秋季(fall season)到了，华硕准备(ASUS)推出一系列新的ZenFone智能手机。该公司推出了三种不同的型号，均在同一代：华硕 ZenFone 3(ASUS ZenFone 3)、华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) Deluxe和华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) Ultra。它们都具有坚实的硬件特性，每款智能手机都涵盖不同的价格段(price segment)。几周前，我们拿到了华硕 ZenFone 3(ASUS ZenFone 3) ( ZE520KL )，它是新家族的小兄弟：它是一款 5.2英寸的智能手机(inch smartphone)有很多话要说，甚至更多要炫耀。在对它进行彻底测试并每天使用它之后，在这篇评论中，我们想告诉你它是如何工作的，我们喜欢它的地方以及它的弱点是什么：
硬件(Hardware)规格和包装
华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL 智能手机(ZE520KL smartphone)采用黑色硬纸盒(cardboard box)，外观和感觉都很高级。华硕(ASUS)用于包装的设计非常简单简约，但也很优雅。盒子的顶部中间只有Zenfone 3的名称。
这家台湾公司的名字也不能少——它巧妙地压印在盒子的一侧。底部是您获取有关内容的详细信息的地方。在那里，您会找到一张贴有您刚购买的智能手机名称的标签，以及有关其硬件和软件规格(hardware and software specifications)的一些技术细节。
包装打开类似于手表盒(watch box)，里面装有华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL 智能手机(ZE520KL smartphone)、充电器(power charger)和可拆卸的 USB 转USB C 型数据线(USB Type C cable)、一副耳机和一组不同尺寸的耳塞、一个用于弹出的金属针(metal pin)智能手机中的SIM 卡托盘、(SIM tray)保修卡(warranty card)、快速入门指南(start guide)和一些其他文档。
当我们打开包装并查看华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL时，我们的第一印象是我们手里拿着一台高级设备。我们很快就会看到，这款智能手机是市场上顶级中端(mid range)智能手机的有力挑战者。
华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3)ZE520KL拥有 5.2英寸的屏幕(inch screen)，是一款中等尺寸(medium size)的智能手机，无论您的手大还是小，都适合您的手。这款智能手机使用的显示屏是Super IPS+电容式触摸屏，具有FullHD（1080 x 1920像素）分辨率和 424 ppi 像素密度(ppi pixel density)。这些规格的IPS 部分(IPS part)意味着屏幕应该提供自然的色彩、良好的对比度(contrast ratio)和一些非常好的亮度水平。
还值得注意的是，智能手机的显示屏和背面均受到康宁大猩猩玻璃 2.5D(Gorilla Glass 2.5D)的保护。这意味着智能手机的屏幕和背面受到了边缘弯曲的强化玻璃板的保护。(glass sheet)这种选择有两个好处：从美学的角度来看，智能手机看起来更好，边缘更符合人体工程学。当您握住并使用智能手机时，您的手指只会碰到边缘周围的光滑表面。
进入(Enter)华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL的内部，你会发现它运行在 64 位八核 2.0GHz Cortex-A53 处理器和高通 MSM8953 Snapdragon 625(Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625)芯片组上。这种处理能力还得到了Adreno 506图形芯片的帮助。内存方面，华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL可以配备 3 或 4GB 的LPDDR3 RAM 内存(LPDDR3 RAM memory)，以及 32 或 64GB 的内置存储空间(storage space)，具体取决于您购买的型号。我们使用 4GB RAM 内存(RAM memory)和 64GB 内部存储空间(storage space)对模型进行了测试。除了你从一开始就得到的，如果你想增加你的智能手机的存储容量(storage capacity)，您应该知道您还可以添加最大 2TB 的MicroSD 卡(MicroSD card)。
看起来华硕(ASUS)比许多其他制造商更了解相机对智能手机的重要性，而在华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL 上(ZE520KL)，他们在这方面做得非常好。该智能手机使用带有 16 兆像素传感器、AF/2.0 光圈和 6P 大立光镜头的主后置摄像头(Largan)。该相机还受益于 0.03 秒激光自动对焦(laser auto-focus)、4 轴光学图像稳定系统(Optical Image Stabilization system)和双 LED 真色调闪光灯(tone flash)。在智能手机的正面，华硕(ASUS)配备了一个具有 f/2.0 光圈的 8兆像素摄像头(megapixel camera)，这应该是所有自拍爱好者的最爱。🙂
谈到连接选项，需要注意的是华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL是一款双SIM 卡智能手机(SIM smartphone)，这意味着它可以同时使用两张SIM卡。它可以连接到 4G 移动网络（虽然一次只有一张SIM 卡(SIM)可以使用 4G），并且它还内置了蓝牙 4.2(Bluetooth 4.2)芯片，用于近距离无线(range wireless)连接。在无线连接方面(wireless connectivity)，它使用与 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac networking标准兼容的网络芯片(network chip)，因此它可以连接到 2.4GHz 和 5GHz 无线网络。
