Database Users

is zenfone 2 a worth buy?

I am looking to buy zenfone 2 ...2.3 gghz with 4 gigs ram
Is it a worth buy??
I am asking because i am spending my hard earned 20000 bucks for a flagship
...
Are the bugs like call drops and battery software related?
Is it a isssue that could be fixed? Or hardware?

Both hw and sw bug, really disturd your life, i suggest do not buy this zenbug 2

tuilalnvinh said:
Both hw and sw bug, really disturd your life, i suggest do not buy this zenbug 2
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I really don't know what are yall talking about. Yes there's a battery drain that's characteristic of 5.0 but easily manageable. I can get 5h SoT without too much hassle, and no dropped calls. But hey, to each their own. [emoji1]
aj7400 said:
I am looking to buy zenfone 2 ...2.3 gghz with 4 gigs ram
Is it a worth buy??
I am asking because i am spending my hard earned 20000 bucks for a flagship
...
Are the bugs like call drops and battery software related?
Is it a isssue that could be fixed? Or hardware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

lordpipa said:
I really don't know what are yall talking about. Yes there's a battery drain that's characteristic of 5.0 but easily manageable. I can get 5h SoT without too much hassle, and no dropped calls. But hey, to each their own. [emoji1]
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Click to collapse
Yess but i see people rating it negetively ... And thats what created a doubt in my mind that will it be a bang for the buck

aj7400 said:
Yess but i see people rating it negetively ... And thats what created a doubt in my mind that will it be a bang for the buck
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Click to collapse
And that's why I don't let myself get carried away by what people say. Positively or negatively, I bought this phone 2 days after it dropped in Taiwan. Yeah saw some issues, mostly coming from and S3 on custom roms and me being a custom Rom maintainer myself. But I saw the potential that this Rom can have and with a few tweaks here and there, runs like a champ.

lordpipa said:
And that's why I don't let myself get carried away by what people say. Positively or negatively, I bought this phone 2 days after it dropped in Taiwan. Yeah saw some issues, mostly coming from and S3 on custom roms and me being a custom Rom maintainer myself. But I saw the potential that this Rom can have and with a few tweaks here and there, runs like a champ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are u talking about ?
Rom ?
Which rom?
The thread is about asus zenfone 2 as a whole

aj7400 said:
What are u talking about ?
Rom ?
Which rom?
The thread is about asus zenfone 2 as a whole
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read again, I'm saying that me switching from an S3 on custom Rom to Asus stock was a change and saw the issues first hand but nothing that could be fixed with a few tweaks.

lordpipa said:
I really don't know what are yall talking about. Yes there's a battery drain that's characteristic of 5.0 but easily manageable. I can get 5h SoT without too much hassle, and no dropped calls. But hey, to each their own. [emoji1]
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Click to collapse
Maybe you are a lucky man with a bug-less fone :good:. Apart from battery drain, my fone had broken the power button, sim card 1 slot error, and especially wrong battery calibration which many user experience here :
http://www.asus.com/zentalk/tw/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=79049
http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/zenfone-off-t3106960
http://www.asus.com/zentalk/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=7395&extra=page=2

tuilalnvinh said:
Maybe you are a lucky man with a bug-less fone :good:. Apart from battery drain, my fone had broken the power button, sim card 1 slot error, and especially wrong battery calibration which many user experience here :
http://www.asus.com/zentalk/tw/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=79049
http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/zenfone-off-t3106960
http://www.asus.com/zentalk/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=7395&extra=page=2
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Click to collapse
Really sad that you had a bad experience with the phone. Personally other than the battery drain and self inflicted errors, mine has been totally different.

i came from S3 too..and IMHO is, my ZF2 beats my S3 in all terms, except there's not much user/developer involvement yet..unlike S3, everyday there are new updates or release on custom rom/kernel.. we just have to pray for ASUS to unlock their bootloader.. and currently ZF2 is on android 5.0..altho its buggy, hopefully ASUS brings 5.1.1 update to it..

cangcan said:
i came from S3 too..and IMHO is, my ZF2 beats my S3 in all terms, except there's not much user/developer involvement yet..unlike S3, everyday there are new updates or release on custom rom/kernel.. we just have to pray for ASUS to unlock their bootloader.. and currently ZF2 is on android 5.0..altho its buggy, hopefully ASUS brings 5.1.1 update to it..
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Click to collapse
Alot of mixed reviews ..
I think i ll wait more ...
One plus one is great too

As someone who owns a gs6 edge and a HTC m9 I have to say the Zenfone is totally worth it. Battery life has been great compared to the other two, performance is fast and fluid, the camera is good, the screen is beautiful. I'm actually considering using the one I got at the launch event as my daily driver. Right now I use the edge as my DD with my m9 as a backup. At 299 you can't go wrong. You get the most bang for your buck. I was very skeptical about the Intel soc performance but so far I have zero complaints about it.

