ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE550ML Review

Whats HOT and whats NOT

What's HOT
Sturdy build quality
Beautiful (subjective) design and great handling

Very affordable compared to other flagship

devices
Great UI and user experience
Great screen to look at indoors
Better low light camera performance than most
competitors
Great performance

What's NOT
Bloatware that cannot be removed without
rooting
Rather large and hefty compared to other
flagship devices, awkward power button
placement
Maximum screen brightness is relatively low
Weak audio
No fast charging as compared to its more
expensive siblings, average battery life
Mediocre camera

Introduction
Asus will not typically be the first in mind when it comes to premium devices, but after unveiling the
worlds first smartphone with 4GB of RAM, it will be unwise for smartphone giants like Samsung and
Apple to simply ignore the Taiwan company - especially if the 4GB monster ZE551ML ($429) costs
roughly half as much as its competitors. However, not everyone needs such a powerful phone and
those with a tighter budget can opt for the more wallet-friendly ZE550ML ($299). The ZE550ML
comes with Intel Atom Z3560, 2GB of RAM, and a HD 5.5 screen, with an internal storage of 16GB
which can be expanded to 64GB via microSD. Would the cost cutting measures hurt its appeal, or
can it still give a wonderful user experience despite being cheaper? Read on to find out if the
ZenFone ZE550ML is right for you.

Design
The first thing that you will notice is the huge size of the phone. 5.5" phones are already large to
begin with, but the ZenFone is noticeably larger (152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm) than most phones of a
similar screen size. The size might lead you to think that it will be unwieldy in the hand, but the
curvature of the back allows the phone to fit so snuggly into the palm that it might make you forget
you are holding such a large device. The soft touch plastic offers a pleasant experience when holding
onto the phone while allowing the user to have a good grip. The phone chassis is sturdy despite it
being mostly constructed out of plastic. The only metal apart from the volume rocker and power
button is found as the screens bottom bezel, sporting the iconic concentric circles of Asus' Zen
design philosophy. Users might be led to think that the ZE550ML is much more expensive after
handling it for the first time, given the robust construction and premium design.

The back of the device sports a soft touch matte plastic finish that provides good grip. It doesnt look
like it can provide a great deal of protection though

Iconic concentric circles adorn the bottom bezel

However, being significantly cheaper than most flagship models, a side-by-side comparison instantly
brings out areas where the ZenFone 2 falls behind. It is noticeably bigger than the 5.1 Samsung S6
(143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm) or the 5.5 LG G3 (146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm), partly due to the thick bezels. It
has a screen-to-body ratio of 70.8%, as compared to the S6s 70.7% and the LG G3s 75.3%, and it is
better than the 5 ZE500CL screen-to body ratio of 65.1%. The distinction in weight also becomes
immediately apparent, with the ZE550ML coming in at a hefty 170g as compared to the 138g
Samsung S6 and 149g LG G3. That said, cost saving compromises have to be made, but it is so well
managed that despite having the added bulk, actual user experience is very much a pleasure. In fact,
the thick bezels make the user less prone to accidentally touching the screen while gripping the
phone.

The phones curvature nests itself nicely in your palm

The front of the device contains the ambient light and proximity sensors, a vivid 5.5" 720p screen,
and the non-backlit capacitive buttons. Tempered glass screen protectors are known to interfere
with the sensors leading to screen off during calls, so potential buyers should either avoid them or
get those with the appropriate cut-outs. There have been many complaints regarding the cost
cutting measures of removing the backlighting of the capacitive buttons and while this might cause
much annoyance for the first few weeks, once users familiarise themselves with the placement of
those buttons, they can operate the phone as swiftly as if there was backlighting installed.

You can barely make out the position of the proximity and ambient light sensor at the top of the
front face avoid covering it with a tempered glass protector
The large screen is covered in oleophobic coating, which is meant to repel fingerprints on the glossy
screen, but it works only to a moderate extent. Compared side-by-side with a typical glossy screen
protector however, the difference is apparent. There is also a led notification light, useful for users
who just want to occasionally glance at their phones without picking them up.

