Asus Zenfone 2 review: A balancing act
A balancing act
Intel inside
The entire Zenfone 2 range is powered by Intel Atom chipsets, and the ZE551ML we have at the office has an Atom Z3560 SoC with its quad-core processor clocked anywhere between 500MHz and 1.83GHz, depending on the work load.
Update, June 11: We have added the benchmark scores of the range-topping Asus ZenFone 2 with 4GB of RAM. In addition to more memory, it packs a more powerful Intel Atom Z3580 SoC with 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU. For comparison, Asus ZenFone 2 with 2GB of RAM features Intel Atom Z3560 with 1.8GHz quad-core CPU.
The 4GB Asus ZenFone 2 delivered mostly impressive performance across the board, leaving many flagship devices behind it on more than one occasion. As expected, the 4GB variant is also noticeably faster than its sibling with 2GB of RAM.
Intel's offerings can hardly impress with numbers in the Android realm, where higher-clocked octa-core processors have become the norm. However, the Atom Z3560 proved to be able to compete with the Snapdragon 800 and its quad-core 2.26GHz processor, back when we reviewed the Asus Memo Pad ME572C, a similarly specced tablet.
Our review unit comes with 2GB of RAM, which should be about enough for smooth daily usage. Demanding power users, who do a lot of multitasking may choose to go with the top model that comes with 4GB and the faster Atom Z3580, albeit at a price premium.
We tried to pick a few of the Zenfone 2's market rivals, which are frankly hard to pinpoint, but also threw in the current crop of flagships to see how it compares to the leading performers out there.
We'll start with the CPU centric Geekbench 3.0 test. As expected, the Zenfone 2 doesn't impress with raw CPU performance and is miles behind the 1.7GHz octa-core Meizu m1 note. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with S800 together with the Oppo Find 7a and OnePlus One both powered by S801 are ahead as well. Still, the Zenfone 2 manages to inch ahead of both LG G2 and G3 and is superior to the Galaxy Note 3 Neo.
GeekBench 3
Higher is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
5215 -
Meizu m1 note
3988 -
HTC One M9
3761 -
LG G Flex2
3604 -
Meizu MX4
3556 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
3394 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
3094 -
Oppo Find 7a
3093 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
2937 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
2922 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
2880 -
OnePlus One
2663 -
LG G Pro 2
2585 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
2435 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
2423 -
LG G3
2370 -
LG G2
2243 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
2172 -
HTC Desire 816
1510
Antutu 5 adds RAM and storage speed into the mix and is an indication of the overall performance of the device. The Zenfone 2 delivers a strong performance, on par with the Galaxy Note 3 with S800 and the LG G3 with S801.
AnTuTu 5
Higher is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
69396 -
HTC One M9
51427 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
49273 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
48361 -
LG G Flex2
47680 -
Meizu MX4
46922 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
45632 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
42301 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
42211 -
LG G3
42038 -
Meizu m1 note
39224 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
32487 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
31436
The even broader Basemark OS II benchmark continues the trend. Overall, the Zenfone 2 performs well, if far from the top of the current flagship crop. Again, the Galaxy Note 3 and G2 remain behind.
As expected though, the CPU focused parts of the benchmark weren't the Atom's strong suit and it was bolted to bottom of the comparison charts.
Basemark OS II
Higher is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
1769 -
LG G Flex2
1601 -
HTC One M9
1526 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
1370 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
1332 -
LG G3
1327 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
1267 -
OnePlus One
1196 -
LG G Pro 2
1140 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
1094 -
Oppo Find 7a
1057 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
1003 -
LG G2
848 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
786 -
Meizu m1 note
715 -
Meizu MX4
695 -
HTC Desire 816
520 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
452
Basemark OS II (single-core)
Higher is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
3497 -
Oppo Find 7a
2580 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
2574 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
2559 -
LG G Flex2
2528 -
HTC One M9
2401 -
LG G Pro 2
2401 -
LG G3
2267 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
2236 -
OnePlus One
2213 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
1853 -
Meizu m1 note
1754 -
HTC Desire 816
1739 -
Meizu MX4
1729 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
1701 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
1572 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
1462
Basemark OS II (multi-core)
Higher is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
16986 -
Meizu m1 note
12848 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
12771 -
Meizu MX4
12268 -
Oppo Find 7a
10256 -
OnePlus One
10234 -
HTC One M9
10128 -
LG G3
9975 -
LG G Pro 2
9802 -
LG G Flex2
9758 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
9590 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
9364 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
9284 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
9198 -
HTC Desire 816
7071 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
7002 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
5600
In the graphics department, the Zenfone 2 is equipped with a PowerVR G6430 GPU as Intel doesn't make its own graphics chips for the Atoms. It's a somewhat old GPU, released back in Q3 2013, made by British semiconductor manufacturer Imagination Technologies. It was featured in Apple's A7 SoC inside the iPhone 5S, and is chosen by Intel for the entire range of Z35xx Atoms.
