#SeeWhatOthersCantSee 10 Things I Love About the ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser

It was only about two months ago when I got a new phone but when I got a chance to review the ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE500KL Laser I grabbed the opportunity because I’ve heard good things about this line of mobile phones. Apparently, the ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE500KL Laser is more incredible than last year’s release, the ASUS Zenfone 5, which made me even more excited.

Now, I could go into detail about its features but that’s something you’d see on the company website or in some tech blogger’s review. Instead, however, I’d like to share with you what I love most about this phone, based on what matters to me and what I find useful for my everyday life.

So, here goes the top 10 things I love about the ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE500KL Laser.

1. The Design

Who doesn’t love a good-looking phone? I do and this phone doesn’t disappoint. I love that it has curved edges because I don’t really like the look of the hard, sharp edges in other mobile phones.

I also like the fact that they placed the volume key at the back cover. On other phones, this key is usually located at the side, which has always been challenging for me to handle. This rear key makes it easier for me to use my index finger to adjust the volume and take selfies as well.

But I have to be honest and say that the best part of the design is that beautiful Sheer Gold color of the back cover. Haha! I initially wanted the purple though but fell in love with the gold the instant I saw it.

The back cover features a nice hairline design with metallic finish, which makes it look really classy. If you’re not a fan of gold though, there are several other colors to choose from, such as Purple, Glamour Red, Aqua Blue, Ceramic White, Black and Silver.

2. The Size

I find the size of this phone perfect for my hands. Take note though that I have long hands and fingers, so even if the phone is quite big at 5.0 inches (~67.1% screen-to-body ratio) it still feels comfortable for me to hold.

Its curved back and thinnest edge measuring only 3.9 mm makes gripping it easier. Plus, its lightweight too, only weighing 140 grams.

3. The Display

The Zenfone 2 Laser features a 5.0 inch HD (720 x 1280 pixels) ISP display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection, which is said to offer twice the drop-damage resistance of its predecessor the Gorilla Glass 3, and has a 2.5x increase in retained strength and is 85% less likely to break in daily use.

It has a fast and responsive capacitive touchscreen and 16M colors. Aside from that it also features full screen lamination with ASUS TruVivid Technology and has a 20nm anti-fingerprints coating with Glove Touch Support that allows you to slide and swipe without leaving fingerprints!

I am in love with this phone’s display because the images are really sharp and the colors are brilliant. The one thing I’m having trouble with is the sensitivity of the keys at the bottom of the screen. I find myself accidentally touching them when I’m typing a message, which causes the screen to go to the homescreen. However, I did find that adjusting the size/height of the keypad helps remedy that.

4. The Organization of Apps

I don’t know if it’s just me but I really love the fact that when you start setting up the phone, the apps are already organized into folders. I am very OC so this is a big deal to me.

As you can see, there are several folders already on the screen, such as Communications, Photography, Productivity, Social, Tools, etc. The only thing I had to do was move my most used folders and apps to the home screen. Voila!

This saved me a lot of time and effort on setting up my phone!

5. The Power Saver Modes and Auto Start Manager

One of the things I don’t like about mobile devices is how fast their batteries tend to drain. The Zenfone 2 Laser features a 3,000 mAhLi-Polymer battery, which was able to last me at least 24 hours before I had to charge it again. That is with all-day texting, all-day WiFi and use of social media every so often.

Aside from that though, this phone has a Power Saver Mode, which allows you to choose the best battery mode for your usage scenario. You can even auto-switch the phone to a specific battery mode, if you wish.

Another battery-saving feature is the Auto Start Manager, which is an ASUS-exclusive app that helps your phone to manage its system for total optimization. This means more free memory, improved system performance and more battery power. You need this because some apps automatically start on the background, causing system lags, memory consumption and quick drain of the battery. The app helps manage all that.

6. The Customization Choices

I love how this phone has so many customization options to choose from. You can start with the themes. The Theme Store offers icon packs and fonts, live wallpapers and complete theme packages.

Right now, I’m using the Lovely Pink theme, because it’s just so pretty. Some theme packages are already pre-downloaded in the phone but there are more that can be downloaded for free.

You can also further customize the phone using Splendid. Here you can adjust color temperature, hue and saturation manually or choose a preset option. ASUS Splendid likewise features Blue-Light Filter, which reduces blue-light emissions by up to 30%. This enables you to watch or read longer without hurting your eyes. This is a must for me since I am nearsighted already.