After a typical hour of usage, the fingerprints start to collect, but it is much better than your typical
glossy screen
There are none of the usual buttons on the side. In fact, to reduce the thickness of the device, Asus
opted for a completely clean design. The power button was displaced to the top - reminiscent of
Nokia phones of yesteryear - and the volume buttons are shifted to the rear, taking an obvious
design cue from a manufacturer well experienced in the design of larger phones. The index finger
slides naturally into place when changing the volume of the phone, making it really intuitive, but
reaching for the power button is an absolute chore for one-handed operation of the phone.
Thankfully, it is a chore that most users only have to do rarely. Because the phone supports doubletap to wake, the power button would only likely be used for powering on or off the device.

The sides are completely bare, with the exception of a small groove to remove the back cover

Sharing the space at the top of the device is the 3.5mm headphone jack and a secondary
microphone, while the main microphone can be found on the bottom of the device alongside the
USB port, which unfortunately does not support fast charging. The bundled 5.2V, 1.35A adapter is
different from other 18W adapters of the ZE551ML variants, and fast charging is not officially
supported on the Asus website.

The power button is shifted to the top

The bottom contains a micro-USB port and the primary microphone

The bundled charger wont win any awards for fast charging
The back of the phone has the volume rocker buttons that are easy to press, and a speaker grille
covering an underwhelming speaker. The soft touch plastic provides the user with good grip, and is
pretty fingerprint resistant. Unfortunately, despite the overall sturdy construction, the back cover
flexes when significant pressure is exerted on it, and it is not known to be impact resistant. Users
who drop their phones frequently should consider a case even though the back cover can easily be
replaced.

The back of the device

Contains the camera and the dual-tone LED flash, as well as the volume rocker

And impressive looking speaker grilles

That opens up to reveal the lacklustre speaker

The back opens up to allow for a dual-Sim installation and supports micro-SD cards up to 64GB and
the non-removable 3000 mAh battery is tightly fastened in the chassis of the phone.

There are 2 flip cases officially offered by Asus amongst other accessories such as an external flash
and Power Bank.

The ZenFone Flip Case

This phone can actually be quite large in the pocket and climbing up stairs or sitting down cross
legged will remind the user of his large device. However, this is inherent of most large phones and it
is an acceptable trade-off for a larger screen.
Overall, the ZenFone is solidly built, pleasing to the eyes, and despite the large footprint, it is easy to
handle and is actually quite comfortable to use. Users will have to be accustomed to the different
placement of the volume and power buttons though.

Display
The display of the ZenFone measures 5.5 which provides ample screen real estate for viewing of
videos or documents. It has a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels which yields a pixel density of 267 ppi.
Some might complain that this is way too low for a phone in this era, but it is almost impossible to
discern individual pixels when used at arms length. Despite the average pixel density, it would be
hard to tell that this screen belongs to a low priced device. The viewing angles are great with low
colour shifts when viewed from extreme angles, owing to its IPS panel technology.

Colours are vibrant when viewed up front

However, blacks start to deviate with greater horizontal shifts, while remaining dark despite extreme
vertical viewing angles. This is hardly an annoyance in normal usage and it is evident only when
viewed in near complete darkness.

Viewing angles are okay for a phone of this budget

The colours are sufficiently vibrant and the images are sharp. My untrained eyes detect no
noticeable tint on the display, but sharp eyes or professional software may give different opinions.
The ZenFone comes preinstalled with the Splendid app, which allows custom colour calibration,
allowing the user to set different profiles and change the colour temperature, tint, and saturation of
the display.

The Splendid app interface

Contrast is great and blacks are low which makes it a pleasure to view images. Of course, this cannot
compare with the amazing AMOLED display of the Samsung S6. However, the average user switching
from an older or cheaper phone should still be impressed by the rich display. Using the phone

outdoors is a less positive experience. The glossy screen makes it hard to make out text with
reflections overpowering the weak maximum brightness. Users who use their phones outdoors on
sunny days should keep the dim display in mind.
Overall, it is a nice looking display that would appeal to most users who use their phones indoors
most of the time. Those who prefer to use their phones outdoors can opt for a matte screen
protector, or get a panel with a better maximum brightness like the Samsung S6.