华硕 ZenFone 3(ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL还安装(ZE520KL)了各种传感器。除了加速度计、陀螺仪、接近或环境光传感器(proximity or ambient light sensor)等常见传感器外，华硕(ASUS)还在设备背面配备了指纹扫描仪，您可以使用它来解锁(fingerprint scanner)智能手机或(smartphone or authenticate)在各种应用程序中进行身份验证。
这款智能手机的自主性由不可拆卸的 2650mAh 电池提供，再加上新一代芯片组(generation chipset)，一次充电可提供超过一天的电池续航(battery life)时间。
如果尺寸和重量(size and weight)是您关心的事情，您应该知道它在长度为 5.78 英寸（146.87 毫米）、宽度为 2.91 英寸（73.98 毫米）和 0.30 英寸（7.69 毫米）的机身中重 5.08 盎司（144 克）在厚度。
如果您想了解有关华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL规格的更多详细信息，请查看其官方网站：ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL。
在硬件能力方面，华硕 ZenFone 3 ZE520KL 拥有您所期望的一切，并且比顶级中端智能手机更多。(In terms of hardware power, the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL has everything you'd expect and a bit more from a top mid range smartphone.)
设计和建造质量
我们将首先说华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL是我们今年夏天有机会测试的最漂亮的Android智能手机之一。(Android)它可能是一款中端智能手机(midrange smartphone)，价格(price tag)并不高，但这并不意味着华硕在制造(ASUS)华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL的设计和材料方面做出了妥协。
该智能手机有四种颜色可供选择：蓝宝石黑、月光白、水蓝色(Sapphire Black, Moonlight White, Aqua Blue)和微光金(Shimmer Gold)，您可以在下图中看到。我们测试过的是蓝宝石黑色(Sapphire Black)模型，至少在我们看来，它看起来很棒。
正如我们在本次评测的硬件规格部分也简要提到的那样，智能手机的屏幕和背面都被玻璃覆盖。使用这种材料既有好处也有坏处。ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL外观时尚，可与任何优雅装束完美搭配。但是，每一面的所有玻璃也意味着智能手机是一块指纹磁铁，您对此无能为力。当然，除非(Unless)你要一直清理它，否则可能会导致你不想患上强迫症。(OCD disorder)🙂
当然，你也可以给自己买一个漂亮的保护套，把你的智能手机放进去，但为什么要用这么漂亮的智能手机呢？像这样隐藏它会很可惜。而且，根据我们自己的经验，我们可以告诉您，手机壳通常会干扰手电筒的工作方式，而且可能更难触及手机背面的指纹传感器。(fingerprint sensor)智能手机上的所有玻璃都在由磨砂塑料(matte plastic)制成的弯曲边缘上相遇，并通过两条非常细的拉丝金属线进行了强化，但也具有风格。
智能手机的正面以 5.2英寸显示屏(inch display)为主，但它也是前置摄像头(front camera)和顶部耳机的所在地，以及底部的三个Android按钮。说到这一点，华硕(ASUS)选择对所有三个Android 默认(Android default)操作使用触摸电容式按钮：返回、主页(Back, Home)和最近的应用程序(Recent apps). 我们总是说这种类型的“物理”按钮是我们在任何智能手机上的首选。与嵌入在某些智能手机显示屏上的软件按钮相比，我们更喜欢它们，仅仅是因为它们不会占用我们屏幕的空间。然而，我们希望它们也能被照亮，因为在黑暗中更容易找到它们。
其他三个按钮——电源按钮(power button)和音量(volume rocker)键——都位于华硕 ZenFone 3的(ASUS ZenFone 3)右上角(right edge)。它们具有相当强烈但非常令人愉悦的触觉反馈，并且由于它们的拉丝表面和锋利的边缘，它们也很容易区分。
另一边（左侧(left one)）没有任何按钮或插孔，但它是SIM 卡托盘(SIM tray)的所在地。要打开它，您必须使用包装中的金属针(metal pin)或任何小针。
华硕 ZenFone 3(ASUS ZenFone 3)的顶部边缘是 3.5 毫米音频插孔和辅助麦克风的位置，而底部边缘(bottom edge)则是USB Type C 端口(USB Type C port)、扬声器格栅(loudspeaker grille)和主麦克风。
最后，智能手机的背面以摄像头和指纹传感器(fingerprint sensor)为主。华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL提供了一款出色的相机，我们发现它的性能优于同价位(price category)的许多其他智能手机。但是，因为华硕(ASUS)使用了一个很好的摄像头传感器(camera sensor)，以及一套好的镜头，并且因为他们设法制造了一款非常薄的智能手机，所以缺点是摄像头是华硕 ZenFone 3(ASUS ZenFone 3)背面的“凹凸” 。这并不困扰我们，事实上我们喜欢带有突出摄像头的智能手机，因为它们感觉更像是面向摄影的。华硕 ZenFone 3(ASUS ZenFone 3)确实(Which)如此 ZE520KL，但我们将在本评论的相机部分(camera section)详细讨论。
就指纹传感器(fingerprint sensor)而言，这是一个相当不错的传感器。设置好之后，解锁智能手机就像拿在手里一样简单。传感器位于食指(index finger)按压的理想位置，因此解锁智能手机几乎是一种自然的动作。但是，指纹传感器(fingerprint sensor)在 5 次中大约有 4 次能够识别您的指纹。五次中有一次，它可能会失败。在我们看来，这是一个相当不错的效率(efficiency rate)。