I am absolutely delighted with mine. Was on a very restricted budget (had to buy two, one for me and one for my wife) so only got the 550 but actually glad I did because I'm not fussed about NFC or having a few less sensors, I find the 720p screen an acceptable compromise, and the bang for the buck is phenomenal. Yeah, there are a few flaws or irritations, but nothing major for me. There's a great deal of satisfaction in having got so much for so little

graffixnyc said:
As someone who owns a gs6 edge and a HTC m9 I have to say the Zenfone is totally worth it. Battery life has been great compared to the other two, performance is fast and fluid, the camera is good, the screen is beautiful. I'm actually considering using the one I got at the launch event as my daily driver. Right now I use the edge as my DD with my m9 as a backup. At 299 you can't go wrong. You get the most bang for your buck. I was very skeptical about the Intel soc performance but so far I have zero complaints about it.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply ...
I know the chipset is very very fast ...
But there are people who are getting physically defective devices as well .. May be asus is bad at quality check?
Also dev support is a big question mark on intel sOc.? Because any company will stop the development for its old devices with passage of time ..
So we might not see next versions of android on zf2.
And it is difficult to live with the old stock rom throughout the time you own it ..
The present bugs might be fixed with ota updates... I GUESS :/

kanagawaben said:
I am absolutely delighted with mine. Was on a very restricted budget (had to buy two, one for me and one for my wife) so only got the 550 but actually glad I did because I'm not fussed about NFC or having a few less sensors, I find the 720p screen an acceptable compromise, and the bang for the buck is phenomenal. Yeah, there are a few flaws or irritations, but nothing major for me. There's a great deal of satisfaction in having got so much for so little
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Click to collapse
This is exactly my case too. The only thing I would add is the support from Asus does come. Everyone uses the phone differently and some bugs annoy more people than others, but for me it was the music playback stuttering when other apps were used, but that was fixed in today's update. Credit to Asus, they are fixing the issues.

One of the people who came from the s3, except I had the locked down Verizon version, so no roms for me.
This phone is 100% better in every way, and I'm absolutely delighted with it --- there's a few little software bugs I've noticed, but I doubt most people would notice them, and then there's the battery drain.
Even with the battery drain, I can't complain one bit about battery life, so I can't wait for 5.1!

I bought one...
I bought one based on several factors but here is one piece of info that most people should know prior to purchasing.
The 4g Ram 2.3Ghz Version is the only one that comes with the 18W charger!!! So the phone does get hot when it is below 60% charge due to the 9 Volt 2 Amp charging. After the phone reaches 60% it steps down the 5V 2A which will allow the phone to cool while still pumping in the juice at a fairly good rate.
The heat is an expected side effect of the massive flow of power into the battery.
My opinion on the subject... Keep the 18W charger in your car/purse/backpack/briefcase, and use a 5v 2A charger for everyday charging. :good:
Heat+Electronics=Bad things especially when it comes to batteries. :crying:

goolac said:
I bought one based on several factors but here is one piece of info that most people should know prior to purchasing.
The 4g Ram 2.3Ghz Version is the only one that comes with the 18W charger!!! So the phone does get hot when it is below 60% charge due to the 9 Volt 2 Amp charging. After the phone reaches 60% it steps down the 5V 2A which will allow the phone to cool while still pumping in the juice at a fairly good rate.
The heat is an expected side effect of the massive flow of power into the battery.
My opinion on the subject... Keep the 18W charger in your car/purse/backpack/briefcase, and use a 5v 2A charger for everyday charging. :good:
Heat+Electronics=Bad things especially when it comes to batteries. :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone and quickcharging implementation are designed around that... It's well-known that these accelerated charge solutions pump a lot of juice and ramp up the heat.

Im happy about my 550ml..its dirt cheap $200 and as fast as iphone 6..and the good thing about it is the our beloved developers here includes this 550ml version too in there awesome projects ..rootings..etc..thank you

pato2015 said:
Im happy about my 550ml..its dirt cheap $200 and as fast as iphone 6..and the good thing about it is the our beloved developers here includes this 550ml version too in there awesome projects ..rootings..etc..thank you
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Click to collapse
if ze550ml can work as iphone 6
Then I wonder 551 ml with 4 gigs of ram can work like future iphone 7 and 8
At 1/3 of price

Over a week and still in love...

