#I cannot see the little pop-up notification number on any app ever I HAVE to make sure it's either marked as read/seen or just turn it off

[imagination-is-key-in-my-world]

Chime

Authors Note: I am 100% a big fan of A Cinderella Story which is what had inspired me to write this piece. I know it has been a long time since I had written anything but a lot has been going on in my life. This story is inspired by my own mental health issues as well as my ultimate dream that Tom Holland would sweep me off my feet. [Do not tell my Fiancé that I told you guys that!] Also, I got a brand-new laptop that has made writing so much more efficient than my iPad. Hopefully, I will be more active on my page. Please feel free to contact me to share your thoughts.

Summary: So, you are currently struggling with anxiety which is not easy as a high school student. Things are not getting easier now that your best friend is leaving to go to another school, leaving you behind to deal with your senior year alone. That is how you feel every day – alone. But your life suddenly changes when you stumble across an app that allows people to chat anonymously with people who share similar interests without sharing too much. Only you did not expect that this new app would take over your life and provide you with someone who you no longer think you could cope without. But who is on the other end of the phone?

Warning: Possible swearing and mental health triggers.

Pairing: Reader x Tom Holland 

Word Count: 6,758

Counting the dew drops on the window was getting completely tedious at this point. There you sat in complete silence for what must have been a couple of minutes. But to you, it had felt like hours, if not days. Not that you were being dramatic at all.

You are not exactly the type of person who many people would typically associate with the nature of popularity. You did not have that many followers on your social media accounts. Therefore, it should not have been that surprising that your phone was not “blowing” up with notifications at this time of day.

Your best friend Cleo always told you that if you wanted to make something of your life, you needed to leave the house for more than just school.

“But!” You would always protest, “everything I need is right here.” Cleo was one member of a small social group that you bothered with both in and outside of school. When it came to forming groups in class, all your teachers knew that you needed to be put with a friend or you would be catastrophically unresponsive with a slight hint of a mini meltdown beginning to form.

The thing is you suffer with a high level of anxiety when it comes to meeting and conversing with people outside of your friendship circle. To make matters worse, the whole school was aware of this problem and would constantly tease and mimic the blubbering mess you turned into when you had to answer a question in the middle of class. There would be pointing as well as laughing as you would literally shake and break a sweat in front of everyone. Let us just say, this may have been one of the many reasons that your group only had 5 members and that includes you and queen Cleo.

The phone chimed and it shook you from your thoughts. When you finally unlocked it, you noticed that it was only Cleo cancelling on you yet again. Earlier that evening you had asked Cleo to come over and discuss the nature of Cleo moving schools in the fall. Both of you were meant to discuss how you personally were going to cope with the everyday torment and painful endeavours that was a big part of school life. But from that disappointed look on your face, it was obvious that Cleo was only blowing you off to spend more time with her new boyfriend.

“Knock knock” Your mother stated as she blatantly barged into your room. “Hey baby, I’m going to the store do you need anything at all?” As per usual you would shake your head and try not to make any eye contact with your mother at all. “Okay, well make sure that you feed the dog for me while I am gone and try and get some sun, you’re looking a little pale, baby.”

It was typical of your mother to attempt to force you out of your comfort zone. It was getting quite embarrassing for her at the teacher/parent evenings when she was called in to discuss another “issue.” It is not like you do not want to make more of an effort in class and with people, it just does not come as easy to you as it may for everyone else. The idea of people hearing you call out an answer in class and have it been wrong is absolutely devastating and crucifying for you.

You picked up your phone and decided that Facebook was worth one last scroll through before you decide that it was worthless and throw your phone back onto the bed for the 14th time that day. You were scrolling away half-heartedly, not really reading through the posts that people had shared as it was probably the same drama that it always was. It was as you thought, but suddenly your mind decided to switch back on when it reached a pop up that you would typically ignore. “Attention all Introverts.” Obviously, this caught your attention, it was in freaking bold print. You cannot ignore anything when it is in bold print! Clicking on the link, you decided to curiously read on.

“Attention all Introverts,

Have you ever felt lonely and isolated? Well this is the app for you. Become anyone you want to be, talk to anyone you would like – with total anonymity.

[This app gives you the confidence to express yourself to total strangers without the fear of judgements. If you are terrified of being vulnerable around other people while being your true self, then this is the app for you]”

Of course, you were sceptical at first but that was when you remembered how difficult it was to be your friend, relative and even teacher. Then before you could even stop yourself, you clicked onto the app and the download began. Nothing happened at all, other than the app appearing onto your phone’s home screen amongst other apps like Tumblr and Facebook. But you just thought there was going to be a sudden flash of lightning and you would be overwhelmed with confidence like you see in the movies. However, this was not the movies, this was your life and there you sat on the edge of your bed still shaking like a leaf.

It took you about half an hour to install all of your relevant information into the app. Mostly because you were trying to convince yourself that it was a stupid idea and that you should just delete it straight away. Although there was a faint voice in the back of your head telling you to do it. Part of it sounded like Cleo, while another part of the voice sounded like a stranger to you.

Once you had finished setting up the app, you left your phone on your dresser and walked into the lounge to watch that new episode of Ru Paul’s drag race that you had missed on Netflix. You managed to get through two episodes, a giant bag of Cheetos and a litre of Dr Pepper before crashing out on the sofa.

A loud chime from the bedroom woke you from your slumber. Your mother was sat on the edge of the sofa watching one of her true crime documentaries when she noticed you becoming startled.

“You okay honey?” You wipe your eyes and nod. “Do you want anything to eat or are you all set for bed?”

“Bed.” You mumble as you pick up the rubbish that had surrounded you on your makeshift bed for the afternoon.

“Okay, love you honey.” She called back as you threw away the rubbish into the trash and made your way into your bedroom. You practically fell onto your bed before you remembered the chime that had woken you in the first place. Grasping your phone, you unlocked it hesitantly, shielding your eyes from the brightness behind it to reveal a message from an unknown number. One word, one syllable and one emotion, fear.

‘Hey’

In your head these words kept rolling through your mind. What do I do now? Do I message back or do I leave it alone? Will they think I am ignoring them if I do not reply? Well of course they would, the app has probably notified them that it has been read. You started pacing in your bedroom chanting the words over and over in your head ‘What do I do? What do I do?’

It was almost like a reflex after a while as your fingers typed away.

‘HEY’ Too eager

‘Hiya’ Too girly

‘Hi’ Too blunt

Sup’ Too weird

Each message you typed your anxiety took over and criticised it, controlling your fingers to delete and retype.

‘Hey’ Was the message that you had settled for. It had been almost an hour and a half since you had received the message from Lonerboy101 and you had not even pressed send yet. The message was still sitting in your text box with the curser bouncing away at the end of the sentence.

There was a knock at your door which startled you, causing your fingers to slide across the phone’s screen. “I’m going to bed now Hun, goodnight.”

“Night.” You tried hard to sound cheery but as per usual failed to do so as your mother closed your bedroom door. ‘No, no, no’ you repeated in a small murmur. Fear washed over you as you regretted every minute that it took to write that message and the one milli second that it took to get sent out through the universe to reach this Lonerboy101.

You dropped the phone into your duvet and grabbed the pillow next to you. Bringing the plush cushion up to your face, burying it to let out a light scream.

*Chime*

Lonerboy101 - ‘How long did it take you to write that message. Mine took about 2 hours.’

You reread the message a couple of times because you couldn’t believe that although this person knew you were somewhat ignoring him off when you had initially received his message, he still replied to yours. Not only that but he had made a joke about how long it had taken to send a reply.

It took you a couple of minutes to decide whether you were going to go through with it and message this person back. Or whether you should just back out now and forget that this ever happened.

But that was your phone in your hand and those were your fingers typing a reply.

Hidingintheshadows - ‘About an hour and a half.’

You sent the reply off and almost felt a sudden pang of relief. That this was not as bad as you had originally perceived it to be. That it was almost the same as talking to Cleo or any of the other girls.

*Chime*

Lonerboy101 - ‘So, this is weird right?’

Before you knew it, the delays between the messages decreased quite significantly. There was the standard 3 minutes to think of a response and then another 5 to send the message but the conversation had felt a little less risky compared to how it did at the very start.

Hidingintheshadows - ‘It is a bit weird, I guess.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘So, are you an old creepy guy like me?

Hidingintheshadows - ‘That is a joke, right?’

Lonerboy101 - ‘Yeah it is a joke, sorry very dry sense of humour. Don’t have that many people to try my jokes out on.’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘That’s a relief.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘It’s a relief that I do not have many friends?’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘No! I did not mean that! I am so sorry.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘Another joke. Sorry when I am nervous, I tell bad jokes. I forget that I am not really good at them and text form is really hard to tell tone.’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘Sorry for not being able to tell when you’re joking.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘Don’t worry, you wouldn’t be the first. Although you probably are, I only just downloaded this app today.’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘Same.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘You don’t say [type] much do you?’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘Not really, sorry.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘You know you don’t have to keep apologising to me all the time, right?’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘Oh sorry.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘[insert face palm emoji]’

The last message made you smile. Cleo had always been telling you that you apologise way too much and that it can get annoying. It would get to the point where you would apologise for things you did not do just because it sounded like the right thing to say.

Hidingintheshadows - ‘I will work on it.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘So what brings you to Introverted Conversions?’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘Fear of the world and everyone in it, basically.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘Oh my gosh same!’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘Really?’

Lonerboy101 - ‘No, but I am touched that you still cannot sense my sarcasm.’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘I’ll work on that too.’

Lonerboy101 - ‘Promise?’

Hidingintheshadows - ‘Promise!’

It had almost become a routine for you and Lonerboy101 to talk during the late afternoon and evening. Occasionally, you would get notified in the middle of the day, but he knew that you were not ignoring him and that you had school obligations. No one really knows about him at all, you have done well at keeping this away from Cleo as you knew she would only judge you for it.

‘You’re talking to a stranger online who had admitted he was an old creepy man.’ Even the thought made you laugh. Since the first night, you had discovered a lot about Lonerboy101. Nothing like names and addresses. But more personal stuff like how it feels having crippling anxiety and not having someone who really understands.

***

It was the last day before Cleo left for her new school and you woke up feeling quite comfortable for the first time in a long time. It was almost as if your body has finally gotten used to the idea that the day was going to come that you would need to stand up on your own. It was not a good feeling per say, but it was slightly empowering to know that you could become your own person, instead of being Cleo’s weird friend.

*Chime*

Your heart began to beat rapidly in your chest as you practically dove for the phone on your bed. Only to have it violently shoot back down when the name on your lock screen did not read Lonerboy101.

