The first thing you must do with your new ZenFone 6 before anything else

June 10, 2019 Categories: Tips, ZenFone 6, ZenFone 6 Edition 30, ZS630KL by 0 Comments

So you’re excited. Your ZenFone 6 has just arrived. You’ve unboxed it and gone through the setup process. Now you are ready to enjoy the latest and greatest ASUS innovation. We hate to spoil your fun, but there is something you should do before you go any further with your ZenFone 6.

The first thing you need to do when your ZenFone 6 loads up for the first time is to open the camera app and have a look at the default settings.

We have plenty of experience with ASUS ZenFone releases over the years. Sometimes we’ve forgotten about camera default settings only to learn later than we weren’t getting the best results possible. It’s hard to say whether ASUS believes people want smaller file sizes or whether people want the maximum quality out of the box. Take matters into your own hands!

Can ASUS really determine what default settings most people want in their camera app? No. It’s impossible to say if people want the best possible image quality or if people want lesser photo quality in order to keep file sizes down. With that trusty microSD slot we think most people will opt for getting maximum quality photos and videos.

Then there is the complex world of video. Is 4K what you really need? Do you really need 60FPS? Each video settings will have its pros and cons. In previous ZenFone models, if you choose a certain video setting, such as Full HD 1080p at 60FPS, you could not choose quality in settings. You would be stuck with “performance” without the option of choosing “quality”. However if you chose Full HD with regular FPS you could choose between “performance” or “quality”.

Given the various combinations possible, fiddle with the ZenFone 6 video settings and see what, if any limitations there are depending on what resolution/FPS you decide on.

Simply said, don’t trust anyone to determine what’s important to you when it comes to your photo and video settings. Just get in there right away and have a look around. Some experimentation may be required as well. If you go for that 4K 60FPS, do you have to sacrifice some quality? Is EIS disabled at the higher resolutions?

Here is an important side note. When the ZenFone 6 first launched, indeed the 4K 60FPS had no option for EIS, but has since been added in a software update. As a result, beware of some early 4K 60FPS video reviews of the ZenFone 6 if those reviews are from before the May 26th update! You may not being seeing the full capability of the ZenFone 6 video recording especially if it’s from an early review unit.

Once we get our hands on a ZenFone 6 we can better guide you through the camera app settings. Our advice, straight up, is to get into those camera app settings right away so you don’t forget.

Update for ZenFone 6 brings Super Night Mode to ultra-wide sensor

June 10, 2019 Categories: Firmware Updates, News, Software Updates, ZenFone 6, ZS630KL by 0 Comments

It seems that ASUS is coming out of the gates hard with their ZenFone 6 launch. That is to say the company is hell-bent on getting it right this time. It’s odd to think of the bleak future of the ZenFone brand a few months ago to this amazing new ZenFone 6 release and the rave reviews. Updates are one way to show you care and a few have already been rolled out. ASUS has now released another ZenFone 6 software update and this one is a goody if you’re into night photography.

Up until this update, the 13MP ultra-wide camera was without a night mode. Now with the rollout of software version 16.1210.1904.133, ASUS brings “Super Night Mode” to the ultra-wide camera. In addition, photo quality should improve with the tweaks of the camera rotation stability.

Here is the full list of tweaks and improvements coming from this software update:

  1. Enable “Super Night mode” on Ultra-wide camera.
  2. Get weather displayed on the lock screen.
  3. Optimize translation strings in Setting.
  4. Improve system stability.
  5. Improve camera rotation stability.
  6. Optimize UI Animation.
  7. Optimize the headphone sound quality.

Update Version:

  • ZenFone 6 ZS630KL_EU_16.1210.1904.133
  • ZenFone 6 ZS630KL_ WW_16.1210.1904.133

To get the update, generally you just need to be connected to a WiFi signal and a notification will show up. You can also manually prompt the ZenFone 6 to seek out the update by going into system settings. Path:  Settings > System > System updates

This software update makes a total of four since the ZenFone 6 unveiling. Considering that most markets are waiting for units to ship, this is good news. It means that a lot of people will be getting a more optimized ZenFone 6 experience out of the box rather than seeing gradual improvements and tweaks. According to ASUS, the ZenFone 5z got around 12 software updates over the course of a year, making it about one update per month. ZenFone 6 is certainly trending in a positive directions regarding updates. The more software updates, the more care and attention that ASUS is providing customers. Through various channels like forums and social media they can hear various issues from users and show they care by fixing the software complaints that have been brought forward by the community. As we say, the approach by ASUS seems far more attentive this time around.

[source]

Official price of special-edition ZenFone 6 Edition 30 unveiled in Taiwan

June 7, 2019 Categories: Price, ZenFone 6 Edition 30 by 1 Comment

[Update: You can now buy one with global shipping available. Full details here.]

ASUS is celebrating 30-years of innovation and with that, they announced a number of limited-edition products. Lucky for us, ASUS announced the ZenFone 6 Edition 30 at Computex 2019. The more ZenFone releases, the better for us! The announcement of the phone came without details such as release date and price. We are happy to have at least one answer for you and this is official.

