprint reader and go from there.
A typical Asus lockscreen
Beyond the lockscreen is the Androi d homescreen with four customizable shortcuts docked at the bottom, the app drawer shortcut always in the middle. You cannot add more icons beyond these four, but there is folder support.
There are folders with pre-loaded apps from Google, Asus and "Apps4U", which is more diverse. Going into the app drawer, youll see that Asus went for completeness rather than barebone defaults.
Homescreen • Folder • More homescreen
A pinch zoom reveals very comprehensive tools to edit the homescreen. You can tune the size of icons (from 50% to 130%), the size, color and font of their labels, theres even a tool to help you just ify the icons. When you have a homescreen pane set up just the way you like it, you can save that as a preset - next time when youre adding a new pane you have the option to recall one of those presets.
Holding your finger on a homescreen brings further options. You can change basic stuff like wallpapers, customize things further with icon packs and finally change themes.
Customizing the homescreen • Changing icon size • Adjusting the font
Themes are the most comprehensive tool to change the look of the interface - they include wallpapers and icons that already match in style. Fin ding an icon pack that matches the style of your wallpaper can be fun, but time-consuming.
Icon packs • Theme store • A closer look at a theme
The app drawer has plenty of customization options itself. Grid size can be adjusted in the 3x3 to 5x5 range, with the latter making more sense on the 5.5-inch screen. Apps can be arranged alphabetically (the "All" setting), manually, or by frequent use. The Smart group option takes the hassle out of creating folders - it automatically groups apps by category, e.g. Productivity, Communication and so on.
App drawer • Powerful filtering options • Automatic grouping • Locking apps
One useful option you shouldnt overlook is Lock apps. It allows you to put select apps behind a pattern or a PIN lock (but strangely, not behind a fingerprint lock). There are nice options to recover the apps if you forget the PIN too.
The notification area has seen extensive customization as well. A single-finger pull-down only brings up the notifications and no quick toggles. A second swipe reveals the toggles and the brightness slider (which has an Auto toggle to its ri ght, though we missed it at first, its not very distinct).
A two finger pull-down gets you straight to the toggles. Also here are four tools (top row of toggles, they are a different color too). They are Flashlight and Calculator (no surprises here), Power & Boost (cleans up RAM from latent apps) and Auto-start manager (lets you control which apps launch when the phone boots). We think the last two will be used more rarely, so we tried hiding them, but that didnt work - you need to have at least 4 tools selected, and there are only 4 of them total.
Notification shade • Toggles and tools • Editing toggles and tools
The task switcher is the standard Lollipop style virtual rolodex with a Google search bar on top. There are three buttons here. One closes all apps to free up RAM. Another pins the app to the screen so you can hand the phone to someone and be sure they wont snoop in other apps. Finally, theres a shortcut to the settings of installed apps (if you need to change permissions, restrict their data usage and so on).
Task switcher with pinning
Quick trigger is Asus answer to the problem of handling large devices single-handedly. Its evoked with a double-tap on the home button, provided youve enabled it first in settings. What it does is shrink the entire interface to a portion of the screen, which is resizable and can be moved around to suit left or right handed use.
Quick trigger simplifies one-handed operation
Performance
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL is powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 625 chipset - a mid-range chipset built on the power efficient 14nm process. For comparison, the Snapdragon 650 and 652 are built on the older 28nm process, but they do have big Cortex-A72 cores and a more powerful GPU (the S625 uses only Cortex-A53 cores, eight of them).
We already have some experience with this chipset - both the Huawei nova plus (5.5" 1080p screen) and Samsung Galaxy C7 (5.7" 1080p) use it. They cost about the same as the Zen fone 3 as well, that is to say more than typical mid-range Android and as much as some of the best 5.5" phones in the biz.
Eight Cortex-A53 cores at a high 2GHz clock speed make for great multi-threaded performance, as fast as the Snapdragon 820 in the OnePlus 3 and slightly behind the Helio X20 chip in the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20 has eight A53 cores, but also a couple of A72 cores).
GeekBench 4 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
4456 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
4053 - OnePlus 3
4045 - ZTE Axon 7
3990 - Huawei nova plus
3100
Still, without a big A72 core single-threaded performance is less than impressive. You can see both the Kryo (Snapdragon 820) and Cortex-A72 (Helio X20) cores easily outpace it. Meanwhile even the Moto G4 Plus, which uses an old Snapdragon 617 chipset (A53 cores at just 1.5GHz), isnt that far behind.
