Asus Zenfone 2 Laser Review: Specifications, Pros, Cons & Price [Updated]

Asus has announced the next variants of Zenfone 2 in different budget ranges so recently and Zenfone 2 Laser is the under 10K INR variant with very good upgrades over the previously announced  Zenfone 2 smartphones (open in new tab). Let’s take a look at the technical specifications of the Zenfone 2 Laser and see what’s new and upgraded.

In the box 

Asus packs up no new goodies in the box. A wall mounted charger (USB cable detachable), an USB cable, user guides and warranty card come along with the handset in the box. Asus skips the earphones with this package as usual.

Design

The design of the Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL looks similar to that of Zenfone 2 ZE550ML version with the rubberish back panel and available in the same colors too. The difference between the previous Zenfone 2 and Zenfone 2 Laser in terms of design is the placement of the flash, laser (new feature) and the logo on the back panel.

The ‘Intel inside’ logo has been removed for Laser ZE550KL as it runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset.

Display

The Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL has got 5.5 inch 1280x720P IPS HD display with 178 degree viewing angle capability and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

Gorilla Glass 4 is tougher and flexible than its previous version Gorilla Glass 3. It extends the protection to the screen very well. Zenfone 2 Laser might be the first smartphone under 10K INR budget to get this upgrade.

720P screen will not take much battery power than 1080P screen. This can give a couple of hours of battery life overall when compared to the 1080P screen smartphones.

Performance

The Intel Atom processor with GFX 6 series chip configuration has got a replacement in Zenfone 2 Laser. This is the reason behind the removal of the Intel logo on the back panel.

Asus takes out the charm of Intel Atom processing power in Zenfone 2 Laser. Instead, it embeds Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 Quad Core Processor clocked at 1.2 GHz speed. It comes with the same 2 GB RAM and new Qualcomm Adreno 306 GPU supporting the processor.

Snapdragon processor performs no less in processing with the support of 2 GB RAM and 306 GPU. It somewhat uses less power compared to the beasty Intel Atom processor. So, you would get most of the battery with this device.

Operating system

Zenfone 2 Laser comes out of the box with Android Lollipop v5.0 installed on the system. The previous version of the Zenfone 2 has also got Lollipop 5.0 on the board with a lot of bugs on its hunch back. Asus, of course, is providing the bug fixes and patches from time to time but Android Lollipop v5.1 update was much anticipated in this version which hasn’t been fulfilled.

The memory leak bug on Android Lollipop v5.0 eats away the RAM too much and lags the system sometimes. As they have come up with what they got up their sleeves now, the Android Lollipop 5.1 update might be on the way very soon.

Memory

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser comes with 16 GB internal memory on the board and it can be expanded up to 128 GB. This is definitely a great upgrade compared to the previously released version of Zenfones. Only some Microsoft Lumia budget phones are having this vast memory upgrade capability so far now.


Camera

Zenfone 2 Laser has got 13 MP autofocus rear camera with dual tone LED flash and a 5 MP front camera just like its previous versions. The back camera has collaborated with a laser autofocusing system which is the main boasted feature of this Zenfone 2 version.

Though the new laser system is embedded with the back camera, the tap-to-focus still takes a more than one and a half seconds to adjust the focus on the object.  The camera is good but not that great.

Connectivity

Unlike the previous versions, Zenfone 2 Laser comes with dual 4G LTE SIM support in both the slots.  It also supports 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA; 5.76 Mbps HSUPA, HSPA+.

It also has Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS and GLONASS with Google Maps. It lacks the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), Satellite-Based Augmented System (SBAS) and BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BSS) compared to the previous versions.

Battery

Zenfone 2 Laser comes with Li-ion 3000mAh user replaceable battery. It can stay alive all the 24 hours in a day on moderate usage and can stay upto  two complete days on an average usage. The Snapdragon 410 processor and 720P support the same.

Pros

The following features makes the Zenfone 2 Laser worthy to buy.
  • Great design
  • Laser auto-focusing system for the rear camera
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
  • Extended memory expandability
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 4
  • Dual 4G SIM slots
  • Great battery life

Cons

The following features lack in the device which is a bit disappointing but yet good at the price range it is available for.
  • No 1080P screen
  • No extra-satellite navigation system
  • No Android Lollipop v5.1

Price

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is available on Flipkart for Rs.9999. I think it is very reasonable price for the number of upgrades they had given to the device. If your budget is under 10K INR and you needed a phone with good performance and good battery life, this is it.


My impressions

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is a great device with such great upgrades in such a low budget price point. It has got better processor (not compared to Intel Atom), better memory, better camera with laser autofocusing feature (still not that great), dual 4G SIM slots (lacked in previous Zenfone 2 release) and the Gorilla Glass 4 protection.

It is simply a Christmas package for anyone who wants to buy it. No other thought is needed to grab this device.


What do you think? Is Zenfone 2 Laser good worthy to buy? Share your thoughts about it in comments below.

6/Post a reply/Replies

  1. Hi Sasidhar

    What a great review. I don't have much to say than wishing that such hone is available in my area. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ikechi,

      ASUS has brought great devices for us so far and I think it won't take much time for the company to start sales in your country too.

      Hope it come soon!

      Thank you for sharing your fedback about it. Glad you liked :)

      Have a great weekend pal :)

      Delete
  2. You mistake in the review, It has USB & WIFI tethering in the phone. I checked it personally after your review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rahul,

      Sorry for mistake. I might got a blind eye while checking its specs. Thanks for the correction.

      Have a great day :)

      Delete

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