Asus ZenFone Live Review: One Trick Pony That Doesn’t Add Value
This Live-friendly smartphone from Asus is priced under Rs 10,000.
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Facebook Live has become a popular video streaming tool among many users these days. Media publications in the digital space prefer Live to normal video shooting.
Live is available on the Facebook app for all devices, yet Asus felt that users needed a phone that separates itself from the others, and gave everyone a top-notch Live experience. Which is why they’ve made the ZenFone Live. It’s a basic phone priced under 10K which they claim has been tailor made for Live. But does it live up to the mark?
Pros:
- Clean and simple design
- Easy to use and carry
- Bright display
Cons:
- Basic hardware
- Average cameras
- Sluggish ZenUI
- Not value for the money
What’s Good?
After the success of ZenFone 3, much was expected from their next product in the market. Going by the design of the ZenFone Live, we can’t complaint too much. The phone carries itself nicely with its sleek design, and the 2.5D curved display blends well with the shape and construction of the device.
Add to that, the ZenFone Live won’t feel like a burden in your hands, due to its lightweight nature (120 gram is nothing).
The 5-inch display with HD 1280x720 pixels resolution might sound underwhelming, however, while using the phone, you’ll feel anything but that. The colours are crisp and the brightness level is optimum, making the phone usable even outdoors.
The phone packs a 2650mAh battery, about which we weren’t sure whether it would last through the day or not. While the battery on ZenFone Live doesn’t coast through the day, but with judicious use of the phone, and activating power-saving features, it just might.
What’s Bad?
The Live feature that Asus touts with the ZenFone Live, basically works in the form of a beautification feature, which is already available on multiple phones. The point of bringing out a Live-centric device that only improves on audio (albeit marginally) doesn’t really stand out from the crowd.
What also doesn’t help with the ZenFone Live, is the use of Snapdragon 400 processor, which is a 2-year old hardware now. For the same price, Xiaomi’s giving you the Redmi 4 with Snapdragon 435. Also, we expect more than 16GB onboard storage for a phone priced above Rs 9,000 in 2017.
The 13-megapixel at the back, 5-megapixel snapper on the front, have nothing special about them. While the pictures get clicked in a split-second, the quality on offer doesn’t match up to the price right now.
Why Buy It?
If you’re in dire need for a phone within the bracket of Rs 10,000, and are in the business of doing Facebook/YouTube Live, the Asus ZenFone Live could be among the other options on the list.
That doesn’t mean you should buy this one. For all its glamour gimmicks, ZenFone Live is a basic, entry-level phone that’s floating above its true value.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)