总体而言，华硕 ZenFone 3 ZE520KL 看起来比您对中端智能手机的预期要好得多，而且这家台湾公司使用的材料感觉质量上乘。(Overall, the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL looks a whole lot better than you'd expect from a mid range smartphone and the materials used by the Taiwanese company feel like premium quality.)
华硕 ZenFone 3(ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL的智能(ZE520KL)手机体验(smartphone experience)
良好的智能手机使用体验的关键要素之一是您获得的屏幕质量。幸运的是，华硕(ASUS)在这方面做得很好——他们说华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL的屏占比为 75.6 % screen-to-body ratio，显示屏的最大亮度为 600 尼特。我们无法争辩，因为 5.2 英寸全高清显示屏(Full HD display)即使在明亮的光线条件下（包括在阳光直射下使用）也看起来不错。此外，视角非常好，色彩丰富而充满活力，文字看起来非常清晰。我们可以说它没有什么不好的，因为它是一个非常好的显示器。🙂
然后，让智能手机提供(smartphone offer)良好用户体验(user experience)的下一个重要因素是它的工作方式。我们正在考虑智能手机响应您的命令的速度。华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL在这方面的表现非常出色：我们从未觉得它卡顿或自行重启。它下载和安装应用程序的速度非常快（尤其是在快速的 5GHz Wi-Fi 网络上），而且我们运行的应用程序和游戏(apps and games)都运行良好。
早些时候，在本次评测的硬件规格部分，我们提到华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL是一款双SIM 卡智能手机(SIM smartphone)。这意味着您可以同时使用两张SIM 卡(SIM card)。虽然这两个SIM 卡(SIM card)插槽都支持 3G WCDMA和 4G LTE 网络(LTE network)频段，但它们一次只能连接一个 3G 或 4G 网络。在这种情况下，另一个SIM 卡(SIM)只能在 2G 网络上工作。值得一提的是，如果您将华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE620KL用作双SIM 卡智能手机(SIM smartphone)，其中一张SIM 卡(SIM card)必须是 micro SIM 卡(SIM card)，而另一个必须是 nano SIM 卡(SIM card)。
其次，如果您想在智能手机中添加 microSD 卡以增加其存储容量(storage capacity)，则该 microSD 卡必须插入 nano SIM 插槽(SIM slot)，因此在这种情况下，您将无法使用智能手机。双 SIM 卡模式(Dual SIM mode)。
只要我们在测试中进行过测试，就可以说华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL从“电话”用户的角度来看表现出色。我们从来没有遇到过信号接收问题，而且我们进行的电话交谈质量非常好。你和你谈话的人都会很容易地相互理解。我们在华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL中欣赏的另一个方面是，尽管我们将“通话”音量(sound volume)保持在最大水平，但我们周围的人却无法理解对方在说什么。这意味着听筒做得很好，也意味着您的私人对话保持私密。🙂
就播放媒体文件时的音质而言，华硕 ZenFone 3 (ASUS ZenFone 3) ZE520KL的扬声器相当不错，华硕(ASUS)甚至吹嘘他们使用的“5磁铁扬声器(magnet speaker)”。然而，虽然它不会扭曲声音，而且音频质量也不错，但我们不能说它以任何有意义的方式给我们留下了深刻的印象。如果您想要非常好的质量，一套好的耳机将为您提供更好的效果。
在自主性方面，2650mAh 不可拆卸电池在充满电的情况下可以持续使用大约一天。这包括每个普通智能手机用户(smartphone user)执行的活动：打电话和发短信、浏览网页、阅读和回复电子邮件、滚动浏览Facebook 、在(Facebook)YouTube上看有趣的猫以及不时玩休闲游戏。这不是令人印象深刻的电池寿命(battery life)，但它完全符合中档智能手机的标准。
华硕 ZenFone 3 ZE520KL 是一款非常出色的智能手机：显示屏看起来很棒，硬件在为任何活动提供足够的电力方面没有问题。我们也很欣赏我们接听的电话质量非常好。(The ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL is a very good smartphone: the display looks great and the hardware has no issues in offering enough power for any activity. We also appreciated the very good quality of the phone calls we had on it.)
阅读这篇评论的下一页，了解更多关于这款智能手机的相机体验(camera experience)、安装在其上的软件以及它在基准测试中提供的性能。
Reviewing the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL - The new king of affordable flagships