Cleo – ‘Hey, I am downstairs! Snag me a piece of toast considering you are not exactly going to eat it!’

Every morning your mum would make pancakes, French toast, and scrambled eggs that you could choose from to snack on during your walk to school. Only you are not exactly a French toast and scrambled eggs kind of person and she knows that. It is just her way of trying to make a connection with you early in the day.

You – ‘Be right down, pancakes or French toast?’

You replied as you waved to your mum who was sliding through her emails while nursing a hot mug of coffee. “Hey, Baby! Have a great day at school, okay?” The last part of this routine she does every morning always feels like she is questioning you, making sure that you are aware that a ‘great day at school’ depends 100% on you alone.

*Chime*

Lonerboy101 – ‘Pancakes please. Although, I don’t think they will be any good by the time I receive them!’

‘Oh no!’ You thought. You did not think really think to check the contact that you were on when you sent the message out. You had simply read the lock screen and the most recent person you were chatting to was the person that appeared on the screen.

Quickly you grabbed a pancake and your bags and sulked out the door.

Hidingintheshadows – ‘I am so sorry, that was meant for my friend.’

Lonerboy101 – ‘Are we not friends? I am offended’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘Wait no I mean yes you are, but I do not really know you. God I am sorry…’

Lonerboy101 – ‘Wow! What did I say about the apologising? And what about the whole sarcasm thing? You should now know when I am pulling your chain.’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘Sorry’

Lonerboy101 – ‘No. More. Sorry.’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘Damn, I didn’t mean to I swear.’

Lonerboy101 – ‘Calm, it is okay. Chain. Pulling. But going back to this pancake…’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘What about it?’

Lonerboy101 – ‘You have made me hungry. And now I need to go out and find me a pancake to soothe this carb craving I have going on.’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘Good luck with that.’

Lonerboy101 – ‘Good Luck with school today! Speak to you later! X’

What the heck is that? Fear washed over your face as you met Cleo at the bottom of the stairs to your apartment building.

“Y/N? Are you okay? You look a little pale?” It took everything you had to not blurt out every little secret that you had been keeping about Lonerboy101 to Cleo. To almost get some advice on how to handle this newfound “boy drama” in your life. You open your mouth to begin to spill the beans. “Oh, I know!” Cleo interrupted, “it is because today is my last day and you have no idea how you will survive without me!”

Not quite on the nose but nice to see that your friend really does care about you, while she makes every drama about herself. This was just another typical response from Cleo. One you have put up with for an exceptionally long time. Instead of arguing with your best friend on the beginning of her last day, you decide to just bite your lip and nod.

“It will be okay, sunshine!” A little nickname she gave you when you were both little and in Kindergarten. “We will still have Facetime and we can still meet up during the holidays.” Suddenly you were pulled into a tight embrace as an overexaggerated sigh left her lips. “Now come on mopey.” Yet another nickname that you were given because of your constant state of enthusiasm caused by your mental condition. “Let’s get to school before people forget that they will never see this face walk those halls again.”

Meanwhile in your head the little “X” at the end of Lonerboy101’s latest reply repeatedly flashed across your mind as Cleo droned on about how annoying packing up her extensive collection of shoes and makeup has been for her.

***

It did not matter what lesson you were in, if you were having “a moment” as your mother likes to call it, everything just seems to become pointless. Science was one of your favourite subjects mainly because of the unpredictable experiments that you can perform. But today it just seemed as though someone had placed a weighted scarf on top of your shoulders and told you to “deal with it.”

“Can anyone tell me their findings from their group’s chemical reaction?” All eyes went to you as everyone in the class knew that you were Mr King’s favourite pupil. Mr King was the only teacher that managed to get a response out of you in class. But today, he might as well have been talking to a brick wall.

“Y/N?” This would later be explained to you after class that it was the fifth attempt Mr King had made to pry your attention away from your notebook where you had been filling in the margins with your pen.

When you looked up, there were people gossiping and snickering about what they had just witnessed. “Can I see you after class?” Mr King had asked once he regained the focus of the class.

This was not the first time that a teacher had asked to speak with you after class. Especially Mr King. Not that he made a habit to discipline you outside of lesson, but because he was always concerned about how you were feeling after you had one of you “moments.”

“What is going on, Y/N? Do I need to call your mother?” He did not say it in a stern way that other teachers would have. But for him, it was more of a genuine question for your own personal well-being. “Some of the other teacher’s approached me today in the teacher’s lounge to discuss you. They said that you have been unresponsive all day. I heard that Cleo is leaving today, does that have anything to do with how you’re coping with today?”

You shook your head. “Cleo has nothing to do with it!” You snapped, and you never snap which startled Mr King. “I’m sorry.” You whispered when you saw how set back, he was from your reply. “I just do not know what to do anymore.”

“With what?” He perched on the edge of his desk. Holding his hand up to stop the next class from entering the classroom. “What is getting to you? I can see if I can help?” While most teachers would just shrug you off, Mr King tried to get down to the root problem to help you resolve any issue that you may be having during the day. This was because Mr King had made you aware that his daughter too suffers from major anxiety issues as well.

“It’s stupid, I should not have said anything. I will be okay, Mr King.” You gathered your books from the table and stuffed them into the oversized backpack that was now slung over your shoulder. “Can you quickly write me a note for Mrs Bateman? I do not want the teachers to have more of a reason to talk about me.”

Mr King picked up a pad and pen and began to write a note excusing you for your lateness. “It will get better, Y/N. I am here whenever you need a chat, okay?” He handed you the note and you basically bolted out of the room.

Although you felt bad for being short with Mr King, you could not quite help it. It was not as if you could simply come out and tell him that you were not upset because your best friend for 16 years was now leaving you behind. But it was all down to an “X” placed on the end of a text message from a boy you have not met but have been talking to for 3 weeks non-stop!

***

You slowly approached the lunch table that you and your friends sat at during every lunch since you had started at the school. They were all laughing and joking which did slightly lift your spirits. Cleo had turned to look over her shoulder and noticed your arrival. The smile on her face had sank and the laughing at the table had died along with it.

“Hey Y/N!” Cleo tried to sound pleased to see you but you knew something was up. Since when was Cleo being false with you? She normally reserved that type of “hey” for the girls that talk about how amazing they are.

Sinking down into the spare chair that has been yours for years at the table you tried to force a smile. “So, we were all thinking…” Instantly you hated where this was going. “That it would be really fun to all go to the dance tonight as a final farewell to Cleo!” The girls shrieked as Hannah finished her sentence. A dance was the last place you wanted to be. Today of all days.

The girls all looked at you for your response. “A dance?” The girls all squealed again in unison, practically bouncing in their seats.

“Don’t you think it would be fun.” Hannah stated rather than asked.

“Dances aren’t really my thing.” You said hesitantly. The last thing you wanted to do was to annoy any of the friends that you had left. Especially considering how they were going to be the ones you would now have to rely on once Cleo had left.

“Nothing is really your thing!” Elizabeth snickered. Cleo’s death stare shot over to Liz and her head instantly fell. So that’s why Cleo was so weird when you came over. It was because she knew that you were not exactly going to be over the moon with the new plan for Cleo’s last day celebration. Before lunch, the plan was to go bowling and then get pizza. A less daunting but still hard to stomach plan. This new plan involved dressing up and trying to socialise with people who were not exactly the nicest to you.

“Y/N, it is completely up to you. We can go to the dance and party it up like it is the last day we are going to be alive. Or we can just go and get pizza and knock over a couple of pins with an over weighted bowling ball.” When Cleo said it like that, neither sounded appealing. But it was obvious the way that she laid it out that the dance was the one event she was going to be happy attending tonight.

“Can I think about it?” The girls all sighed and Callum shook you by the shoulders. Literally shook you as if physically moving your body was somehow going to make you change your mind. “Ow!”

“Callum! Do not do that!” Cleo yelled at her boyfriend. At least she was still defending you even if she was trying to push you to do something that made you uncomfortable. It was almost as if she defended you to make you reconsider. “Just one little dance? We can go whenever you want and stay however long you want.” Her puppy dog eyes were out and her hands were clasped in front of her.

Along with your crippling fear of being around other people, your anxiety also made you hate disappointing those that you care about. “Fine.” Was all you managed to say before all the girls and Callum began to cheer. At least he did not try to shake you again otherwise you thought you may physically puke from excessive unwanted physical contact.  

While all the others were discussing what they were going to wear, you reached for your phone and began to contact the only person on the planet who didn’t make you feel like you were wrong for feeling this type of way.

Hidingintheshadows – ‘Have you ever been forced to do something you don’t really want do because your friends want you to?’

You debated for a couple of seconds before adding your own “X” onto the end of your text.

Your phone vibrated in your hand. Thank God you had turned the volume off when you got to school. Cleo would not have left you alone for one second if she knew you were texting a guy.

Lonerboy101 – ‘Who is making you do something? What something? Is it illegal? X’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘1. Nothing illegal. 2. Friends and 3. Go to a stupid high school dance where I will be uncomfortable for the entire evening. X’

Lonerboy101 – ‘That wasn’t the order that I put my questions in. X’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘I thought I would start with the one that could get me in a jail cell! X’

Lonerboy101 – ‘I’ve got this feeling that you’d rock an orange jumpsuit so you would be fine. Although the lack of our communication would be quite unsettling. X’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘I think I will cope. X’

Lonerboy101 – ‘I was talking about me! I look forward to my Chime every day. X’

You could not help but blush when you read that last part of his message. You could not bring yourself to message him back stating that it was also your highlight of the day too. Lonerboy101 has become a big part of your life and that was quite hard to admit considering you did not know his name or what he even looked like. You barely even knew the boy and yet it felt as though you knew everything there was to know about him.

Lonerboy101 – ‘Sorry was that weird? Let us get back to the problem at hand… A party was not it? X’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘No and my friend is leaving and I do not want to be mean and not turn up to her “leaving do” but I do not think I will be able to cope with that many people. Especially because they all think that I am a freak. X’

Lonerboy101 – ‘When is the party? You are not a freak by the way. Might I just add that is the longest text you have ever sent. X’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘Tonight, at school. I do not want to go and be the joke of the party. X’

Lonerboy101 – ‘This is a tough one. I can be there if you want. For moral support. X’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘You can’t obviously turn up to a school that you don’t go to just to attend a stupid dance. X’

Lonerboy101 – ‘I’ll be a virtual guest. You can text me whenever you think that it is getting too much and I will use my powers of persuasion to lift those spirits and put a smile on your beautiful face. X’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘How can you say I am beautiful. You have never even seen me? X’

Lonerboy101 – ‘I see the beauty in everything. But you, you are something much more. X’

***

“You cannot wear that!” Cleo snapped when she saw the outdated and over worn outfit that you were wearing on your body. “No this will not do.” Lucky enough for her, your mother and Cleo are quite close. Closer than you are to your own mother. “Leanne! Come and tell your daughter that this is terrible and that she cannot wear this to a school dance.”