Software and features

All ZenFones run on ZenUI top of Android lollipop 5.0. The launcher is responsive and looks good.
Asus decided to give the users plenty of apps that they will probably never use, and then not give
them an option to remove it. This is less of a problem unless the user is actually running them, and it
is surprisingly quick to see 2GB of ram being eaten up. The OS and preinstalled apps take up a
portion of the 16GB storage on the phone, but folks who demand more storage will be glad to know
that the phone can support microSD cards up to 64GB.
There are users who report significant battery savings after rooting the phones and removing up to
36 unwanted apps. However, rooting the phone is not recommended for inexperienced users as it
would void the warranty of the phone.
The phone takes 26s to boot up, which is an okay timing but it is quite unimpressive considering that
the ZenFone actually has a powerful processor. Grabbing a connection to the network was also quite
slow from boot, sometimes requiring upwards of 10s after booting up, but it was almost
instantaneous after recovering from airplane mode.
Asus provides many software updates to improve the performance and battery life of the phone.
While this means that Asus is actively trying to give its users a better experience, it might reflect
badly on the company, releasing a product that has not be extensively tested. Given the frequent
updates, however, users can look forward to better software features in the near future.
Speaking of software features, the ZenFone comes with plenty of them to try to make the phone a
pleasure to use despite its comparatively lower price point. It is a fact that the ZE550ML is a large
phone, and Asus has to make it comfortable for one handed operation. A nifty feature is the One
Hand Mode, which shrinks the screen to one corner to allow easier use with one hand. On top of
that, double tapping on the screen allows the user to wake the phone without having to press the
awkwardly positioned power button at the top of the phone. Another useful gesture function would
be the ZenMotion option, which allows users to open up to 6 apps while the phone is locked by
swiping the respective letter on the lock screen.

One-handed mode

ZenMotions touch gesture settings

However, there was an instance when the display of the phone was turned on while in the pocket
and it may be due to the presence of these features. Some users on the forums also report such
incidents and it may be wise for users to periodically check their phones. Mine was quite a bad

scenario, and with the screen on from 3pm to 10pm, I only feared the worst. On a positive note, I
started the day with 75% battery at 10am, and after this traumatic incident I was left with 17% and
no overheating issues despite the screen being on for such an extended period of time.
Apart from the gesture features, another useful implementation is Whats Next which aggregates
reminders form notes, birthdays and weather forecasts, allowing the user to view them all from one
location. It is even smart enough to remind the user if he had a missed call. The ZenUI also allows the
user to tweak multiple settings, even allowing a silent mode that mutes a first call and lets the
second call through. It has a Kids Mode that lets parents allow their children to use their device
without worry, and a Snapview application that allows separate user profiles so that the user can
safely lend a colleague or a friend the phone without worrying about his privacy being intruded.

Kids mode
In fact, there are so many apps that for every useful app there is, there are 2 apps that the user will
probably never touch after opening them for the first time and realising its meaningless existence.
This is disappointing as Asus can definitely produce some great apps, but the average user does not
need every single app there is. An option to safely disable or remove those apps will be very much
appreciated.
Asus showed off the PixelMaster technology in many of its advertisements ("see what others can't
see") and there are excellent features such as the low light mode that combines 4 physical pixels into
one digital pixel. This is meant to create an amazing image with low noise at the cost of some image
sharpness. There is also a great deal of functions the aspiring photographer can toy with in the
manual mode included in this phone. But how does the camera actually perform in real life?

Camera
The ZE550ML presumably uses the Toshiba T4K37 13MP sensor coupled with a fast F/2.0 lens. It
comes with a dual LED flash and is capable of video recording at FHD resolution (1920 x 1080p) at
30fps. There is no optical image stabilisation included in the ZE550ML, though that is hardly to be
expected from a phone at this price point.
The camera took 1.43s to start up, which is pretty average for its class. Autofocus from a distant
object to a near one took 1.37s which is quite decent. In darker areas it can take upwards of 2.7
seconds and sometimes it just gives up without grabbing the focus. The cameras performance lags
behind the phase detection autofocus of the Samsung S6 or the iPhone 6, and the laser autofocus of
the LG G3. Software updates have been bumping the speed of the camera app up and performance
upgrades will be welcome as the camera app is average at best.
The camera speeds are not amazing either. Taking a photo in auto mode takes about 1.35s from the
tap of the shutter button to the phone saving it to memory, and this gets worse at 2.10s if HDR
mode is enabled. Switching it to manual gives a great time at less than 0.5s, but the user can always
opt for a longer shutter open time (up to 0.5s) for artistic photos.
In auto mode with flash turned off, the picture is overly grainy and the autofocus took a long amount
of time to lock on to the subject, which during this time, turned its head away in boredom.

