The ASUS ZenFone 2 Review
by Brandon Chester on May 26, 2015 8:00 AM ESTWiFi Performance
While 802.11ac is still very much a cutting edge WiFi technology with limited adoption, it's rapidly becoming a necessity in the smartphone space just to remain competitive with the specifications of other manufacturers. Because of this, both the $199 and $299 models of the ZenFone 2 sport 1x1 802.11ac WiFi. It's funny to see this included in such an inexpensive smartphone when it's left out of $700 laptops like the ASUS UX305.
The ZenFone 2 uses Broadcom's BCM4339 WiFi + BT4.0 module. A single spatial stream 802.11ac implementation means that it's limited to a maximum speed of 433Mbps. To see how fast the ZenFone 2 can send UDP packets I've run it through our standard iPerf test for mobile devices.
Theoretical maximum speeds are rarely able to be achieved in real world testing due to interference, distance, and other factors. 293Mbps is pretty good for a 1x1 802.11ac implementation on a phone, and much better than some other inexpensive devices like the Lumia 735 which only support 802.11n. 802.11ac isn't very widely adopted yet among consumers and so I don't think ZenFone 2 users will be disappointed in their WiFi performance now or in the future.
GNSS
Thanks to a tip from a reader, I can confirm that the ZenFone 2 uses Broadcom's BCM4753. This is different from most devices which use the GNSS solution built into Qualcomm's Gobi modems. Despite this, I didn't notice any issues with the accuracy or speed of the GNSS implementation on the ZenFone 2. With GPS assistance data cleared and the device in airplane mode I was able to achieve a 3D fix in around 55 seconds. This will obviously vary depending on weather conditions, the positions of satellites, and various other factors. With GPS assistance info getting a lock took less than five seconds.
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Brandon Chester - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link
I never had a second SIM in the phone.Ethos Evoss - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
LG g3 copy ?arnab_mallik - Monday, June 15, 2015 - link
Can u actually get 390 nits of brightness in this device?Rahul Ram - Tuesday, June 16, 2015 - link
Sir my mom offered me 25,000 rupeesi wish buy asus zenfone 2
shall i buy it or not
ofers - Thursday, June 18, 2015 - link
הוראות הפעלה בעברית שלטלפון חדשginto - Wednesday, June 24, 2015 - link
Hi, I just have a brand new ASUS ZENFONE 2 ZE551ML 4/64GB after months of waiting. First day I charge it overnight and day after when it was at 39% it automatically shut down I try a 2nd overnight charge, after 6 hours working and setting pretty good it will automatically shut down when the battery was about 43% and has to be connected to the charger if i want to start up. ! 3rd overnight charge and yesterday evening at around 45% shut down AGAIN. I not charge it anymore. Go back to shop for money back !!OFelix - Saturday, June 27, 2015 - link
Is the battery fixed or replaceable? It doesn't say in the table of spec's (it should!).I couldn't find this obvious piece of information on the battery life page.
(I searched for 'fix','remov' or 'replac')
squalldna - Sunday, June 28, 2015 - link
am i the only one getting this problem with my zf2 2gb 16gb 1.8ghz:after complete battery drain, device cant resume when turned on unless charged for 10-20 minutes. unlike my other devices they can be turned on from 0% battery immediately once plugged. i posted this to XDA, people said that it's normal. do you have the same experience?
Belldandy - Friday, August 21, 2015 - link
Can we get an update on the Zenfone 2 after numerous firmware updates? Also if possible test out the 4GB/ 64GB flash and the 3580 processor.eldakka - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
" While battery life on the ZenFone 2 may not always be the best, buyers may find some comfort in knowing that when it does die they'll be able to get it up and running in a very short period of time."Sounds a lot like a teenager.