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ASUS ZenFone 2 Roll-Call

K

KOLIO

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Thought I'd start things out w/a thread for owners to drop in & share which model/color they chose.

Mine just arrived about an hour ago,a Gold 64GB/4GB RAM Model.
Initial impressions:
I like this A LOT!

It's as if I filled in a questionnaire,checked-off which options I want & voila',just what I ordered.
1) The screen size hits the sweet spot,5.5" is exactly what I like,owned quite a few phones,from 3.5"-6" & this works for me.A 5" screen is my lower limit & my Nexus6 is at the absolute top end for desirable screen size,this is perfect at 5.5"

2) A big fan of capacitive navigation buttons,'nuff said.

3) The volume/power button layout is perfect to my preferences,thought I'd Never see the combo of a backside volume rocker AND power button on top.This design is no doubt polarizing,most are either gonna strongly love or hate it.
I'm seemingly in a very small minority of those who prefer the power button on top,glad to see this choice in design.
Double-Tap-To-Wake/Sleep works flawlessly,so,any concerns regarding the power button placement can be dismissed.

4) Call Quality/Display/Overall Performance is excellent. A great bargain,no matter which model you choose.
Some reviewers have mentioned the sound volume is a bit on the weak side:
This may be true,especially for streamed media,but,I've found locally stored media to be just fine,as are the notifications/alarms,with ample loudness.

The only item I can't comment on at this time is battery life,being this is initial 1st day use/observations.

In summary,I'd say ASUS has hit a home run w/the ZenFone2.

I'd give it GrandSlam Status if they included an even higher-end model w/wireless charging & I/R Blaster.

Otherwise,it's a can't-miss,go ahead & get ya some ZEN Goodness ! :thumbsupdroid:
 
These are are available in a local brick/mortar store here. Have you tried a sim card in both slots at the same time?
I'm interested in how the UI manages both sims, and if it is possible to turn the radio off in sim slot 1 while leaving the radio on in sim slot 2?
I ask, because I want a dual sim phone that I can use a tablet data sim in slot 1 for LTE speeds and a voice/text sim card (no data) in sim slot 2 with 2G.
Does it have a light sensor to vary screen brightness automatically, and can you go a full day on a battery charge?
 
I haven't tried two SIM Cards simultaneously,might get a 2nd line in the near future.
I'm not sure if you can turn off SIM slot 1 while leaving the radio on for SIM slot 2.
However,SIM slot 2 is restricted to 2G speeds (verified) & SMS only (I believe).
As for the ambient light sensor to automatically adjust screen brightness,yes,that's located just beside the FF Camera.
Regarding a full day on one charge? YMWV,but,I'm doing just fine on Day3/1st day @ work w/the ZenFone 2 & with 12 hrs of use/1.5 hrs of screen-on time,I'm sitting at exactly 50% battery.
That's w/4 push e-mail accounts,a package/snail-mail tracking app & Android Forums & Phandroid News apps all syncing on a regular basis.
I imaging battery life is not gonna be a concern w/this phone,thanks in part to the 1080p display,instead of a QHD variety.
 
That's perfect - thanks.
I may get more than I need with the 2GB RAM model (16GBstorage), I'm using a Moto G 1st gen at the moment.
I live in marginal LTE coverage, and really want daul sim as my employer pays for voice/text (could be used on sim 2 @ 850/1900) and I can buy a tablet data sim on a flex plan for sim 1 with 3G and/or LTE speeds.
This way I can get rid of my 2013 Nexus 7 LTE tablet and only carry one device.
 
Ocelot said:
That's perfect - thanks.
I may get more than I need with the 2GB RAM model (16GBstorage), I'm using a Moto G 1st gen at the moment.
Click to expand...
Not sure what your storage requirements are,but,the O/S takes up about 9GB (9.81 GB to be exact),leaving you with 6.19 GB of actual usable internal storage on the 16 GB Version.
An SD Card may be able to to take care of any storage requirements beyond that,dependent on how many/size apps you typically load up.Otherwise,an SD Card should be OK for the rest (pics/music/video/etc....).
 
that's a heavy operating system, my moto G only uses about 3.2 gb for its operating system.
nonetheless, I've been reading the pros and cons of the 16 vs 64 - I'll definitely be looking at the 64 gb version.

Its outdoor screen brightness might be a concern
 
Received mine on the 21st. Red 4GB/64GB. I am on Cricket Wireless and have had no issues whatsoever with LTE or calling/texting.