Wow, using it over a week now and loving this phone even more....
Long stretch from my Galaxy S5, why didn't this phone come before I bought my S5 LOL
No battery issues here, getting more out of this phone then my S5 and better after the last OTA update. For anyone who's having battery issues, there are several features to disable to get the most out of your battery, do a search on google, there's a ton of people who's increased battery life by taking these steps.
As for the bloatware, I usually root my phone but I don't see the reason too with this one even with all the bloatware, most you can disable. The PC Link is a godsend, wow, every phone should have this feature. Speed wise, I've got mine on Balance mode and it's lightning speed, you can go all out and draw a bit more speed by using the Performance mode but you'll sacrifice some battery life, I didn't notice a whole lot of battery drain in that mode, may go back just to get that extra speed.
The only real gripe I have with this phone is the ability to sync effectively with Outlook, I keep my contacts and schedule on Outlook and with the S5 Samsung Kies was a nice free option to do so. Wish ASUS had a similar app to sync Outlook. The best way I found so far to do this is SyncDroid, worth the $4 to get my contacts synced alone. Calendar I just use Google Calendar Sync seems to do the job. But still prefer to stick with one PC app that does it altogether. If anyone out there found a better (Free) option then SyncDroid, please let me know. I won't use Outlook.com, I find it a pain and somewhat glitchy. Outlook is a pretty widely used app and I think this should be mandatory for all Android phones, this to me would make Android the ultimate mobile device. I paranoid about syncing my entire contact list and calendar via online/cloud etc. I prefer to do it locally with my pc.
This truly is an amazing product for the price, screen is not as bright as my S5 SuperAmoled but I'll take the performance, size, memory over screen hands down, big deal, it's a bit hard to see under sunlight but honestly, I don't use it under direct sunlight that much to ditch the phone. Asus has made excellent effort to keep OTA's coming, which is more then what I can say for Samsung phones. I don't think this phone is going away anytime soon, the only store that sells this phone in our city can't keep this thing in stock, they are constantly sold out, that's a good thing, if it sells that well, Asus will continue to support this phone. The hardware in the phone has great potential for future improvements, Android OS updates will just keep making it better.
Let's just hope the built in battery (which is my other gripe) will last. I hate built in batteries, gives me Iphone jitters I hope the battery is easily replaceable. But Samsung's new flagship has also gone this route. I saw the Zenfone 2 takedown and it seems relative straight forward so battery replacement is doable, would be nice to see companies start making 4000mAh or 5000mAh batteries for this phone
For all who are having intermittent issues and giving up, just be a little patient, this is a brand new phone, there will always be issues, happens to flagship phones, Asus is doing very well getting OTA's to us to fix these problems and I'm confident there will be more to come, growing pains. And please, don't knock this phone because it's not up to par with your Iphone 6 or S6 or phones that are twice/three times the price, it's like giving a Honda Civic a bad review because it doesn't compare to your Audi or Mercedes, how much did your Mercedes cost compared to your Civic, come on, let's be realistic.
Good luck with your new ZF2!

The problem is large amount of zen2 having defective battery. It causes high battery drain or randomly shutdown issue. I also have my battery replaced from service center. Otherwise, this fone perform very well with its price

Sorry I didn't read whole post...I just want to know how much SOT are you getting?

tuilalnvinh said:
The problem is large amount of zen2 having defective battery. It causes high battery drain or randomly shutdown issue. I also have my battery replaced from service center. Otherwise, this fone perform very well with its price
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Click to collapse
Sorry to hear you're having that luck, with any phone there are defective units, I've only read a handful who's had battery issues, which version do you have? ie. North America, China etc.

SRV Rockable said:
Sorry I didn't read whole post...I just want to know how much SOT are you getting?
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Click to collapse
I haven't really measured using the battery usage. I go by normal use through out the day comparing it with my S5, I'll go through a day running my typical apps, texting, surfing and emailing and the odd calls. I'll end up with about 60-70% battery life by about 9 pm from about 8 am, that's when I sit down and plug it in to charge, I consider pretty good considering I was getting about 30-40% with my Galaxy S5 using it the same way. Not sure if that helps.

Minim3 said:
Sorry to hear you're having that luck, with any phone there are defective units, I've only read a handful who's had battery issues, which version do you have? ie. North America, China etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a taiwan version, i had issue with it after 2 weeks of using. I also see people report error from other versions too in zentalk

I've used mine for a bit over a day and I'm impressed. Performance is great, build quality seems great too. I've read some reviews that state the phone feels cheap, but to me it feels and looks better than Samsung S4 or S5.
I have no problem reaching the power button on top, it feels easier than pressing the power button on the side of my old 4.7" Blu Life Play phone, as I don't have to change the grip to reach the power button.
Battery life is a concern though. Yesterday I spent the day applying updates, rooting, instalar all my apps and tweaking all config options. The charge did not last me the day. Hopefully today it'll fare better today after all customization and setup is done.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

Minim3 said:
I haven't really measured using the battery usage. I go by normal use through out the day comparing it with my S5, I'll go through a day running my typical apps, texting, surfing and emailing and the odd calls. I'll end up with about 60-70% battery life by about 9 pm from about 8 am, that's when I sit down and plug it in to charge, I consider pretty good considering I was getting about 30-40% with my Galaxy S5 using it the same way. Not sure if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have no problem with battery too, with a normal use, some calls, web browsing, whatsapp and facebook i still have more than 50% at home at night, a great improvement since my samsung s3
i also tested the display on some hours, and it should last 5/6 hours of continuos web browsing

onesky said:
i have no problem with battery too, with a normal use, some calls, web browsing, whatsapp and facebook i still have more than 50% at home at night, a great improvement since my samsung s3
i also tested the display on some hours, and it should last 5/6 hours of continuos web browsing
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Click to collapse
I've been reading a lot of reviews for the ZF2 seems like the CN versions have more problems, I wonder if they got some duds. And also, I've noticed that the ZE551 CN versions have different configurations, maybe that's the problem.

