So, I actually missed out the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom media trip last week because I was having classes as well as some important assignments and presentations. Thankfully, I managed to get the ZenFone 3 Zoom from ASUS Malaysia, and it comes in a big box, which was called as the ZenFone 3 Zoom Survival Pack. Without further ado, let’s begin!
*Disclaimer: This survival pack is only available for media exclusively, the final retail version is only the ZenFone 3 Zoom package.
Well, the box is quite big, and for sure there will be something fun in it, though I have absolutely no idea what will ASUS include.
Taking out the box from the bag, it’s a big black box with the ZenFone logo at the center!
Open up the big black box, there are some accessories as well as the ZenFone 3 Zoom box, which obviously is a must since it’s the main highlight of this article.
The survival pack comes with the windbreaker with my name printed on it (Thanks a lot!), a waterproof case so that you can take photos with the ZenFone 3 Zoom even under water, the ZenFone 3 Zoom box, and a strap. Since I actually missed out the media trip, it’s normal to know that the survival pack doesn’t have all the accessories like other media got. I don’t really mind as the phone is the most important one!
Now, let’s move to the star of this article — the ZenFone 3 Zoom! The box looks just like the one for the ZenFone 3, which feels pretty premium.
Opened up the box, the ZenFone 3 Zoom sits right there wrapped with a layer of plastic. Yet again, the front of the phone looks pretty much same as the ZenFone 3.
For this time, ASUS actually decided to put the user guide, warranty card, and SIM ejector tool, in the box cover.
Surprise! Surprise! There’s also a TPU case for the ZenFone 3 Zoom! Kudos ASUS for including the protective case this time!
It’s actually a little bit hard to put on the case for the first, but it’ll get easier over the time.
The bottom layer of the box has the USB Type-C cable, wall adapter, wall charger, earphones, and ear tips. All of these are in white, as opposed to the color of the box and the phone.
For RM2,099, you’ll get a complete set of items in the box. The only thing I wish ASUS could include is the screen protector, but since I actually prefer using the phone without a screen protector, I’m okay with it.
Moving to my first impressions of the phone. As I mentioned earlier, the front of the phone looks pretty much same as the ZenFone 3. Yes, it doesn’t have backlight Android buttons, which means you’ll probably need some time to find the buttons in the dark.
Unlike the ZenFone 3, the back of the phone is made of the metal material, which I actually preferred a lot. It is nice to touch and not so slippery compared to glass, and not fingerprint magnet!
Closing up to the dual-camera setup, which is the key selling point of the phone. The device comes with two cameras on its back — one with a f/1.7-aperture, 25mm wide-angle lens and another one with a 59mm lens. Users can instantly switch from the 25mm primary camera to the 59mm camera, giving them a 2.3x optical zoom that is perfect for portraits and capturing distant subjects. The device also comes with an improved TriTech autofocus system — Dual Pixel PDAF, subject tracking autofocus, and second-generation laser focus. After using it for a few days, I must say that its focusing speed is really fast!
The bottom of the device houses a 3.5mm audio jack (Thankfully, it still exists!), USB Type-C port, and the speaker grill.
The volume rocker and power button are located on the right side of the device. One amazing feature of the ZenFone 3 Zoom is, even though the phone body is only 7.9mm thin, ASUS managed to fit in a 5,000mAh battery in it. Its battery life is quite impressive, more details to come in the full review.
In case you missed it, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom is currently available in Malaysia at the price of RM2,099. Stay tuned as we are currently testing the device as well as working on its full review.
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