GeekBench 4 (single-core)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
1719 - ZTE Axon 7
1702 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
1546 - Huawei nova plus
843 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
843
In terms of overall performance, the Asus Zenfone 3 ZE 552KL is closer to the Moto G4 Plus than it is to the OnePlus 3, ZTE Axon 7 and other value for money entries in the 5.5" segment. Of course, those dont quite have the brand recognition of Asus, but theres no escaping that better chipsets exist in this price segment.
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
141764 - ZTE Axon 7
129926 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
85162 - Huawei nova plus
64680 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
64591 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
63358 - Samsung Galaxy C7
62818
Moving to 3D graphics, the Adreno 506 inside the Snapdragon 625 just isnt that impressive. It beats the aging Adreno 405 inside the Moto G4 Plus by some margin (especially if the game engine uses an older version of OpenGL ES - 3.0 instead of 3.1).
However, its no match for the Adreno 510 used in the Snapdragon 650 and 652 chips that power, for example, the older Redmi Note 3. That matches the GPU inside the new Redmi Note 4, but all of those are far from a flagship GPU as the OnePlus and Axon demonstrate.
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
46 - ZTE Axon 7
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
15 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
13 - Huawei nova plus
9.9 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
9.9 - Samsung Galaxy C7
9.8
GFX 3.1 Car scene (offscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
18 - ZTE Axon 7
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
5.4 - Huawei nova plus
3.4 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.4 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
3.4
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL is helped by its screen resolution - 1 080p. You can see that even the top end Adreno struggles with the QHD resolution on the Axon 7 and its QHD screen. The gap in on-screen results is much smaller and we think on-screen results are more important (though some games render at a lower resolution internally, i.e. games on the Axon 7 dont have to run at QHD).
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
45 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
15 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652)
13 - ZTE Axon 7
12 - Huawei nova plus
10 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
9.7 - Samsun g Galaxy C7
9.6
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 3
18 - ZTE Axon 7
16 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
5.4 - Huawei nova plus
3.7 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.4 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
3.4
The Snapdragon 625 chipset is found on some very similar phones - the Zenfone 3, nova plus and Galaxy C7 have a lot in common, including price. The chip provides adequate performance, especially with a 1080p screen, but there are better options out there at a similar price.
We do have to note that the phone runs very cool - even after half an hour of hard-hitting benchmarks it got only slightly warm.
Telephony and phonebook
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL is a dual-SIM smartphone with support for VoLTE, which enables higher voice quality if your network supports it. Noise reduction is also available. You can chose a preferred SIM for calls, text and data. Theres even an option that select a preferred card for the Bluetooth hands-free (i.e. if you hit dial, that will be the card used - it doesnt have to be the same as the preferred card when dialing from the phone).
Dialer • Call log • Groups • SIM card settings
The dialer app can record calls and includes a toggle to record all calls (otherwise you have to enable it manually). Theres built-in blocker to screen unwanted spam calls and Private contacts. These are similar to the locked apps on the homescreen - you need to enter a PIN to get access to them (once again, the fingerprint reader is not used). If you install the Asus Messenger, you can also text those contacts.
Private contacts • Call recording s ettings
The app itself has several customization options including a dark mode and wallpapers for its three main tabs.
Loudspeaker
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL features a single 5-magnet loudspeaker (the Deluxe edition has two). Its powered by an NXP amp and delivers a clean, rich sound even at high volume. Note that the speaker is adjusted differently for different situations. When ringing for an incoming call, its fairly loud and got a Good score. When playing music, its optimized for quality which makes it slightly quieter. You can enable Outdoor mode to get back some of the loudness, but even then the quality remains good - if you compare the numbers, youll see Outdoor mode offers loud vocals (first test) while keeping high-frequency sound in check (third test).