Sorry to bring up an older post, but I see a lot of people loving this phone, and some haters (There's always haters)....I have an iphone 6 now after being on Android for a long time, and I'm about fed up with iOS...All of the things people say about iOS are true...locked down...Boring...Ect... That's a different topic for a different day..
My question is, how is the screen? Lots of people have complained about brightness, or lack there of. Also, camera, is it at least average? I'm looking to go about 300 on a phone and there's a few choices out there, but none seem as powerful as the Zenfone 2 with 4gb of ram, 64gb storage. It seems a little more future proof than the OPO, so I'm thinking of getting it....
Will I be disappointed coming from the Nexus line, then iPhone 6?

smokinjoe2122 said:
Sorry to bring up an older post, but I see a lot of people loving this phone, and some haters (There's always haters)....I have an iphone 6 now after being on Android for a long time, and I'm about fed up with iOS...All of the things people say about iOS are true...locked down...Boring...Ect... That's a different topic for a different day..
My question is, how is the screen? Lots of people have complained about brightness, or lack there of. Also, camera, is it at least average? I'm looking to go about 300 on a phone and there's a few choices out there, but none seem as powerful as the Zenfone 2 with 4gb of ram, 64gb storage. It seems a little more future proof than the OPO, so I'm thinking of getting it....
Will I be disappointed coming from the Nexus line, then iPhone 6?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have little patience to wait little more for 5.1 to come up (which most people dont have and hence judging things wrongly) then its worth having for sure..

I came from a G2 and iphone 6. I still have an iPad. I couldn't be happier to be honest
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

I came from an HTC m7 and I love my new ZenFone 2. I have the 4gb/64gb model and it is superb. I also was worried about screen brightness, but I haven't found it bad at all.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app

smokinjoe2122 said:
Sorry to bring up an older post, but I see a lot of people loving this phone, and some haters (There's always haters)....I have an iphone 6 now after being on Android for a long time, and I'm about fed up with iOS...All of the things people say about iOS are true...locked down...Boring...Ect... That's a different topic for a different day..
My question is, how is the screen? Lots of people have complained about brightness, or lack there of. Also, camera, is it at least average? I'm looking to go about 300 on a phone and there's a few choices out there, but none seem as powerful as the Zenfone 2 with 4gb of ram, 64gb storage. It seems a little more future proof than the OPO, so I'm thinking of getting it....
Will I be disappointed coming from the Nexus line, then iPhone 6?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had mine now about 3 weeks and I think that the phone is great for the price. The camera is OK, certainly not iPhone 6 good, but reasonable, especially when you use alternate camera apps. The screen is fine, but once again, I'm indoors most of the day, so no issue. Max brightness outside is not so great the one or two times I've used it.
I think that the phone is a work in progress and that a lot of the deficiencies that you see people griping about will be addressed with future Android updates. On the plus side, Asus had been sending out updates frequently so they seem committed to making this phone better.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

Thanks for the input guys...Really having a hard time between this and the OPO....I still have until the end of the month to make my choice, but I'm leaning towards this phone...Really can't go wrong for $300 per the specs, and I like that Asus is continually updating this phone....

I had the same choice to .and and went for the ZenFone 2. I have had it for 4 weeks now and have had no regrets. This phone performs flawlessly in my opinion.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app

Had mine for 4weeks now....am so LOVING it...
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

i have no problem with battery, It's a taiwan version.
over 2 months and still in love.

smokinjoe2122 said:
Thanks for the input guys...Really having a hard time between this and the OPO....I still have until the end of the month to make my choice, but I'm leaning towards this phone...Really can't go wrong for $300 per the specs, and I like that Asus is continually updating this phone....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from a Nexus 5 and was considering the same two phones as you. Decided to go with the zenfone 2 based on Asus being more reputable and customer friendly from what i read. So far its been great. I did root (which is super easy via one click) and used titanium to freeze all the unwanted apps. Haven't experienced any lag. Camera wont be as good as the Iphone, but definitely better than my nexus 5. I dont game on it because I dont see the point of gaming on a phone, but i did run hearthstone flawlessly. To me, the build quality is nice. comparable to Galaxy s4/5, so im not sure why so many reviews bring it up as a major con. at $300 this phone is awesome. And once Asus pushed out 5.1 it should shine even more, as 5.1 bumps android up to 64bit, and this has a 64bit chipset.

This phone is way better than I expected for $299. I'm coming from an LG G2, and I'm not missing anything. You can spend 3x this much on a phone and you won't end up with much more.
Honestly my biggest nit-pick is the power button placement, but double-tap-to-wake/sleep is far more convenient than any possible hardware switch. Battery life is a touch lower than I'm used to, but QC 2 is really great.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

Buying advice: Asus ZenFone 2

I am in the market for a new cell phone to replace my current Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini. Given my budget, I have nearly settled on the Asus ZenFone 2. At $299 for an upper-middle tier cell phone with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, it seems like a solid bet. The only real downfall I have discovered from my research thus far is the ZenUI which overlays the stock Android experience and the massive amount of bloatware that comes pre-installed on the phone.
If I were able to safely get rid of the bloatware and make the phone more like a pure stock Android experience, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
I consider myself fairly able to work with technology, although I have never actually rooted, flashed, or otherwise modded a cell phone. So, I am looking for some guidance. Do you think the ZenFone2 warrants a purchase in spite of the concerns outlined? If no, do you have any suitable reocmmendations in that budget range? More importantly, do you think I would be able to modify the phone to get rid of bloatware and make it a more stock Android experience?
Sorry if this questions has been asked previously. As I mentioned, I am very new to this, certainly new to the forums, and just looking for guidance. Thanks!

