Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra ZU680KL

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AnonD-534788
0FI
24 Jan 2017

does it have custom rom like cm? miui? does it had root twrp?

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Greg
kU2
23 Jan 2017

Francisco , 22 Jan 2017It doesn't receive LTE from ATT because it lacks LTE bandS ... moreDoes the phone at least get phone calls in the US for AT&T? I might make the sacrifice of LTE if the HSPA + is good and the calls work.

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BigPhonesOptions
pq8
22 Jan 2017

Dear CaptainWalker

I am doing so from a theoretical perspective.

HOWEVER

you say: "In other words they seem to have gotten the most and best of the configuration at reduced cost"

the phone is NOT sold at a REDUCED cost, this phone is too expensive for what it offers, the hardware of it each and each component is not worth the price ASUS is asking,
yes it may well be superb phone with wonderful synergy and I'm actually interested in it myself BUT it's not worth more than 400$-450$, the components in it - doesnt matter how well they work still not add up to more than 400$-450$ value,
I suggest to people to wait a few month till the price drops to what the phone is actually worth, OR see if there'll be a Zenfone 4 ultra a successor in May (the new Zenfone family) now if the new Zenfone 4 ultra would be just as expensive let's hope that this time ASUS will put in it components which are worth the price they're asking, or by that time hopefully the cost of the older Zenfone 3 ultra would drop to what it's worth.

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Francisco
JvT
22 Jan 2017

TJ, 26 Oct 2016Does this phone work with AT&T's 4G LTE in the United States?It doesn't receive LTE from ATT because it lacks LTE bandS 2 and 4, I found the hard way, yet it works decently with H+ 3G,, and WiFi transferred from a Huawei hotspot.

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AnonD-606854
sXc
22 Jan 2017

BigPhonesOptions, 08 Jan 2017it's very okay to like the phone :) why could they not hav... more@BigPhonesOptions
When you say the price of the phone is a ripoff can you please confirm once and for all, if you have long term direct experience of using the phone (as I have)? The answer to this should be a simple yes or no - but passing strange if would be, if you suddenly declare a yes.

When you say 'Im not saying the phone is not good or doesnt have a wonderful synergy between the components' - youre still not declaring any real working knowledge of its synergy of components. You then go on to ask about more processing power. This means you like all others in a debate out there on specs, are doing so from a theoretical perspective.

I've never experienced anything crippling about ZenUI on this phone. Perhaps you could reveal the basis of your conclusion about that.

Note that I am not into a debate on specs and why not this processor or that processor. You could of course ask ASUS, directly your questions on more powerful CPU from the 8xx family.

If anyone wants to have a discussion about real performance of the phone in real life, Id welcome that. I'm not here to defend ASUS putting in a lower power processor. However, I could see the business wisdom of working harder at synergy of components to reduce production cost and maximise performance. In other words they seem to have gotten the most and best of the configuration at reduced cost. I'm happy with the price for the value I have in my hands. Others may not and that's totally fine.

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AnonD-606854
sXc
22 Jan 2017

People are slowly discovering that the ZF3U is superior to lots of Samsung Note series phone (including the Note 7).

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Must lwught
3DF
19 Jan 2017

Why do you buy this phone . Therr is xisomi mi max which has better quality and less price.and this one is too big for a phone. Mi max is normal as big phone but this one is tablet. Go get xiaomi mi max if u have 350 dollars 4/128. Less price and better quality. Or wait for mi max 2

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Adeel 456
iLk
17 Jan 2017

I've ordered the phone as well now. Should get it within the next few days.

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fithitman
Mtq
16 Jan 2017

best phone ever...
- fast
- crazy battery life
-amazing build

what I was doing with samsung"s notes, samsung note 1,2,3,4,5,7 (i had all of them) are so inferior to ULTRA

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Mepk
3JZ
16 Jan 2017

Bob, 12 Jan 2017Can dual whatsapp? Yes, if you can install, parallels.

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Bob
tuf
12 Jan 2017

AnonD-606854, 07 Jan 2017@BigPhonesOptions Your perspective is interesting. Note th... moreCan dual whatsapp?

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JJ
Tjt
10 Jan 2017

Good afternoon

thanks for all the great feedback on this phone. I am in no way affiliated to Asus. I am based in UK and bought the phone from eGlobal for approximately £430 delivered. Its a great phone. I did note a couple of issues with usage though, but so far really loving it. I am the latest update as far as I know, just did a check update a few minutes ago to double check. I am currently running MMB29P.13.6.15.21-20161215.

Issue one is the camera, which someone suggested use manual mode and everything is good so will give that a try, thanks :-).