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Pink noise/ Music, dB | Ringing phone, dB | Overall score |
| HTC 10 (Theater mode) | 61.9 | 66.0 | 62.1 | Below Average |
| Samsung Galaxy C7 | 67.3 | 67.8 | 72.8 | Average |
| Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL (outdoor) | 68.8 | 70.8 | 71.4 | Good |
| Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL (ring) | 65.5 | 70.5 | 76.6 | Good |
| Huawei nova plus | 68.3 | 68.0 | 76.9 | Good |
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | 68.3 | 72.2 | 72.9 | Good |
| LG V20 | 68.2 | 68.6 | 80.9 | Good |
| ZTE Axon 7 | 66.4 | 72.2 | 84.1 | Very Good |
| Huawei Mate 9 | 83.1 | 74.5 | 85.0 | Excellent |
Messaging and text input
The Zenfone 3 uses Googles Messenger app by default. Its an attractive app that handles SMS and MMS messages, but has no IM functionality like Hangouts has. You can still send stickers, but those turn the message into an MMS (for which your carrier probably charges higher). Attaching other multimedia - photos, voice notes and location - is quite simple.
Google Messengers threaded view • Texting someone • Stick ers! • Snapping a photo for the MMS
Asus went for a custom keyboard instead of the Google-supplied one. The ZenUI keyboard features bilingual input (if you need it). The keyboard can be resized in both directions - that is taller/shorter, but also narrower to the left or right, which is great for one-handed use.
The ZenUI keyboard • Resizing the keyboard horizontally • And vertically
Typing, swiping, hand writing and dictating input modes are supported. As with most Zen software, the keyboard supports themes too.
Themes • Swipe input • Voice input • Quick settings • More settings
Cloud-friendly gallery
The Asus Zenfone 3 gallery groups photos and videos into albums, but if you give it permission to your calendar, it can read events from there and use those for grouping. The app can also go through your contact list (with your permission) and link photos to the people in them.
< img src="http://ift.tt/2fhboE7" height="220" alt="A variety of options - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL review" /> 
Album view • A variety of options • Face recognition groups photos by people • Events based on calendar
The gallery supports a wide array of cloud storage services - from Asuss WebStorage, through Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and Flickr. Social networking accounts work too - Facebook and Google+. The privacy conscious, can run Asus HomeCloud on their computers and use that as a cloud service or just good old DLNA.
The gallery supports many cloud services • Also Asus cloud • DLNA too • Trash folder like on your computer
We like the Trash folder - it houses photos youve deleted, in case you change your mind later on. It means you have to delete photos twice if you want them permanently gone, though. You can lock the gallery app so it can only be opened with a PIN or pattern (but not the fingerprint reader, sigh). We wish this worked for individual photos/folders, instead of just locking the app wholesale.
You also get the Asus MiniMovie app, which lets you select a bunch of images and turn them into a short video of sorts, with music, tr ansitions, and the lot, which you can customize, of course. If youre not that creative, the Treasure store offers a variety of themes and components (e.g. sound clips).
MiniMovie • Picking photos • Downloading themes • A birthday theme
A handy collage feature is also on board, and its pretty comprehensive, with a host of aspect ratios, templates, and backgrounds. Both apps do "recaps" - automatically created videos or collages that feature recent photos youve taken, a similar feature to Google Photos as sistant.
The CollageMaker • Picking photos • "Magazine" templates • Downloading stickers
The built-in image editor features the usual effects, frames and image adjustments, but there are dedicated tools for selfies too - soften the skin, add some blush, thin the cheeks and so on.
Image info • Editing an image • Selfie editor
The video player is part of the Gallery and is very basic. It remembers the last playback location for clips so you can resume the video from where you left it, but thats it.
Basic video player • Its only feature
Google Play Music
The excellent Asus music player is gone, only Google Play Music is on board. Dont get us wrong - we like Play Music just fine, but if Asus can pre-install Amazon Kindle and TripAdvisor then it shouldnt have issues loading in a second music player too. Again, the Zenfo ne 3 does not quite come with a minimal app package out of the box.
Anyway, Google Play Music recently borrowed some of the Assistant smarts and now uses contextual clues - location, time of day, even weather - to pick out the most appropriate play list, e.g. a workout mix when youre at the gym.
Music player
We mentioned it earlier, but it bears repeating - the Zenfone 3 ZE552KL has a Hi-Res audio certification and can play 24-bit/192kHz sound (advertised as 4x CD quality).
Asus did leave the AudioWizard, which offers enhancements for music, but also every other kind of audio - from audio books to gaming. All of those have the same selection of options, but they can be tuned separately. The Smart option activates the right mode automatically.
