ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 Review (7 Weeks After)

Wazzup Everybody? (A late) Happy New Year! [ I have problems on my website that prevents me to posting my articles so It's time for me to catch up. Now going back to our regular tech program]

7 weeks ago after posting this article, I had a great experience with Zenfone Enthusiasts and Media Friends with ASUS' One Day of Zen which they celebrate everything Zenfone at taking Photos (and even Videos.) Although I already have Zenfone 2 in other hand but it changes everything I use when I got this on my hand. Ladies and Gents, this is the most reliable Daily Driver I ever use. The ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0. Find out more about this below and why this is my Editor's Choice for Budget Phone.

Going back to the specifications, this is a 5-inch phone with some bells and whistles. On the front, you'll find that gorgeous 720p IPS Display with good viewing angles and covered with sturdy Corning Gorilla Glass 4 which this had an Impact for a lot of times now and there's no visible scratch found in the screen. This run on Snapdragon 610 Processor which one thing they sacrificed to get you a best bang-for-a-back phone but this is still for Light to Medium Gaming. 2GB of RAM, 8GB of Internal Storage but still expandable with MicroSD card, Dual SIM LTE, 2070mAh Removable Battery, and runs on ZenUI Android 5.0 Lollipop, and the Main Attraction of this device is 8MP Rear Camera with Dual-tone LED Flash, Laser Autofocus, which will get into that later (and 5MP Front Camera)

As a user who used to 5.5-inch Phones (like Zenfone 2.) It's feels more comfortable holding it since I missed my old Samsung Galaxy S4 with the same screen size. It fits perfectly in my pocket. Although this device now has a curved back which is comfortable to 5.5-inch Phones, it's still a nice touch and makes it more belong to Zenfone 2 Family, but for my case, It's not necessary for 5-inch phone but your Mileage may vary. The aesthetics is still awesome holding it.

For Perfomance. In Antutu Benchmark, this device scores at 23526 which is not surprising for a device using a Entry-to-mid level Snapdragon Processor runs on 64-bit. For games like Minecraft: Story Edition, Riptide GP 2, and even Asphalt 8, this device still runs smoothly on my end. But I won't recommend this for a Gaming Smartphone.

Now for the Main Attraction: This rocks a PixelMaster 8MP Camera with Laser AF so you can get quick shot even without tapping to focus (it works for me but some people say it's still low so your Mileage may vary.) I brought this on my weekend trip to Ilocos (You can find some photos HERE)
and It was very quick at a less shutter lag (I've experienced Shutter Lag at ZF2 I think thru software, they fixed it.) and stunning photos despite of it's Pixel Size (you can get 13MP with same Laser AF at ZF2 Laser 5.5) The reason this why this is my favorite smartphone is I can snap photo at any given moment without delaying 5 seconds and more. (even 2 seconds with Gesture, that one you can double tap volume down buttons to launch camera.) without sacrificing quality while taking quick photos. Pretty Convenient.

Shot with ZF2 Laser 5.0 at Ilocos Norte

Battery Life is great at this. It can go to my normal heavy daily usage (Different Brightness settings for lighting condition, Bluetooth Always on for Android Wear, Mobile data (limited to H+) always on goes up to 6 Hours, And you can get 4 full charges with ZenPower which is awesome and It lasted me for the 3-day trip at Ilocos Norte. It also have a great standby time which is a very nice touch thanks to ASUS' RAM and Battery Management (so take note if you find out that your Mobile Data, WiFi turned off after leaving it for 5-15 minutes.)

In conclusion, this is almost perfect smartphone for people who has tight budget at it's 7.5k Price Range. I say it's not "perfect" because it depends on the end of the user who'll buy this. "But Nico, if this is not perfect, what ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 is for?" for Budget-friendly, this is a great recommendation, hence this is the greatest budget smartphone I ever laid my hands on since Zenfone 5. If you're a guy like me who takes photos quickly and on-the-go, this is a phone that hard to argue with at it's price. Yes, you can get a 13MP with that Price with other brand, but for reliability, this works for me just fine and reasonable. To end this review. I'll give ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser 5.0 as Editor's Choice (2015) for Budget Phone. Congratulations!