Issue 2 is when it reads files in a folder (using Gallery or File Manager), it seems to take a bit of time to refresh and the file thumbnails stay grey for a few seconds (2-10seconds) before it finally loads the thumbnails associated with the file. Even on folders where only 15-20 files exist it is quite noticeable. Over the weekend I installed a 200gb Sandisk microsd card (SDSDQUAN-200G-G4A) and I wasn't sure if it was due to size of card and amount of images/films I transferred but when looking through a folder it was really slow, all thumbnails were grey for 5-20 seconds. I will take the memory card back and go for an Extreme with lower space.

Has anyone else noticed this thumbnail problem? any settings I can changed to improve reduce?

Generally as a Samsung Note 4 user I think its a great piece of kit and as Captain says, a little over £400 vs £650+, you can't go wrong. just a few little tweaks would be appreciated.

thanks in advance :-)

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AnonD-465722
gMx
09 Jan 2017

why u guys dont review prie of the mobiles. plz mention price too will be helpful

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BigPhonesOptions
3rN
08 Jan 2017

AnonD-606854, 07 Jan 2017@BigPhonesOptions Your perspective is interesting. Note th... moreit's very okay to like the phone :)
why could they not have used a more powerful CPU from the 8xx family? OR make the phone more affordable which would correspond to it's mid-ramge SOC and setup?
I'm not saying the phone is not good or doesn't have a wonderful synergy between the components, but that price ASUS asks for it is just not reasonable, even if the Note 7 lags in comparison you still get a better SOC better RAM better modem better screen better camera each component is higher end other than the crippling software(but then Zenui is also crippling), so when you pay a high premium for it you know you are paying for the hardware, later on down the line you might put a different ROM on it clear from Samsungs touchwiz and it won't lag the hardware being higher end is more futureproof unlike the midrange hardware on the zenfone ultra.
Asus made a good phone here a good midrange phone but they ask a price which does not reflect it's value, it's a ripoff. Pixel is a ripoff and Iphone is a ripoff and also Samsungs when they are new they are sold at ripoff prices, but all the last 3 are true flagships so at least you get ripped off but you know you payed for the hardware, in the Zenfone ultra you get ripped off for a flagship and you get a good midranger.

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AnonD-606854
S3F
07 Jan 2017

Bob, 07 Jan 2017Since its dual sim. Can it use dual WhatsApp for different sim? @Bob
On WhatsApp with dual sim - I must say I really don't know. I haven't tried that. A trawl of Google brings up a link https://www.quora.com/Can-I-run-two-WhatsApp-accounts-on-a-dual-SIM-Android-device - where people say it can work.

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AnonD-606854
S3F
07 Jan 2017

BigPhonesOptions, 23 Dec 2016sCaptainWalker I'm a fan! I enjoy reading all the positives... more@BigPhonesOptions
Your perspective is interesting. Note that you rely on specifications to assess the Zenfone 3 Ultra's value for money. You gave no direct experience of using the phone and did not refer to the synergy of its components in real life.

I do not enter a debate based purely on specs. I'm on about phone performance in real life. People can debate specs and value till the cows come home but they simply CANNOT know how the ZF3U performs with what it has onboard. I know - and I say that it PERFORMS far better than the ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7 which was selling in the UK for £639!! ZF3U is selling at around £450 to £510 delivered. For newcomers to this forum, I had and still own the Galaxy Note 7 (which I'm happy to risk keeping as a collector's item. With some tweaking, it hasn't been bricked by Samsung).

I have declared several times before that my shared experience is not driven by any financial motivation. As you the reader may see I can 'throw away' £639 on the Galaxy Note 7. I have no business with ASUS and do not wish to be rewarded for what I say. My only motivation is to assist people in selecting the right phone for their needs. I have already said several times that this phone is not for everybody.

I note people have been whinging about all sorts of malfunctions with the ZF3U. Most of those people have not declared that they have properly updated the phone's firmware to the latest version and configured the phone according to instructions. Since I've purchased several weeks ago, there have been 5 ROM updates and each time, the phone gets sweeter!! LOL

If people wish to purchase phones based on value for specification only, that's up to them. I have absolutely no problem with that. All I know is that I'm still loving this phone very dearly and more and more each day!! Is that okayyyy? :))

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Bob
vV5
07 Jan 2017

AnonD-606854, 26 Nov 2016Connectivity is super! 4G on Three network in the UK gives ... moreSince its dual sim. Can it use dual WhatsApp for different sim?

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AnonD-610073
gMC
06 Jan 2017

does this phone support voLTE ?

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AnonD-629006
t7X
06 Jan 2017

AnonD-621519, 23 Dec 2016The build quality of the phone is superb and it runs butter... moreYes lovely piece of tech...

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AnonD-629006
t7X
06 Jan 2017

oioisaveloy, 30 Dec 2016Anyone know if the gray version is available in The Philipp... moreIt'd true. Silver only for the Philippines. You can order online or abroad for that color. I was looking for that too.

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