I moved from an LG Optimus G Pro to the ZF2. Specs-wise it is not a huge change but I am really loving this fondle slab so far. I like the ZenUI a lot but it only being 4x4 is very offputting to me. I am using ADW Launcher for now but have come across a way to reduce DPI and make it 5x5. I have rooted mine but have only installed AdFree so far.
 
Trotter516 said:
Received mine on the 21st. Red 4GB/64GB. I am on Cricket Wireless and have had no issues whatsoever with LTE or calling/texting.

I moved from an LG Optimus G Pro to the ZF2. Specs-wise it is not a huge change but I am really loving this fondle slab so far. I like the ZenUI a lot but it only being 4x4 is very offputting to me. I am using ADW Launcher for now but have come across a way to reduce DPI and make it 5x5. I have rooted mine but have only installed AdFree so far.
Click to expand...
What method did you use to root & what is the build number of your latest update?
Custom recovery,or,just root for now?
If you could post a link,it would be GREATLY appreciated.:thumbsupdroid:
 
KOLIO said:
What method did you use to root & what is the build number of your latest update?
Custom recovery,or,just root for now?
If you could post a link,it would be GREATLY appreciated.:thumbsupdroid:
Click to expand...
Here's a link to the method I used. It is just root for now.

Build number is MR6-LRX21V.WW-ASUS_Z00A_2.17.40.12_201505515_6168.

The only thing that the guide didn't mention was that you have to accept your PC's ADB before you can move forward from the ACCEPT step and the T4 step.
 
I'm considering buying one of these for the price point, however my concern is the status of future updates. How willing will Asus be in pushing the Android M when it is released this fall?
 
PlanetScott said:
I'm considering buying one of these for the price point, however my concern is the status of future updates. How willing will Asus be in pushing the Android M when it is released this fall?
Click to expand...
I can't speak for ASUS,but,I've counted no fewer than 7 bug fix updates for the Worldwide version of the ZenFone 2.
I'd say that bodes well for those looking for the Android M update in a timely manner.
It's still early in the game,pre-season would be a better analogy,as Android L isn't even available yet,at least nothing more than a developer's preview,not officially pushed to the masses yet.
 
New firmware update (2.18.40.12) for the ZE551ML was released today.

I unrooted using SuperSU, uninstalled Busybox and any other "root required" apps, rebooted, and then downloaded and applied the update. No issues at all. Some others who had uninstalled bloatware or frozen apps got failed updates or bootloops but I left everything intact on mine.
 
Trotter516 said:
New firmware update (2.18.40.12) for the ZE551ML was released today.

I unrooted using SuperSU, uninstalled Busybox and any other "root required" apps, rebooted, and then downloaded and applied the update. No issues at all. Some others who had uninstalled bloatware or frozen apps got failed updates or bootloops but I left everything intact on mine.
Click to expand...

THX for the 411,very much appreciated. :thumbsupdroid:

AFAIK,there's three different mthods of rooting the AZ2.
1) Install pre-rooted System image
2) CWM Temp
3) AIO/1-Click Toolkit

I used the CWM Temp method & basically did exactly as you:
Un-rooted via the Super SU app,uninstalled BusyBox & Titanium Back-Up.

However,I had BLINKFEED from HTC side-loaded as a system app(s) & kept it,even through the update & it still worked post update,w/o any issues whatsoever.
Kept AdAway installed as well,no problem doing so,it's basically a benign/unfunctioning app until root acces is restore.
I figured it would be harmless to do so (both BLINKFEED & AdAway),but,I'll still continue to uninstall BusyBox & Titanium BackUp immediately after unroot & pre-update & work 'em back in post-update after re-rooting.
 
PlanetScott said:
I'm considering buying one of these for the price point, however my concern is the status of future updates. How willing will Asus be in pushing the Android M when it is released this fall?
Click to expand...

Considering that they made a big deal about it(conference and all) they should if they wanna "impress"
 
Well,it was a nice ride,albeit a short one:
I've sold my Asus Zenfone2.
It's a great phone,just started running CM12.1 nightlies (very nice BTW).
It was a numbers game,too many phones & an opportunity arose to sell.
So,I jumped on it while I could still get a fair price before the phone is deemed old/obsolete in phone geek dog-years & collecting dust for eternity.
 
I have an unlocked ZenFone 2 & I love it. I have two sim cards - one AT&T & one tracfone that works with ease. Nothing like having 2 numbers coming to one phone. This phone is awesome. Had it since December & its still awesome!!!
 
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