Indeed many of us have heard of the manufacturer Asus for its wide range of computers, laptops, or graphics cards. In this case, Gearbest has sent us this Asus ZenFone 6 for us to analyze and see first-hand how Asus has evolved in power and design compared to the entire previous range of Zenfone.
On many occasions, it is not a brand that we consider since it can be challenging to find, at least in my country. However, and making it a bit of a “spoiler,” I have considered keeping it as a personal mobile.
The terminal comes in a black cardboard box with the model’s name and the smartphone embossing in turquoise blue on the lid. On one of the sides, they mention the “Flip camera,” which is the selfie camera system that this device incorporates and that I will explain later. On the back are a sticker with the IMEI numbers and the terminal’s specifications. There are also several recommendations, certification logos, and seals, such as CE, FCC, Recycled, DTS, Hi-Res Audio, etc.
Inside the box is the Asus ZenFone 6, in my case, black. We also find an excellent user guide in several languages, a transparent hard case, and the pin to access the nano SIM cards. At the bottom of the box are the Chinese version charger from 5V to 2A, the USB to USB type C cable, and some headphones with spare parts.
Software
This Asus ZenFone 6 has the latest version of Android, specifically 9.0 Pie, with a highly complete customization layer called ZenUI that is somewhat reminiscent of “Android Stock” or “Android One.” It has an app menu that appears if you swipe from bottom to top.
The system is very well optimized and very fluid.
It incorporates practically all languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, English, etc. It also has Google services pre-installed and the Google Play app store. In addition to other brand applications such as Drive, Duo, YouTube, Maps, Photos, Google Pay, Lens, etc. And as if these were not enough, the Taiwanese manufacturer has decided to incorporate more applications such as a File Manager, Asus Data Transfer, Instagram, Messenger, the weather, etc.
It incorporates Google’s virtual assistant that you can activate by launching the “Ok Google” command or by pressing the upper right button on the side.
The settings menu provides various configuration modes, such as screen color or temperature, dark mode in the operating system, dual applications, text size, font, etc.
Not many smartphones come with an integrated application that manages when we are playing so that calls or notifications do not appear and spoil our game. Well, this Asus ZenFone 6 has an app called “Game Genius.” In addition to allowing those above, it will enable you to link it with your Twitch or YouTube account to stream and broadcast your games directly from the application.
It also has an equalizer, so you can configure the smartphone’s sound while playing multimedia content.
I want to comment that this device is compatible with Netflix HD thanks to the Widevine L1 encryption codec that will help to process the online video.
I have passed the Malwarebytes antivirus, and it has not detected any vulnerability in the system that could put the user’s security at risk.
Two pairs of gestures can be configured with this customization layer. However, having such a large screen, I see them as useless since it is complicated to interact with one hand. In the end, the simplest way to avoid holding it with one hand and interacting with the other is to leave the keypad on the screen.
It has fast and effective facial recognition that can even recognize you if you are in the dark, thanks to the light on the screen itself. However, it does not unlock with sunglasses.
Power and Hardware
How could it be otherwise a high-end smartphone? This Asus ZenFone 6 has the same hardware configuration as the rest of its direct rivals. In one of its cores, it mounts the best processor on the market in 2019, the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, with a maximum speed of 2.84 GHz.
The Adreno 640 graphics processor accompanies it at 710 MHz, providing fantastic performance in all games.
There are several memory configurations, starting with 6GB of RAM (LPDDR4X) like this version they sent us or 8GB of RAM. For internal storage, they range from 64GB UFS 2.1 through 128GB and end with 256GB. However, for those who are not sure how much memory you need for storage, I inform you that it is compatible with memory expansion by microSD so that you can add your card to a bad one.
Before installing any application that could slow down the smartphone, I have passed the “AnTuTu Benchmark v7.1” application to verify all the power and performance it can achieve. The result has been 281192 points.
As I mentioned at the beginning, it is expected that having this hardware configuration with 6GB of RAM and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor will obtain this number of points and be among one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. Surely for day to day, we do not need so much power, but what is clear is that it can perform any demanding task, whether it is video editing or playing the most demanding games.
Design and Screen
This Asus ZenFone 6 has a “premium” mobile look, with a careful design and exquisite finishes. It has a sealed body, so you won’t be able to remove the battery. It also has a shiny black back cover, whether you want it or not, and all the traces will stay.
The dimensions of this smartphone are 75.5 mm long x 159.0 mm high x 9.6 mm thick and weigh only 198 grams. Its 6.4-inch screen with a Full HD + resolution (2340×1080) and a concentration of pixels per inch of 403. It has a practical surface of 85%. The dimensions are like those of any current high-end smartphone.
The IPS LCD-type screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection, where the colors look good. I have realized that when the smartphone is horizontal, you will not be able to use polarized sunglasses to see the screen.
The resolution is more than enough, and unlike others with higher resolutions, it will help us maintain the battery for as long as possible. A quality screen, with good colors and intensity, but that cannot be compared to other high-end ones such as the Samsung Galaxy S10 or some Vivo, I miss a little more brightness, and in full sun, it suffers more than another top of the range despite at its supposed 600 nits.
As I already told you, it has an all-screen front without holes or annoying “notches” that hide notifications. It has minor side frames and a slight bottom edge. At the top, between the screen and the side, is the speaker for calls you can hear well, and on the right side is a small multi-colored notification LED. It has an ambient light sensor.
Asus has been one of the few manufacturers that have continued to opt for a fingerprint sensor on the back of the terminal. It is nothing new, but it must be said that after testing several smartphones with the fingerprint sensor on the screen, such as the Xiaomi Mi 9T, it is preferable today to have a rear sensor that unlocks in less than 3 seconds and the first time.
In the upper back part, it has a dual camera, and a double LED flash, and, thanks to its “flip” mechanism, as the company itself has called it, it has a small motor that makes it rise and rotate to be able to take out selfies using the dual primary camera.
I have been testing it, and I think it is more valuable than putting a “pop-up” camera like the one on the Xiaomi Mi 9T, Redmi K20 Pro, or the elegant Oneplus 7 Pro. In addition, the manufacturer can choose to put an excellent primary camera and forget about the selfie.
On the left side is the slot to access the nano SIM card holder and the microSD. On the right is the Google personal assistant button, followed by the typical volume up and down buttons and the lock button, all made of metal.
The USB type C connector is on the lower side, with the microphone and speaker on the right side. This speaker is of fantastic quality; with the front speaker, you get a stereo and loud sound of excellent quality. It has surprised me.
To the left of the USB Type-C plug is the 3.5mm headphone jack. On the upper side, as we have the rotating mechanism of the camera, there is only the noise cancellation microphone.
I didn’t think I was going to like the aesthetics of this Asus ZenFone 6 so much. It has a very well-cared finish and is built with quality materials. In general, I would say that it is at the height of a high-end terminal.