Asus Zenfone 2 Laser vs Deluxe and others – the smartphone family has grown

Samuel J Tan Personal Technology, Smartphones, Technology 0

Back when there was just one Zenfone 2 (based on Intel Atom mobile CPU) albeit with different display sizes, there are now up to 6 different Zenfone 2s with the addition of Zenfone 2 Laser and Zenfone 2 Deluxe.

The original Zenfone 2 smartphone is a favourite with many as it offers high-end specifications at affordable prices. The move to introduce more variants to Zenfone 2 is a marketing one to boost the brand value and to offer users with a choice of entry level to mid-range to premium smartphones.

While Asus has been very successful with PC hardware, tablets and laptops it is still relatively new in the smartphone arena. Given tough competition from the east, China specifically and strong well-established brands such as Apple, Samsung, Sony and HTC, it leaves Asus with little room to differentiate. Their first Zenfone smartphone was plague with software, camera, power, battery issues, you name it.

Table of Contents

Its in the Choice of Processors

Zenfone 2, the second act was promising as Asus continues to pack everything into the phone including up to 4GB of RAM memory and multiple storage options (16, 32 or 64GB ROM). It 550 series is powered by the top end Intel® Atom™ Quad Core Z3580 (2.3GHz) processor or a lower Intel® Atom™ Quad Core Z3560 (1.8GHz) processor both with PowerVR G6430 and OpenGL 3.0 support. It has a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, 13MP main camera and 5MP front camera. There is also a smaller 500 series with 5.0-inch display.

Things get a little muddled when Asus introduce more smartphones under the Zenfone 2 brand, the latest being Zenfone 2 Laser and Zenfone 2 Deluxe. Why you may ask, the straight answer to this move is the company’s decision to use the tried and tested processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 410, 615 and 616. These may not be top end processors now but they are snappy enough for most applications with support for Dual SIM, 4G LTE, efficient and help keep the price low, even lower than some mid-tier or low-end models from competitors.

The company did not stop there, other smartphones with Zenfone name include Zenfone Max, Zenfone Zoom, Zenfone Go, Zenfone Selfie and Zenfone C; created to drive down prices and compete with heavy weights and other new comers alike. In this post, we take a look at the Zenfone 2 Laser and Zenfone 2 Deluxe. The Let’s take a spec by spec look comparing the different models.

NOTE: For ease of comparison, we have also included specs for the ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML)‏, ZenFone Max (ZC550KL) and ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL).

Zenfone 2 Laser vs Zenfone 2 Deluxe

Even under ZenFone 2 Laser there are a few different models depending on the type of processor and display size. Here are the key differences. We have also included other mid-range smartphones carrying the ZenFone brand from Asus, they are the ZenFone Zoom, ZenFone Max and ZenFone Selfie. These may not be as advance as the ZenFone 2 but it is certainly worth a look depending on your focus.

Processors

The new ZenFone 2 Laser series uses the tried and tested Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 and 616. These Quad-Core processors come in at lower speeds of 1.2GHz and 1.7GHz respectively. They are available with screen sizes of 5.0-inch, 5.5-inch and 6.0-inch.

ZenFone 2 and the new ZenFone 2 Deluxe use Intel Atom Quad Core Processors starting from 1.8GHz, to 2.3GHz and topping at 2.5GHz. These Atom processors from the Z3500 series are designed to be power efficient with specially optimized 22 nanometer low-power process (P1271) with tri-gate transistors.

The performance and energy efficiency have been significantly improved compared to its predecessor. Besides the CPU cores, the SoC integrates a PowerVR G6430 GPU as well as a Dual-Channel LPDDR3-1600 memory controller (max. 4 GB, 12.8 GB/s), giving it an even bigger performance boost.

ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML) : Intel® Atom™ Quad Core Z3580 (2.3GHz), PowerVR G6430, with OpenGL 3.0 support or Intel® Atom™ Quad Core Z3560 (1.8GHz), PowerVR G6430, with OpenGL 3.0 support FASTER CPU
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE500KL)‏: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 QuadCore 1.2GHz MID-RANGE CPU
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE550KL)‏: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 QuadCore 1.2GHz or Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 1.7 GHz octa-core MID-RANGE / HIGH-END CPU
ZenFone 2 Deluxe ‏(ZE551ML)‏: Intel® Atom™ Quad Core Z3580 (2.3GHz), PowerVR G6430, with OpenGL 3.0 support – FASTER CPU
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE601KL)‏: Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 MSM8939 1.7 GHz octa-core MID-RANGE CPU
ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition: Intel® Atom™ Quad Core Z3580 (2.3GHz), PowerVR G6430, with OpenGL 3.0 support or Intel® Atom™ Quad Core Z3590 (up to 2 core running at 2.5GHz) HIGH-END, FASTEST CPU

Others:

ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML): Intel® Atom™ Quad Core Z3590 (up to 2 core running at 2.5GHz) HIGH-END, FASTEST CPU
ZenFone Max (ZC550KL): Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 QuadCore 1.2GHz MID-RANGE CPU
ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL): Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 1.7 GHz octa-core or Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 MSM8939 1.7 GHz octa-core HIGH-END CPU

Display

The display sizes are pretty straight forward, there is the 5.0-inch, 5.5-inch and 6.0-inch each corresponding to the first two numbers in the model numbers e.g. 500 refers to a 5.0-inch phone while 551 and 550 point to a 5.5-inch phone. Lastly, 601 points to a 6.0-inch phone.

ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML): 5.5-inches, Full HD 1920×1080,IPS, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 – FULL HD
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE500KL): 5-inches, HD 1280×720,TFT, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE550KL): 5.5inches, HD 1280×720,IPS, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4
ZenFone 2 Deluxe ‏(ZE551ML): 5.5-inches, Full HD 1920×1080,IPS, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 – FULL HD
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE601KL): 6.0-inch Full HD 1920×1080, IPS with Capacitive Multi touch panel, Scratch Resistant, Corning® Gorilla® Glass with HCLR Film, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 – BIGGEST DISPLAY, FULL HD
ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition: 5.5-inches, Full HD 1920×1080,IPS, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 – FULL HD

Others:

ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML): 5.5-inches, Full HD 1920×1080/403 PPI,IPS, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 – FULL HD
ZenFone Max (ZC550KL): 5.5inches, HD 1280×720,IPS, Scratch Resistant Corning® Glass with anti-fingerprint coating, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4, Supports GloveTouch input, 450nits brightness, ASUS TrueVivid Full Screen Lamination technology, 178˚ viewing angle.
ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL): 5.5inches, Full HD 1920×1080/403 PPI, Scratch Resistant Corning® Glass with anti-fingerprint coating, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 – FULL HD

Memory & Storage

The Deluxe and Deluxe Special Edition have the highest starting memory at 4GB while the Laser starts with 2GB with the option of 4GB on the higher ZE551ML model. This is the same for storage with Deluxe starting at the highest with 128GB eMMC Flash storage, while Laser starts at 8GB for ZE500KL with the standard being 16GB and other options; 32GB and 64GB available. The Deluxe Special Edition offers an additional 128GB microSD storage as a bundle making a total of 256GB.

ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML): 2GB/4GB LPDDR3 RAM memory, 16GB/32GB/64GB eMMC Flash storage with MicroSD card slot (up to 64 GB)
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE500KL): 2GB LPDDR3 RAM memory, 8GB/16GB eMMC Flash storage with MicroSD card slot (up to 128GB)
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE550KL): 2GB LPDDR3 RAM memory, 16GB eMMC Flash storage with MicroSD card slot (up to 128GB)
ZenFone 2 Deluxe ‏(ZE551ML): 4GB LPDDR3 RAM memory, 128GB eMMC Flash storage, MicroSD card (up to 128GB) – BIGGEST STARTING STORAGE
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE601KL): 2GB/3GB LPDDR3 RAM memory and 16GB/32GB eMMC Flash storage MicroSD card (up to 128 GB)
ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition: 4GB LPDDR3 RAM memory, 128GB eMMC Flash (with MicroSD card slot up to 128GB) or 128 GB eMMC Flash+128GB SD Card hard bundle – BIGGEST STARTING STORAGE

Others:

ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML): 4GB LPDDR3 RAM memory, 128GB eMMC Flash storage with MicroSD card slot (up to 128GB) – BIGGEST STARTING MEMORY & STORAGE
ZenFone Max (ZC550KL): 2GB LPDDR3 RAM memory, 16GB eMMC Flash storage with MicroSD card slot (up to 64GB)
ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL): 3GB LPDDR3 RAM memory, 32GB eMMC Flash storage with MicroSD card slot (up to 64GB) – BIG MEMORY, BIGGER STORAGE

Cameras

The front and rear cameras for the Laser and Deluxe models are the same with front using a 5MP sensor and rear main camera using a 13MP sensor.

ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML): Front 5 Mega-Pixel, Fix Focus, Wide View, PixelMaster. Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, PixelMaster
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE500KL)‏: Front 5 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, PixelMaster. Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, Wide View, LED Flash, PixelMaster
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE550KL)‏: Front 5 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, PixelMaster, Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, LED Flash, PixelMaster
ZenFone 2 Deluxe ‏(ZE551ML)‏: Front 5 Mega-Pixel, Fix Focus, Wide View, Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE601KL)‏: Front 5 Mega-Pixel, Fix Focus, Wide View, F2.0 Aperture. Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, Wide View, LED Flash, F2.0 Aperture, 5-element lens
ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition: Front 5 Mega-Pixel, Fix Focus, Wide View, F2.0 Aperture, Wide-angle 85 ˚ / ˚ lens. Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, 5-element auto-focus lens, dual-color Real Tone flash

Others:

ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML): Front 5 Mega-Pixel, Wide View, PixelMaster, Selfie Panorama (up to 140˚). Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, 0.03 second laser auto-focus, Close-up macro photography (5 cm), LED Flash, PixelMaster, dual-color Real Tone flash, Back Light (HDR) mode with ASUS PixelEnhancing Technology for up to 400% brighter, and evenly exposed photos, Low Light mode with ASUS PIxelMaseter Technology for up to 400% brighter photos and videos, Manual Mode for DSLR-like camera detail settings, Super resolution mode for up to 52 X resolution photos, Real Time, Beautification, 10-element lens.
ZenFone Max (ZC550KL): Front 5 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, Wide View, F2.0 Aperture, PixelMaster, Zero Shutter Lag
Back Light (HDR) mode with ASUS PixelEnhancing Technology for up to 400% brighter , and evenly exposed photos
Low Light mode with ASUS PIxelMaseter Technology for up to 400% brighter photos and videos. Real Time Beautification, Night mode, Selfie mode, Photo Effects, Time Lapse, Wide-angle 88 ˚ / ˚ lens, Selfie Panorama (up to 140 ˚), HDR mode, GIF animation. Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, 0.03 second laser auto-focus, Wide View, LED Flash, F2.0 Aperture, PixelMaster, dual-color Real Tone flash, Zero Shutter Lag, Back Light (HDR) mode with ASUS PixelEnhancing Technology for up to 400% brighter , and evenly exposed photos, Low Light mode with ASUS, PIxelMaseter Technology for up to 400% brighter photos and videos, Manual Mode for DSLR-like camera detail settings
Real Time Beautification, Night mode, Depth of field, Selfie mode, Photo Effects, Panorama mode, Miniature, Time Rewind, Smart Remove, All Smiles, Time Lapse HDR mode, GIF animation, Rear 0.03 second laser auto-focus
ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL): Front 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, Wide View, PixelMaster. Rear 13 Mega-Pixel, Auto Focus, PixelMaster – HIGH RES. FRONT & REAR CAMERAS

Battery

Depending on the screen size, both Laser and Deluxe share the same batteries with 5.5-inch devices using 3000 mAh Lithium Polymer and 5.0-inch using either 2070mAh or 2400mAh Lithium Polymer. Even the 6.0-inch ZenFone 2 Laser ZE601KL uses a 3000 mAh battery. While the back plates are removable to access the SIM slots / microSD slot, all batteries are non-removable.

ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML): 3000 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE500KL): 2070 mAh / 2400 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE550KL): 3000 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)
ZenFone 2 Deluxe ‏(ZE551ML): 3000 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE601KL): 3000 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)
ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition: 3000 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)

Others:

ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML): 3000 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)
ZenFone Max (ZC550KL): 5000 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable) – HIGHEST CAPACITY BATT.
ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL): 3000 mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)

Zenfone Max has the highest capacity battery at 5000mAh with 914 hours of standby time and 37.63 hours of talk time.

Dimensions & Weight

The title for the thinnest and lightest Zenfone 2 unsurprisingly goes to ZenFone 2 Laser with the smaller 5-inch display and no doubt you can guess by now the phone with the biggest footprint goes to ZenFone 2 Laser with the biggest 6-inch display. The title for the heaviest phone however, goes to the ZenFone Max owing to its high capacity battery even though it only comes with a 5.5-inch display.

ZenFone 2 (ZE551ML): 77.2 x 152.5 x 3.9 ~ 10.9 mm (WxDxH), 170 grams
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE500KL): 143.7 x 71.5 x 3.5 ~ 10.5 mm (LxWxH), 140 grams – THINNEST & LIGHTEST
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE550KL)‏: 152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 ~ 10.8 mm (LxWxH), 170 grams
ZenFone 2 Deluxe ‏(ZE551ML): 77.2 x 152.5 x 3.9 ~ 10.9 cm (WxDxH), 170 grams
ZenFone 2 Laser ‏(ZE601KL): 164.55 x 84 x 10.55 ~ mm (LxWxH), 190 grams – BIGGEST FOOTPRINT
ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition: 77.2 x 152.5 x 3.9 ~ 10.9 cm (WxDxH), 170 grams

Others:

ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML): 158.9 x 78.84 x 5 ~ 11.95 mm (WxDxH), 185 grams
ZenFone Max (ZC550KL): 77.5 x 156 x 10.55 ~ mm (WxDxH), 202 grams (with battery) – HEAVIEST
ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL): 156.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 ~ 10.8 mm (WxDxH), 170 grams

Colours & Design

All ZenFones features tough Gorilla Glass front and plastic backplate and specially cut signature concentric-circle detailing. The only way to tell them apart is the colour and design of the back plates. The ZenFone Max has a faux metallic trim or surround, the ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition comes with Polygon design backplate. The ZenFone Selfie has a big front facing camera while the ZenFone Zoom has a chrome circular detail on the backplate around the camera and flash.

All ZenFone feature ergonomic arc design incorporating a physical rear key as part for snapping selfies, adjusting the volume and retracing your steps. The location makes it suitable for right- or left-handed users. The elegant new shape feels secure and extremely comfortable to hold.