7. The PixelMaster 2.0 Camera’s Low Light Mode

Now I have to admit that the main reason why I was so excited to review this phone was because of its PixelMaster 2.0 Camera. I wanted to find out if I will really be able to #SeeWhatOthersCantSee.

The camera on my other mobile phone sucks and I really wanted a phone that has a better one because it will make it easier for me to take photos. I love taking photos, whether it’s of my family, food or the events I cover as a blogger.

The Zenfone 2 Laser is said to be the first phone in the price range to have an 8 megapixel camera at the back with a laser auto focus. It also has a dual-LED real tone flash and a 5 megapixel camera on the front. Obviously, these specs are nothing compared to a DSLR but it provides for a pleasant photography experience just the same, producing photos good enough for posting on social media, blogs or for personal use.

The camera comes with a lot of different settings but one of my most favorite is the low light mode. Photos taken with low lighting tend to look grainy but this phone actually takes them better than other phones do.

The photo above was taken against the light, with no other lighting in the room. It’s not perfect but the items on the photo are still very visible.

Below, I tried taking a photo of donuts while we were sitting in a pretty dim corner at J.Co. There was only a small ray of light shining from a bulb placed somewhat at the corner.

It’s not perfect as well but definitely not bad either. Although the image isn’t that sharp, you can still see the details on the donuts clearly. This is definitely way better than other phone cameras that I’ve tried in this price range.

8. The PixelMaster 2.0 Camera Super Resolution Mode

I’m in love with the Super Resolution mode because it just makes the images look very clear and the colors really vibrant. Just take a look at these photos I took using this mode.

I take a lot of food photos and post them on my Instagram account, here on the blog for my food reviews or on my Zomato account. I love how the super resolution mode makes the food look so yummy.

Aside from these two modes though, there are still lots to explore with the PixelMaster 2.0 Camera, such as the Beautification mode for selfies.

Also take note that the Zenfone 2 Laser features a 0.3 second laser auto focus, which is 2 times faster in speed compared to traditional contrast focus.

So, can you really see what others can’t see with the Zenfone 2 Laser? I’d say definitely, if you compare it with other phones in its level.

9. The Kids Mode

I know most moms lend their phones to their kids sometimes.  I don’t anymore because my two eldest kids have their own phones. My youngest only borrows my iPad because that’s where I have downloaded his educational apps and games.

However, I could still find the Kids Mode on the Zenfone 2 Laser useful during those times when the iPad is charging and my little boy has nothing else to occupy his time with. The Kids Mode allows you to manage app for your kids by only allowing certain apps to be available for them.

Aside from the ability to choose apps, you can also control how much time they can spend on the phone, block notifications, block all or designated calls, and set a passcode from answering calls. With this mode, you no longer have to worry about certain dangers involved in letting your kids use your phone.

10. The SnapView

Sometimes we keep stuff in our phones that we’d rather nobody else can access. Well, the SnapView mode on the Zenfone 2 Laser gives you extra space to store photos, files and apps separately.

While on SnapView mode, users cannot access these “secret” files of the owner or other users. Setting up a SnapView account is as simple as setting up another user on your phone. This account will have a screen lock different from yours, which will limit the SnapView user to viewing only certain aspects of your phone.

Great, right? Now you no longer have to worry about your “secret” files getting into the wrong hands. Haha!

These are the top ten things I love about the ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser. Below are more specs for your reference.

Network Technology: GSM / HSPA / LTE
Dimensions: 143.7 x 71.5 x 10.5 mm (5.66 x 2.81 x 0.41 in)
Weight: 140 g (4.94 oz)
SIM: Dual SIM (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by)
Platform (OS): Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop), planned upgrade to v6.0 (Marshmallow)
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410
Memory: Card slot – microSD, up to 128 GB; Internal – 8/16 GB, 2 GB RAM
Sound: Vibration, MP3, WAV Ringtones, Loudspeaker, 35.mm jack
Comms: WLAN (Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot), Bluetooth, GPS, Radio, MicroUSB v2.0
Retail Price: Php 7,295.00

The box comes with standard accessories including a charger, earphones and earphone covers.

All in all, I’m satisfied with the performance of the ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser after two weeks of review. I am so happy with it that I already gave my other phone to my hubby. Haha! I don’t foresee wanting to change phones again in the near future.

For more information about the ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE500KL Laser, click here.