Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL review: More than meets the eye

16 November 2016
The Asus Zenfone 3 is the destination of the company’s "pursuit of superior function" combined with love for design and craftsmanship. Lofty goals for sure, but this isn’t your typical flagship or mid-range phone.

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  • D
  • AnonD-413387
  • TGT
  • 03 Dec 2016

Anonymous, 30 Nov 2016oneplus 3 is betterSure, but OP3 not sold in every market and the 820 has significantly worse battery life. Also the OP3 can cost $100-$150 more.

    • D
    • AnonD-413387
    • TGT
    • 03 Dec 2016

    Anonymous, 01 Dec 2016i tried it on my tv, for wireless connectivity, it worked! ... moreThe standard ZF3 models (glass back) don't have NFC. I think the lowest version of the ZF3 Deluxe (which is basically a metal version of this phone with the same SD625, camera etc) does have NFC.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • tZ0
      • 03 Dec 2016

      mir, 01 Dec 2016Manual mode is always better than relying on auto in photog... moreManual mode but each feature(iso, shutter speed, white balance anf focus) at auto, how's that different in just auto? Please enlighten me.

        • D
        • AnonD-468436
        • N5j
        • 01 Dec 2016

        huawei nova plus has exactly same hardware
        in low light asus uses 3200 iso
        but huawei 1000 !
        and asus photo looks darker!
        very bad software
        http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=5&idPhone1=8106&idPhone2=8312&idPhone3=8284

          • F
          • Ferco
          • Ia$
          • 01 Dec 2016

          Have it. Great Audio, great Screen,great Phone ..!!!

            • A
            • Aloof
            • tZk
            • 01 Dec 2016

            This is off topic but is the Z Play review coming any time? I do trust gsmarena more in camera reviews and this site has a much more enjoyable gallery viewing and 100% cropping experience.

              • A
              • Aloof
              • tZk
              • 01 Dec 2016

              In Malaysia, Moto does dig its own grave with its pricing, compared to others. But it isn't that different from US pricing when converted, which is nice considering the import costs. Anyway, this comment is to ask whether the Asus Zenfone 3 has comparable battery life to Z Play? And does the Z Play do much poorer in camera? I'm suddenly so interested in these SD625 phones but don't wish for too much compromise for battery life.

                • D
                • Dodo
                • 0cJ
                • 01 Dec 2016

                Thank you for the review.

                I must commend the staff for the really good camera reviews.

                Over the last year or so, GSMArena has become the best of the major blogs for mobile camera reviews (which for me is the most important aspect of a phone).

                Kudos to the staff who tests and writes these, you guys rock!

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • PSv
                  • 01 Dec 2016

                  i tried it on my tv, for wireless connectivity, it worked! it has miracast. what i'm searching for is the nfc this review says it has.

                    • m
                    • mir
                    • t7X
                    • 01 Dec 2016

                    Anonymous, 30 Nov 2016Yes, the most weird thing is, when you put it in manual mod... moreManual mode is always better than relying on auto in photography. Nothing wierd about that.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • vgM
                      • 01 Dec 2016

                      Anonymous, 30 Nov 2016I bought 5.2 for my gf and 5.5 foe myself. Avid Asus user s... moremake sure optimizaion its turned off. may will be a help you.

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                        • AC
                        • kRm
                        • 01 Dec 2016

                        Bought ZE552KL (Moonlight White) from eBay for $296 USD shipped directly from Taiwan and used it for a week now. Totally worth the money and I really don't see the need for SD820/821 as this one is very fast in my personal opinion. Of course, if you just compare spec, some Chinese brands would be cheaper but I am not sure about what they put on their phones. I really think there is a chance they would collect personal data without notice and send them to their servers. ZE552KL is the best balance between size, performance, appearance and price! Thank you, ASUS!

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • vV5
                          • 30 Nov 2016

                          AnonD-413387, 30 Nov 2016The manual software is great though, especially being able ... moreYes, the most weird thing is, when you put it in manual mode(each setting in auto) for dark environmental photography, it somehow produce better results than auto mode. Anyway, proper utilization of manual mode can beat most of the high end camera phone, with a still hand.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • vV5
                            • 30 Nov 2016

                            Anonymous, 30 Nov 2016but his self is having zenfone 3.how about you? many says x... moreI bought 5.2 for my gf and 5.5 foe myself. Avid Asus user since ZenFone 5 and what a dark age back then.

                              • D
                              • AnonD-413387
                              • 62W
                              • 30 Nov 2016

                              Anonymous, 30 Nov 2016Actually you get it wrong for the camera. The sensor of th... moreThe manual software is great though, especially being able to choose the shutter speed. I agree there are some problems with HDR and blown-out highlights.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • MvM
                                • 30 Nov 2016

                                Anonymous, 29 Nov 2016I was having difficulty to choose between mi5s and this pho... moreso you chose a snapdragon 625 to a snapdragon 821 and a imx 298 to an imx 378 the same camera in the google pixel ?

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • u1D
                                  • 30 Nov 2016

                                  oneplus 3 is better

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-443963
                                    • 7jZ
                                    • 30 Nov 2016

                                    Lenovo Vibe P2 is best SD 625 smartphone.... with 5000mAh battery.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • vgM
                                      • 30 Nov 2016

                                      Anonymous, 30 Nov 2016Actually you get it wrong for the camera. The sensor of th... morebut his self is having zenfone 3.how about you? many says xperia has bad software or whatever. Its still the user its the most important.

                                        Not so sharp like pixel/oneplus3 (hdr vs non hdr,gsma please use also hdr as its not fair comparison when some got auto hdr setting in background), not so much details like in XZ and more accurate colors than 950.
                                        Probably first time I see such colorful day/low light shots, not to mention video is whole new world as its not foggy like in xperias and even in other devices.
                                        Feels like aperture f1.