HWM Singapore — May 2017

AT AGLANCE

OPERATING SYSTEM

Android 6.0 OS with

ASUS ZenUI 3. 0

DISPLAY

5.5-inch / 1,920 x

1,080pixels / IPS

PROCESSOR

Qualcomm

Snapdragon 625,

octa-core

BATTERY

3,000 mAh

PRICE

$ 498

What stood out to us was the overall

build quality and material choices found

on the ZenFone 3. Its polished glass rear

was a huge upgrade to the metallic-

looking plastic cover it used before. In

addition to appearance, the ZenFone 3 is

theȴrst phone with ASUS phone with a

ȴngerprint sensor.

It uses a 5.5-inch, Full HD IPS display

and it boasts a display brightness of

600nits.The combination of an IPS

display, wide viewing angle, and above

average brightness levels led ASUS to

claim that they make the ZenFone 3’s

display readable from any direction. It

might be a tinge warm, but it’s not that

obvious in day-to-day use.

The ZenFone 3 supports Hi-Res Audio

output, which is a nice feature for a

$500 phone. It means that you can play

back audioȴles rated at 24-bit/96KHz

or 24-bit/192KHz. To experience this

audio feature, simply link the ZenFone 3

up with an external speaker or a pair of

headphones that support Hi-Res Audio.

This phone uses a 16-megapixel rear

camera that’s helped along with ASUS

TriTech Autofocus. This autofocus system

combines their laser, phase detection,

and contrast detection abilities to focus

on the subject in as fast as 0.03 seconds.

The camera quality is decent for a low-

cost phone. It’s able to focus very quickly

(as promised), and its colors are distinct

and relatively vibrant.

The ZenFone 3 has an average

3,000mAh battery capacity, but battery

performance is anything but so. Part

of the reason could be the newer

Snapdragon 625 processor, one that

Qualcomm claims to be 35% more

power eɝcient than its predecessor.

And as you’ll notice from the rest of this

shootout, there is truth to this claim.

As a whole, the ASUS ZenFone 3 is

an excellent all-round successor to

the ZenFone 2 series. It has a highly

attractive physical design for its price

point, and it runs well for a $500

smartphone. We liked it because of

how much the ZenFone has progressed

over time and we usually don’t expect

smartphones of this class to get

everything right.

ASUS ZENFONE 3

The ZenFone 3 is the ȴ rst ASUS

phone to come with a ȴ ngerprint

sensor.

8)78

An excellent all-

round mid-range

successor to its

preceding devices.

Warm color

temperature for an

otherwise capable

display

60 +:0 | MAY 2017