Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL user reviews are called an entry-level smartphone with the ambitions of a mid-range phone. Available at a price of about 190 $. It's a little more expensive than last year's ZenFone Go, but in return the phone got a better camera and more battery power. This year you should not expect support for high-end features. However, at least the phone is equipped with an HD panel, a removable battery, the ability to connect two SIM cards and LTE. The model has an ergonomic design and various body colors - black, silver, gold, blue, red and white.
Design
The smartphone is entirely made of plastic. Under the menu keys, a typical Zen metal strip with concentric polishing circles is inserted. The finish is plain and simple. The back is rounded towards the outside, which allows you to conveniently hold your smartphone in your hand. Design Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL 32 GB reviews are called quite organic, rounded and pleasant to the touch. Fortunately, the back panel can be removed and the battery replaced. However, removing it is relatively difficult. According to user reviews, you even have to use a screwdriver for this. Asus offers covers in different colors, but they cannot be purchased individually.
The curved back cover makes the device significantly thicker than other smartphones in this category. However, its weight is small - only 135 g. Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL design stability is highly praised by the owners. Pressure on the cover or screen leaves the phone as indifferent as trying to twist it. The smartphone gives the impression of a very high quality made device. Only the back panel sometimes creaks under pressure.
Equipment
RAM 2 GB and 16/32 GB ROM - a typical configuration of phones in this category. Smartphones like the Huawei P8 Lite come with an additional 1 GB of working memory. The fingerprint scanner has now become commonplace in this price range, but the ZenFone Go does not. But there is an FM radio and USB OTG.
Software
Asus calls its user interface ZenUI. It is based on the 6th version of Android and brings only small and mostly visual changes to it. According to user reviews, a software update is available immediately. So the manufacturer takes care of its inexpensive smartphones.
A lot of software is preinstalled on the phone. Fortunately, there is no adware other than a hotel app. Programs allow you to access the Asus service center and the Zen community, as well as clear the smartphone’s memory.
Communication and GPS
It is quite normal that only the Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n standard is supported in the base mid-price range. However, at the same time, the phone uses the capabilities of the communication channel to the maximum: the data transfer rate is almost 2 times higher than most analogues.
LTE is also there. But if in the previous model there was support only for certain countries, then in 2017 ZenFone Go became more modern. The smartphone is not inferior to competitors and reaches a download speed of 150 Mbit / s and transmission - 50 Mbit / s. The device operates in 7 LTE bands, so it is likely to find a fast mobile network, even in exotic countries. Signal reception in difficult urban environments is good.
The GPS module in the room does not work. Reception improves when approaching the window, and the maximum accuracy in the open air is 7 m, which is quite acceptable. According to owners, the phone often loses the satellite signal, although it can work well in the forest. The module is probably very susceptible to interference, and therefore the user should think twice about using ZenFone Go as the main navigation system.
Telephone and call quality
Asus has changed the Phone app. First, a numeric keypad opens, and the user can access contacts and frequently dialed numbers through tabs at the top of the screen. The program is similar to the standard Google application, and its use is just as convenient.
The call quality of the Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL LTE smartphone is considered by users to be satisfactory. Unfortunately, the interlocutor's voice sounds very high, since the earphone does not transmit low tones. The maximum volume is good and the sound is clear enough. The users' voices to the interlocutors also seem a little subtle, but the transmission is relatively clear and clear in a quiet conversation. The contact sounds the same as through the speaker when using the speakerphone mode.
Cameras
Smartphone cameras also attribute it to the middle price category: 13 megapixels at the rear and 5 megapixels at the front are designed to take decent photos. The image quality of the main camera is really good. Its sharpness is appropriate, subjective color reproduction is good, but the pictures look much darker and more muffled than, for example, the LG G4. In low light conditions, quality deteriorates rapidly. Objects are clearly marked and colored areas become noisy. Smartphone Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL, according to owners, is more suitable for daytime photography.
Video can be recorded in Full HD resolution. Brightness adapts well to new situations, but it happens very slowly. In addition, the focus sometimes needs to be adjusted manually.
A 5-megapixel selfie camera shoots decent self-portraits with good display of details even in dark places. However, she has problems in a bright environment, as objects turn out to be highly lit. Sharpness is acceptable, but photographs cannot be enlarged too much, as distortions become apparent.
According to reviews, Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL 16 GB reproduces some colors brighter than necessary, and also suffers from visible noise. The overall sharpness of images and texts on a colored background is moderate. In really ideal conditions, the smartphone allows you to get quite clear pictures. But toward the edges, their sharpness decreases.
Accessories and Warranty
In addition to the power source and USB cable, the manufacturer supplies the phone with headphones with acceptable sound quality. Product-specific accessories are not listed on the Asus website. The model is covered by a 24-month warranty.
Input Devices
The keyboard application is integrated into the operating system. However, it remains possible to switch to a standard Google input device or download another from the Play Store. The keys are big enough. Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL LTE users, according to reviews, experience problems with fast printing, because the device does not have time to respond to input. Typing as fast as on high-performance smartphones won't work. Since the problem is repeated with the standard GBoard keyboard, it is connected to the phone, not the application. It is possible to configure the clipboard, keys and additional keyboard.
