The ASUS ZenFone 2 Review
by Brandon Chester on May 26, 2015 8:00 AM ESTGPU Performance
As I’ve already mentioned a few times, both models of the ZenFone 2 use the PowerVR G6430 GPU from Imagination Technologies. This is the same GPU used in Apple’s A7 chip, although the implementation in A7 likely has a max GPU clock of around 450MHz, while in Atom Z3560 and Z3580 it peaks at 533MHz. While one would think this would give the ZenFone 2 a lead over the Apple A7 based iOS devices, factors like driver optimization can also play a role.
The ZenFone’s performance in 3DMark is very good, and is one of the highest that we’ve seen. Much of this is due to the score in the physics test, which bests even the Galaxy S6 that had previously topped the chart, and second only to the Venue 8 7000 tablet. In the graphics test it achieves a score similar to that of the iPhone 6. The overall weighted average of the two tests puts the ZenFone 2 in fourth place, between the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy S6 Edge.
In BaseMark X we see that the ZenFone 2 stumbles compared to the G6430 implementation in the iPhone 5s. Despite the higher clock speed on the GPU, it trails the iPhone 5s in both the Dunes and Hanger tests. The final score ends up right in the middle of the chart. It’s not as quick as the iPhone 5s and faster devices, but it’s quicker than those that use Snapdragon 801 and Adreno 330.
Our last benchmark is GFXBench. In the off screen 1080p tests we see that the ZenFone 2 is slightly quicker than the iPhone 5s in both Manhattan and T-Rex HD. The differences are small enough to be attributed to test variance, but the important point is that the G6430 GPU ends up being as quick as the implementation in Apple’s A7 SoC. The fact that it’s only as quick as the iPhone 5s despite its higher clock speeds indicates that PowerVR GPU drivers on Android are not as well optimized as on iOS, and it would be great to see GPU performance improve a little bit down the road via driver improvements.
Overall, the GPU in the ZenFone 2 is more than fast enough to run the OS smoothly and run any 2D or 3D games a user will want to play. The performance is substantially better than any other phone at this price point. It looks like there's still a gap between the optimization of PowerVR GPU drivers on iOS versus Android, but despite that the ZenFone 2 still delivers performance that I know won't disappoint any of its buyers.
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aungmyokhing - Friday, September 4, 2015 - link
Zenfone2 have Touch Screen Error. I bought last 3 months. Now appear that Error. Now I can't use my phone. Very stupid condition!aungmyokhing - Friday, September 4, 2015 - link
My phone have no damage. No cracked. That error was appear automatically.aungmyokhing - Friday, September 4, 2015 - link
I used Zenfone 2 ZE551ML. My phone serial number is F4AZFG02X506.aungmyokhing - Friday, September 4, 2015 - link
Zenfone 2 have the so many errors. That shouldn't for use.Lyte - Saturday, April 9, 2016 - link
I recently bought the Zenfone 2 4GB RAM 64 GB model, and I could say the battery life sucks. One time it lasted for only about 4 hours on minimal use, and Ive already uninstalled and/or disabled the apps which aren't very useful and are just battery drainers. Any suggestions on how I can improve it's batterly life? Also I came from a Galaxy J7, and I could say the display is subpar to that of the super AMOLED 1280x720 display of the J7.Mike0902 - Wednesday, June 8, 2016 - link
I bought the same model as you and have to agree that the battery life is a known problem with this phone. I could probably make it through the day just so long as I don't play power hungry games at anytime. When I bought this phone it seems people were blaming the OS saying it was a known problem with Android 5 and there would be an update to 5.1 which should improve the battery life. As yet after 8 long months no update has been received even though Asus have sent out other updates during that time. From what I can gather now is that Asus are planning to skip 5.1 and go straight to Android 6.0. I shall only believe it when I see it especially with the broken promises of 5.1. I did a test to see exactly what was eating the battery and first off did a test by turning everything off using 'flight mode', increasing the brightness to maximum and keeping the screen on continuously to see how long it lasted before the battery gave out. It stayed on for an incredible 8 hours before the battery cried enough. It clearly isn't the screen that is responsible and I now run my phone on 75% brightness whereas before I was dimming it in the belief if would make the battery last longer. I have Sonic Dash installed on my phone which is a known power hungry game but I can play that for as long as my Nokia 1520 which is surprising as I was expecting the battery to plummet as soon as I started playing. Even saved videos play at full brightness without a massive battery drain so just what is causing the battery life to be so crap when in normal use? I have 2 SIM cards installed with SIM 1 using 4G and that is known to be power hungry but the biggest fall of all is when you start to use the internet through Google Chrome. The battery literally goes into freefall and will drop at a rate of approximately 1% every minute so a full charge would give you less than 2 hours of web surfing which is abysmal compared with other phones, therefore it seems the biggest eater of power is that Intel 2.3GHz processor. I can have an hours calling time using 4G and only use 10% of the battery but anything that uses the internet, which is just about every app installed, has to be refused permission to auto start and run in the background eating up the power. You can deny virtually all the apps from starting using the Auto Start Manager and I have also found it helps to run Clean Master at regular intervals to close down apps that have been used and get rid of junk files that build up. It's not strictly the answer but it does help and it does make the battery last longer and just about sees me through a day. With regard to the promised upgrade to Android 6.0, I wouldn't hold your breath on that one, I shall only believe it when I see it.Mike0902 - Wednesday, June 8, 2016 - link
Just as an after thought, if you only want to use your phone for calling and texting through the day go into the settings and turn off mobile data. No app can drain power then.