When ASUS Philippines shipped a similar-looking Zenfone smartphone to our HQ, we got a little confused. We immediately phoned the internal PR to double check the shipment.
That is because we already had a Zenfone 2 Laser previously.
It was clarified that this Zenfone 2 Laser is the upgraded one – the Zenfone 2 Laser 2 5.5S.
Unboxing
So we unboxed this new member of the Zenfone family that is humble-looking yet the internals is screaming with the upgrades from RAM, SOC and storage.
And what is more interesting is that it has the same pricing as the former device.
Let’s find out what’s inside the box and describe them to you one by one.
Similar looking yet uniform in colors are the conventional accessories inside the Laser 2 5.5S box — you’ll get a wall charger, a microUSB cable, an in-ear headset a couple of reading materials and the smartphone.
Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5S
Zenfone 2 Laser
First impressions
If you had the Laser 2 before you will immediately become familiar with how you hold it in your hands, the curves and buttons, the UI, but the color of the 5.5S are what makes it look different.
The Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5 S comes in gold. Although the back cover is plastic, the finish resembles a brass metal look which makes the smartphone look elegant.
Elegant and good-looking Zenfone
I can describe the Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5S as elegant and good-looking Zenfone. That is because of the brass metal finish.
Physically, you can flaunt this guy and be prepared to be the center of attraction in the crowd.
Wait! The internals are all that matters!
Like I told you, ASUS invested on the internals rather than presenting a new design. Why re-invent the wheel, right?
The Laser 2 5.5 S is housed on 5.5-inch HD display having 720 x 1280 pixels and 267ppi.
A not-so-power hungry1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 octa-core CPU runs the show with Adreno 405 GPU and is paired with a 3Gb of RAM.
Now, if your issue with the former Laser 2 is the internal storage, ASUS has addressed this by offering a 32Gb internal storage.
Like the old times, you can add up to a realistic 64Gb of additional storage on microSD which is provided through a slot when you remove the back cover.
The battery remains 3,000mAH but ASUS promise a longer usage because the CPU in not so power hungry.
We would like to mention too that because of Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 onboard, you can enjoy Qualcomm’s quick charge.
The rear camera has 13MP with laser Autofocus (AF) and is handled by ASUS Pixel Master camera app. The front-facing camera has 5MP fixed focus camera.
We’ll share more sample photos in our review.
On the connectivity department, you still enjoy a 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.
The UI and software still look familiar but the Android OS is 5.0.2 Lollipop and on top it is the proprietary ZenUI by ASUS.
Don’t be surprised too with the bulk of pre-installed but can’t be uninstalled apps. So, from the initial boot up, it will take you several minutes to finally update all the system software plus the pre-installed apps that come with it.
ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5S specs
5.5-inch IPS HD display, 267ppi
1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 octa-core CPU
Adreno 405 Graphics
3GB
32GB internal storage
MicroSD support, up to 64GB
Camera: 13MP rear camera with Laser AF, LED flash, 5MP front-facing camera
Dual-SIM, micro-SIM card
Connectivity: 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
GPS w/ aGPS, GLONASS
3,000mAh Li-Po removable battery
Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI
170 g
Colors: Gold/red/grey/white
That’s it for now.
Give us a few more days and we will share with your our experience with the Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5S gold edition.
DISCLOSURE: ASUS Philippines provided Tech Patrol News the ZF Laser 5.5S for review.
