Pros: Built in software provided by ASUS is phenomenal: notifies you of resource draining apps, auto startup apps, dangerous weather, including UV forcast, and asks the user if they want to kill apps that drain your RAM, CPU and/or battery... Upgardable storage space via MicroSD, 4gb of RAM and a 1.8ghz intel quad-core was the main selling points for me. Definately impressive for the price, if the phone did not nag you to do a system update that seems to have killed my phone.

Cons: The camera is pathetically grainy, even after updates. The Laser Zenfone2 was introduced shortly after this model. I wish I had saved my money now that a better model is available for slightly more cash.

Other Thoughts: Wasting my money and time on a phone that lasts less than half a year leaves a once loyal ASUS fan to grumble in disdain. After all the time I spent raving to nurses and couriers about this phone, I expected it to last at least as long as my previous HTC Evo, HTC One and Samsung S4... ASUS has lost a happy customer and a boisterous voice for them in me... I won't be buying another ASUS computer after this either.

Manufacturer Response:

Hello Eric,

Thank you for taking the time to write a review for ASUS ZenFone 2. We certainly understand your concerns and apologize for any inconvenience. ASUS Customer Loyalty is available for warranty assistance or any technical related issues you may have. It's unfortunate to hear it didn't last as long as it normally should. Please keep in mind ZenFone 2 comes with a one year warranty. We will honor the warranty and issue an RMA to send in for service if needed. If you are unable to power on please try holding power button and volume up buttons together for 1 minute without charger connected. Next, please try connecting charger, check for LED indicator light and allow charge. In some cases it has taken up to 36 hours for it to come back to life. It’s possible something could have caused the phone to have grounded out which disables and discharges the battery completely. If it's not charging and not turning on then it will require sending in for warranty service.

If you would like further assistance, please feel free to contact me directly at cl-frank@asus.com. Please include a link to this review as a reference.

Sincerely,
Frank
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: awesome software, very customizable user interface, mobile hotspot with straight talk no problems!

Cons: loud speaker blew within the first two months of having phone, def a hardware problem,contacting newegg now to see what werer going to do about this issue. also not much choices for protective cases out there which is a huge flaw in my opinion

Other Thoughts: the phone itself is cool, button layout is good, screen is awesome, phones not too bulky, runs all apps fine, software is sweet, you can lockout individual apps with a swipe password, if somone tries to enter the app with the wrong password it will take a picture of them! kinda cool! very upset about the loud speaker hardware failure! huge dissapointment, look at some reviews on google im not the only person with this issue!

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Blake,

Thank you for choosing ASUS products. We value your feedback and apologize for this inconvenience. Normally after 30 days the place of purchase will refer you to ASUS for warranty repair. If you haven't already contacted ASUS please allow me to assist you with warranty. If you would like to discuss further please feel free to contact me at cl-frank@asus.com with case # N160140652 in the subject line.

Sincerely,
Frank
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: Great battery life. I use this phone a lot and it lasts the whole day. Has a very fair price tag. Easy to see in sunlight.

Cons: Theres virtually nothing wrong with this phone except for the power button. I for one don't use the power button because it also turns on with 2 taps in the middle of the screen but the power button isn't very clicky and can get annoying if you're using a case.

Pros: So far so good. Runs real smooth and video quality is great. The build quality feels quite good.

Cons: Still figuring out all the software to delete and turn off to get the battery to last longer. Went through 12% with google maps on while streaming radio for a 30 min commute home from work. Doesn't seem that good yet.

Only silly thing is the lower outside buttons (back and windows) should be switched so the more frequently used back button is closer for right handers.

Other Thoughts: Excellent phone so far $250 including a free external battery pack and 1 year replacement plan for when I inevitably break the screen.

Pros: Big screen. Nice camera(s). Fairly stable wifi even with low signal strength, fast navigation. Lots of ram for multiple open apps. Can double tap the screen to wake/sleep. Can use gestures on sleeping phone screen to quickly launch right into specific apps (any app you choose, but limited by only a few letter shaped gestures).