The auto mode also does not handle differences in brightness well. Here, we can see that the sky is
too bright to register any details.

There is a HDR mode to try to combat this. Compare the following pictures with HDR mode disabled
(on the left) and enabled (on the right). With HDR on, colours captured are more natural,
representing the yellow hue cast by the setting sun, instead of the overly cool green-blue on with
HDR off. HDR processing is also able to bring out more detail in the whites, but this comes at a cost
of increased processing time.

HDR off (left) and HDR on (right)

Night time performance is particularly interesting. The ISO of the sensor can be pushed to 800
maximum, but this is not recommended for almost all cases. Comparing a shot taken in ISO 800 in
manual mode (on the left) with a shot at ISO 400 in night mode (on the right), the manual shot
exhibited much noise (blown up, left), heavily detracting from the overall aesthetics. Comparatively,
the night mode shot has aggressive noise reduction done resulting in a dreamy softness (blown up,
right).

Manual at ISO 800 (left) and night mode at ISO 400 (right)

Blown up: Manual at ISO 800 (left) and night mode at ISO 400 (right)
Apart from the night mode, there is the additional low-light mode mentioned in the previous
section, where 4 pixels combine to form one. Judging from the sample photo below, we can see that
the amount of light per pixel is significantly increased and the picture appears to be markedly
brighter. There is definitely a greater amount of detail that can be shown from darker areas but
disturbingly, it erases some detail from the bright areas note the lack of portrayal of the

handlebars in the blown up picture on the right. This said, I would only recommend the low-light
mode in really dark situations where there is no light source in the picture else there might be a
chance where the picture will lose details in the brighter areas. For most normal night shots,
especially in Singapore, the night mode should be sufficient.

Picture taken with low-light mode

Blown up: night mode (left) and low-light mode (right) note the differences in detail between the
light and dark areas
There are also many other modes like time-lapse and beautification shots that some users may find
useful or enjoyable to tinker with.
The front-facing camera has a 5MP sensor that can record HD video at 30fps. It is not outstanding by
any means and it would be sufficient for the occasional Skype call.
The camera, despite its many flaws, can be pretty pleasant to use. Even though it may not be
anywhere near the best in its class, it can produce many images that are usable where many other

phones fail to do so. Its low light performance can be good if pushed to its limits, being able to
capture some detail in near-complete darkness, but the overly-aggressive noise reduction is a
feature to be wary of.

Audio
Audio is typical of a smartphone in this price range (excluding the Desire series from HTC). The
volume is sufficiently loud to cover a small room but the sound is tinny and hollow. Bass is almost
non-existent. Granted, this phone is not a professional device catered for audiophiles, but it would
be recommended to use headphones or external speakers if the user demands a better audio
quality. A thing to take note of: while the audio performance of this phone is not particularly great,
most phones of this price range also perform similarly. Before making a purchase, it would be
advisable to go down to the nearest electronics shop (e.g. Courts or Challenger) to test out the audio
quality of new phones.
The 3.5mm output is great for a phone of its price and users are recommended to enjoy their music
using headphones instead of the built in speakers.

Performance
The Intel Atom Z3560 belongs to the Moorefield generation based on the 22nm manufacturing
process. Its quad core, non-hyper threaded processor runs at 1.8GHz while keeping a low TDP.
Putting the processor through a series of tests gives a respectable result.

GeekBench 3[1] provides a benchmark for the processing capabilities of the device. The larger the
score, the more powerful the processor is. Unsurprisingly, the S6 pulls way ahead of the pack, but
the Qualcomm flagship is closer in performance to the Intel Atom SoCs than the Exynos 7420. This is
good news for the Intel powered ZenFones.
Antutu 5[2] gives a more rounded approach, taking into account RAM, CPU and GPU performance
and many others. Here, the S6 takes the lead again and the ZenFones put up a really good fight,
which goes to show that Asus did not sacrifice all that much performance while bringing down the
costs substantially. Most competitors of the price range of the ZE550ML will be using the
Snapdragon 400 or 410 which only offers roughly half the performance of the Z3560.

