Review: Asus Zenfone Zoom – smartphone that’s all about the camera

Taiwanese manufacturer deserves credit for trying something new, but exposure issues and poor low-light performance let this phone down. The innovative lens technology it uses is likely to make a return, though

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The main selling point of the Asus Zenfone Zoom is its zoom lens camera. On that score, it disppoints.

Published: 1:15pm, 11 Feb 2016Updated: 3:43pm, 11 Feb 2016

As its name suggests, the main selling point of the Asus Zenfone Zoom is its camera, advertised as having the ability to zoom in without sacrificing quality or size. And judging by the larger-than-usual camera on the back of the phone, it sure looks the part. Can Asus craft a niche in the crowded market for Android smartphones?

Problems with exposure and focus on the Asus Zenfone Zoom make detailed, sharp close-up shots impossible.

Design and specs

On first impression, this is a premium product. The phone has a leather-on-plastic back cover, with a chassis that looks metallic, shiny and chamfered. While it appears slim at first, I soon realise it’s actually quite thick by today’s standards (that added camera bulk makes it 12mm, compared to the iPhone 6S’ 7.1mm). Credit to Asus’ design team for creating the illusion of a slimmer phone via a tapered back.

The guts, however, are a letdown. The Zoom feature is powered by the Intel Atom Z3580, which was new ... in 2014. Two years in the smartphone world is a lifetime.

The Asus Zenfone Zoom’s front resembles most smartphones, but its back stands out.

Camera

With a 13-megapixel camera and an innovative periscopic zoom lens, the Zoom appears on paper to have the perfect combination. The periscopic zoom lens, instead of protruding outwards like the lens of a conventional camera, moves laterally across the chassis to get more light through the optics.