Bloatware thing is overblown, you can disable every single preinstalled app on the phone. The performance is amazing, this is a lag free phone. However, I do no recommend this phone simply based on the battery life, its terrible. There is no way around it.

yumms said:
Bloatware thing is overblown, you can disable every single preinstalled app on the phone. The performance is amazing, this is a lag free phone. However, I do no recommend this phone simply based on the battery life, its terrible. There is no way around it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not as concerned about the battery life as I am generally near a charger. But, do you think the battery issues might be address through an Android update (I hear 5.1.1 is coming soon to Asus) or even a root/mod like Cyanogenmod?

dchadjohnson said:
I'm not as concerned about the battery life as I am generally near a charger. But, do you think the battery issues might be address through an Android update (I hear 5.1.1 is coming soon to Asus) or even a root/mod like Cyanogenmod?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life is little fixed for me on this new updates,it's not that bad,but just wait for 5.1.1 update or Android M 6.0 update,zenfone 2 will shine for sure
---------- Post added at 04:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:35 PM ----------
and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...

The only bad thing about the phone (550ML) is the battery backup and the memory usage.
Except that, it is good.
Depending where you are, i could advice your to buy the redmi note 2, lower price, more powerfull, pictures a bit better in low light environment, sound better, 5 hours SOT and not three like this phone, lower and brighter screen...

I bought the WW version of the phone you are considering, after upgrading from a S4. Unlike a lot here on XDA, I have left it at stock, with 64gig of storage and 4gig of ram who cares about the bloatware. With Auto Start Manager you can disable anything you want to anyway. It does what I want it to do and I am not stuck to the carrier's software update schedule as I was with the S4.

I've had ZenFone 2 for about 1 month now. My previous phone was first gen Moto G.
ZenUI is surprisingly good. I usually have Google Now launcher or Nova Launcher but I've been sticking with ZenUI. The bloat is only a minor inconvenience.
As for performance: the phone is a beast! Astonishing considering the price. I have 1.8ghz 4gig ram version.
The screen is good. It doesn't get dim enough and so is not ideal for nighttime use. I tried to use rootdim to no avail. I use phone at min brightness for most of day.
Battery life is poor! Struggle to get 3hrs screen on time. I'm a medium to heavy user. Have to charge it twice a day. Hoping this can be improved with 5.1.1. If, not then might consider one plus one.

m98221 said:
I've had ZenFone 2 for about 1 month now. My previous phone was first gen Moto G.
ZenUI is surprisingly good. I usually have Google Now launcher or Nova Launcher but I've been sticking with ZenUI. The bloat is only a minor inconvenience.
As for performance: the phone is a beast! Astonishing considering the price. I have 1.8ghz 4gig ram version.
The screen is good. It doesn't get dim enough and so is not ideal for nighttime use. I tried to use rootdim to no avail. I use phone at min brightness for most of day.
Battery life is poor! Struggle to get 3hrs screen on time. I'm a medium to heavy user. Have to charge it twice a day. Hoping this can be improved with 5.1.1. If, not then might consider one plus one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use lux light as it dims the screen to great nighttime viewing and I get decent screen time and I'm a heavy user as well
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app

I have never experienced the poor battery life others complain of on this phone.
Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk

corrsea said:
I have never experienced the poor battery life others complain of on this phone.
Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah me too, I get battery backup around 5 hrs easily and the only thing I dont like is memory management and blaotwares that's all but as someone said earlier you can disable and I did around 13 apps xD
Camera and performace and battery is very good. Waiting for 5.1.1'

[/COLOR]and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...[/QUOTE]
Well what people need to understand is that ALL of the AOSP roms for the zenfone 2 are in BETA STAGES! Meaning its not 100% stable. Not the devs fault as they are doing there best to get it to a stable release.
As for recommending the phone to OP. Yes I do, is in my list its one of the top phones for 300 and under this year. Now its not perfect(battery, junk bloat, screen brightness, screen to body ratio) but for the 4gb model if you tweak and make it yours you will love the speed and its flagship experience at a mid level price point.

Well, many people have already give you a help but here it goes another one. This phone is just amazing. For this price you only have OP2 or Moto X to compete (both are a little bit expensive).
My battery reach to 4.30h SOT and i have always wifi, bt and 4g on. Play about 1h games, lots of browsing and social networks. 30m talking. In the end of day still have my battery around 25%. Not bad but with 5.1.1 hope this improve. There is very little bloatware and you can remove them or disable easily.
The bad things is the screen body ratio is bsd and make the phone biggest, the camera is not brilliant, the power button on top, the screen brightness.
But every phones have pros and cons so, for me, this is the best for the price
Already bought another for my sister and i recommend alot. Very happy user

Kambz1994 said:
and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strongly disagree with that, it is improving daily and imho already surpasses the ASUS stock firmware. CM has given me a new found love for and enjoyment of this excellent phone.