Within seconds your mother was in your room judging the clothes that she paid for that you were wearing. “No baby girl, this is your first dance. There is no way in hell I am going to let you leave this apartment building wearing that.”

Your mother’s hand was now grasped around your wrist and you were being dragged into your mother’s bedroom. “Now try this on.” In her hand she was holding a long black dress with a sequin detail at the top of the bust. She could tell that you were resistant so she pulled you in front of the wall length mirror and placed the garment up to your neck.

You could not deny that it was a very pretty dress. One that you would love to wear in a different circumstance. The whole idea of you attending a dance had still not sunk in yet. “Mum I couldn’t pull this off!” You exclaimed. Jeans and a tea shirt were more your speed.

“No Sunshine, you are most definitely wearing this now that I have seen it.” Cleo was practically foaming at the mouth the minute she saw this dress. You were sure that if your mother had not offered it to you first that she would have snagged the dress up for herself. “Right now, hair and makeup.” She slapped her hands together and both your mother and best friend stared at you with excitement in their eyes. Which only put the fear of God into yours.

***

The dance was as horrible as you thought it was going to be. There was loads of people staring at you. One of the girls from your English class even asked a friend of hers if you were a new student at the school. Shows how invisible you were before your boobs were pushed up to your neck and eyeliner was thickly applied to your eyes.

Although this was a new experience for you, to have all eyes on you for a different reason that being the weird girl from school. It was not an experience that you enjoyed at all. High school was nothing but a gossip forum where girls pick on other girls for being themselves or for being slightly different than them. For caring less about how much their bag cost and caring more about why their grade in English was lower than French.

Your friends were all on the dance floor which sadly left you on your lonesome at the back of the decked-out gym.

*Chime*

Lonerboy101 – ‘Please tell me you are having fun now? X’

You smiled. Seeing his name pop up on your screen was possibly the only thing that made you smile tonight.

Hidingintheshadows – ‘Nope. Everyone is staring at me. X’

Lonerboy101 – ‘They are only staring because they are jealous. X’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘What could they possibly be jealous of? X’

Lonerboy101 – ‘Well I bet you look absolutely beautiful tonight. X’

Hidingintheshadows – ‘You couldn’t possibly know that? X’

There had been a couple of minutes since Lonerboy101 had messaged back and that smile you had previously been wearing was starting to fade. You glanced down to look at the time on your phone, 22:14. You let out a relieved sigh, at least you stuck around for over 2 hours.

Grabbing your bag, you began to sculk about the dance floor to try and find Cleo and the other girls to deliver the “bad news.” Cleo was locked onto Callum as they shared a slow dance to one of the most upbeat songs you have ever heard. This immediately made finding Cleo a hell of a lot easier.

“I am going to head off now.” You detached Cleo from her boyfriend which left him both grumpy and a little annoyed at you. Cleo gave you a less than enthusiastic hug before quickly turning back to Callum. “Bye then.” You said when she did not say anything back to you.

It was cold outside which instantly made you regret the dress and the heels made the idea of walking all the way home even more thrilling than you could imagine. Glancing down to check the time once again, you noticed a message featuring on your lock screen. You must have not heard it with all the music when you were saying goodbye to Cleo and the girls.

Lonerboy101 – ‘Wanna bet? X’

Everyone outside the gym began to suddenly gasp. All of them were looking in a similar direction. For once all the eyes were off you and that made you feel a hell of a lot better than you had all night.

Hidingintheshadows – ‘I will take that bet. You cannot comment on something you cannot see. X’

“Then maybe you should step out of the shadows and see what I can see right now.” This voice was strangely familiar but not familiar in a way that you had heard Mr King’s voice almost every day. It was familiar because you had heard it from somewhere, but you were unsure of where. “Because what I see is 100% beautiful just like I had predicted.”

The crowd of people started to open as the voice got nearer and nearer. There were girls practically peeing their pants with excitement. Cleo had appeared with the girls and practically everyone from whom were inside the gym. Suddenly, this voice had become the talk of the whole dance and now all the attention was right back on you again.

There was now a stunning familiar face to match the familiar voice standing right in front of you. One that you would never have believed to have been stood there. It was his smile that you caught first when he looked at you in that long black dress. His eyes lingered on you for a while before you both realised that it had been quite some time that slipped away since either one of you had spoken. 

“Lonerboy101?” You asked quietly. Not really wanting anyone to hear how speechless you really were.

“Guilty.” There in front of you stood the one and only Tom Holland. The freaking man who brought you Spiderman, Ian Lightfoot, and Lucas in the movie The Impossible. He was Lonerboy101, how was that even possible?

It suddenly dawned on you that everyone and that honestly was everyone was now staring at the pair of you who were staring at one another. “Maybe we should go over there?” Tom had suggested to get away from prying eyes.

Once you were both certain that there were not any lingering eyes, your protection walls started to drop ever so slightly. “You’re the person I have been talking to for 3 weeks? You’re Lonerboy101?”

“Yes. I am Lonerboy101, but if I am being quite honest, Tom will do fine.” He joked which did make you feel only a small degree better. For all this time you had been talking to Tom Holland and you had no inclination that it was happening. “I wanted to tell you who I was, but it was so amazing to have someone to talk to who didn’t see me as this guy who acts for a living and attends red carpet events, you know?”

You did not know of course. “I am not mad. But why would you tell me you have anxiety issues when you do not?” You sighed and started to look at the shine from the diamonds reflecting from your heels. “Was it a way to make fun of me?”

Quickly Tom grasped your hands without thinking. “No!” He spoke urgently but delicately as if he did not want to put his foot in his mouth and make the situation worse. Truth be told Tom was expecting this whole revelation to go a little differently. The sombre look on your face was not the result that he had wanted from showing up at your school. “I never did it to make fun of you or anyone who suffers with anxiety. Truth be told I do suffer with it. Not as bad as most people, but I have days where I wonder if my friends are my true friends because they like me or because they like what I can give them.”

“I want you to know that every message that I ever sent you, I was being the real me. None of it was an act or fake for me.” Tom’s head was not facing down, almost defeated. “From talking to you I knew that you were the most honest and kindest person that I could possibly ever get to know.”

“Can I ask you something?” Your voice was soft and shaky as if you were afraid of the response that you were going to receive.

“Anything.” He was almost pleading. His voice as shaky as your own.

“How did you know who I was and what I looked like?” Tom looked you dead in the eyes. You could see the sincerity in his eyes and how much he wanted this to go right. “You knew to come right up to me, out of all the girls in the world. You knew to come to my school and then up to me, how?”

Tom let out a little smile. “Well, you know that section on the app right at the beginning?” You nod keeping eye contact as he continued to speak. “Well when it asks you for a name, you can keep it blank and then put in a username instead. You actually put in all of your details and made them public.”

“Oh!” You stated feeling stupid for doing so. This entire time he knew exactly who you were while you had no clue that you were talking to a celebrity.

“No, it was a good thing.”

“How?” You question. Doubting that knowing who you were was ever a “good thing.”

“Because, I felt really lucky to be talking to you. I saw how beautiful you were and how smart you are as well as how kind you can be.” You were quiet. You were not used to guys calling you beautiful, and here he was saying it for what must have been the 3rd time since you met him. “If it makes you feel any better, I only looked you up yesterday. I was worried when you did not answer my message and temptation got the best of me and I peaked. Are you mad?”

“No. I am not mad.”

“Would it help if I said sorry?”

“What did you say about saying sorry?” You smiled which made the flash of panic rush from his face. The corners of his mouth started to turn up and his eyes sparkled.

“Yeah but on me it looks cute.” Both of you allow yourselves to laugh at the situation. Remembering some of your earlier messages. “Would it be too much to ask for a hug?” He looked down at your hands which were no longer scrunched into fists which proved that you were no longer as uncomfortable as you may have been from the first encounter.

You allow yourself to smile as he pulls you into his arms. “It is exactly how I imagined it.” Tom said into your hair as he held you close to him.

“What is?” You questioned

“That I would be only just taller than you when you’re wearing heels.” Both of you let out a controlled laugh at his terrible attempt at a joke. “You don’t actually want to go back in there do you?” Tom gestured towards the gym that probably did not hold any students inside due to his arrival.

“I am not going back inside there! But thanks for wearing a suit for me.” You pull away slightly to admire the suit that Tom was pulling off handsomely.

“Anything for my girl.”

[nummero123]

Is SMS Marketing Extinct? According to new research not yet

Whenever I post a screenshot of a friend's 

amusing text on social media, 

someone always comments on how many unread text messages I have.

"Why do you have so many unread texts on your computer?

 Who are you ignoring, and why? 

my friends frequently inquire.

The truth is that the majority of the texts I disregard aren't from real individuals. 

They're usually brief marketing communications

that I signed up for and then promptly forgot about.

Whether you joined up for a mobile service, 

medication alerts, 

furniture store promotions, or another list,

you've most likely received a few SMS that you either deleted, opted out of, 

or completely ignored.

With instances like the ones described above, 

you could conclude that SMS marketing is no longer successful. 

However, because individuals are more glued to their phones than ever before in 2021,

 we may be wrong about the power of text message advertisements.

As it turns out, a recent Simple Texting study 

suggests that text message marketing is still alive and well.

According to the report,

which polled over 1300 consumers and marketers,

more than 76 percent of businesses expect 

to invest in text-message marketing in the coming year,

and 62 percent of customers subscribed to receive texts

from at least one brand in the previous year.

Why SMS Could Be Coming Back Strong

While members of our blogging team once stated that SMS needs to be

 "put out of its misery"

owing to the world's other communicating techniques at the time, 

no one could have predicted the shifting landscape brought on by COVID-19. 

Individuals turned to their phones and electronics more than ever during the epidemic, 

which forced most people to stay at home, with 76 percent of consumers reporting greater screen-time.

When it came to messaging, 61 percent of customers raised or considerably increased the amount of time they spend on their text applications daily.

SMS Marketing Effectiveness in 2021

According to Simple-Texting, 62 percent 

of customers have agreed to receive texts from at least one business, 

with 43 percent expressly subscribing to one to three companies.

