Phones from many other manufacturers also come with beautification mode. However, these modes are only for photos. It is claimed about Zenfone Live that it will provide artificial beauty enhancement feature in live videos. Does Asus ZenFone Live Help You Look Better Online? Know about the overall performance of the phone.
asus zenfone live design
Asus is known for launching phones with similar designs in a particular series. Instead of introducing the Zenfone Live in a new look, the company has launched it with the same design as the Zenfone 3 series. ZenFone Live is available in Rose Pink, Black and Gold color variants. Due to the curved edges and edges of the phone, it is easy to hold. Weighing in at 120 grams, we felt the phone was light. Asus has used primary materials like plastic for the phone and it does not feel premium.
Asus ZenFone Live has a 5-inch display with 2.5D glass. The phone has a front camera, selfie flash, proximity sensor and metal mesh earpiece above the display. Asus has replaced the onscreen navigation buttons with capacitive touch buttons. But, the lack of backlit of these buttons is disappointing and it is difficult to use the phone in the dark.
The ZenFone Live has volume and power/lock buttons on the right side and has a textured finish. Due to the different texture, it is easy to differentiate between these two buttons. On the left side is a hybrid SIM tray that can be used for two nano SIM cards or a nano SIM card and a microSD card.
The Asus ZenFone Live has a micro-USB port, a single speaker grille and a microphone port and 3.5mm audio jack at the bottom. While there is a secondary microphone at the top. The phone has a 13-megapixel camera on the rear which comes with LED flash. There is a metallic Asus logo in the center on the rear. The ZenFone Live doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor and that’s a disappointment.
asus zenfone live specifications
Asus, without giving detailed information about the processor of Zenfone Live on its website, has directly mentioned the Qualcomm Snapdragon quad core processor. Most people would guess it to be a Snapdragon 425 or older Snapdragon 410 processor. But Asus has chosen Snapdragon 400. A phone launched in 2017 has a 2013 processor. The processor runs at 1.5 GHz and 2 GB RAM is provided.
Zenfone Live has 16 GB inbuilt storage, out of which only 10 GB is for user use. Storage can be expanded up to 256 GB via microSD card. The battery is non-removable and is of 2650 mAh. Asus also ships a SIM ejector tool, a USB cable, and a 5.2-watt charger in the box with the phone.
asus zenfone live camera performance
The ZenFone Live sports a 15-megapixel front camera with a selfie flash. There is a 13-megapixel rear camera with single LED flash. The camera app is easy to use and has the option of many modes.
During our usage, the phone focused quickly in daylight. Whereas while clicking macro shots, it took some time for the phone to focus. The photos come out fine and are worthy of sharing on social media.
In low light, the camera takes time to focus and the quality of the photos is not good. There is an option to switch to low-light mode in the camera, which can increase ISO and reduce the shutter speed. Additionally, photo resolution in this mode is limited to 3 megapixels.
For video recording, the camera supports a maximum of 1080 pixels. But the camera doesn’t autofocus continuously and you’ll have to tap during recording. Software video stabilization is available but the resolution needs to be reduced to 720 pixels to enable it. Beautification mode is also available while recording videos but there are very few beautification options provided in it. Apart from this, we noticed that there is a slight problem while recording video when the beautification mode is switched on.
The 5-megapixel selfie camera on the Zenfone Live with support for 1.4 micron pixels and a selfie flash will help in taking good pictures in low light. Beautification mode is on by default and there are many options to make changes in it. When beautification is enabled, it takes time for the phone to process photos. Video recording up to 720 pixels can be done with the selfie camera. And beautification mode can be used here also. We found that the device does experience issues when shooting with this mode. There is a problem while recording video in the phone, while applying filters and while displaying output on the screen.
The Live Beautification feature works as advertised. ZenFone Live currently supports live beautification for streaming on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. In this mode, a dial shows from zero to 10 through which you can adjust the beautification level as per your need. Live Beautification works for both front and rear cameras and we noticed that the filters applied are not very good. This feature worked well during testing on Instagram.
asus zenfone live performance
When we saw the Snapdragon 400 processor in the phone, we were very disappointed. This processor was first given in Moto G (Review). And the same processor was also given in Android wearable devices. Choosing an older processor is a bit strange and can be a big mistake.
From the very beginning it was known that an old processor has been given in Zenfone Live. It takes a long time to load apps and play games and having 2GB of RAM doesn’t help either. The RAM management of Zenfone Live is so active that apps get relaunched again and again. And the repeated loading times of the app become annoying.
There is a ZenUI skin on top of the older Android Marshmallow, but the phone remains as easy to use and operate as stock Android. Asus has chosen a light theme and large icons for quick toggles, making them easy to use. Apps can also be launched with gestures and the display can be turned on and off by double tapping on the display. Asus has pre-installed a lot of apps including Facebook and Instagram, which won’t be of use to everyone.
We played games like Clash Royale, Breakneck, Warhammer 40K and Asphalt 8 Airborne on the phone. Breakneck and Asphalt 8 Airborne took time to load. The phone slows down so much while playing Breakneck that we even had trouble seeing the notification shade.
Asus Zenfone Live runs all the games but the battery drains fast. The 2650 mAh battery won’t last very long. Asus has assured 4G and VoLTE support on both SIM slots in the Zenfone line but only one SIM supports 4G at a time while the other is limited to 2G connectivity.
our decision
Asus ZenFone Live claims to be the first live beautification mode for social media. While the phone has some advantages, there are also many shortcomings. It is a big ask given the older processor in the Zenfone Live and the absence of a fingerprint sensor is also disappointing.
Asus has introduced a nice feature and it will work better with good hardware. It will be interesting to see whether this feature comes to other Asus smartphones or not. The processor is the only component in the ZenFone Live that hurts the overall performance of the phone. At a price of Rs 9,999, it’s hard to recommend the ZenFone Live as a purchase, especially when smartphones like the Redmi 4 (Review) and Moto G5 offer the best overall package for value for money.