Delgadovsky said:
Well, many people have already give you a help but here it goes another one. This phone is just amazing. For this price you only have OP2 or Moto X to compete (both are a little bit expensive).
My battery reach to 4.30h SOT and i have always wifi, bt and 4g on. Play about 1h games, lots of browsing and social networks. 30m talking. In the end of day still have my battery around 25%. Not bad but with 5.1.1 hope this improve. There is very little bloatware and you can remove them or disable easily.
The bad things is the screen body ratio is bsd and make the phone biggest, the camera is not brilliant, the power button on top, the screen brightness.
But every phones have pros and cons so, for me, this is the best for the price
Already bought another for my sister and i recommend alot. Very happy user
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get more than 5 hrs xD

See xD

903tex said:
[/COLOR]and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well what people need to understand is that ALL of the AOSP roms for the zenfone 2 are in BETA STAGES! Meaning its not 100% stable. Not the devs fault as they are doing there best to get it to a stable release.
As for recommending the phone to OP. Yes I do, is in my list its one of the top phones for 300 and under this year. Now its not perfect(battery, junk bloat, screen brightness, screen to body ratio) but for the 4gb model if you tweak and make it yours you will love the speed and its flagship experience at a mid level price point.[/QUOTE]
Lol, cm12.1 and aosp roms are in beta version so they need time to be stable. They aren't ridiculous noob

If you're not a hardcore gamer, then better wait for the Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) variant with Snapdragon 615 and 3GB RAM. I had almost decided to buy the ZE550ML, although I was apprehensive about the battery life, when I read about the new model. It costs marginally higher than the ZE550ML, but should have better battery if somewhat less performance. Plus 3GB RAM should still take care of the ZenUI bloat.

Gustapo said:
If you're not a hardcore gamer, then better wait for the Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) variant with Snapdragon 615 and 3GB RAM. I had almost decided to buy the ZE550ML, although I was apprehensive about the battery life, when I read about the new model. It costs marginally higher than the ZE550ML, but should have better battery if somewhat less performance. Plus 3GB RAM should still take care of the ZenUI bloat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2 Gb ram is enough for gaming if you know how to use phone

ASUS ZenFone2 is a great phone!
Okay, so I'm a bit biased...but this phone is actually really good! (I came from a Nexus). Battery life is really dependent on your location, signal, usage scenarios, etc. But I'm on T-Mo in the Bay Area where signal isn't the best, I use the phone for work and have gotten through an entire day 7-10PM with at least 20% left. Bloatware can be disabled on the latest firmware.

Yeah, I've disabled 23 bloatwares xD

Redmi Note 2 vs Moto G 2015 Comparison

This is more of a review/comparison thread, as I am switching from RN2 to the Moto G. I gave RN2 a genuine try, used it for 3 months, tried stock ROM, Xiaomi.eu ROM, all Custom Roms but the battery was just bad and I got tired of waiting for kernel sources to assist development. This is not a troll thread, its a really genuine and honest review of the phone and why I switched to Moto G and how does it compare. I am using the Moto G 2015 16GB / 2GB RAM model - XT1550 so it is also dual SIM with SD slot like the RN2.
RN2
Good
- Cameras are excellent, better than Moto G both front and back
- Screen is beautiful and crisp, smooth to touch too it really felt premium.
- Big device but it fit in my hand nicely, was thin and well made, beautiful.
Bad
- Battery life is terrible, both on stock MIUI and on custom ROMs the best I got was about 1 day use and 2.5-3 hours SOT. And typical was about 2 hour SOT in 12 hours use. I am not heavy user but the screen/CPU is huge drain on battery nothing made it better.
- Heats up when gaming (e.g. Boom Beach for 15+ mins) or using GPS navigation in the car. Both use cases can bring battery from 100% to 0% in less than 4 hours. Crazy.
- Kernel sources no where to be found
Moto G
Good
- I find the smaller size to my liking, it fits in my hand nicely and the rubber back gives good grip, no case needed
- Battery is out of this world. I am getting 5 hours SOT over 24 hours use without even trying, if i try to be frugal will push it past 6 hours SOT and on days I don't use phone much I end day with 85% battery left. This is on Lollipop 5.1.1. When I install Marshmallow I expect this to go up even more! I am using all the same apps as the RN2 here. Same number of accounts and everything.
- Kernel sources and healthy dev community means I already have Marshmallow and even stock Android M is rolling out this week or next.
Bad
- Moto G's 720p panel feels like a downgrade, looks terrible compared to RN2 - this made me regret this decision the most but then the battery life reminded me it was still a good decision.
- Not good build quality compared to RN2 definitely feels worse.
Conclusion
- Xiaomi makes excellent phones but Mediatek X10 chip is very power hungry, Idle times were good but when in use battery dropped like a pack of cards. Xiaomi/Mediatek do not release kernel sources either.
- I will NEVER buy a Mediatek chipset phone again and will also avoid Xiaomi until they start releasing their kernel sources on day 1. Look at OnePlus, also a Chinese company but they release their sources immediately.
- I really wanted to like this phone and I did enjoy it but the battery life really killed it for me.
- Moto G is not my dream phone either but at least I no longer worry about battery life and it does not heat up like the RN2 when gaming. I will use it till I find something better. Maybe OnePlus 2 Mini that's coming next year.
Thanks for reading.
:laugh::good:

I'm getting a decent 4-5h SoT using RN2 on bule's latest cm so it's not that bad. I never game just browse and youtube and reddit though. I do agree that not having released sources sucks so much but oh well

I got almost the same, from 4 to 5 h even 6:30 a few times in an older miui. The battery drain award goes to the screen, 1080 5,5". Moto g has an smaller hd display, is a real advantage.
Anyway my next phone could be an oneplus X
Ps: sorry for my english.

