In the winter of 2017, the Asus company, known to many domestic buyers, released a new smartphone model - Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB. Reviews about the device are simply amazing. Even before it went on sale, many users became interested in the new product. And the reason for this was the innovative technology for video broadcasting. For most buyers who simply live online, it was this development that became decisive when choosing. This model is ideal for bloggers and those people who like to take selfies. The appearance of the gadget also did not go unnoticed. She provoked heated discussions. So, let's look at which users highlighted the advantages of the Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB in the reviews, and what are considered to be disadvantages. We will also see if the company managed to provide young creators with an affordable gadget in order to be a leader.
Take a look in the box
The manufacturer did not make a large packing box, limiting itself to dimensions that slightly exceed the dimensions of the phone itself. As a material for it, thick cardboard was used. In order to get to the contents, you will need to remove the top cover. It was she who became the place where designers presented the name of the gadget and the features of its appearance. The box design style is concise. There are no bright inserts, extra inscriptions. In a word, modest, but tasteful. Indeed, looking at the packaging, you might think that it contains a premium smartphone, which is confirmed by reviews. Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB golden, for example, is sold in a box that is decorated to match the case. For the model in the color Rose, pink packaging is used.
Now look inside. The first thing to see already the owner of a new gadget is the phone itself. It is separately packaged in a special transparent bag that protects the case from mechanical damage. Underneath is documentation with a coupon testifying to the provision of a guarantee. The lower part of the box is divided into two compartments, in which there is a clip-key in the form of a smiling emoticon, a 1A power adapter and an interface cable (USB).
What users think about appearance
Most of all, users were surprised to learn that the body of the novelty is made of plastic. In 2017, metal models began to appear even in the budget segment. They are unambiguous and look more stylish, and are reliable. But the developers of the company still chose plastic. However, in defense it is worth noting that the quality of the material is pretty good. Also, users paid a lot of attention to design. This topic is devoted to numerous reviews. Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB (black, gold, pink) looks standard. On the front side, glass with rounded edges was used. Along the perimeter of the body is a frame, arcuate in shape. It is painted in the main color. Like the main surfaces, it is made of plastic. The main elements are arranged according to the standard scheme. In the upper part there is a small “eye” of the selfie camera, and a light sensor is displayed next to it. In the center there is a narrow speaker hole for talking. On the left side of it, the developers have located an autonomous LED-type flash.
At the bottom of the case (under the screen) is the control panel. Three touch keys are displayed on it. Their designation is clearly visible, although the backlight is not provided. The reviews on the Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB Black say that in the dark the buttons are completely invisible, but this does not cause much discomfort.
What is on the back of the case? Are there any features here? If you believe the opinion of users, the design is vaguely reminiscent of "apple." A typical location of the main camera is in the upper left corner. A small “eye” of the flash is displayed under it. It, like the lens of optics, is slightly recessed into the body, so you should not be afraid that their surface will be scratched. Users pay attention to the characteristic grooves that are in the lower and upper parts of the lid. If the panel were made of aluminum and plastic, then there is nothing surprising in this. But the phone’s body is plastic, so most likely it’s just a kind of design trick.
Many users also liked that the manufacturer did not place his logo on the front panel, choosing a back cover for it. This place is optimal.
It's time to pay attention to the controls. Their convenient location is mentioned in many reviews. Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB Gold, Black and Rose has standard keys, placed on the right side. We are talking about an elongated “swing” volume and buttons, which performs the function of on / off and lock. They are made of metal, have a specific texture used in the ZenFone line. On the left side at the top there is a tray. It provides two compartments for cards of a cellular operator of the nano format. One of these slots can be used for external microSDXC drives. There is nothing surprising in this, since recently it has been practiced in many gadgets. Naturally, the ZB501KL model has ports for connecting headphones (at the top) and micro-USB (at the bottom). Next to the last is the main microphone and stereo speaker.
Ergonomics
In reviews of the Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB, owners also discuss ergonomics. Ease of use is an important criterion when choosing a gadget. What can be said about this model? Given that the smartphone is equipped with a 5-inch display, then, of course, it has rather large dimensions. The height of the case is 141.18 mm with a width of 71.74 mm. But thanks to a thickness that does not exceed 8 mm, the device belongs to the category of narrow ones. The mass of the device is only 120 g. Most users claim that it is quite comfortable to operate with one hand, however, it should be noted that the surface of the panels is slippery, so the phone may accidentally fall out.
The assembly of the plastic case is excellent. No creaking or play was detected during testing. All items fit neatly. Also, users noted a high level of wear resistance. Not even the most tidy owners retain their initial appearance for a long time.
Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB phone: screen reviews
Every smartphone owner understands that the main element of the gadget is the screen. The level of comfort of interaction will depend on its characteristics. What grade did the display get? By and large, no weighty remarks were made to him. The TFT-IPS matrix provides good color quality. HD resolution is enough for a 5-inch diagonal. The screen clearly and colorful displays the picture. Sharpness, contrast and brightness at a comfortable level.
The color rendition is not bad, but Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB is clearly not up to the premium devices. At the factory settings, users noticed a high white temperature. You can fix this yourself by going to the phone settings.
A significant advantage of the model are its wide viewing angles. Using this gadget, there is no need to constantly keep the smartphone at a right angle so that the contrast is not distorted. The backlight range is optimal. When working with the phone in the sun, you can put it to the maximum, and in the dark reduce the brightness to a minimum.
