Why the cheaper ASUS ZenFone 2 might be the smarter buy
You might say we’ve got a bit of a thing for the ASUS ZenFone 2 here at Tamil youngsters.it is only been a month since we first laid hands on the phone at CES 2015, and yet we’ve already had two full-length editorials from our resident Android guy about how the ASUS ZenFone 2 is at once the best bang for your buck and proof that other OEMs are overcharging for their flagship smartphones. Since its announcement, the device has also made a (virtual) appearance on nearly every episode of thePocketnow Weekly podcast, it’s been one of the leading search terms on Google in our little slice of the geekosphere, and it’s been the subject of scores of internal emails as we plan review coverage for its release in Q2. Put simply: the ZenFone 2 is hot.
Some of that heat comes from the specs the ZenFone 2 is packing. The ZE551ML model is the only one most folks are talking about (though there’s confusion even on ASUS’swebsite as to which variant that particular SKU refers to). The buzz comes from the device’s 4GB of RAM –a first for a major manufacturer– mated to 64GB of internal storage, a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a 3000 mAh battery and a 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor running at 2.3GHz … a pretty powerful package for $199.
But, see – there’s the problem. In the hellish acronym salad of CES, SEO, and OMG, a lot of headline-snatching figures tend to get thrown around at once, and the result in this case is a super-specced smartphone with a price tag under $200. One small detail: that phone doesn’t exist. The configuration cited above will instead be selling for an as-yet-undetermined price, certainly north of $200 (and possibly north of $300). Meanwhile, the $199 version of the ZenFone 2 will pack a much more modest spec sheet. Here’s an approximation, based on the company’s preview spec sheet:
2GB of RAM16 or 32GB of RAM (+MicroSD)720p display (5.5″ and 5″ variants)Intel Atom Z3560 SoC at 1.8GHz (64-bit)Now, despite being a marked step down from the device mentioned earlier, that budget version of the ASUS ZenFone 2 still looks like a fantastic smartphone for $199 unlocked (and some rumors have the price going even lower). And I’ll do you one better: I’ll say the reduced-spec version is actually the more appealing one.
Here’s the thing: the burlier (4GB) ZenFone 2 has a lot going for it. It’s got a fantastic look and feel, cameras capable of some neat low-light tricks, and specs that are –even at the projected higher price points– very competitive. But it gets so much of its cachet from the fact that it’s the first phone with 4GB of RAM OMG FTW! And honestly, it’s not that big a deal. Yes, browser sessions should stay smoother for longer and multitasking may be improved … but at the end of the day, this is an Android phone running a third-party UI; it’s going to lag at some point. The switch from 512MB of RAM to 1GB didn’t save us from this inescapable fact, nor did the upgrade from 1GB to 2 or 2GB to 3. And it’s not a problem unique to Android; I’ve used almost every high-end smartphone available on all the major platforms for the past two years, and all of them exhibited stutter and lag at one time or another. It’s just more pronounced on Android because Android OEMs tend to advertise on specs, and so customers buy a tricked-out smartphone expecting stellar performance. With that kind of purchasing bias, even the smallest stumble registers that much harder. So I don’t care about RAM – and unless you’re planning to push your smartphone to the edges of its capabilities every single day, you shouldn’t either.
That leaves us with a slightly downgraded processor and reduced internal storage on the budget model of the ZenFone 2, as well as a significantly diminished screen resolution. Of these, only the processor sacrifice is of real concern to me – and only then because I have very little experience running Android on an Intel SoC. The storage shortfall will predominantly affect gamers, shutterbugs, and those who prefer to store their media locally rather than stream it, but even here 32GB should be enough for many. And while the display downgrade will certainly irk those with super-sensitive eyes, I fully believe that people outside our insular bubble of phone-lovers won’t really mind dealing with 720p. Especially at the 5-inch screen size (vs 5.5) that one ZenFone 2 variant is rumored to debut with, and especially given the significant battery endurance boost such a resolution demotion will bring. (Even at 6 inches, the Huawei Ascend Mate 2 4G LTE managed to deliver unbelievable battery life thanks in part to its 720p display.
I don’t mean to gainsay the higher-end ASUS ZenFone 2, nor the people who are rightly excited by the possibilities it offers. As I said at the outset, it’s a gorgeous phone with powerful internals that feels great in the hand, and I’m very excited to review it. But even now, weeks (or months) before release, its higher-end specs threaten to drown out the just-as-significant story of the lower-end ZenFone 2: you know, the one that actually costs $199. Of course I’ll withhold judgment on which phone I prefer until we have time for a proper review, but at this point I have to say I’m more impressed by the potential of the thriftier model. At the very least, saving money on the phone means I can buy more of those crazy custom cases shown in the video above … and that excites me a whole lot more than beating my buddies in a RAM-measuring contest.
