Asus ZenFone Zoom Review: Optical Zoom Impresses

Under the right circumstances, the ZenFone Zoom really shines, with an impressive optical zoom and dedicated camera buttons that I wish more phone makers would emulate. But the phone's lackluster image processing can make that optical zoom feel more like a powerful parlor trick than a headline...

Rear camera has 3x optical zoom; Dedicated camera controls; Built-in manual photo mode; Removable leather back; 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage come standard

White balance issues with camera; Subpar battery life; Mediocre audio; Clunky interface

The Asus ZenFone Zoom comes at a premium for the sole reason that it's the only smartphone in the market at the moment with optical zoom. At Rs. 37,999, it competes with Samsung's Galaxy S6 range and the new Nexus 6P, both of which have excellent cameras.

Asus Zenfone Zoom

The Asus Zenfone Zoom may have an optical zoom camera, but the image quality isn't worth Rs. 37,999. It's basically a Zenfone 2 with optical zoom, which doesn't make sense at this price range.

Good performance; Good display

Sub-par camera image quality; Sub-par battery life

By now, the ASUS ZenFone series of smartphones is no stranger to many. Its latest member comes in the form of the ZenFone Zoom, which is a smartphone that offers more than just speedy performance.

Great image quality from camera system; Powerful performance; Very good display

Battery life could be better; Camera suffers a little in low-light environments

We don't yet know whether the Zenfone Zoom is destined for the UK, but the continued dialogue Asus strikes up with such a standout device makes us think that it wants to be considered a serious player in the space of high-end camera phones, much like Microsoft's top Lumias and to a degree, rivals...

Impressive camera; Massive internal storage