[Preface]

ASUS has always been a big PC factory in people's traditional impression. As mentioned, the famous "Asustek quality, firm as a rock" resonates in my mind. In fact, Asustek is also the fastest and strongest computer manufacturer in the field of mobile Internet. Compared with Acer, Gigabyte, Dell and other first-line PC manufacturers, ASUS clearly attaches the highest importance to mobile phones. In a twinkling of an eye, ASUS's ZenFone series has developed into the third generation. The first release of Zenfone 3 was on Computex at the end of May 2016, when ASUS Chairman Johnny Shih made a passionate introduction on the stage.

The press conference in mainland China was held on September 20, and the keynote speaker was Shen Zhenlai, the general manager of ASUS. I remember that Love to play computer games A live video broadcast was also conducted.

First of all, I would like to thank igao7 for giving me the opportunity to experience this latest ASUS mobile phone product. To briefly introduce, the author has visited ASUS Suzhou Factory (Mingshuo and Kangshuo) for many times due to his work, and he still knows about ASUS products and development.

I have used ASUS Selfie mobile phone for a long time before, and I am familiar with ASUS mobile phone product line. I hope to have the opportunity to share with you some experience in the use of this product.

[Unpacking]

Without saying much, let's first look at unpacking. This Zenfone 3 is packed in a world cover style, instead of a drawer like Selfie, and more dignified:

Various parameters are marked on the back. The mobile phone is produced by Kangshuo in Suzhou, and Kangshuo is affiliated to Heshuo United:

Take out the mobile phone body and protect it with plastic film:

The back protection is also very good:

For the first time, ASUS Slogan appears:

The lock screen interface, the screen that appears after each lock screen is brand new, which can be said to be the changeable lock screen wallpaper:

After removing the phone, there is a small box below:

Inside are warranty cards and instructions:

Next is Type-C charging cable, earphone, silicone earphone head, and charger:

[Details]

As the saying goes, see the real chapter for details. After unpacking, let's take a look at the details of the machine.

The buttons on the side have been sandblasted, which is very exquisite:

The 2.5D glass on the front, with the return key on the left, is different from most Android phones on the market:

The blue metal back cover on the back also adopts exquisite sandblasting process, and is covered with 2.5D glass:

The processing precision of the back side is very high, and it is a whole panel. It can be said that the product is perfect without work:

The details of the card taking needle are also very good:

【 Hardware]

After several generations of development, it can be said that the hardware of ASUS mobile phones has become perfect. In the previous generation and the second generation, there are many models that use Intel's main control CPU, resulting in slightly poor compatibility. At Zenfone 3, ASUS began to fully turn to the ARM platform. For example, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 adopted this time uses a 14nm process to ensure excellent endurance. At the same time, 625 natively supports 4K video recording from hardware, which is also very good.

In addition, both the camera module and the whole machine technology have significantly improved and evolved compared with the previous generation and the second generation. No wonder Zenfone 3 became the model whose sales volume in Taiwan in 2016 was second only to that of iPhone.

[Software interaction UI/UX]

After talking about the hardware part, it's time to talk about the software part. ASUS has provided three desktops for the Launcher of Zenfone 3, and has made a detailed classification of applications:

Phone, SMS and browser interfaces, you can see some familiar interactive interfaces of Android 6.0:

After startup, the system pushed updates, and the first time to upgrade:

Asus Zenfone 3's desktop is called "easy", which evolved from the original Zen UI:

Like the previous Zen UI, it provides simple mode and children mode:

In terms of interaction, it is close to the original Android 6.0, and has made some optimization for the habits of Chinese people. However, there is potential for improvement in some areas, such as the pull-down quick control bar, which needs to be pulled down twice before it can be called out, while many other UIs only need to slide down or up once to achieve:

【 Camera]

Then let's take a look at the performance of the camera. The sensor used by Zenfone 3 this time is Sony's IMX298. Although it is not the latest module, it is enough to carry the flag of the flagship. Although there are already products equipped with IMX398 on the market, it seems that the IMX298 still has the following specifications:

The performance in the indoor environment is also very good, and the PDAF phase focusing speed is very fast:

Macro close-up, thanks to the use of laser focusing, can focus accurately and quickly for close shooting:

The display of food details is very clear, with high resolution and low noise:

The night scene performance is also satisfactory:

On the whole, this camera is completely in line with the positioning of the flagship machine, and ASUS has relatively mature tuning and image algorithms for this IMX298. The performance of white balance and photometry is quite good, and the focusing speed is also very powerful. It is very rare that the film is sharp and supports both optical and electronic anti shake.

[Endurance]

Thanks to the 14nm process of Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 and the 3000mAH large capacity battery, the endurance performance of ASUS Zenfone 3 Smart is very good. It can be used for a whole day under moderate use intensity. I usually charge it every two days:

In terms of charging specifications, the original charger is 5V2A, which is slightly conservative for a mobile phone with a price close to 3000 yuan. In theory, Snapdragon 625 can work with the QC3.0 charging circuit, so it would be better if Zenfone 3 could be equipped with a charging head of more than 15W.

[Accessories]

On the ASUS mobile phone setting interface, there are options for setting ASUS leather cases.

However, in fact, only third-party leather cases can be found online. It is difficult to buy official leather cases. I hope this can be improved.

Summary

As I said in the title of the article, ASUS is a giant in hardware. After several generations of development, the hardware of ASUS mobile phones has become increasingly perfect by the time they reach Zenfone 3. In particular, the design of the whole metal on the back and 2.5D glass makes the feel and appearance of the whole machine reach a very high level. There is no doubt about ASUS's strength in hardware, and it often brings us surprises. For example, the ASUS Zenfone Hawkeye mobile phone launched earlier is a miracle in engineering. This time, Zenfone 3 Smart let us experience the strength of ASUS's design level and manufacturing process. In addition, the third generation Zenfone has started to switch to the ARM platform, and even the UI has a Chinese name of "easy", which makes people feel that ASUS is more grounded this time.

It can be said that this is a near perfect work with a high degree of completion. However, there are still some potential challenges to the extreme. For example, the ease of use of the easy to use UI still has potential. For another example, the frame of the screen can be made narrower, and it would be better if the original accessories could be easier to purchase. Some domestic mobile phone manufacturers even give away two mobile phone cases directly in the package. I think ASUS can also consider this approach.

I have been playing with this phone since I got it these days. Because the handle of double-sided 2.5D glass is really excellent, including the sandblasting process on the back, which makes it very eye-catching in the light. In fact, this excellent appearance alone can trigger users' desire to buy. In addition to the stackable camera performance, I think ASUS only needs to further optimize the UI to make the product more perfect. Those who are familiar with DIY are very familiar with ASUS. Among all the manufacturers I have met, ASUS is the fastest transformation to mobile Internet among the major PC manufacturers, and we expect ASUS to launch more excellent products.

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