Τhe fall season is here and ASUS is ready with a new series of ZenFone smartphones. The company is launching three diffеrent modеls, all in the same generation: the ASUS ZenFone 3, the ASUS ZеnFone 3 Deluxe and the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultrа. All of them have solid hardware characteristics аnd each smartphone covers a different price ѕegment. A few weeks ago, we got our hands on the ASUS ZenFone 3 (ZE520KL), which is thе good looking little brother of the new family: it's a 5.2 inch ѕmartphone with a lоt to say and even more to show off. After testing it thoroughly and using it on a daіly basis, in this review, we'd like to tell you how it works, what we liked about it and what its weaknesses arе:
Hardware specifications and packaging
The ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL smartphone comes in a black cardboard box that looks and feels premium. The design ASUS used for the packaging is very simple and minimalistic, yet also elegant. The top side of the box holds just the Zenfone 3 name in the center.
The Taiwanese company's name couldn't be missing either - it's embossed subtly on a side of the box. The bottom is the place where you get detailed information about the contents. There you'll find a sticker with the name of the smartphone you just bought, as well as some technical details about its hardware and software specifications.
The package opens similarly to a watch box and it holds the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL smartphone, its power charger and a removable USB to USB Type C cable, a pair of headphones and a set of earbuds with various sizes, a metal pin for ejecting the SIM tray out of the smartphone, the warranty card, a quick start guide and some other documentation.
Our first impression when we opened the package and looked at the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL was that we were holding a premium device in our hands. As we'll soon see, this smartphone is a strong challenger of the top mid range smartphones on the market.
Due to its 5.2 inch screen, the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL is a smartphone with a medium size, that will fit your hands regardless if you have large or small hands. The display used for this smartphone is a Super IPS+ capacitive touchscreen with a FullHD (1080 x 1920 pixels) resolution and a 424 ppi pixel density. The IPS part of these specifications means that the screen should offer natural colors, a good contrast ratio and some very good brightness levels.
It's also worth noting that both the display and the back of the smartphone are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2.5D. What that means is that the smartphone's screen and back are protected by a reinforced glass sheet that's curved to the edges. There are two benefits to this choice: the smartphone looks better from an aesthetics point of view, and the edges are more ergonomic. When you hold and use the smartphone, your fingers will meet only smooth surfaces all around the edges.