When it comes to the efficacy of text messaging, 

people respond to marketing texts that need a response significantly faster than email. 

While the majority of people respond to emails between a half-hour to an hour, 

72 percent of customers respond to texts within 10 minutes.

Aside from having a high response rate,

 text messages can also have a high level of engagement. 

43 percent of surveyed business owners and digital marketers that utilize 

SMS marketing report click-through rates ranging from 20% to 35%.

According to the Simple-Texting survey, 

52 percent of companies experienced improved opt-in rates between 2021. 

However, almost 10% reported a drop in opt-ins over the same year.

While the higher opt-ins are in keeping with 

increases in screen and text-message time, 

the increased opt-outs suggest that consumers 

may be just as fast to unsubscribe from text message content as they are to subscribe to it.

The Simple-Texting study, as well as other research, highlights to reasons 

why consumers might choose to opt-out.

Too many text messages from one brand

Sixty percent of Simple-Texting respondents

have unsubscribed from SMS notifications 

sent by brands that send them too frequently.

 Furthermore, 56% of those polled want to receive only one text message each week from a brand.

Too many texts from multiple brands

If you increase your text cadence to two, 

bear in mind that your subscribers may bombarded with messages 

from other companies as well. 

While your messages may still be relevant, 

you may see a greater sensitivity to opt-outs simply because subscribers are sick of receiving text notifications.

Meaningless content

You'll need to hook your reader and keep them engaged with 

the information they've signed up to receive, just like you would with email marketing. 

Un-subscribes may occur if you send too much advertising content, 

uninteresting content, or content that isn't what people signed up for.

Tips for Launching a Great SMS Strategy

While SMS is far from extinct, text messaging or conversational marketing systems 

can be difficult to grasp. 

Keep these brief suggestions in mind when you contemplate or develop a text-based strategy.

Understand your persona: People may rapidly sign up to receive your communications, but it won't take long for them to unsubscribe. To prevent sending useless texts that go unnoticed, make sure you know exactly what your audience members are looking for and how frequently they want to get that material.

Provide subscribers with what they signed up for: Remember that subscribers are giving you their contact information, and if you aren't upfront about what you'll be delivering or how frequently you'll text them, they may swiftly drop out. Make sure you stick to what they're expecting.

Keep in mind that little is more: Nobody wants their phone to flooded with pointless over-promotional tests. Before launching an SMS campaign, ask yourself, "Am I contacting them too frequently?" and "Will they even interact with this content?" If you are concerned that the information will be ineffective, try simplifying your SMS timetable and delivering only the most important text material.

Best SMS Marketing Tools

Let's take a look at some SMS marketing solutions.

SMS marketing solutions make running effective campaigns much easier.

We've hand-picked the best successful SMS marketing solutions.

OptinMonster

OptinMonster is one of the greatest lead-generating tools for creating eye-catching 

pop-ups with gorgeous ready-to-use themes and a visual drag-and-drop builder.

Furthermore, OptinMonster effortlessly connects with any SMS marketing provider.

Furthermore, you will be able to select from a variety of SMS marketing campaign formats, 

such as popup, full-screen mat, and floating bar.

Our customers utilize SMS marketing campaigns to increase their subscriber base

and increase revenue by offering unique discounts to SMS users.

Sendinblue

SendinBlue is a top provider of email and SMS marketing services.

SendinBlue allows you to segment your audience and deliver customized text messages in mass.

You can quickly advertise time-sensitive discounts 

and unique events with SendinBlue's SMS marketing tools. 

It has built-in statistics, allowing you to discover which messages work the best.

3. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign, like SendinBlue, allows you to automate SMS marketing campaigns.

The SMS marketing tools of ActiveCampaign allow you to automatically 

send flash sale notifications or appointment reminders.

 It includes form creation capabilities, allowing you to gather phone numbers on your website.

Furthermore, if someone wants to unsubscribe from your list, 

they just need to respond with "STOP" or "UNSUBSCRIBE."

This allows you to keep your list supplied with only the most engaged subscribers.

EZ Texting

EZ Texting is a straightforward SMS marketing solution that allows you to send mass texts.

You can arrange your contact list and track SMS marketing metrics inside EZ Texting. 

This service may used to deliver SMS notifications 

regarding contests, discounts, and online promo codes.

It also includes marketing attribution tools for tracking conversion sources.

SMS Marketing Examples for Inspiration

There are several reasons to send SMS marketing messages.

Offer a Coupon

Advertise a Sale

Publicize New Products

 Distribute Updates and Notifications

 Establish Appointment Reminders

 Gather Customer Feedback

The Top 3 Benefits of SMS Marketing

So, how effective is SMS marketing?

According to statistics, SMS open rates may reach 98 percent, which is greater than any other marketing medium.

Not only that, but the majority of consumers prefer text messages to other kinds of contact.

And, while some marketers believe SMS marketing is dead, preferring to communicate

 with their consumers via email, there are several advantages to SMS marketing 

that cannot overlooked.

Let's look at some of the advantages of SMS marketing in more detail:

1. Lightning Fast Delivery

Mobile marketing is rapid. 

When you send a text message, it is immediately delivered.

As a result, you may send out time-sensitive communications such as flash deals and event-related promotions. 

For example, on Cyber Monday, you might send users a message to boost sales on that one day.

As a result, when you hit the "send" button, hundreds of users will get your message immediately.

Furthermore, people always carrying their phones with them, 

increasing the likelihood that your message will see as soon as it is delivered.

90 percent of SMS messages are read in the first 3 minutes.

2 Much Higher Open Rates

When a user receives an email marketing message, they must "check" their mailbox. 

This includes receiving a notice, accessing a smart-phone app, 

and scrolling through their email. Users are more inclined to disregard 

the email and social media alerts when they receive so many daily.

However, with SMS marketing, customers will receive a text notification

 as soon as a new message is received. 

Because individuals are more inclined to dismiss text messages from friends and family, 

such notifications are less likely to be ignored.

Furthermore, most phones display a sample of text messages directly on the screen.

SMS marketing is more personal and distinguishes itself from other alerts, 

resulting in a greater open rate than any other marketing medium.

What are SMS open rates?

They were as high as 98 percent in 2018!

When compared to email marketing,

which has a 20% open rate, SMS marketing blows it out of the water.

An adequate open rate is critical to the success of any SMS marketing strategy.

You've essentially squandered your time if people aren't opening your emails at all.

3. Higher Response Rates

SMS marketing messages are not only opened more frequently by users, 

but they also have greater response rates. 

SMS marketing has a 45 percent response rate on average.

Your response rates might reveal whether or not your SMS marketing campaigns are effective. 

For example, if a specific message receives a low response rate,

 you may modify it and resend it. If you get more responses the second time around, you know you're on the right route.

Furthermore, greater response rates might lead to increased revenue.

Receiving SMS is the preferred mode of communication for many consumers.

In addition, 70% of customers believe that SMS marketing is an effective

method for firms to get their attention.

By interacting with consumers in the manner in which they prefer, 

your company is more likely to receive engagement and a reaction.

Aside from these three fantastic advantages,

 SMS marketing is also inexpensive and simple to implement.

You're undoubtedly eager to get started now that you've learned about 

the benefits of SMS marketing.

However, if you want to develop great SMS marketing campaigns, you must do it correctly.

SMS Marketing: The Good

Check out these suggestions 

if you want to amaze your consumers with

SMS marketing and obtain the results you want.

1. Do Get Permission

Just because you have a contact's phone number doesn't imply you can call them. 

Texting individuals without their consent or utilizing a mobile phone marketing 

list to reach them at random is more than simply a blunder. 

It is, in fact, unlawful.

Before texting users, businesses must obtain their specific authorization. You may accomplish this in two ways:

Customers should be required to click an opt-in box, 

similar to how they sign up for your email list.

 For example, when a customer purchases on your website, you may give them the option of opting in to receive text messages at the checkout.

It's also vital to inform people about the types of text messages 

they may expect from your company and how frequently they can expect to get them.

 Keep your commitment to users by being explicit about the communications you will send.

That is if customers expect to get text messages exclusively about flash sales,

 don't send them text messages marketing new goods.

Conclusion

Make it clear what action you want consumers to take after reading your text message.

That's all! That's the good, the terrible, and the don't-dare aspects of SMS marketing!

Text messaging may be a great tool for your business,

allowing you to convey crucial messages directly to your consumers' hands. 

So, make the most of it.

 Keep these pointers in mind, and you'll be an SMS marketing master in no time.  top digital marketing agency in Bangalore.

[lil-crossing]

What I want to see in the next Animal Crossing!

        Okay, so ever since the talk of the switch I have been ever so hopeful of an Animal Crossing title for it, and not just a crappy spinoff, either. Especially after the release of the switch I feel like this is something very likely to happen, given the villager icons you can choose from on the switch profiles and other hints. Anyways, here are what I feel like would be some entertaining additions to the next Animal Crossing title. This is a looooong list so pls bear with me.

Way way WAYYYYYY more slots to hold patterns like in HHD, like I am so amazed HHD was the first AC title to have this.

The ability to place PWPs wherever they will fit, also like the placement used in HHD.

Get a notification from Isabelle when you start the game that informs you of a new villager wanting to move in, you can then choose the location of their house so it doesn’t interfere with paths or anything.

I think it would be really cool to be able to edit the layout of our town as an alternate option to filtering through random ones. Similar to the acnl editor, but in the initial startup of the game. Choosing where streams, ponds, beaches, buildings, etc. are instead of having to settle on one.

Be able to choose your native fruit.

Similar to HHD, you can unlock special items from encountering certain villagers and they can be placed in your catalogue. Like how some have the sloppy series, etc.

A bigger campsite, like the RV one that was introduced in Welcome Amiibo, but has tents as well as more RVs that are not just specials. Like, have 2 RVs there that rotate everyday, one being a special character and the other just a normal villager, and of course spaces available for use with amiibo cards.

MORE THAN 1 PWP A DAY. I get SO MAD having to time travel just because I want more than one streetlight in my town.

Also, NO MORE RANDOM PWPS!!!!!! I played for YEARS with only a couple of suggestions from my villagers, I never was even suggested the police station!!!!!!! If we have to unlock them based on time played or town status or pay bells to unlock them, sure, that’s cool, BUT NO MORE RELYING ON SUGGESTIONS!!!!

Shops have way more items available to purchase, and on top of a bigger in-store selection, I think it would be cool to have kind of like a revolving catalogue where you can order things (like maybe have whole series in there or something) that also changes everyday along with the store’s inventory.