The AudioWizard gives you access to adjustments for volume, bass and treble and theres a dialog enhancer too. A manual 5-band equalizer is also available if you want finer control.
AudioWizard • Basic settigns • 5-band equalizer
FM Radio with terrible reception
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL features and FM radio, but we found the reception was spotty on occasion so you may hear noise when youre at the edge of reception. RDS worked and you can listen through the loudspeaker (you still need the headphones plugged in)> Theres a sleep timer, but no option to record broadcast (like you can record a call).
FM radio app • Sleep timer • Band selection
Audio output is impressive clear, pretty quiet
The Asus Zenfone 3 delivered perfectly clean output when hooked up to an active external amplifier. The scores were excellent top to bottom, and there were no weak spots to be noted. Volume was below average, though, so it’s not all perfect.
Impressively enough there was next to no degradation when headphones came into play. Even stereo crosstalk barely moved, ma king this one of the best readings we’ve seen in this test. However, volume levels plummeted further so if you have particularly high-impedance headphones you might not be perfectly happy, but for most people, the Zenfone 3 will be as good as they come.
Anyway, here go the results so you can do your comparisons.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| Asus Zenfone 3 | +0.03, -0.30 | -86.6 | 83.6 | 0.0017 | 0.049 | -91.1 |
| Asus Zenfone 3 (headphones attached) | +0.06, -0.03 | -92.4 | 92.4 | 0.0018 | 0.021 | -88.2 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5s | +0.01, -0.03 | -89.6 | 90.2 | 0.0029 | 0.040 | -85.5 |
| Xiaomi Mi 5s (headphones) | +0.71, -0.31 | -82.9 | 84.8 | 0.229 | 0.559 | -48.0 |
| LG G5 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.6 | 92.6 | 0.0051 | 0.0096 | -93.3 |
| LG G5 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.01 | -92.2 | 92.3 | 0.0029 | 0.037 | -50.7 |
| ZTE Axon 7 | +0.06, -0.10 | -92.4 | 92.3 | 0.0015 | 0.0093 | -80.9 |
| ZTE Axon 7 (headphones attached) | +0.03, -0.11 | -92.3 | 92.3 | 0.0011 | 0.012 | -77.0 |
Asus Zenfone 3 frequency responseYou can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Camera
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL uses a Sony IMX298 sensor, which weve seen on high-end phones like the Huawei Mate 8, OnePlus 3 and Xiaomi Mi 5. The 16MP sensor is behind an f/2.0 lens and is backed by an impressive number of assistants. For example, it has a color correction sensor on the back, which makes white balance much more accurate (weve seen LG use this to great effect).
The sensor does the usual contrast and phase detection autofocus, but theres a Laser AF system too, which gets centimeter-level accuracy (~0.5") at distances up to 1.5m (5ft). Theres tracking autofocus as well, all of these come together to get a focus lock in a mere 0.03 seconds.
The camera boasts a 4-axis optical image stabilization along with 6-axis digital stabilization (most OIS systems cant correct roll, EIS can).
Camera UI • Many shooting modes
Real time HDR makes sure the preview you see in the viewfinder is an accurate representation of the final image you get. Theres a 4x Super Resolution mode, which produces a 64MP image (it takes multiple exposures, so the quality is higher than a simple upscale).
There are plenty of shooting modes, thankfully the toggle for Manual mode is available right on th e viewfinder. It shows a horizon level, a histogram, a reading for the exposure compensation, ISO and shutter speed (if you havent set those manually). The Zenfone 3 can vary its shutter speed from a time-freezing 1/50,000s to 32s, suitable for light paintings.
Manual mode cant change the aperture, but theres a dedicated Depth of Field mode, in case youre in the mood for some bokeh. Selfie mode uses the main camera and automatically snaps a photo when it detects the right number of faces (you can tell it from 1 to 4 or more). All Smiles and Children modes also use face detection - the first takes 5 shots and composes the best result from each, the second automatically snaps a photo when it sees a childs face (there are some sound cues to attract the kids attention too).
Manual mode • AF/AE/AWB lock
Additional modes include Low Light (takes a 3MP or 4MP photo, optimized for very dark scenes), Night mode (low light shooting at full resolution), Smart remove (delete moving objects), Time Rewind (burst mode), GIF animation and Time Lapse, several others too.