.
Antutu results

The GFX benchmark [3] rates the GPU performance of the device. The results (in frames-per-second,
fps) start to display a trend, placing Samsungs offering at the top of the pack again, with the M9
scoring a second. Any test clocking a frame rate below 30 fps starts to exhibit some jitter or
stuttering, and the PowerVR G6430 of the ZenFone cranked out a 30 fps result, which is impressive
considering its closest competitors struggle to offer half the ZenFones frame rates. It even managed
to inch out a victory over the expensive ZE551ML. Real life gaming is a lot smoother as the graphics
requirements are not too heavy. Higher frame rates are desired for better GPU performance. Here,

the AKA managed to perform ever so slightly better than the more powerful Redmi 2, but the
difference is only marginal. The ZenFone offers more than a quadrupling in GPU performance as
compared to those phones.

Mozilla Kraken [4] is a benchmark that tests browser performance, running a JavaScript heavy
workload. Results are measured in milliseconds (ms) and the lower the result, the faster the device
can load a webpage. The Zenfones direct competitors are far behind in terms of web browsing.
These tests place the Atom SOC quite comfortably over the aging Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 used
in phones around the same price as the ZE550ML and rivalling the Snapdragon 615 used in more
expensive phones. Pitting it against its bigger brother found in the ZE551ML, the Z3560 is only
slightly weaker in most aspects compared to the Z3580. Top of the line Snapdragon 810 and the
Exynos 7420 fare from marginally better to significantly better, but it is an impressive feat for the
Intel chip to hold its own against much more powerful rivals.
The PowerVR GPU is the same on both Intel chips are the same, and they are able to deliver more
than sufficient processing power for most applications. Even during intensive gaming sessions, the
device remains cool enough to prevent thermal throttling from happening and high frame rates can
be sustained for long periods of time.
Overall, the ZenFone is snappy in most applications, and owing to its ample 2GB of RAM,
multitasking is carried out easily as long as there are not too many demanding applications running
at the same time. Its processor and GPU are very powerful for its price point and it is a significant
step up compared to other processors of most of its competitors. However, it cannot match the
performance of high-end flagship devices.

Battery life
The ZenFone comes equipped with a large 3000 mAh battery. The phone should be equipped to last
for more than a day of moderate usage, but in actual fact there are quite a number of things to take
note of. First, for the ZE550ML, its screen time is expected to be better than the more expensive
ZE551ML due to a lower screen pixel count. On Wi-Fi, screen on time of more than 6 hours can be
expected in optimum scenarios. Second, the battery is not in its ideal state in its first few charges.
Only after around 3 full charges does the battery performance stabilise, otherwise there might be
instances where the battery drains faster than usual.
Speaking of battery drain, the ZenFone had a terrible standby battery drain performance on the outof-box state. The android OS is the main culprit in my experience with 2 separate ZE550MLs. In both
cases, setting the devices on airplane mode in sleep had the android OS eating up more than 60%
(and 99% on another!) in terms of total battery performance. A further analysis of the graph showed
that the device refused to enter deep sleep. On a phone with the Flip Case, the screen will randomly
turn on at times and this is an extremely disturbing behaviour. Users could expect battery drain
upwards of 10-20% throughout the night even on airplane mode.
It was completely unacceptable and this battery drain issue is widely reported as an Android Lollipop
feature. Users should always make sure to update their software to the latest version and disable
auto-syncing, auto-upload of Photos and location, Wi-Fi always scanning and generally any services
that forces the device to wake unless absolutely critical. A factory reset, software update and several
tweaks to the settings later, the device consumed an acceptable 2-3% over a period of 9 hours on
airplane mode, and I ended a workday with a respectable 77% of light usage with roughly 2 hours of
screen on time. This said, I had very high hopes for a phone with such a large battery and I believe
that there is still some room for improvement.
Charging with the non-fast-charging charger, the phone took 1h 59min to achieve max charge. The
rate of gain of battery percentage seems to taper off as the phone reaches the max charge, and
getting from 98% to full charge appears to take much longer than expected. Conversely, the phone
seems to drop from full to around 97% extremely quickly, less than the span of 3 minutes. The top
right side of the phone also got noticeably warmer than usual during this period of time and I could
only hope that it is normal. Users from different forums also noted that the phone can appear to
charge past 100%, which actually refers to keeping the phone plugged in for roughly 15 minutes
even after a 100%. This was noted to significantly increase the time it took for the phone to drop to
97% but I am unsure of the impact this charging method has on the battery life. It is also stated on
the safety manual that some devices are not meant to be plugged into power sockets for extended
periods of time.
Overall, the ZenFone only produced mediocre results for a phone with such a large battery. I am not
sure if it is the fault of Androids Lollipop, Asus launcher or simply poor user habits, but I look
forward to better battery runtimes from future software updates. Users who want to dramatically
improve the phones battery runtime should definitely turn syncing features off and prevent the
device from waking up.

