Asus smartphones are indeed not known for their cameras, with a majority of them being budget to mid-range. The Zenfone range provides decent image quality but do not stand a chance against flagship devices coming from Samsung, Sony or Apple.

Asus Zenfone Zoom is a phone known for its zoom capability and it surely dominates the market on this factor. Though it's a metal build Zenfone 2 at its core, even on the camera front (unless you use the optical zoom), the lens arrangement has surely got many smartphone makers' mind churning.

Tough and unique build; Intelligent lens arrangement; Fast and full time AF on video rec; 128GB on board storage

Heavy and pricey; Average battery backup

Ever since smartphones became a rage, there has been a constant debate about whether they can replace other devices, most notably cameras (check our lead story). One of the perceived weakpoints of camera phones is the absence of optical zoom.

Zenfone Zoom is an awesome handset with impressive features however all this comes for a premium price, way too on the higher side.

Asus had been on a roll last year with its mid-range Zenfone 2-series smartphones, which includes the Zenfone 2, Zenfone Selfie and the Zenfone 2 Laser . This year the company kick-started with a sub Rs 10,000 smartphone called Zenfone Max with 5,000mAh battery, followed by a camera centric...

The idea of integrating a DSLR-like camera isn't being a new stuff to us since we already have seen the Lumia 1020 and a couple of smartphones from Samsung highlighting the cameras with optical zoom and now ASUS has stepped into it making a smartphone with a DSLR-like camera.

T hey might have been claiming to match and even outdo ‘proper' cameras for a while now, but phone manufacturers know that even the most humble point and shooter in tech town has something that most phone cameras do not – the optical zoom.

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 has taken the the already impressive ZenFone 2 and turned it into something fun for anyone who enjoys the control of a DSLR camera but isn't planning on walking around with one every day.

Amazing performance; Great battery life; Leather back feels nice; Shutter buttons rock

Camera bump adds bulk; Camera sensor is mediocre; Software is filled with bloat; Android 5.0 in 2016 is unacceptable

Asus Zenfone Zoom does zoom in well with its camera but it fails to deliver a stellar battery and the camera UI is confusing at best