Enter the insides of the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL and you'll find that it runs on a 64-bit octa-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A53 processor and a Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625 chipset. That processing power is also aided by an Adreno 506 graphics chip. In terms of memory, the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL can come with 3 or 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM memory, and with 32 or 64GB of built-in storage space, depending on the model that you buy. We tested the model with 4GB of RAM memory and 64GB of internal storage space. Besides what you get from the start, if you want to increase your smartphone's storage capacity, you should know that you can also add a MicroSD card of up to 2TB.
It looks like ASUS understood the importance of the camera on a smartphone better than many other manufacturers, and on the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL, they did a really good job in this area. The smartphone uses a main rear camera with a 16 megapixels sensor, a f/2.0 aperture and 6P Largan lens. The camera also benefits from a 0.03 second laser auto-focus, a 4-axis Optical Image Stabilization system and a Dual-LED real tone flash. On the front of the smartphone, ASUS included a 8 megapixel camera with an f/2.0 aperture that should be the delight of all selfie lovers. 🙂
Talking about the connectivity options , it's important to note that the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL is a dual SIM smartphone , meaning that it can work with two SIM cards at the same time. It can connect to 4G mobile networks (although only one SIM can use 4G at a time), and it also has a built-in Bluetooth 4.2 chip for close range wireless connections. In terms of wireless connectivity, it works with a network chip that's compatible with the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac networking standards, so it can connect to both 2.4GHz and to 5GHz wireless networks.
The ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL also comes with a variety of sensors installed. Beside the common sensors like the accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity or ambient light sensor, ASUS also included a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device, which you can use to unlock the smartphone or authenticate in various apps.
The autonomy of this smartphone is offered by a non-removable 2650mAh battery that, together with the new generation chipset should give more than a day's worth of battery life on a charge.
If size and weight are things you care about, you should know that it weighs 5.08 ounces (144 grams) in a body with 5.78 inches ( 146.87mm) in length, 2.91 inches (73.98mm) in width and 0.30 inches (7.69mm) in thickness.
If you'd like to see more details about the specifications of the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL, check its official website: ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL.
In terms of hardware power, the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL has everything you'd expect and a bit more from a top mid range smartphone.
Design and build quality
We will start this section by saying that the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL is one of the best looking Android smartphones we've had the chance to test this summer. It may be a midrange smartphone, with a price tag that's not sky high, but that doesn't mean that ASUS made compromises when it comes to the design and the materials used in building the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL.
The smartphone is available in four color variations: Sapphire Black, Moonlight White, Aqua Blue and Shimmer Gold , which you can see in the picture below. The one we've tested is a Sapphire Black model which, at least in our opinion, looks great.
As we also briefly mentioned in the hardware specs section of this review, both the screen and the back of the smartphone are covered in glass. Using this material has both a good part and a bad one. The ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL looks stylish and will fit nicely with any elegant attire. But all that glass, on every side, also means that the smartphone is a fingerprint magnet and there's not much you can do about it. Unless, of course, you're going to clean it all the time, and that could lead to an OCD disorder you don't want to have. 🙂
Sure, you could also get yourself a nice protective case and put your smartphone inside, but why do that with such a gorgeous smartphone? It would be a shame to hide it just like that. And, from our own experience, we can tell you that cases usually interfere with how the flashlight works and it's also probably going to be harder to reach the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone. All that glass on the smartphone meets on the curved edges made from matte plastic and strengthened but also stylized by two very thin lines of brushed metal.
The front of the smartphone is dominated by the 5.2 inch display, but it's also home to the front camera and the ear speaker at the top, and the three Android buttons on the bottom. Speaking of which, ASUS chose to use touch capacitive buttons for all three Android default actions: Back, Home and Recent apps. We always said that this type of "physical" buttons is our preferred choice on any smartphone. We like them better than the software buttons embedded on the display of some smartphones simply because they don't feel like they're taking our screen's space. We wished however that they would have also been illuminated, as they would have been slightly easier to find in the dark.
The other three buttons - the power button and the volume rocker - are all found on the top right edge of the ASUS ZenFone 3. They have a rather strong, but very pleasant, tactile feedback and they're also very easy to differentiate because of their brushed surfaces and sharp edges.
The opposite edge - the left one - is clear of any buttons or jacks, but it is home to the SIM tray. To open it, you will have to use the metal pin from the package or any small pin.