The manufacturer installed an excellent sensor on the device. It responds to touch quickly and clearly, there is an oleophobic coating.
Software
Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB is a smartphone that is not running the latest version of the operating system. The user is offered the sixth “Android”. But one cannot fail to note the proprietary shell - ZenUI 3.0. She, according to users, is well designed. It has flexible settings, personalization options. The developers brought the interface as close as possible to the "clean" Android.
Users liked the ability to change the menu. Here you can set the font, background, wallpaper, icons. Due to the fact that the menu is rendered separately, you can remove all application shortcuts from the screen.
The standard equipment includes various services. Of the pre-installed users identified Service Center, social networks, ZenTalk, ZenCircle.
Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB: performance reviews
This model is not heavy duty. The four hundredth Qualcomm brand Snapdragon processor is responsible for its performance. The chip consists of 4 computing modules. Type of cores - Cortex-A7. The maximum to which they can accelerate is 1400 MHz. Currently, there are already more productive gadgets, so the Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB Black is, so to speak, an average. There are no problems with playing graphics, animated pictures do not freeze, because the Adreno-305 accelerator is responsible for them.
There are two modifications in the lineup. Each of them has two gigabytes of RAM. But the storage of the internal memory is different. The hero of our review is equipped with 32 GB, and the younger sold 16 GB. If desired, the memory can be increased, however, in order to insert the drive, you will have to abandon the second SIM card.
Users in the comments claim that the gadget works well with an average load. Systemic failures are practically not observed. Running programs can sometimes be accompanied by micro-delays. No problems arose with watching videos in Full HD and especially HD. However, the phone could not play the video as 4K.
Camera
Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB received most positive reviews thanks to the cameras. As the main implemented 13-megapixel module. It is complemented by a flash that allows you to shoot at night. There is autofocus, but the reviews say that it is rather slow. Describing the capabilities of the camera, you need to pay attention to the modes. There are a lot of them on the menu. According to the manufacturer, each of them is optimally configured for certain conditions. For example, the night mode of extreme shooting or super HDR. A close-up shot is detailed. All elements are clearly visible. However, this quality can only be achieved in daylight. At night, the image will be somewhat blurry, and users noticed that even choosing the HDR mode does not really save the situation - digital noise is still noticeable. The reason for this is the aperture value - f / 2.2. Insufficiently detailed images are obtained taken indoors. But high-quality photographs of the text will turn out without problems. The device copes with this excellently. As for recording videos, their maximum resolution is 1920x1080 px. Frame rate - 30 fps.
The selfie camera also received many reviews. Despite the fact that it is based on a 5-megapixel module, the pictures are obtained in good quality. Moreover, users did not have comments on the work either in the daytime or at night.
Now it's time to talk about the "chip" of this smartphone. The highlight of the gadget was the option Beauty Live. What opportunities does it open to users? During video broadcasting, you can now edit the image quality in real time. For example, a person may apply makeup on his face without further editing.
Communication
As mentioned earlier, the Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB smartphone can work with two cards of mobile operators. The tray into which they are inserted is hybrid. One slot is also designed for external drives. Note that the device is capable of working with next-generation networks - LTE. However, this feature is implemented on only one slot, while the second supports the 2G standard.
Manufacturers have not forgotten about wireless modules. In order to be able to access the Internet, it is not necessary to connect to 4G. Wi-Fi is also suitable for these purposes. The phone acts as an access point. There are two ways to transfer files and other data. The first is via a USB cable, the second is using Bluetooth 4.0. Both methods work stably at an acceptable speed.
Implemented in the phone and the navigation module. The signal is set via BeiDou, GPS and GLONASS. Coordinates are determined accurately and quickly.
Battery Life
But by what criteria does the Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB get negative reviews? Due to battery life. The fact is that the manufacturer installed a rather weak battery on the device. Its capacity is only 2650 mAh. Naturally, the quick charge function is not provided. In order to restore the resource of the battery, it will take about three hours. Connection to the network is via a USB cable and a 1 A power adapter.
With active use, the phone will "live" until the evening, but at night it will need to be put on recharge. Most energy is spent at maximum screen brightness. If it is reduced to at least 70%, then it will turn out to increase the working life to 30-35 hours.
When using a gadget for games, it is necessary to consider that in one hour approximately 30% of the charge will be "eaten". But when watching a video, switching to the "Flight" mode, you can count on 9-10 hours.
To summarize
So, after testing the Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL 32GB smartphone, most users rated it 4 on a five-point system. Such a high result was influenced by decent screen specifications, good image quality, and the availability of the Beauty Live option. Of course, the price of the device played an important role. The cost in stores is approximately 9000 rubles.
What users found advantages in this model?
- Stylish, though not exclusive design.
- Range of colors. The line has the most popular tones.
- Optimum dimensions, light weight.
- A wide range of different settings in the camera menu.
- A program for video broadcasting.
The described advantages for many customers can be decisive, especially for those who do not have high performance requirements. However, despite this, the device has a significant minus - a modest battery. Also, advanced users were not very satisfied with the hardware, considering the installed processor is already a little outdated. Well, and finally, we note that the choice of plastic for the case disappointed buyers.