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL camera produces sharp and detailed 16MP photos. Colors are beautiful and white balance is always spot on. Noise is kept under control (only fine grained monochromatic noise is visible if you pixel peep), noise reduction doesnt rob photos of their detail (even foliage and grass look good).
Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL camera samples
Our one concern is the dynamic range - the camera often overexposes parts of an image, w hich is sometimes combined with underexposed dark areas. We turned to HDR and found that both Auto and On modes produce the same image (thats not true for all phones). HDR mode does indeed resolve most issues of dynamic range, but the cost in quality is very high - images turn smudgier as if the noise reduction had to work ten times harder.
HDR test: off • auto • on
We tested out the low-light capabilities of the Zenfone 3 and found that the Auto mode does quite well. Sure, the noise increases noticeably, but theres no color noise. We tried out Night mode (full 16MP resolution), but all that did is lower the shutter speed (from 1/13s to 1/6s) and the image became softer (note that we used a tripod to eliminate hand-shake). The Low Light mode downscales photos to a quarter of full resolution (3MP if you want 16:9, 4MP if you do 4:3) and though that lowers the noise levels, it also leaves detail on the table. Were not sure the tradeoff is worth it.
Zenfone 3 low-light shots: Normal mode • Night mode • Low Light (3MP)
The Zenfone 3 ZE552KL comes with an 8MP selfie camera, which also has an f/2.0 aperture. The selfies turn out sharp and wit h very little noise. The focus is at an arms length, so the subject is sharp while the background is softly blurred.
Selfie with the Zenfone
The panorama mode produces fairly high resolution images (around 1,900px tall). Other than the fast-moving cars, stitching is flawless and the panoramas are detailed. The dynamic range proved not to be an issue.
Zenfone 3 panorama
Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL in ou r Photo quality compare tool
Video camera
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL can record 2160p videos with its main camera, as well as 1080p @ 60fps clips. The selfie camera does 1080p @ 30fps.
All videos are recorded with the H.264 codec, so you shouldnt have issues sharing them. The audio bitrate is a bit low - 96Kbps for stereo (48kHz sampling rate).
The 4K 2160p videos are shot at a high 42Mbps bitrate, but theres something off - a barely noticeable flicker, most visible in areas rich in detail. And the videos are indeed rich in detail, but standing close to a 4K TV you will notice the flicker (at a distance its much less of an issue). Colors are again spot on.
1080p footage is shot at a higher than usual 20Mbps and is free of the pesky flicker. The video quality is great, you only lose a bit of the field of view. Going to 1080p @ 60fps makes the image noticeably softer, it looks halfway between 1080p and 720p.
Here are some untouched video samples for you to download, each 10 seconds long: 2160p, 1080p @ 30fps and 1080p @ 60fps.
Slow motion is available both at 1080p and 720p resolutions, but theres a difference in the final frame rate you get. At 720p, the camera manages a passable 22fps, but at 1080p it drops to 15fps, which is very noticeably choppy.
Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL in our Video quality compare tool: 2160p
Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL in our Video quality compare tool: 1080p
Final words
At the Zenfone 3 unveiling at Computex earlier this year, Asus announced that the Zenfone 3 ZE552KL will cost $250 for the 32GB/3GB version. That would have been a spectacular price point indeed! Unfortunately, the closest we can found the phone online is $310 for the 64GB/4GB and thats only in Asus home country Taiwan. Still, thats a pretty good price. In Europe we have it much worse, as its closer to €400-€450, which f rankly is too much for what this boy has to offer.
Price is important as its the second half of "bang for the buck". With the Zenfone 3, you do get a lot of great stuff. The screen is excellent, rivaling flagships in brightness and color accuracy - its not the best, but plenty of high-end phones post similar numbers. The 1080p resolution is quite enough for us, we mostly wish the sunlight legibility was better.
The camera is great too - its based on a sensor used in pricey phones and it shows in the image quality. Photos and panoramas are rich and detailed, with accurate colors, the selfie camera is great too. The HDR mode needs work, however. Videos are shot at 4K 2160p resolution and you get the OIS + EIS duo for extra stability.
The design is another highlight of Zenfone 3 ZE552KL, its put together like an expensive phone. An oleophobic coating over both glass panes would have helped avoid most of the smudging (and theres a lot of it). The chipset was a safe but boring choice, it offers just enough speed without topping the charts.