I have both smartphones and completely agree

I don't agree. RN2 doesn't make excellent photos, but have a good battery life like 4-5h SOT (both on stock MIUI and Custom Roms)
~ Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Prime ~

It would certainly be nice if Xiaomi supplied the source code, and, of course, they are also legally obligated to do so to some extent. But sadly there are not enough resources to challenge them on this. I wonder if pressure or urging by an organization like Google would help?
Whatever the case, the RN2 is a pretty nice piece of hardware, and certainly the best phone hardware-wise that I have owned personally. But the lack of source code means that we are destined to have mostly cooked roms, or roms that are buggy and not 100% functional because the developers are left guessing. To be honest, on seeing the initial release with 800,000 RN2s sold in 12 hours, and then the subsequent "x millions sold" milestones that were announced, I figured we would be in much better shape by now. But again, without source code, it is quite the folly. The sad part is that there are clearly people who are willing to invest the time/energy on this, but without proper source code, these developers will eventually give up, and turn their efforts elsewhere. Imagine if Xioami were to take advantage of this free workforce...
Like most of you, I also bought the RN2 for the price/performance ratio, which is unbeatable. But yeah, if we never reach top-notch firmware (which, admittedly, means different things to different people...), at what point would it be worth it to pay more for hardware that is completely documented? Before buying the RN2 Prime (I paid ~US$180), I contemplated the Motorola X Pure 32GB (~US$450). But the 2.5x price difference meant the cheapness factor won out. But now, after seeing the situation for a few months, I am reconsidering the investment. Sure, the 2.5x price difference is painful, but imagine having fully-documented hardware from the start like was the case with the Motorola. Certainly, the cheapness factor will be less of a consideration for me with my next phone purchase.

Paying 2.5x more just to have custom ROMs? That's crazy imo. I think I made the best decision when ordering a new phone and choosing this one. It's really fast and snappy, it simply does everything I need flawlessly.
Or you could go with Mi 4c if you wanted a Snapdragon device.

droidaem said:
Paying 2.5x more just to have custom ROMs? That's crazy imo. I think I made the best decision when ordering a new phone and choosing this one. It's really fast and snappy, it simply does everything I need flawlessly.
Or you could go with Mi 4c if you wanted a Snapdragon device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the RN2 for AU$225. Managed to snap up the Moto G 2015 for AU$255 during Christmas sales, so I guess not much difference.
I would have kept the RN2 had the battery been good. But.. mine was terrible even though others here say theirs is good. This battery issue is being reported a lot on the MIUI forums it seems only some batches of batteries/phones are affected. I guess I was unlucky?

I've yet to have less than 4 hrs of SoT on my RN2 Prime. Both on MIUI and on CM.
Does the RN2 really have a better camera than the G though?
The G 2015 has a Sony IMX 214, which the OnePlus One, Nexus 6 and Mi Note Pro use.

droidaem said:
Paying 2.5x more just to have custom ROMs? That's crazy imo. I think I made the best decision when ordering a new phone and choosing this one. It's really fast and snappy, it simply does everything I need flawlessly. Or you could go with Mi 4c if you wanted a Snapdragon device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough, and I agree that 2.5x is significant--that's why the cheap side won out! But at some point, time matters, too. If you try rom after rom for months, and things still don't work, isn't that time/energy commitment that you made of some value (be it monetary or some other type of value)? I love tinkering just as much as the next guy, but certainly my perspective has changed through the years, and I don't have nearly as much free, burnable time as in the past!

verbage said:
Fair enough, and I agree that 2.5x is significant--that's why the cheap side won out! But at some point, time matters, too. If you try rom after rom for months, and things still don't work, isn't that time/energy commitment that you made of some value (be it monetary or some other type of value)? I love tinkering just as much as the next guy, but certainly my perspective has changed through the years, and I don't have nearly as much free, burnable time as in the past!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm honestly wondering, what did you find wrong in Bule's builds? They worked great for me, but I went to MIUI for its features.

I have not used Bule's builds at all--I admit it. I have just been following along on the weekly sMIUI builds until all the wrinkles get ironed out of the various CM options. It seems like they are almost there except for a few niggles like the notification light, the vibration, the issue with the sim slots, etc.. Once everything is working, I will migrate over. I find MIUI ok, but I would prefer something much lighter weight.

Camera is rubbish on RN2 and battery I agree if using it drains fast but I had let the phone sit there for days before with just the odd text I think the most I have gotten is 4-5 days the same with other phones if you start to play games or use gps it drains fast this is how smart phones are now but I do agree with mediatek are annoying not allowing people to have access to do more I bet so much could be done with kernal released

Angels and Demons ROM gives best SOT
You can install Angels and Demons ROM on your Redmi Note 2. It has over 5 hours Screen On Time.

