I had to give up my beloved ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) recently and had it replaced with a ZenFone AR. If anything, seeing the ZenFone AR made me realize and appreciate just how incredibly beautiful the ZenFone 3 Deluxe was. There is something about the sleek all metal aspect that’s really unmatched.
So certainly the initial feelings were a bit mixed for me. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) was a really great phone but I’ve moved on now. So it has been over a week now and I wanted to offer up an small update on my initial impressions of my new baby, the ZenFone AR (ZS571KL).
If I had to pick one thing I love and appreciate about the ZenFone AR, it’s the front facing finger print sensor. How many times do I appreciate this a day? Many. Too many times to count really. It’s sad that in the name of “chin” or other innovations, the front facing finger print sensor may very well be a thing of the past.
The camera on the ZenFone AR is shooting some very crisp and nice photos. It seems to capture light better than my ZenFone 3 Deluxe did and overall I’m really digging the photo chops of this phone.
The AMOLED display is super bright and super beautiful as one would expect from this type of display. The higher resolution of the ZenFone AR display isn’t something that I can really speak to just yet. It’s better than 1920 x 1080, but on a daily basis I’m not sure that it’s something I can easily appreciate. Keep in mind I haven’t pushed this phone through its paces yet and I haven’t consumed a ton of media or games just yet.
Battery life is good. Signal for wifi seems extraordinary in comparison to my ZenFone 3 Deluxe as I’m picking up signal where normally I would not. The speaker is super ballsy and super loud.
I will say the case that came in the box is from the generation of ASUS clear cases that is hard. You might think because it’s clear that it’s rubbery. It’s not. The newer ASUS clear cases that come in the boxes for say, the ZenFone 3 Zoom are rubbery. The issue here? Super slippery. Not a little bit slipper, but a lot slippery. I had the official clear case for the ZenFone 3 Deluxe and it had the exact same feel. The hardness also means that it’s going to likely crack at some point just like my ZenFone 3 Deluxe case did. I like the idea of a rubbery case because it’s going to have better grip and more shock absorbent.
I haven’t even put this phone through any AR or VR paces just yet! Soon I can unleash the beast within. Stay tuned for a full review. With prices dropping on these older models, so far it’s worth having a look at depending on the price!