The top edge of the ASUS ZenFone 3 is the place where you'll find the 3.5mm audio jack and the secondary microphone, while on the bottom edge you'll find the USB Type C port, the loudspeaker grille and the primary microphone.
Finally, the back of the smartphone is dominated by the camera and the fingerprint sensor. The ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL offers a good camera that we found to perform better than those on many other smartphones in this price category. But, because ASUS used a good camera sensor, as well as a good set of lenses, and because they managed to build a pretty thin smartphone, the downside is that the camera is "a bump" on the back of the ASUS ZenFone 3. It doesn't bother us, in fact we like smartphones with protruding cameras, because they feel like being a bit more photography oriented. Which is actually true about the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL, but we'll talk more about that in the camera section of this review.
As far as the fingerprint sensor goes, it's a pretty good one. After setting it up, unlocking the smartphone was as easy as taking it in my hand. The sensor is positioned in the perfect place for my index finger to press, so it's almost a natural movement to unlock the smartphone. However, the fingerprint sensor manages to identify your fingerprint about 4 times out of 5. One time out of five, it may fail. That's an efficiency rate that's quite good in our opinion.
Overall, the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL looks a whole lot better than you'd expect from a mid range smartphone and the materials used by the Taiwanese company feel like premium quality.
The smartphone experience on the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL
One of the key elements of a good smartphone usage experience is the quality of the screen you get. Fortunately, ASUS did a great job in this area - they say that the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL has a 75.6% screen-to-body ratio and a display capable of offering a 600 nits maximum brightness. We can't argue, as the 5.2 inch Full HD display looks good even in bright light conditions, including when using it in direct sunlight. Plus, the viewing angles are very good, the colors are rich and vibrant and the text looks really crisp. There's nothing bad we can say about it, as it is a very good display. 🙂
Then, the next big thing in what makes a smartphone offer a good user experience is the way it works. By that we're thinking at how fast the smartphone responds to your commands. The ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL performs very well in this area: we never felt it to be laggy and we have never seen it block or restart itself. It downloads and installs apps quite fast (especially on a fast 5GHz Wi-Fi network), and the apps and games we ran all worked very well.
Earlier, in the hardware specs section of this review, we mentioned that the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL is a dual SIM smartphone. That means that you can simultaneously use two SIM cards. Although both SIM card slots support 3G WCDMA and 4G LTE network bands, only one of them can connect to a 3G or 4G network at a time. The other SIM will only work on a 2G network in such a case. It's also worth mentioning that, if you will be using the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE620KL as a dual SIM smartphone, one of the SIM cards has to be a micro SIM card, while the other has to be a nano SIM card.
Secondly, if you will want to add a microSD card to your smartphone in order to increase its storage capacity, that microSD card must be inserted in the nano SIM slot, so in this case, you won't be able to use the smartphone in Dual SIM mode.
For as long as we had it in tests, we can say that the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL worked admirably from a "phone" user viewpoint. We never had problems with the signal reception, and the phone conversations we had were of very good quality. Both you and the person to whom you're speaking will easily understand each other. Another aspect that we appreciated in the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL is that, although we kept the "in calls" sound volume at the maximum level, people around us couldn't understand what the person on the other side was saying. That means that the earpiece does a good job, and it also means that your private conversations remain private. 🙂
As far as the audio quality goes when playing media files, the loudspeaker on the ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL is pretty good and ASUS even brags about the "5 magnet speaker" they used on it. However, although it's not distorting sounds and the audio quality is more than decent, we can't say that it impressed us in any meaningful way. If you want very good quality, a good set of headphones will offer you a much better result.
In terms of autonomy, the 2650mAh non-removable battery managed to last us for about a day on a full charge. That includes activities every regular smartphone user performs: phone calls and text messages, browsing the web, reading and answering emails, scrolling through Facebook, looking at funny cats on YouTube and playing casual games from time to time. It's not an impressive battery life, but it falls well within the norms of mid-range smartphones.
The ASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL is a very good smartphone: the display looks great and the hardware has no issues in offering enough power for any activity. We also appreciated the very good quality of the phone calls we had on it.
Read the next page of this review to learn more about the camera experience on this smartphone, the software installed on it and about the performance it offers in benchmarks.