Zenfone 2 is dead. It's time to change

I think it's clear for everyone here that Zenfone 2 is dead. The Intel processor at the same time that gave us good performance, it killed our chances for good ROMs and updates.
It's time to change, I don't think we should expect ROM updates, I don't think devs should spend there time working in a dead phone.
So, knowing all of that, what's your next move? Zenfone 5? OnePlus 6? Xiaomi?

joaohkfaria said:
I think it's clear for everyone here that Zenfone 2 is dead. The Intel processor at the same time that gave us good performance, it killed our chances for good ROMs and updates.
It's time to change, I don't think we should expect ROM updates, I don't think devs should spend there time working in a dead phone.
So, knowing all of that, what's your next move? Zenfone 5? OnePlus 6? Xiaomi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sticking with my Z2. It works just fine!
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

I'm waiting for the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 or maybe I'll get a used Galaxy S9+ in good conditions.
The stupid Intel CPU sometimes gets on my nerves with the incompatibilities, random force closes and excessive overheating
Our only hope is NutOS. 8.0 should be the last Android available for this phone

yeah, an oreo will be great for this device, just lurking the forum to see if a stable one will popup (still some good progress around)

odjinan said:
yeah, an oreo will be great for this device, just lurking the forum to see if a stable one will popup (still some good progress around)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like they've almost got it working. Except for RIL. Which is kinda important lol
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

:crying:
My phone is a little over three years old (bought on 23 June 2015). But now i have battery issues. Phone constantly shuts down when battery is around 25% (It happens only if phone is on load). But otherwise it jumps from 15% to 1-2% and shuts down immediately.
I am having display issues as well. A single cyan colored line at around 25% from the left end.
Otherwise it is working well. I don't think it is worth repairing.
But I'm happy that mine lasted more than my friends

Raiden01 said:
:crying:
My phone is a little over three years old (bought on 23 June 2015). But now i have battery issues. Phone constantly shuts down when battery is around 25% (It happens only if phone is on load). But otherwise it jumps from 15% to 1-2% and shuts down immediately.
I am having display issues as well. A single cyan colored line at around 25% from the left end.
Otherwise it is working well. I don't think it is worth repairing.
But I'm happy that mine lasted more than my friends
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are OK with a screwdriver you can fix both of these problems for less than $40US. A lot cheaper than a new phone.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

kenbo111 said:
If you are OK with a screwdriver you can fix both of these problems for less than $40US. A lot cheaper than a new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About repairing, the problem is I'm from India and I am skeptical about ordering replacement parts from amazon.in.
There are no parts in amazon that are amazon fulfilled and most of them doesn't have a review or the ones that had been reviewed doesn't make me feel confident to buy it. Plus replacements parts are not that cheap in India. Importing replacement parts is going to cost me high import duties ( I think I'll have to pay nearly double about 40% import duty ).
I had a good run with this phone.
But since the intel modem is badly optimised and battery inefficient for 4G, the lack of VoLTE and the absence of even 3G in second SIM and with no software updates and the problem with custom roms ( Devs please don't take it as an offence. You really made our Zenfones better, better than ASUS could ever make it, but porting x86 to arm has it's incompatibilities ).
I think I'll switch to a new phone after my battery gives up or if the display issue worsen.

I bought the OnePlus 6 today. Zenfone 2 was a hard, but amazing journey.
I really recommend everyone to change. Even Mi A1 and A2 are far superior than this phone.
Thank you devs for your support

What about LG G7? What do you think about it?

Raiden01 said:
About repairing, the problem is I'm from India and I am skeptical about ordering replacement parts from amazon.in.
There are no parts in amazon that are amazon fulfilled and most of them doesn't have a review or the ones that had been reviewed doesn't make me feel confident to buy it. Plus replacements parts are not that cheap in India. Importing replacement parts is going to cost me high import duties ( I think I'll have to pay nearly double about 40% import duty ).
I had a good run with this phone.
But since the intel modem is badly optimised and battery inefficient for 4G, the lack of VoLTE and the absence of even 3G in second SIM and with no software updates and the problem with custom roms ( Devs please don't take it as an offence. You really made our Zenfones better, better than ASUS could ever make it, but porting x86 to arm has it's incompatibilities ).
I think I'll switch to a new phone after my battery gives up or if the display issue worsen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Makes sense!
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

Mine actually did die last Tuiesday
Unplugged it from charging and stopped.
Undid the thing and worked then put in charger again and died forever
Was a good phone and i liked working on it and miss it.
Got a new Samsung S7 Edge
Hate to say it, but battery is far supreme already.
Spent about 7hr updating apps on it and playing around and went down from 100% to 50% on the battery.
Amazing battery.

joaohkfaria said:
I think it's clear for everyone here that Zenfone 2 is dead. The Intel processor at the same time that gave us good performance, it killed our chances for good ROMs and updates.
It's time to change, I don't think we should expect ROM updates, I don't think devs should spend there time working in a dead phone.
So, knowing all of that, what's your next move? Zenfone 5? OnePlus 6? Xiaomi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll keep mine until it dies. I know that there are new phones for half the price but this Intel processor is fast enough for my needs.
Besides, every new phone means a lot of planet resources and bad working conditions.
Only annoying thing is it's back curve that force us to buy only ZF2 covers

There is a new x86 phone from Leagoo called the T5c. It has 8 cores but only 3GB of ram.
https://www.leagoo.com/products/T5c/spec.html

TFGBD said:
There is a new x86 phone from Leagoo called the T5c. It has 8 cores but only 3GB of ram.
https://www.leagoo.com/products/T5c/spec.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NEVER go for intel cpu, the problem of zf2 is poor intel support for modders.
this is why zf2 is stuck with los 14 bugged and no hope of improvement.
always go for snapdragon cpus, this ensure more life for future custom roms