LARGER MAIN STREET!!!! I thought the town in HHD was a really good size for a main street for the next AC title. Also, the ability to choose the exteriors of the buildings on main street like in HHD.

More specialization of the shops on main street. Like, instead of just having the typical ones we have had for AGES maybe introduce some new ones, like a pet store (more on this later) or a restaurant like what there is to choose from in HHD

Possibly link your HHD catalogue with the new AC title? That way you have items unlocked and it gives you a little head start on items you can choose from.

BE ABLE TO DESIGN PANTS!!!!! Maybe there is a reason this isn’t a thing yet that I am completely ignorant about, but I WANT TO DESIGN SOME DAMN PANTS!!!! There are hardly any to choose from in the game so I am blown away that this hasn’t become a feature yet in all of the AC titles. Also, being able to design shoes and socks would be cool, too. But if anything, pls just let us design some pants.

Ability to have pets!!! So we can have some uninvited cockroaches roaming around but lord forbid I have a cute lil kitten or puppy??? You have no idea how much I loved the little hamster cage, but it can only do so much. I think it would be neat to get rid of the cockroaches and be able to purchase animals from a pet store on main street that can roam around in one (or all) room(s) and if you leave the game unattended for a length of time, you would come back to PEE in your FLOOR and you would have to clean it instead of stomping on cockroaches.

Either pick from different sets or create your own set of beginning villagers with amiibo cards for when you start up a new town. More often than not, my villagers starting out are all uggos.

Be able to automatically access your bank account without having to go to an ABD. Like maybe we have a device similar to our TPC that acts kinda like a smartphone or something and we have an “app” for our bank that we can use.

This device could also let us talk to villagers like the HHD phone or order items or talk to other players online if we have their FCs.

Be able to choose the town hall and train station exteriors during the startup of the game instead of having to wait and get a perfect town rating in order to do so.

MORE CUTE FURNITURE SETS!!! Idk about you but I loved the sloppy series and alpine series and I wish there were more cute pale series to choose from, like maybe have a whole pastel series that goes with the pastel table introduced in HHD.

More expensive home expansions, but they also expand faster. This doesn’t have to be the replacement for the current situation, but just to have as an option I think would be cool.

Be able to design furniture with Cyrus not just remodel it. Like we could start with a base item, but redesign it using something similar to what we use to design clothes and patterns. AND we could create QR codes for these like we would be able to for outfits and stuff.

A “global store” where people could post items they don’t want anymore kind of like an online flea market that we could access by either going to Re-Tail or on the TPC device. People could also sell their designed items on here if they didn’t want to do QR codes.

Train Station allows you to travel to ANY town with gates open and accepting random visitors. Kind of like how club tortimer pairs you up with random people on the island, you could go to a random town. No FCs necessary and it would be a fun way to make more friends to play with in the future!

Also, with having people visit your town, you should be able to select the level of access they have to it. You should have a little menu while there are people visiting that shows  who all is in the town and also what level of access they have. This can be adjusted at any time and there would be about 3 levels:

Restricted: Can only WALK around and talk to villagers and observe the items in your town. (how each visitor would start out)

Intermediate: Can buy, pick up, do anything in your town, but a notification will pop up on your screen anytime they want to do something and you will have to approve their action.

Unrestricted: Can do anything (like how it is now) without needing approval.

When having visitors in your town, you can also see them on your town map in real time like you see yourself. Instead of little people icons, though, they should be like numbers based on who got there first, #1, and so on. I feel like they would make it easier to tell who is who. But who even knows if we will have a map like the one we’re used to with the switch. I feel like the Wii-U might have been better in the whole dual screen aspect of the game.

We can also choose to see villagers on the map in real time.

Have other parts of town that we can access. Like maybe there is a little hill that leads up to the neighborhood where all the “special” characters live and stuff like that.

Ability to work at more shops than just the cafe. Have the jobs be more like mini games though.

Ability to demolish or move home without destroying your town.

When selecting “give me something” from an amiibo villager, their catalogue should pop up so you can choose what item you want.

MORE SANRIO ITEMS!!!!!!! The sanrio sets are so dang cute I love them!!!! Either collab with sanrio some more or make some more items that going along with the cutesy themes they have! Or maybe some san-x related items, like bring in rilakkuma etc.

A music shop!!! I think KK should have his own little record store where he performs during the day and it closes at night when he goes to the club B)

GIVE CELESTE BACK HER OBSERVATORY!!!! I cannot STRESS this ENOUGH!!!!! Not only was it such a cool idea, I MISS MAKING INAPPROPRIATELY SHAPED CONSTELLATIONS!!!!

Able Sisters have a section in their shop for QR codes from all over the world via internet. If not connected, then it could just be empty or maybe you could only access it by talking to mabel or sabel or smth.

A Hotel!! This could be where people who are visiting your dream address start out, they could go to sleep there too and start a new day or something.

Possibly upload your HHD buildings to your town to replace the ones on main street.

This whole “smartphone”/TPC replacement thing:

Cell phone: call and talk to your own villagers and amiibo villagers

Email?: maybe. Could replace mailbox for letters only, not deliveries.

Initiatives can still be viewed on this

Timmy and Tommy “online” catalogue

Online Flea Market from players all over.

Bank Account: can access everything you’d be able to at an ABD

Music: could change background music to a KK song if one so chose

Can contract out Leif for a sum of bells to landscape your town. Select from some different colors, themes, flowers, if you are not very talented in the ways of landscaping.

Can get paths from Nook’s homes! It would be cool if Nintendo made some paths that actually matched up with the grass and stuff that you could purchase from Nook.

Where multiple face items like glasses, bandages, binkie so long as they don’t interfere with each others’ placements.

Be able to wear accessories over “makeup” I think our miis would look really cute with some of the accessories in the game!

Be able to hold more than one mii mask at a time.

Be able to start the game by choosing the villager’s appearance like in HHD, no more random appearances based on weird questions

Instead of just a couple exterior house choices, there should be more in a catalogue at Nook’s, but some are only available after you have upgraded your house x amount of times.

Furniture collections with more items. Rooms that are upgraded are really big and it kinda sucks when some series only have like 10 items in them.

Be able to see what an item is while it’s in our pockets!!!! I hate having to go home and display it in my home to see what it is and whether or not I want to keep it.

ALPACA VILLAGERS!!!!!!! So many of the special characters are so cute I wish we could have regular villagers that are that cute who are able to move into our town. Also walruses like wendell would be really cute.

Ability to access the time from within the game, maybe with like a special clock or something similar to the way we can have a fortunes told to us through the lovely phone, but only that phone.

Access to our storage room and regular inventory when we are in the “room editing” mode. It would save so much time if we didn't have to exit out of it every time we needed a new item.

More villagers in the town!!! Like maybe 14 or 15

Kick out unwanted villagers at the town hall and accept requests of certain ones wanting to move in. Like see which villager it is and either accept them and pick a spot for their house or deny them.

Able to change camera angle for more diverse screenshots like HHD

PLEASE BE HD LIKE THE COURSES IN MARIO KART PLEEEEEASSSSEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A town hall with a room that is able to be reserved for events that you can set up, like harvest festival dinners, toy day party, bday parties, etc. And with these events all the villagers have to show up. You can also decorate the room with items from your catalogue or choose from different pre-made themes.

So as you can see this list is long as heck. Feel free to add to it and let me know what you think,  I always love seeing ideas and talking about Animal Crossing with people!!!!!!!!!!

[dylan38sanders]

2019’s Biggest Event Tech Trends

Event tech trends are evolving faster than ever before. We are seeing giant leaps forward in technology. These giant leaps forward impact and shape the way we execute and plan events. The event tech trends we are listing today are being used everywhere at events and behind the scenes in planning.

Below you can watch Will Curran of Endless Events, Alex Plaxen of Little Bird Told Media talk all about their favorite 2019 Event Tech Trends at GOWEST. Joining them are Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey of Pathable, and Chuck Alias of Eventbots. We will expand on each of these 2019 event tech trends and how you can implement them in more detail in the article below but you can’t miss this presentation!

While we are on the topic of event tech, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest in event tech be sure to subscribe to

https://js.hscta.net/cta/current.js hbspt.cta.load(430132, ‘d5fe189f-4175-42aa-b9c7-386d647d5289’, {}); , and we fill you in on the hottest industry trends and tech weekly!

https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/d065p19bf8.jsonphttps://fast.wistia.com/assets/external/E-v1.js

  Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We have seen AI on countless event trends lists by now, so why is it a 2019 event tech trend? We believe while it has been trending for many years it is an ever-evolving trend. When you think of AI you immediately think of physical robots who are capable of thinking and learning. We think about the robots we saw at CES this year like Sophia, the humanoid robot who can express feelings and even has a sense of humor. However, this bleeding edge technology in AI is not quite ready for mainstream use yet. It will be years until we see these types of AI at events.

In reality currently, AI at events is mostly just programmed answers in technology such as chatbots and some event apps. We don’t see these robots of the future walking around passing out drinks or registering attendees just yet. However, it could shape up to be an interesting future with the way AI is evolving!   

Event Automation

Saves Planners Time

Time and time again event profs have found themselves on the list for most stressful jobs.  In fact, CareerCast listed Event Coordinators as the 5th most stressful jobs of 2018. Event Coordinators were right up there with military personnel, police, and firefighters in terms of stress. Part of this is because event profs are stressed for resources. There is always a lot to do but never enough time. Often eventprofs feel as though they are running against the clock. However, thanks to recent developments in technology, event automation can help both event profs in the planning and execution of events and attendees have the best event experience possible. In fact, event technology can not only reduce stress but increase planners’ productivity by 27%.  That is huge!

Event automation allows eventprofs to automate tasks, create workflows, cut costs. Automation can even measure the success of event activities and marketing efforts. By setting up event automation you can set and forget tasks allowing you to focus your talents and time elsewhere.

Creates Custom Attendees Experiences

And that’s not all event automation does! It also gives planners the ability to create personalized experiences for attendees sending attendees information tailored to what they are interested in. It could also help prevent attendees from getting slammed with information overload. Have you ever got an event email with everything you need to know in one giant email? That can feel like too much at once. Instead, eventprofs can use event automation to create email drip campaigns that slowly drip information out to attendees into smaller more digestible emails!

Source: Sciensio

Chatbots

In summary, chatbots are a conversational tool that automates a chat-driven process. Their primary function is to give consistent responses to questions via programming. The programming works by implementing 2 key components the template and the library. The template consists of the questions and the library.  The questions are what you can ask the chatbot, the library holds all the answers programmed for the chatbot to respond back. More than likely you interact with chatbots on a day to day basis, for example, the little boxes which pop up on a website asking ”How can I help you?”.