Sibling Rivalry
The ZE550ML, in my opinion, is the perfect balance between budget, battery life, and performance.
It comes equipped with the 64-bit quad core Intel Z3560 running at 1.8GHz, 2GB of RAM and 16GB
of storage, and a 5.5 1280 x 720 pixels screen. Compared with the cheapest option, the 5 ZE500CL
($249), the $50 saved comes at a terribly high cost. The processor is downgraded to the older 32-bit
dual core Z2560, which is a waste considering ZenFones run Android 5.0 lollipop. The cheaper phone
runs on single SIM with the first slot capable of reaching LTE Cat 3 (100/50 Mbps) and has the Wi-Fi
standard 802.11 b/g/n, whereas the ZE550ML is able to reach Cat 4 speeds of (150/50 Mbps) and
supports the newer 802.11 ac standard. A sixth of the battery capacity is shaved off from the
3000mAh batter of the larger model, to the 2500mAh battery of the smaller one. On the software
side, the ZE500CL loses the manual mode functionality offered by its bigger brothers, which is a big
deal for photography buffs. This is a pity, considering how well the camera app is designed for the
larger phones.
Compared to the most expensive variant of the ZenFone, the ZE550ML gives up the full HD display, a
slightly more powerful Intel Z3580 processor, quick charging and 2GB of RAM. It might sound like a
bad way to save $130, but the performance loss is actually not very apparent. In fact, the ZE550ML
only has 1280 x 720 pixels to push, resulting in less stress for the PowerVR G6430 and significant
gains in battery life. 2GB of RAM is generally enough for multitasking of around 4 apps
simultaneously, and unless the poorer screen pixel density (403ppi for the ZE551ML and 267ppi for
the ZE550ML) is a concern, or if you are a multitasking power user, the increased battery life and
money saved would more likely appeal to the average user. The other apparent difference would be
the different back cover material. The ZE550ML uses a soft touch matte plastic back cover, while the
ZE551ML uses brushed plastic. Both are equally appealing to me, and if those aren't enough, there
are always other options available online.
Performance wise, the Z3560 of the ZE550ML is a close rival to the Z3580, but the older generation
Z2560 is significantly weaker than its bigger brothers.

The Z2560 CPU performance is roughly half that of the Z3560, and because it is that old, it does not
have results for latest tests [5], or can the 64-bit test be carried out on it. In actual fact, because of
the higher pixel count of the ZE551ML, the benchmarks do not always reflect real life performance
and the ZE550ML can be faster in a few instances than its bigger brother.

The SunSpider benchmark [7] also tests browser experience (html5) and the lower the results (in ms),
the faster the page should load. Here we can see that the newer generation SoCs fare much better
that the out-dated Z2560.

For a side-by-side video comparison of the 5.5 variants, readers can check out the following video
(for which we have no affiliation with) but I think it provides a good gauge of the real life
performance of each phone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JfvMCMbENU.
Overall, the Z3560 is a close match to its bigger brother the Z3580, but the Z2560 should be avoided
unless the user has an extremely light workload and prefers portability and cost savings of the
ZE500CL over the performance of the ZE550ML. Power users or those demanding a higher screen
pixel density can opt for the much more expensive ZE551ML.