The touch screen surface is good and reacts even in corners. The software offers many useful settings for users with disabilities, there is a one-handed mode, launching functions in response to phone movements and on-screen gestures is available. For example, double-clicking wakes the smartphone up, drawing a certain letter launches the application associated with it, and turning the device over decreases the sound volume.
Under the touch screen there are 3 menu buttons. They function relatively reliably and are clearly marked. The position of the switch on the upper edge of the smartphone is somewhat unusual. On the one hand, it’s more difficult to reach, but on the other, it eliminates accidental clicking. The volume control is at the back. This is a convenient position if the user gets used to it. All keys have a clear pressure point and are quite reliable.
Display
In terms of screen size 5 ”and a resolution of 720p pixels, ZenFone Go is on par with its rivals. Only the Huawei P8 lite (2017) offers a FullHD display. The screen brightness is 452 cd / m², which is the average value in its class. The brightness distribution is 84% - the screen is not very uniform and, therefore, large colored surfaces are noticeably uneven.
Black level Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL 32GB, reviews equal to 0.42 cd / m², is also quite mediocre. The color is more like dark gray, and the backlight is very noticeable in dark areas. Nevertheless, this leads to a good contrast of 1093: 1, although competitors offer more.
The screen has a moderate bluish tint. The colors look pretty pale, but reproduce for sure. Only blue and green shades deviate more strongly than others. Although the panel cannot be used professionally, the photos look quite natural.
The viewing angles of the Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL are called good reviews: the displayed content remains clear, even if viewed from the side, although slight color shifts are noticeable. The glossy surface of the screen in the open creates problems. The image remains sharp in the shade, but the eyes are strained to see something in a bright environment.
Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset is designed to increase the performance of the Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL 32GB smartphone. Owner reviews, however, indicate that the clock frequency of the 4 cores is limited to 1 GHz, resulting in a loss of power. This leads to frequent “stuttering” and a long waiting time when navigating through a relatively undemanding OS. Installation and downloading take a lot of time. In this regard, ZenFone Go is clearly inferior to competing devices. In particular, the Huawei P8 offers significantly higher performance.
The Qualcomm Adreno 306 graphic unit, like the chip, is already several years old, so it does not support the latest graphical interfaces.
Smartphone Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL 32GB, according to owners, on the Internet it works much slower than analogs. Sometimes you have to wait a long time. Simply entering the URL takes a lot of time since the keyboard application first loads. Although complex HTML5 pages take longer to open, they usually work smoothly.
Checking the speed of access to memory and microSD showed that the smartphone copes with this worse than competitors. ZenFone Go needs more time to access the internal storage. Only sequential recording is performed at equal speed. Perhaps this slowness is another reason for the very long download time of applications and occasional hitches.
Games
Mobile games are usually created to work on as many smartphones as possible. Some of them provide the ability to change graphic settings in order to adapt them to the processor bandwidth. Unfortunately, ZenFone Go cannot do without this. For example, in Asphalt 8, at the highest gaming settings, the screen refresh rate drops to 14 fps, which is unacceptable. Only the lowest settings here and in the Dead Trigger 2 shooter allow you to reach 30 fps. Simple games like Angry Birds work without a hitch. The user is deprived of power reserve due to the lack of support for modern APIs.
Another point that you will have to put up with: downloading Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL 16 GB applications, according to user reviews, is very slow, and it takes them ages to install them. But control using the touch screen and position sensor is very reliable.
Sound quality
The small speaker on the lower edge is not very loud (maximum - 78.4 dB). The bass is almost completely absent, but the midrange is audible, which is very important for listening to songs or voice. High tones are slightly accentuated and sometimes ring. Music lovers are unlikely to be pleased with the speaker, but it is enough to select music or watch videos.
Playback via Bluetooth and a 3.5mm headset jack is good and free of glitches.
Battery life
Due to the relatively small battery capacity of 2600 mAh or 10.1 watts-hours, 9:32 hours achieved in the Wi-Fi test are satisfactory. In addition, the battery is removable, so that for long trips, you can use a spare battery to increase battery life. The LG X Power delivers twice the performance with its very large capacity.
The smartphone does not have a quick charge function, so the charge recovery lasts up to 3 hours.
Conclusion
Phone Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL, according to owners, firmly settled in the lower segment of the middle price range. The hard case, removable battery and decent (in good light) photographs testify in favor of the model. However, the buyer must accept the relatively low performance of the smartphone when navigating the menu. In addition, the GPS module loses signal, and the screen has medium contrast and uneven lighting. Users are pleased that the manufacturer regularly provides the latest security updates. Usually in this price range you can not expect updates to the latest operating system. Also pretty good color accuracy and controllability.
However, the performance of the Asus ZenFone Go ZB500KL phone is said by owners to be insufficient. A potential buyer should know that at the same or slightly higher price there are alternative offers, such as Lenovo K6 or Huawei P8 Lite.