The price of ZenFone 6 Edition 30 is: NT$ 27,990 (Taiwan)

That’s great, but what is the price of the ZenFone 6 Edition 30 going to be in other countries?

Here is where price calculations hit a bit of a snag. Simple conversions don’t work when it comes to ASUS products. We know this from years of experience, so trust us.

What we can do though is make an educated guess. We’ve taken the Taiwan price of the 6GB/128GB model and then compared that to this ZenFone 6 Edition 30. Officially, the limited-edition model is about 55% more expense than the 6GB/128GB model.

So taking that same price differential, we can calculate the price of the ZenFone 6 Edition 30 in other markets. This is an educated guess, but we believe this will be very accurate.

US – $850 USD
UK – £774.98
Europe – 866 EUR

Is the ZenFone 6 Edition 30 worth the extra money? The different design isn’t dramatic enough to justify the price but the other extras certainly are. You get 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage along with a 30-month warranty.

The warranty is actually a big deal. Think of that as insurance so long as you don’t have any physical damage, otherwise ASUS warranty won’t cover it. We know the warranty is special for this phone, but it’s doubtful to cover physical damage. However, 30-months is a very long time and it’s far exceeds the typical 12-months that you get with the standard ZenFone 6. If you make a warranty claim later on down the line and parts are not available for the repair, ASUS has been known to offer replacement devices.

How does the price of the ZenFone 6 Edition 30 grab you? Keep in mind there are only 3,000 units. Release date information hasn’t been revealed, nor has the availability by country. Updates coming!

ZenFone 6 India release date gets delayed

June 7, 2019 Categories: India, News by 0 Comments

ASUS has been getting a lot of headlines the past few days regarding their legal issues in India regarding the use of the word, “zen”. A court has ruled that ASUS must stop using “zen” by a set date in July, but there is one more opportunity for the company to get the order revoked. Perhaps as a good will gesture, evidence suggests ASUS is delaying their ZenFone 6 release date.

An astute observer named Mukul Sharma noticed that the Flipkart launch date of June 19th has been removed from ads. This would be no coincidence given the seriousness of the issue at hand and most certainly has been done as a result of the legal tensions.

It would not be helping their case to flaunt the ZenFone brand in light of what the court has ruled. However it does beg the question. How long can ASUS hold out on this? If the court won’t hear the case again until July, that’s an eternity when it comes to mobile phone technology.

I hope you have your popcorn. This story is quite a wrinkle for ASUS considering that they had identified the India market as very key for the company. It’s baffling to us that ASUS could invest so much into the “zen” branding in India and then so long after the fact they can be taken to court and told not to use any of their trademarks referencing “zen”. If this was established in the beginning, then obviously the transition would be far less painful, costly and embarrassing to ASUS. Can’t ASUS argue that they’ve been marketing and selling for years without an issue raised and shouldn’t that be enough to dismiss the complaint? Common sense says yes but clearly this story wants to tell us more.

Stay tuned. To those ASUS fans in India, not great news for you especially considering the release date of June 19th wasn’t far off. Hopefully there is some movement on this situation. Stay tuned and enjoy your popcorn!

ASUS hits legal snag with ZenFone branding in India – Ordered to stop using

June 6, 2019 Categories: India, News by 0 Comments

Have you heard the news of the day? The web is blowing up over this one. A court has ruled that ASUS cannot sell their products using “Zen” branding due to a tradmark dispute in India. A long established brand in India has a line of “Zen” mobile products and took ASUS to court over the issue. Turns out ASUS lost in court but it’s not final just yet.

According to the news report, the Delhi High Court has issued an interim injunction that prevents ASUS from selling, offering and advertising any device bearing Zen, Zenfone and any other name related to these terms. This is effective as of May 29 and will remain in effect for eight weeks until July 24.

Here is the official statement from ASUS on the matter:

“The Asus legal team is currently working with the Delhi High Court in India to resolve the Zen Mobiles and ZenFone trademark lawsuit. The supply of ASUS smartphones, notebooks and other products, as well as technical support and after-sales service for all ASUS products remain unchanged for all consumers.”

There is one more court appearance over this legal battle apparently scheduled for July 10. Barring that, ASUS must stop using “Zen” branding in India with a matter of weeks. In general the tech websites articles about this news are talking a lot of doom and gloom over this and rightfully so.

With so much money invested into ZenFone in India, ASUS could take a substantial hit financially. Doing a rebrand is a big task, expensive and will take time for consumers to adjust. Imagine all the marketing materials and ads that ASUS currently has in the marketplace that could be affected.

This isn’t just an issue with “ZenFone” in India. Apparently this injunction applies to ZenBook as well which is actually a bigger or more lucrative brand of products for ASUS. We can’t forget about “ZenPad” either although ASUS has stopped producing products under the ZenPad brand recently and not just for the India market.

ASUS would know this was coming, or at least could be a possible outcome.  Sometimes these situation resolve themselves behind closed doors. Considering the lesser of two evils, paying a company to use the branding (if that’s even possible) would be a more palatable solution than having to scrub the ZenFone and ZenBook brand entirely from the India market. It’s baffling to think how long ASUS has been selling under the ZenFone, ZenPad and ZenBook branding in India yet a challenge was issued now. But here we are.

[source: News18]

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