Borrowing majorly from the Zenfone 3 Max, the Zenfone 3 Laser can easily be mistaken for one. More than a budget device, the Zenfone 3 Laser can be considered to be a degraded variant of the Zenfone 3 Max we reviewed a couple of weeks ago. To learn in detail, refer to our Zenfone 3 Max review, since we find both devices very alike overall, if not the same. Please consider this written review to be a detailed follow-up (sort of) review of the Laser variant.
Design and Build
The Zenfone 3 Laser undoubtedly adapts to a premium industrial design language which quite accurately mirrors Max’s design language except, the laser is a tad bit more curved from the back. Apart from that, the design has a significant heft and feels brilliant to grab, not to mention the sleek and glossy antenna lines. Though the design is elegant, it goes without saying that it’s mundane, almost every budget device in 2016 has accommodated to a similar design, making the market extremely saturated. Which implies, the phone won’t exactly stand out. Right off the back, the phone has a camera protruding out of the build, but the hump caused isn’t noticeably prominent. The camera lays between the dual-tone LED Flash and the Laser autofocus. On the bottom, there’s an Asus branding laying flush. The phone possesses a FullHD 1080P screen, but the 2.5D curvature of the glass isn’t very pronounced, it feels lacking compared to the Max. However, the display is gorgeous and enunciates colors beautifully.
The phone possesses a FullHD 1080P screen, but the 2.5D curvature of the glass isn’t pronounced enough and feels lacking compared to the Max. Nonetheless, the display is gorgeous and enunciates colors beautifully.
Performance
The Zenfone 3 Laser brings the Snapdragon 430 entry level chipset, along with 4GB RAM and Adreno 505 GPU. On a mid-range pricing, the phone brings an entry level chipset, combined with a magnanimous RAM and an apposite GPU. The field isn’t established suitably from the commencement itself, reflecting on the performance of the phone. The Zenfone 3 Laser glides through day-to-day usage, including social media apps, productivity apps, and multitasking. On top of that, the phone is also capable of gaming, but only the small and indie titles, it barely manages to cope up with the graphic intensive ones.
Camera
The Zenfone 3 Laser’s camera is a downgrade compared to Max’s camera. The sensor present on the Zenfone 3 Laser is a 13-megapixel sensor, maxing out at 1080P only. The images produced are not the most detailed, and lacking in the dynamic range. For the most part, the images turn out to be of an inferior quality, and not even adequate. Occasionally, images turn out to be great. Take a look at the samples below. The front camera seems to capture decent selfies, being an 8-megapixel sensor. The details are good enough, also the color reproduction.