And this is why price is important - at $250, the positives far outweigh the few negatives. At €400, there are better options. At $310, we just might reach an understanding.
Asus Zenfone 3 key test findings:
- A beautiful, premium design that is too susceptible to fingerprints
- The screen is very bright and offers high contrast, colors can be very accurate with minimal tweaking; sunlight legibility is only average, though.
- ZenUI is heavily customized and features an extensive app package (aside from a music player).
- Mid-range performance from the CPU and GPU, some similarly priced mid-rangers have faster chipsets; it runs very cool.
- Loudspeaker produ ces good quality sound; you can enable Outdoor mode when listening to music and need an extra boost.
- Audio output is impressive clear, but pretty quiet.
- 16MP camera produces sharp images with accurate colors; HDR mode noticeably degrades quality though; selfie camera is very good.
- Both 2160p and 1080p at 30fps videos look great, however 1080p @ 60fps is a bit soft; we wish the audio recording used higher bitrate.
The Huawei nova plus is another Snapdragon 625-powered phone weve reviewed. It also boasts a 5.5" 1080p screen, though not quite as bright or color accurate. The similarities continue with a 16MP camera with OIS and 2160p video capture (but no color spectrum sensor). The metal body of the nova plus is more resistant to fingerprint smudges and it houses a slightly bigger battery (3,340mAh).
Then theres the Samsung Galaxy C7 (which recently launched in the US). It has a bigger 1080p screen and its a Super AMOLED - 5.7" of it. Its dimm er, but more legible in sunlight and has more accurate colors to boot. Same chipset and a 16MP camera again, but this one lacks both OIS and 2160p video. Like the Zenfone 3 and the nova plus, the C7 is a dual-SIM phone (hybrid slot) and it runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow still.
Huawei nova plus • Samsung Galaxy C7
Currently out of stock, but set to make a comeback, the OnePlus 3 is still one of the best entries in the 5.5" 1080p genre. The screen is sourced from Samsungs AMOLED factories. It uses the flagship Snapdragon 820 chipset with a whopping 6GB of RAM and its Android 7.0 Nougat update will be released in beta soon. The camera uses the same 16MP Sony sensor and offers OIS and 2160p video (but no laser AF or color sensor). You get 64GB of storage out of the box, b ut no way to expand it.
Theres the new OnePlus 3T, but that goes too far out of our target price range and its only major upgrade is the 16MP selfie cam.
OnePlus 3
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 uses a pretty fast chipset too - the Helio X20 has two big Cortex-A72 cores, on top of the octa-core A53, which really helps single-core performance. Like the Zenfone (and unlike the OnePlus), the Android 6.0 software is heavily customized. The microSD card goes into the SIM2 slot, which may be an issue if you get the 16GB model (theres a 64GB option, which comes with more RAM to boot). The battery is huge at 4,100mAh.
The Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus is a higher-end offering, but its also more likely to require an import from China. It has a 5.7" 1080p screen and dual 13MP cameras (color + B&W) for impressive low-light capabilities. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 821, the fast version, and the base option comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage (theres no microSD slot, but we think few people will need the 128GB option).
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 • Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
If the price has crept up too high for your budget, here are a couple of options with a more mid-range price (in a way, both come from Lenovo). First is the Motorola Moto G4 Plus, which is already on its path to Android 7.0 Nougat (Moto phones are among the better ones in this respect). The chipset is old and the 16MP camera lacks 2160p video capture. The 5.5" 1080p screen reached nearly 600nits of brightness in our tests, but its sunlight legibility wasnt stellar.
Then the Lenovo K5 Note, which also has a 5.5" 1080p screen and an unimpressive chipse t. The camera seems basic too - 13MP/1080p - but you do get an 8MP selfie cam instead of 5MP like the Moto. And theres Hi-Res 24-bit/192kHz audio with Dolby Atmos enhancements too. Plus, the K5 Note upstages the Moto with a metal body and a 3,500mAh battery.
Motorola Moto G4 Plus • Lenovo K5 Note
The Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL is a story of three masters - PixelMaster, VisualMaster and SonicMaster, all in their third iteration. They give the phone a camera, screen and audio quality that soars to the high end, while the phones price is planted in the mid-range. Its not a perfect phone, but it excels in the audio-visual arts.
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