GFXBench returned the same results in both the off-screen and on-screen routines, not exactly surprising, having in mind that the standardized off-screen tests are carried out at 1080p resolution, the same as the actual one on the Zenfone 2.
The GPU puts out solid numbers in the T-Rex test beating the Galaxy Note 3 and the LG G3 and G2. Even the Galaxy Note 4 is a frame behind in the on-screen test, but don't forget its QHD resolution. The more intense Manhattan routine halves the framerate but even so the Zenfone 2 posts great results. Apart from the Galaxy S6 and the Snapdragon 810s, no one proves to be a match.
GFX 2.7 T-Rex (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
59 -
HTC One M9
49 -
LG G Flex2
49 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
40 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
30 -
Oppo Find 7a
28.4 -
OnePlus One
28.3 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
28 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
27 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
26.3 -
LG G3
26 -
LG G Pro 2
22.9 -
Meizu MX4
22.7 -
LG G2
22 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
15 -
Meizu m1 note
15 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
15 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
9.8 -
HTC Desire 816
5.9
GFX 2.7 T-Rex (onscreen)
Higher is better
-
HTC One M9
50 -
LG G Flex2
48 -
Samsung Galaxy S6
38 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
30 -
OnePlus One
30 -
Oppo Find 7a
28.8 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
28 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
27 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
26.7 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
26 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
25 -
LG G Pro 2
24.1 -
LG G2
23.1 -
Meizu MX4
21.3 -
LG G3
20 -
Meizu m1 note
16 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
15 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
13.3 -
HTC Desire 816
11
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
24 -
HTC One M9
23 -
LG G Flex2
22 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
18 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
13 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
13 -
OnePlus One
12.1 -
Oppo Find 7a
11.4 -
LG G3
11 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
11 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
9.9 -
LG G Pro 2
8.7 -
Meizu MX4
7.9 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
5.8 -
Meizu m1 note
5.8 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
3.7 -
HTC Desire 816
1.7
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
-
HTC One M9
24 -
LG G Flex2
22 -
Samsung Galaxy S6
14 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
13 -
OnePlus One
12.9 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
12 -
Oppo Find 7a
11.4 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
11 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
11 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
10 -
LG G Pro 2
9.2 -
LG G3
7.7 -
Meizu MX4
7.4 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
5.8 -
Meizu m1 note
5.7 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
4.7 -
HTC Desire 816
3.9
Basemark X is a bit less flattering on the Zenfone, but in this company it still performs admirably. Of the old dogs only OnePlus One is ahead, and not by much.
Basemark X
Higher is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
27169 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
20043 -
HTC One M9
19848 -
LG G Flex2
19360 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
13414 -
OnePlus One
13129 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
13075 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
12565 -
LG G2
11101 -
LG G3
10580 -
Meizu MX4
8324 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
4802 -
Meizu m1 note
4617 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
2974 -
HTC Desire 816
1437
Browser performance turned out very good as well. The JavaScript-intense Kraken 1.1 squeezed a 6360ms score from the Zenfone 2, the best result behind the obvious powerhouses. HTML5 is a non-issue too, as evidenced by the figures in BrowserMark 2.1.
Kraken 1.1
Lower is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
4154 -
LG G Flex2
4621 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
5057 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
5181 -
HTC One M9
5500 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
6360 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
6382 -
LG G Pro 2
6578 -
Oppo Find 7a
6660 -
OnePlus One
7008 -
LG G3
7632 -
Meizu MX4
9408 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
12266 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
12416 -
HTC Desire 816
13564 -
Meizu m1 note
15055
BrowserMark 2.1
Higher is better
-
Samsung Galaxy S6
2718 -
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
2232 -
LG G Flex2
2086 -
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (4GB of RAM)
1853 -
HTC One M9
1681 -
Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
1655 -
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
1486 -
LG G3
1453 -
LG G Pro 2
1346 -
OnePlus One
1339 -
Oppo Find 7a
1327 -
HTC Desire 816
774 -
Xiaomi Mi Note
748 -
Meizu MX4
720 -
Xiaomi Redmi Note
588 -
Meizu m1 note
536
To wrap up, the Zenfone 2 ZE551ML proves to be a strong performer, even in this compromise configuration with 2GB of RAM and Intel Atom Z3560. While it may not be on par with the latest and greatest, it outperforms established flagship names from the previous generation and shows no apparent weaknesses. We can only imagine what the top model would have shown in these tests with double the operating memory and higher maximum clock speed.
Reader comments
- Anonymous
- 20 Jun 2021
- JEf
the asus zen fone 2 is good in you life
- Will2kd2k
- 27 May 2020
- Kxe
Any chance to upgrade this phone to Android Nouget, guys? (Unofficial upgrade of course) Direct me to link please..! Mine is Z00AD version. Thanks
- Anonymous
- 14 Nov 2017
- CGH
Calibrate your battery using the root method