Launched last January 16, 2016, the ASUS Zenfone Zoom is equipped with the specs that can please amateur and professional photographers. According to ASUS, it is the world’s thinnest 3X optical-zoom smartphone; and so far, our experience with it during our trip to Cebu for the Sinulog didn’t bring us any problems or major issues.
It is thin, but not the lightest. It looks sexy and premium. I like the fact that its leather back panel is removable, and accessing its SIM tray and Micro SD card slot is a total breeze. As seen on the video above, the smartphone look very premium. It is, for one, a premium device; and in fact, it is currently the most expensive Zenfone in the market today.
The device has stellar specs and features. For starters, it has an Intel Atom 2.5Ghz Z3590 processor – the same processor that you can find on Zenfone 2 Deluxe Special Edition (ZF2DSE). It has 4gb of RAM, and has 128gb internal storage. Note that this device and the ZF2D/SE have fairly similar specs; but definitely much better than the specs of the 1st Zenfone 2 (Model ZE551ML).
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All the aforementioned specs are dwarfed but the device’s crowning glory – it’s Panasonic-power 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel camera. ASUS has really assembled and put up an outstanding camera phone here, and we can confidently say that the phone gives a DSLR-feel whenever I take photos. This is not, in any way, a total substitute to a DSLR (I believe we all know that), but it’s great to have this inside our pocket. Just like the famous modern dictum goes, “The best camera is the one that’s with you”; and more often than not, we carry around a smartphone, and not a big and carpal-tunnel-syndrome inducing DSLR.
As aforementioned, the Zenfone Zoom’s sensor is developed by Panasonic. To be precise, the on this device is the Panasonic SmartFSI image sensor. If you think that the former Zenfone 2’s camera sensor is insane, you better think twice because the one inside the Zenfone Zoom is WAY MUCH better. It is more sensitive to light and can bring out more colors. Complementing its amazing SMARTFSI is its 3x 10-element HOYA lens that can do close-ups with up 12x total magnification.
Watch out for our separate post that shows our sample photos using the Zenfone Zoom.
ASUS ZenFone Zoom ZX551ML Specs:
- Intel Atom 2.5GHz Z3590 quad-core processor
- 4GB of RAM
- 5.5-inch full HD display, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Bluelight filter, 1920 x 1080
- 128GB of storage, expandable via microSD
- 13-megapixel rear camera, Panasonic sensor, HOYA dual-periscope lens system, 3X optical zoom, OIS, laser AF, f/2.7-f/4.8
- 5-megapixel front camera
- Single SIM
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
- Android 5.1 Lollipop with ZenUI
- 3000mAh battery, Boostmaster fast charging
- Available in Pure Black, Ceramic Whilte
- Availability: January 2016
- Price: PhP26,995
We will request for a revi
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