There are many benefits to using chatbots.

Can Be Used At Any Size Event

They work for virtually any type and any size event. Whether it’s a 4-day conference, a music festival with 100k attendees or 10 person leaders retreats, a chatbot will benefit your event.

Can Alleviate Overwhelmed Staff

Chatbots can answer most popular questions taking some of the work load off of event staff. They also greatly improve communication allowing attendees to get information 24/7 instantly and in a world of instant gratification, the ability to immediately assist is what really cements chatbots as a new wave of communication in event support.

Chatbots Can Be Used on Many Platforms

One of the best parts about chatbots is you can use almost any channel from text messaging to social channels like Facebook Messenger, and websites allowing the attending decide where and how to use them. This puts chatbots at an advantage over event apps when it comes to getting attendees information as they don’t need to download another app just to get event info. Furthermore, ff your chatbot is using SMS to get messages out there is a great chance your notifications will be seen. VoiceSage reported 90% of SMS messages are read in the first 3 minutes of receiving, and 82% of people say they open every text message they receive. With compelling statistics like that, SMS chatbots could be a godsend when it comes to sending out emergency notifications or schedule changes as it’s very likely your attendees will see and respond to your notifications.

Accessibility

Accessibility at events has always seemed like an afterthought in event planning but that’s a big mistake. About 56.7 million people — 19 percent of the population — had a disability in 2010, according to a broad definition of disability, with more than half of them reporting the disability was severe, according to a comprehensive report on this population released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. With these numbers in mind, it’s no surprise planners are starting to put more focus on how to make their events more accessible so that events are inclusive and welcoming to every attendee.

Often when you think of accessibility you think about physical modifications like ramps and elevators, but accessibility stretches far beyond that. When planning events you need to think about providing all types of accessibility. So how does tech play into this? Assistive technology. The use of according to ATiA ,“Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.” We are seeing the use of assistive tech help make strides in improving accessibility at events in the form of 360 audio (spatial audio), video captioning, and even VR.

Google is Leading the Way

“Using an HTC Vive, we built a prototype of a 1:1 scale virtual room, recorded the name of every object in the room, and linked these audio labels to the individual objects—including the floor, walls and other features. Then, we made the user’s field of vision entirely black to simulate complete blindness. To enable navigation in the pitch-black room, we created a 3D audio laser system that includes a laser pointer extending from the Vive controller to select and play the audio labels, and an audio location control (touchpad click) to provide distance and direction to the last object aimed at by the laser pointer.

When a person aims the laser pointer at a virtual object and selects the audio location control, the VR system plays a short impulse response tone at location of the controller. Then the sound is played a few more times as it quickly progresses to the location of the virtual object. Because all audio is processed using the Google VR Spatial Audio plugin, each tone provides enough information to understand distance and relative location of the object in the virtual space.” Google

Source: Google

We can see this specific technology being used at events to guide attendees through show floors and exhibits creating an inclusive experience allowing attendees to be fully aware of their surroundings even when they cannot see.

It’s important to note some of this technology is only at its start. Assistive tech still needs to make a lot of progress before it can be implemented at events. With a growing need for accessibility, it will happen. Technology will provide real solutions to accessibility so that all attendees can feel included in event experiences.

Hybrid Events

Hybrid events are events such as conferences and meetings that have both a physical event and a remote component where attendees can be a part of the event virtually.  These events are quickly gaining traction. Each year we are seeing more and more events that happen concurrently in person and live streamed to virtual attendees.

Can Increase Live Attendance

However, this trend is met with a bit of reservation. It’s a common misconception that having a hybrid event will make your in-person attendance decrease, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Having a hybrid event will not make your in-person attendees go-down, it will actually raise in-person attendance the following year! Digitell found that 30% of people who attended a live streamed event attended the live physical event the following year. Think about it, it costs a lot of money to go to large events from travel to event tickets, and before investing in it people want a taste! They want to make sure the investment will be worth it for them, and hybrid events are a way to give them that peace of mind.

If you are still leery, don’t fret! You don’t have to give away your entire event, in fact, we recommend making sure you have some sessions and content that are exclusive to the live event to incentivize in-person attendance. But! Give attendees a preview, let them have a taste, just make sure they have a reason to come for more!

Hybrid Events Work With Any Budget

A hybrid event work with any budget. You can live stream free to social media even with a smartphone, but if you really want to impress your virtual audience you will need to up to production value with professional live steam. This will give you professional quality videos, interesting angles, better audio, an all-around superior quality. If you are serious about creating engaging content, we highly suggest hiring an AV company. They will have the best equipment like microphones, multiple cameras, and allow you to produce the best possible quality.  A bonus to this is you will have high-quality content you can repurpose it for event marketing efforts. For more information on living streaming at events check out our Whiteboard Wednesday, How to Live Stream Your Event where we cover the best ways to live stream your event from DIY to professional services!

Long Term Engagement  

Everyone always talks about audience engagement at your event. This shouldn’t come as a shock, the last thing you want at your event is the audience sleeping. But ensuring onsite engagement isn’t enough for a great event. For a truly remarkable event, you need to keep your attendees interested engaged before during and after the event. Leveraging technology is a great way to keep engagement high!  

Before your event

Before your event, you need to create a buzz! Get everyone talking about your event and make them feel FOMO. To do this create early bird incentives, make teasers from keynote speakers, and show glimpses into the behind-the-scenes planning. Another great way to build excitement is to promote the highlight reel from last years event (repurpose that content from last years live-stream!). All of these tactics work well to engage your audience and get them excited for your upcoming event. You want to build anticipation and excitement right up to the live event!  

During your event

At your event, it’s not enough anymore to just add in some polling for audience engagement. Attendees want amazing experiences! Create shareable experiences like photobooths, encourage the use of event hashtags, pull video clips and quotes to share from your speakers and post them all over social media, encourage speakers to use live polling and q&a, and think beyond a boring powerpoint to create engaging presentations (we love seeing video!), be sure to give your audience a glimpse behind the scenes of your event too. All of these options will keep the buzz going throughout the event.

After your event

You aren’t done yet! Be sure to share the best moments from your event, create a recap video for attendees. Be sure to send out surveys asking attendees how you did. Use that feedback to improve the next year’s event. Most importantly sincerely thank your attendees, your vendors and any partners involved in your event.

Still not sure how to foster audience engagement? Check out our guide on

https://js.hscta.net/cta/current.js hbspt.cta.load(430132, ’96cd37e6-3d0a-46b0-b389-8d5fc0270ee4′, {}); .

Software Integration

If the tools and software you use when planning events don’t integrate you’re wasting time entering the same information over and over. You’re a busy eventprof and you don’t have time for that! Make sure all the platforms you use during event planning integrate well. This is going to save you so many headaches by providing you a more streamlined process.

When you are looking for software that integrates, we aren’t just talking about platforms designed specifically for events. Think about all the programs you use daily that are an essential part of running your business, those too ideally should integrate. This could include your CRM, company chat such as Slack, and an event software like Bizzabo. It can also include project management tools like Trello and more. When choosing platforms always check into integration, nothing is more frustrating than when two platforms do not play well together. Everything should come together and work seamlessly to make your planning process easier.

Video Content

It is no secret we love video content here at Endless! Video is an extremely powerful event tech trend you can leverage for your business and events. Why so powerful? Video is the most observed content on the internet. Youtube has over a billion users, that is over ⅓ of the internet. On top of that, over 8 billion videos or 100 million hours of videos are watched on Facebook every single day. And according to Optinmonster.com, video marketers get 66% more qualified leads per year and achieve a 54% increase in brand awareness.

So to state the obvious, you need to be creating video content for your events! Video content works well for any size or type of event. You should be creating video content for before, during and after your event to really maximize the effectiveness. Videos can spark excitement for your event, lead to more sales and better engagement.

Ways to Use Video Content

There are many great ways to incorporate video at conferences and events from behind the scenes videos, sneak peeks into your events, introduction videos, countdown videos, recap videos and so much more. Like live streaming it’s likely you have the tools to get started right in your hand, and you can scale up depending on what you need!

Always be sure to talk to your AV company when implementing vide0. You want to ensure you are creating content in the right format for the screens being used at your event! Nothing is worse than spending hours on a presentation only to find out it doesn’t fit the screen. Even worse, the format cannot be opened on the event computers.  If you want to make sure you have flawless events and presentations check out our free webinar, 

https://js.hscta.net/cta/current.js hbspt.cta.load(430132, ‘9f86c9ca-f3e1-4a44-9dc7-0f1046852d8a’, {}); .

Conclusion  

So there you have it, our top 2019 event tech trends. These trends will certainly take over events this year and we can’t wait to see how they are used. And while these are great, it’s just like anything else in the events world only use them if they fit your event’s purpose. What is the point of a trend for trend’s sake? Make sure the trends you choose benefit your cause. 

Do you agree with these trends? Think there are more? We want to know what you think will be the big 2019 event tech trends? Comment below and let us know!  

  https://js.hscta.net/cta/current.js hbspt.cta.load(430132, ‘f0783c9f-9f17-4df9-b5fb-861a71cb8240’, {});

from Endless Events https://helloendless.com/2019s-biggest-event-tech-trends/

[waynebomberger]

2019’s Biggest Event Tech Trends

Event tech trends are evolving faster than ever before. We are seeing giant leaps forward in technology. These giant leaps forward impact and shape the way we execute and plan events. The event tech trends we are listing today are being used everywhere at events and behind the scenes in planning.

Below you can watch Will Curran of Endless Events, Alex Plaxen of Little Bird Told Media talk all about their favorite 2019 Event Tech Trends at GOWEST. Joining them are Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey of Pathable, and Chuck Alias of Eventbots. We will expand on each of these 2019 event tech trends and how you can implement them in more detail in the article below but you can’t miss this presentation!

While we are on the topic of event tech, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest in event tech be sure to subscribe to hbspt.cta.load(430132, 'd5fe189f-4175-42aa-b9c7-386d647d5289', {}); , and we fill you in on the hottest industry trends and tech weekly!

  Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We have seen AI on countless event trends lists by now, so why is it a 2019 event tech trend? We believe while it has been trending for many years it is an ever-evolving trend. When you think of AI you immediately think of physical robots who are capable of thinking and learning. We think about the robots we saw at CES this year like Sophia, the humanoid robot who can express feelings and even has a sense of humor. However, this bleeding edge technology in AI is not quite ready for mainstream use yet. It will be years until we see these types of AI at events.