Alternatives
Most competitors of the ZE550ML would be other cheap and powerful phones, and they would likely
be either a stripped down budget version an expensive phone (like the LG G3 S), a mid-ranged, solid
performer (like the HTC Desire 620), or a similarly cheap and powerful phone built with budget in
mind, like the China made Xiaomi Mi 4i.
An advantage of the stripped down version of a flagship would be that it would likely inherit some of
the more desirable qualities. In the case of the G3 S, it certainly looks a lot like the bigger brother,
the LG G3, which is to say that it looks great. It also shares the signature laser autofocus which would
be great for photography fans, if not for the downgraded camera sensor. The camera is not the only
hardware downgrade - there are downgrades in the CPU, screen, and battery, just to name a few.
The G3 S is not a bad phone by all means, just that the inclusion of some of the more premium
features while keeping the price low will really cause major compromises in some areas. It runs on a
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, and sports a pretty 5" 720p screen, and a price worthy of the
Asus. Another alternative in this category is the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, a powerful but expensive
mini-flagship.
The Desire 620 screams mid-range mid-range processor, mid-range screen, and most importantly,
mid-range pricing. These phones are built from the ground up to have a unique placement for
people who are not satisfied with the run of the mill budget phones, but do not want to fork out
ridiculous amounts of money for the flagship devices. These devices usually come equipped with
better specs but it is hard for them to pull away from being ordinary. More recently, companies have
taken steps to differentiate themselves from the rest. The Samsung A series caters for the youth by
providing lightweight and stylish phones, and the LG AKA takes this up a notch by giving their phones
a personality, making it especially appealing to younger people. The Desire 620 takes another
approach with its selling point as its Boomsound speakers. Some dislike the design, as the speakers
make it extremely long and harder to handle, but it is no doubt that the speakers are on a whole
different level than the ZenFones. The speakers cause the phone to have an elongated profile which
is hard to appreciate. The use of cheap glossy plastic on the back exacerbates the poor handling of
the phone, but the cost savings are translated to better hardware: the Desire comes equipped with a
Snapdragon 410 powering the 5" 720p phone.
The greatest rival of the ZenFone (in my opinion, other than the elusive OnePlus One or Yu Yureka
phones) would be the Mi 4i. It takes on after the powerful Mi 4, with the "i" standing for India (or
international, if you prefer to see it that way). The phone appears minimalistic and runs on Mi Ui 6,
which provides a similar user experience to that of the iPhone. It is not necessarily a bad thing, as

usage is simple and snappy. That is in part contributed by its hardware: despite being marginally
cheaper than the ZenFone, it packs in a strong snapdragon 615 SoC, a larger battery with a 3120
mAh capacity, dual Sim capability and a vibrant 5" FHD screen. Looking to be better in almost every
aspect, why should anyone still consider the ZenFone? The Mi 4i has two critical flaws: first is that its
16GB internal storage cannot be expanded - a mighty deal breaker - and second is the widely
reported overheating issue, making extended gaming near impossible. Aside from that, the Mi 4i is a
well-constructed, pretty phone that should be attractive to those who do not require that much
storage, or those who desire a smaller, slimmer phone.
Those that cannot live with the Zenfones bulk can consider the smaller LG G3 S, LG AKA or the Mi 4i.
They can also go for the significantly more expensive but metallic Samsung A3. Those who prefer a
good audio experience at the cost of increased heft can choose the Desire 620 at roughly the same
price. But those who enjoy a well-balanced phone capable of delivering a great user experience on a
budget should seriously consider the Zenfone ZE550ML.

Conclusion
The ZE550ML is all about balancing compromises. Make it too expensive, and it loses its unique price
placement. Make it any cheaper, and Asus risks taking out too much of the good stuff. Honestly, the
ZenFone ZE550ML is not the best phone you can get; it is also not the cheapest phone one can get.
But not everybody desires the absolute fastest and greatest, and not everybody can live with a
terrible budget phone. There is a large group of people who are willing to fork out just a tiny bit
more to enjoy the experience of a well-made phone, and it is this group of people that Asus is
targeting. And Asus delivered a phone that did it. It is a pretty, well-built phone, with a great deal of
power. It can hang around comfortably around premium flagships thrice its price without being out
of place. It is not the best in everything, but it performs great in areas that are important.
Who should get this phone: Users that are switching from a budget phone who want a great user
experience and a large screen without paying too much
Who should not get this phone: Users that come from really premium phones or those who
demand the latest and greatest
One-liner summary: For a low asking price, the ZE550ML offers impressive performance in a large
but beautiful and manageable device

References
[1] Results for phones taken from GeekBench website
[2][3] Results for other phones taken from GSMArena website
[4] Results for phones taken from GSMArena website
[5][6][7] Results for phones taken from Notebookcheck website