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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ketacdx - Tuesday, May 26, 2015 - link
The only apps I've had that wont work are some games. I couldn't get Jet Grind Radio or Chaos Rings GP installed. Otherwise everything worked and I've installed a lot.thetuna - Tuesday, May 26, 2015 - link
You really should compare this to the Alcatel Idol 3 (also a cheap 5.5" 1080 phone).It's an incredible phone for the $200 I paid, and I'd say it's still a deal at the current price of $250.
tipoo - Tuesday, May 26, 2015 - link
I'd go with the ZP2 over that though. The GPU performance on that was far worse iirc, and the whole 8 A53 cores thing is dumb. Does get better battery life though.coolied - Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - link
And it has the advantage on using a Snapdragon SoC, so it should be more compatible.tipoo - Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - link
What apps have you seen not work on x86? Most are cross compiled, and most of the rest run fine on binary translation.zodiacfml - Tuesday, May 26, 2015 - link
Should have been the Nexus. Yet, personally, I just got the N5 last year.One criticism is the back cover which should have been similar to the N5, with a soft but sufficient grip cover. I also found the plastic cover to be good for audio performance producing slightly better bass than those made of aluminum.
I really like the texture of the N5 as I have never dropped it once for almost one year already.
ketacdx - Tuesday, May 26, 2015 - link
I agree the Nexus 5 backing would have rocked on this. This phone is way too slippery vs. size for me to feel comfy not using a case and I hate using cases on phones this big, lol.coolied - Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - link
But you can't expect Asus (Zenfone 2) to use the same materials as LG (Nexus 5)zodiacfml - Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - link
I don't know if it is significantly more expensive and that material has been used several times already making it cheaper.zodiacfml - Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - link
True. It's not the reviewers fault as he dropped the device which produced the marks on the phone.