In reality currently, AI at events is mostly just programmed answers in technology such as chatbots and some event apps. We don’t see these robots of the future walking around passing out drinks or registering attendees just yet. However, it could shape up to be an interesting future with the way AI is evolving!   

Event Automation

Saves Planners Time

Time and time again event profs have found themselves on the list for most stressful jobs.  In fact, CareerCast listed Event Coordinators as the 5th most stressful jobs of 2018. Event Coordinators were right up there with military personnel, police, and firefighters in terms of stress. Part of this is because event profs are stressed for resources. There is always a lot to do but never enough time. Often eventprofs feel as though they are running against the clock. However, thanks to recent developments in technology, event automation can help both event profs in the planning and execution of events and attendees have the best event experience possible. In fact, event technology can not only reduce stress but increase planners’ productivity by 27%.  That is huge!

Event automation allows eventprofs to automate tasks, create workflows, cut costs. Automation can even measure the success of event activities and marketing efforts. By setting up event automation you can set and forget tasks allowing you to focus your talents and time elsewhere.

Creates Custom Attendees Experiences

And that’s not all event automation does! It also gives planners the ability to create personalized experiences for attendees sending attendees information tailored to what they are interested in. It could also help prevent attendees from getting slammed with information overload. Have you ever got an event email with everything you need to know in one giant email? That can feel like too much at once. Instead, eventprofs can use event automation to create email drip campaigns that slowly drip information out to attendees into smaller more digestible emails!

Source: Sciensio

Chatbots

In summary, chatbots are a conversational tool that automates a chat-driven process. Their primary function is to give consistent responses to questions via programming. The programming works by implementing 2 key components the template and the library. The template consists of the questions and the library.  The questions are what you can ask the chatbot, the library holds all the answers programmed for the chatbot to respond back. More than likely you interact with chatbots on a day to day basis, for example, the little boxes which pop up on a website asking ”How can I help you?”.

There are many benefits to using chatbots.

Can Be Used At Any Size Event

They work for virtually any type and any size event. Whether it’s a 4-day conference, a music festival with 100k attendees or 10 person leaders retreats, a chatbot will benefit your event.

Can Alleviate Overwhelmed Staff

Chatbots can answer most popular questions taking some of the work load off of event staff. They also greatly improve communication allowing attendees to get information 24/7 instantly and in a world of instant gratification, the ability to immediately assist is what really cements chatbots as a new wave of communication in event support.

Chatbots Can Be Used on Many Platforms

One of the best parts about chatbots is you can use almost any channel from text messaging to social channels like Facebook Messenger, and websites allowing the attending decide where and how to use them. This puts chatbots at an advantage over event apps when it comes to getting attendees information as they don’t need to download another app just to get event info. Furthermore, ff your chatbot is using SMS to get messages out there is a great chance your notifications will be seen. VoiceSage reported 90% of SMS messages are read in the first 3 minutes of receiving, and 82% of people say they open every text message they receive. With compelling statistics like that, SMS chatbots could be a godsend when it comes to sending out emergency notifications or schedule changes as it’s very likely your attendees will see and respond to your notifications.

Accessibility

Accessibility at events has always seemed like an afterthought in event planning but that’s a big mistake. About 56.7 million people — 19 percent of the population — had a disability in 2010, according to a broad definition of disability, with more than half of them reporting the disability was severe, according to a comprehensive report on this population released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. With these numbers in mind, it’s no surprise planners are starting to put more focus on how to make their events more accessible so that events are inclusive and welcoming to every attendee.

Often when you think of accessibility you think about physical modifications like ramps and elevators, but accessibility stretches far beyond that. When planning events you need to think about providing all types of accessibility. So how does tech play into this? Assistive technology. The use of according to ATiA ,“Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.” We are seeing the use of assistive tech help make strides in improving accessibility at events in the form of 360 audio (spatial audio), video captioning, and even VR.

Google is Leading the Way

“Using an HTC Vive, we built a prototype of a 1:1 scale virtual room, recorded the name of every object in the room, and linked these audio labels to the individual objects—including the floor, walls and other features. Then, we made the user’s field of vision entirely black to simulate complete blindness. To enable navigation in the pitch-black room, we created a 3D audio laser system that includes a laser pointer extending from the Vive controller to select and play the audio labels, and an audio location control (touchpad click) to provide distance and direction to the last object aimed at by the laser pointer.

When a person aims the laser pointer at a virtual object and selects the audio location control, the VR system plays a short impulse response tone at location of the controller. Then the sound is played a few more times as it quickly progresses to the location of the virtual object. Because all audio is processed using the Google VR Spatial Audio plugin, each tone provides enough information to understand distance and relative location of the object in the virtual space.” Google

Source: Google

We can see this specific technology being used at events to guide attendees through show floors and exhibits creating an inclusive experience allowing attendees to be fully aware of their surroundings even when they cannot see.

It’s important to note some of this technology is only at its start. Assistive tech still needs to make a lot of progress before it can be implemented at events. With a growing need for accessibility, it will happen. Technology will provide real solutions to accessibility so that all attendees can feel included in event experiences.

Hybrid Events

Hybrid events are events such as conferences and meetings that have both a physical event and a remote component where attendees can be a part of the event virtually.  These events are quickly gaining traction. Each year we are seeing more and more events that happen concurrently in person and live streamed to virtual attendees.

Can Increase Live Attendance

However, this trend is met with a bit of reservation. It’s a common misconception that having a hybrid event will make your in-person attendance decrease, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Having a hybrid event will not make your in-person attendees go-down, it will actually raise in-person attendance the following year! Digitell found that 30% of people who attended a live streamed event attended the live physical event the following year. Think about it, it costs a lot of money to go to large events from travel to event tickets, and before investing in it people want a taste! They want to make sure the investment will be worth it for them, and hybrid events are a way to give them that peace of mind.

If you are still leery, don’t fret! You don’t have to give away your entire event, in fact, we recommend making sure you have some sessions and content that are exclusive to the live event to incentivize in-person attendance. But! Give attendees a preview, let them have a taste, just make sure they have a reason to come for more!

Hybrid Events Work With Any Budget

A hybrid event work with any budget. You can live stream free to social media even with a smartphone, but if you really want to impress your virtual audience you will need to up to production value with professional live steam. This will give you professional quality videos, interesting angles, better audio, an all-around superior quality. If you are serious about creating engaging content, we highly suggest hiring an AV company. They will have the best equipment like microphones, multiple cameras, and allow you to produce the best possible quality.  A bonus to this is you will have high-quality content you can repurpose it for event marketing efforts. For more information on living streaming at events check out our Whiteboard Wednesday, How to Live Stream Your Event where we cover the best ways to live stream your event from DIY to professional services!

Long Term Engagement  

Everyone always talks about audience engagement at your event. This shouldn’t come as a shock, the last thing you want at your event is the audience sleeping. But ensuring onsite engagement isn’t enough for a great event. For a truly remarkable event, you need to keep your attendees interested engaged before during and after the event. Leveraging technology is a great way to keep engagement high!  

Before your event

Before your event, you need to create a buzz! Get everyone talking about your event and make them feel FOMO. To do this create early bird incentives, make teasers from keynote speakers, and show glimpses into the behind-the-scenes planning. Another great way to build excitement is to promote the highlight reel from last years event (repurpose that content from last years live-stream!). All of these tactics work well to engage your audience and get them excited for your upcoming event. You want to build anticipation and excitement right up to the live event!  

During your event

At your event, it’s not enough anymore to just add in some polling for audience engagement. Attendees want amazing experiences! Create shareable experiences like photobooths, encourage the use of event hashtags, pull video clips and quotes to share from your speakers and post them all over social media, encourage speakers to use live polling and q&a, and think beyond a boring powerpoint to create engaging presentations (we love seeing video!), be sure to give your audience a glimpse behind the scenes of your event too. All of these options will keep the buzz going throughout the event.

After your event

You aren’t done yet! Be sure to share the best moments from your event, create a recap video for attendees. Be sure to send out surveys asking attendees how you did. Use that feedback to improve the next year’s event. Most importantly sincerely thank your attendees, your vendors and any partners involved in your event.

Still not sure how to foster audience engagement? Check out our guide on hbspt.cta.load(430132, '96cd37e6-3d0a-46b0-b389-8d5fc0270ee4', {}); .

Software Integration

If the tools and software you use when planning events don’t integrate you’re wasting time entering the same information over and over. You’re a busy eventprof and you don’t have time for that! Make sure all the platforms you use during event planning integrate well. This is going to save you so many headaches by providing you a more streamlined process.

When you are looking for software that integrates, we aren’t just talking about platforms designed specifically for events. Think about all the programs you use daily that are an essential part of running your business, those too ideally should integrate. This could include your CRM, company chat such as Slack, and an event software like Bizzabo. It can also include project management tools like Trello and more. When choosing platforms always check into integration, nothing is more frustrating than when two platforms do not play well together. Everything should come together and work seamlessly to make your planning process easier.

Video Content

It is no secret we love video content here at Endless! Video is an extremely powerful event tech trend you can leverage for your business and events. Why so powerful? Video is the most observed content on the internet. Youtube has over a billion users, that is over ⅓ of the internet. On top of that, over 8 billion videos or 100 million hours of videos are watched on Facebook every single day. And according to Optinmonster.com, video marketers get 66% more qualified leads per year and achieve a 54% increase in brand awareness.

So to state the obvious, you need to be creating video content for your events! Video content works well for any size or type of event. You should be creating video content for before, during and after your event to really maximize the effectiveness. Videos can spark excitement for your event, lead to more sales and better engagement.

Ways to Use Video Content

There are many great ways to incorporate video at conferences and events from behind the scenes videos, sneak peeks into your events, introduction videos, countdown videos, recap videos and so much more. Like live streaming it’s likely you have the tools to get started right in your hand, and you can scale up depending on what you need!

Always be sure to talk to your AV company when implementing vide0. You want to ensure you are creating content in the right format for the screens being used at your event! Nothing is worse than spending hours on a presentation only to find out it doesn’t fit the screen. Even worse, the format cannot be opened on the event computers.  If you want to make sure you have flawless events and presentations check out our free webinar,  hbspt.cta.load(430132, '9f86c9ca-f3e1-4a44-9dc7-0f1046852d8a', {}); .

Conclusion  

So there you have it, our top 2019 event tech trends. These trends will certainly take over events this year and we can’t wait to see how they are used. And while these are great, it’s just like anything else in the events world only use them if they fit your event’s purpose. What is the point of a trend for trend’s sake? Make sure the trends you choose benefit your cause. 