Cons: Lots of bloatware (not really a huge con, just have to disable them from starting up and/or uninstall them). Asus UI is kind of awkward to learn at first (finding the settings/configurations for a specific thing on the phone is tricky, since they seem to be scattered everywhere). Power button at top is hard to reach (though is offset by being able to double tap screen for wake/sleep). Battery life is short until you go through the settings and disable unneeded things running in the background, then its about average (one charge a day for me, so far). Has full phone storage/external storage (microSD card) encryption. Very, VERY bright LED's on the camera, which are used with the flashlight app (don't look directly at them while on, seriously).

Other Thoughts: This is a great phone for the price, at one third the cost of a new iPhone. Its big, though, so don't think you can carry this in a shirt pocket. Despite its large size, it feels thin and has a curved back, so it fits in the hand well. The big size is needed for its full 1080p HD screen, which is great for games and videos. Hope Asus updates this to the lattest Lollipop soon, and maybe Marshmallow in the near future.

Pros: Very fast, customizable

Cons: Battery life is average, hard keys don't illuminate

Other Thoughts: Too many complaints with the bloatware apps. Personally, if you aren't able to disable/delete these apps or if they truly bother you that much, go waste 2.5x more on an iPhone.

Pros: Beautiful phone. Compatible with T-Mobile LTE, got blistering speeds walking around downtown Arlington, VA (73 Mbps down, 27 up). Lightning fast. Gorgeous screen,

Cons: Asus's bloatware is annoying. There are a ridiculous amount of apps you can only disable, not remove. You have to ungroup them from these silly arbitrary groups the phone software decides to put them in. Also, even disabled apps still ask to be updated.

Other Thoughts: For the price, it's a steal. It would be worth the money at twice the price.

Pros: Fast and the screen is adequately large. Super happy with the power and price ratio.

Cons: You will see this in every review of the phone. Pre-installed apps are there by default and most can not be removed as it is. That said, some are okay and others can be "turned off". The memory on this phone allows you to run many apps without noticing, but its annoying that you can not un-install them.

Other Thoughts: Personally I read a lot on the phone and had a S3 before this one. They say the screen is large, but in my opinion it is just right for a phone. I will never be mistaken for a tablet, but it is not so small it is in the way. One thing I do miss is voice commands for turning off my alarm in the morning that I had on my S3.

Pros: Very speedy phone, handles all the apps I can throw at it. Ran Hearthstone, and Plague Inc at the same time, and noticed little to no dips in performance. The screens resolution is fairly high quality, nothing to hold in high regard. The phone comes with a lot of bloatware, easy to uninstall/disable, but annoying. The ZenUI allows for changing the themes, including the Icons, which is a nice touch, allowing lots of customization, something I quite enjoy. The camera is quite nice as well, taking pictures, and editing them is easy. The phone, while being quite large, fits well in my pocket, and is actually less noticeable than my last one.

Cons: The phone is big, as previously mentioned, and that makes it fairly annoying to use the lock button, which is located at the top, right in the middle. You can double tab the screen to lock, and wake the phone, which is nice.

Other Thoughts: I had to RMA the phone the first time around, due to the fact that it wouldn't boot after one use. Wasn't a huge deal, just thought I'd mention.

Pros: Low price

Cons: Poor quality

Other Thoughts: Cheapest glass ever, amazing how little force is needed to break. I feel totally ripped off, it broke in days, while phones from years ago can be seen on Youtube hammering in nails. I have bought hundreds of Asus products over the years, mostly motherboards, always impressed with the quality. I'm shocked how bad this product is, do not buy.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Lois,

Thank you for choosing ASUS products. We are sorry to hear the Zenfone was acidently damaged. If you would like assistance with an RMA to send in for service please feel free to contact me direct at cl-frank@asus.com. Unfortunately Zenfone 2 does not have any type of accidental damage protection and will be processed as out-of-warranty.

Sincerely,
Frank
ASUS Customer Loyalty