Do you agree with these trends? Think there are more? We want to know what you think will be the big 2019 event tech trends? Comment below and let us know!  

  hbspt.cta.load(430132, 'f0783c9f-9f17-4df9-b5fb-861a71cb8240', {});

from Endless Events https://ift.tt/2TFX0NO

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up

[india-today-finance-yahoopa-blog]

Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe review: Making a point

Nobody panics when Apple launches an iPhone 7 starting at Rs 60,000. Nobody panics when Google launches a Pixel starting at Rs 57,000 either. But everyone loses their minds when Asus launches a ZenFone 3 Deluxe starting at Rs 49,999. Now, if you thought Asus did not have a method to its madness, if you thought Asus did not have some sort of plan, well, you might just want to think again.

I was flabbergasted too. But then Peter Chang who is region head, South Asia and country manager for Asus India came to the brand's rescue.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) review: Shine on you overpriced diamond

"We believe that our phones are better. But nobody cares. We are a lot mature now. If you look at our history -- from motherboards to laptops -- we have always covered all the price points. But smartphones are different. We had to be careful about the (price) segment to go along initially [hence, our entry phones were more like entry-level priced phones]. After two years, we think that we are (now) mature enough and we should come back to doing what Asus really stands for. It stands for not just the entry-level; it stands for the premium as well."

I get it now. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because Asus believes good things cost more. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is expensive because it's about making a statement.

"We still want to assure you that we don't overcharge our buyers. We give them the right specifications and user experience at the right price."

I couldn't agree more.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, when you look at its spec-sheet, leaves little to be desired. The phone comes with a premium build, top-notch hardware and plenty of megapixels in the camera department. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a high-end phone. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe ought to be expensive.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is flawed but beautiful

Every time you talked about a ZenFone -- in the past -- the conversion would, at some point of time, drift towards their looks. The ZenFones have always been associated with odd chunks of plastic with no regards to ergonomics. Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened.

The Deluxe is without a doubt, the best-looking ZenFone ever made. It is in fact a notch higher than the company's shiny overpriced diamond, the ZenFone 3, which is quite obvious because Asus considers it the elite model of its new line-up. More importantly, it is original to the T. While the ZenFone 3 had heavy undertones of a Samsung Galaxy, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe looks like it can start a trend or two on its own. It can give the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 7 a run for their money. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn't stand a chance.

Who would have thought Asus could build a beauty? Not many. Then the ZenFone 3 Deluxe happened

The phone -- unlike the ZenFone 3 -- is all-metal with a matte finish on the back. It is free of unsightly antenna lines. It has chamfered edges and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front. It has physical capacitive keys, which are also backlit. If you thought the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 Plus were as lean as they get, wait till you a get a hold of the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. At 7.5mm and 170 gram, it is easily among the lightest and thinnest smartphones on the planet.

That's not something that really grabs your attention though. After all, most phones in the premium category are slim and/or light weight. What really grabs your attention is its impressive screen-to-body ratio: a 79 per cent to be precise. Now Asus phones, in the past, have been synonymous with thick and chunky bezels. Not this one. Not only does the Deluxe pack in more real estate than any other ZenFone, it packs in more real estate than any other high-end flagship phone of its size. Speaking of which, the Deluxe is a 5.7-inch phone. It doesn't feel like one though. It feels smaller.

But, it's as slippery as a fish. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that, it is the one of the slipperiest phones that money can buy. If that wasn't enough, the phone's rear-mounted fingerprint scanner sits rather flush, and is one frustrating bit of technology to operate. It may be fast (and mostly accurate) but the odd form factor means it would take lots of time getting used to. I, for one, am still trying.

You can tell Asus has gone the extra mile to ensure there's not one thing sticking out of it -- except for the rear camera module that's a little too protruding, actually -- oddly. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe, although it reeks in premium glory, a few minor design offsets stand in its way of delivering the ultimate package. But it's a start, a good start nevertheless.

And while we are on offsets, it's a little disappointing that the Deluxe doesn't ship with a Quad-HD screen. It comes with a Full-HD screen which frankly speaking, is the bare minimum that one could ask for in this day and age. You can argue -- all you want -- that a 1080p screen is still good-enough, and also very power-efficient as well. You're not wrong. But somewhere down the line, a 1080p screen is still a compromise, even more so at Rs 50,000. A good thing about the Deluxe, however, is that it ships with a Super AMOLED panel and therefore metes out excellent (over-saturated with deep blacks) colours. The panel gets bright (enough) and viewing angles leave you fairly well satisfied. Even in outdoor sunny environment.

Always-on displays have become a norm in the high-end flagship category. Most high-end Android phones out there have one or the other solution to allow individual pixels on-board the screen to stay illuminated even when they are on standby. The Deluxe also has one. It gives you a quick peek into the system clock, date, and battery level, as well as notifications such as missed calls and incoming messages.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is powerful but not empowering

The Deluxe is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with up to 6 gigs of RAM and up to 256 gigs of internal memory. It starts at Rs 49,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 62,999 for the top-end version, which gives you a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 820, aka the Snapdragon 821 on the inside. The dualSIM phone (4G+3G) supports NFC, USB OTG, expandable storage (of up to 128GB via hybrid microSD card slot) and USB Type-C for charging and data syncing.

This is as powerful as powerful gets in the world of Android right now. Needless to say, that it is a mighty capable performer in real world usage as well. Basic tasks are handled very well, which means you can make phone calls, text and WhatsApp, watch movies, listen to music, browse Internet and also play less demanding games on it, without breaking a sweat. More demanding games like Asphalt 8: Airborne are also handled very well, with the occasional lag or two at maxed-out settings. {mosimage}The Deluxe, unlike the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, isn't prone to the occasional lag or stutter even though it runs the same heavily-bloated ZenUI. It seems like the software inside the Deluxe is more fine-tuned (or better optimised) with its hardware. Hence, it (largely) metes out a more seamless experience in comparison. But does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Pixel or the iPhone 7? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than an HTC 10? Nope. Does it feel faster (and smoother) than a Galaxy S7 Edge? Nope.

A lot of this has to do with Asus' ZenUI. The Deluxe, like the ZenFone 3 and the ZenFone 3 Ultra, runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based ZenUI 3.0. It is too overwhelming, like it has always been. But I decided to approach the ZenFone 3 Deluxe a little differently. I decided to approach it with an open mind. The Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, is in dire need of some spring cleaning, the moment you start using it because the Deluxe, like every other ZenFone, comes jam-packed with many Asus-proprietary apps. The best way to do that is through the Mobile Manager app. The first thing to do is uninstall all apps that you're sure you're not going to use. There will be a few apps (system) that you cannot uninstall though. You can selectively disable them, however. The next step will be to selectively disable all apps that you're sure you're not going to use.

{mosimage}Once you're through with all the uninstalling and disabling, your next move should be to manage app notifications. A lot of the Asus-proprietary apps have a tendency to pop notifications out of the blue and far too frequently. A lot of these notifications also tend to stay glued to the pull-down (notification) menu unless you take necessary action. Believe me, you're better off with notifications reminding you that there's heavy UV light outside.

The Mobile Manger also lets you control data usage (selectively), free RAM, check for privacy concerns and track battery consumption.

The Deluxe also comes with an OptiFlex tool that claims to boost an app's launch performance. You can speed up to a maximum of 10 apps using the tool.

Once, you're done with all the spring cleaning, chances are you'd start liking the Deluxe. I know I did.

It's nice to see Asus sticking with the good-old formula of ease-of-use and some thoughtful customisations through its user interface. A number of customisation options that are available are pretty useful. The ability to tinker with the app drawer (as well as the home screen) to suite your needs is worth mentioning. So is the option to selectively lock apps for additional privacy. There's also an option for screen pinning to keep the current screen in view until you unpin. A home-brewed theme engine -- along with additional icon packs -- meanwhile helps personalise your experience.

The mono speaker vent on the bottom edge of the phone churns out good audio, in line with rival phones. It comes with an NXP smart amplifier that tends to amplify the output quite a bit. The phone also supports Hi-Res Audio via dedicated headphones and even ships with a pair in the box.

Phone calls made with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe are of excellent quality and I did not encounter any odd call drops on my review unit.

The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. Battery life is good, if not the best. Mixed usage, which included an hour of video playback, half an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, 45 minutes of basic games, phone calls (to the tune of one hour), some music streaming and YouTube playback along with some web browsing gave us close to 16 hours on the device. A more generalised usage should see most users sail through one to one and a half days effortlessly.

The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a sharp shooter, but...

It sports a 23-megapixel (Sony IMX 318) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilisation and dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

There's no point beating around the bush here. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe is easily among the best camera phones at its price point right now.

Photos clicked in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source. Dynamic range is also spot-on. In fact, it's easily among the best in the business.

X

PreviousNext

The Deluxe is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions. The sensor manages to hold on to detail (at the cost of some noise) in such conditions, resulting in some well to-do photos. The phone also comes with an in-built Low Light mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel). Speaking of which, the Deluxe is practically overloaded with photo modes. There's a Depth of Field mode for bokeh shots and a GIF animator, to make, GIFs. There's also a Super Resolution mode that claims to stitch together 4x23-megapixel shots into one for more pixel-peeping clarity. Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic.

It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone

The Deluxe is a pretty capable camera phone, but, its shutter speed often brings it down. It's slow and when you consider phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Pixel or the iPhone 7, there's frankly, no margin for error.

The phone's front 8MP shooter, meanwhile, clicks pretty-detailed selfies, even in tricky light.

Should you buy it?

{mosimage}It's worth a shot, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, even at its atrocious price tag of Rs 49,999. Because there's nothing visibly wrong with the smartphone. It has a premium build, a good screen, good all-round performance, capable set of cameras and good battery life. It's a flagship smartphone in all its right. It's expensive because it has all the goodies.

Also Read: Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra review: The Director's Cut of smartphones

I am not (even) considering the top-end Deluxe that costs a whopping Rs 62,999 because that thing is just ridiculous, even though it has more storage and more RAM and a slightly over-clocked Snapdragon 820 inside. But, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe at Rs 49,999 isn't bad at all. It is actually quite good, if not better than the best. If however you're looking for the best, you know where to spend your hard-earned cash.####

ZenFone 3 Deluxe####7.5/10

####

####

Good stuff

Premium build

Good screen

Capable cameras

Good battery life

####

Bad stuff

Fingerprint scanner placement

Heavily bloated ZenUI

Heats up