I would like to say that I am a technology freak. Blame it on the things I do , my profession and blogging keeps me glued to my phone if not 24hrs, 16 hrs would be a reasonable call ! With a plethora of options, it's easy to get flown by the advertisements and phone launches of the past few weeks, I know confusion prevails on to what phone to hold on and what phone to let go .In such splurging times, it's easy to get indulged in impulse purchases influenced by the barrage of TV commercials.
That's where I step in with a review of the latest phone I am using and try to ease out the confusion and help you make a decision .
I know you would have seen me breaking a selfie stick on my Instagram and most of you wondered what the hell is wrong with her, ( who breaks a selfie stick,especially in this age where you can afford to forget your husband behind on a leisure trip but not your selfie stick ) but what if I tell you that I have caught hold of a phone which really lets me use all the amazing selfie features ( plus a lot more ) without actually having to carry a stick around ?????
Well Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro is here . Before you go on google this phone, let me simplify the logic side of the selfie stick which adds distance between you and the camera phone so that a bigger cone area like that of a clown's cap is formed for more people/matter/surroundings to squeeze in. As most camera phones work like horses attached to a cart with blinkers on the sides of their eyes so that they view the road in a straight line of sight. Unlike this revolutionary Asus Zenfone 4 selfie pro which captures much much wider area around you without having to stretch your arm like spiderman. It feels as if there are three or four camera lenses placed side by side within close quarters. Now I can confidently say with Zenfone 4 selfie Pro , that I can carry my world around as it always captures my world around me -with me . So no more cheek to cheek jostling, no more sucking in of the stomachs, no more tolerating the acidic sweat smell around the armpits ( off course ! we do that with much poise for the sake of a squeeze selfie) .Now with all selfies you can carry your couch with you and there will be still room for your dog ,your pizza,the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Qutub Minar and your unpretentious casual natural self (or should we say of the entire Group)?
Design / Operating System/ Ram -Rom - Asus Zenfone Selfie Pro has a premium metal design which looks sleek and a statement in itself to carry and flaunt around. With 6.85mm thickness and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass, it looks and feel genuinely sturdy too.
The phone is packed with Android 7.1.1 Nougat Operating System which is the latest.
ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro is also powered by a 64-bit, 2GHz, octa-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 625 processor with 4GB RAM/ 64GB ROM (expandable to 2TB)
Camera and its multitude modes : Zenfone 4 selfie pro is packed with a 24MP Duo pixel front camera with with f1.8 and EIS + 5MP, f/2.2,120 wide view angle, While most of us are aware that 24MP is better than 20MP (offered by most competition) ,we need to understand that lesser the 'f ' value becomes (sorry to disappoint you :) as in this case 'f ' value means the Focal value ), wider becomes the aperture of the camera to allow more light to reach the image sensor ,hence the picture is better in low light conditions .
Finally how does dual Front Camera help in taking great selfies ?
Here's how - It works more like a pair of human eyes which enable us to see things in 3D . While one primary camera capture sharp photos as cut by a samurai sword apple slice while the secondary camera takes the depth of field making the picture more realistic near 3D ,vivid ,clear with a Bokeh effect (This explains why we need a 120 wide view angle ). Hence the result is a wide view containing greater details and realistic colours at very fast speeds and Oh ! with EIS - Electronic Image stabilization,which in simpler terms means - the shakes,the giggles,the tickles and the last jiffy fickles ,can not shake the quality of a great photo
The present Raw file support and portrait mode which means more bokeh effect ( blurred effect of objects behind the main subject so that the focus is always on You) the image is easily comparable to a dslr quality.
PRO 32 sec long exposure lets you capture more details in the dark.Hence the picture captured will be full of light trails against a black background. As a young child, I always wondered how they could draw such fine lines of light on a dark road and capture the image.
The 16 MP rear camera feature explains the high res pictures which delivers me some killer flatlays Trust me the best ever I have ever posted .
As compared to other competitive smart phones , Zenfone 4 selfie Pro, Rear camera has a f/2.2 16MP Sony® image sensor camera along with ASUS SuperPixel™ Engine - exclusive image processor and LED real tone flash, Which provides extremely enhanced results.
Audio /Video - Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro records the video in 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) at 30fps which is by far one of the best . Not only that the phone is has an inbuilt Hi-Res Audio 192kHz/24-bit standard and DTS® for headphone support, It also has dual internal microphone with ASUS Noise Reduction Technology.
Beauty mode - Well its time Cameras change the mode to "Enhanced Beauty Mode" as all Selfie takers are convinced that they are born beautiful .
Wide angle mode -Taken with a relaxed bent elbow and not with a straight plaster cast arm.
Low light mode - Rear Camera
Portrait Mode :Immortalizing the Great Bollywood Legend, Dev Anand sahib
Panaroma selfie - Before Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro ,never knew such a thing was possible.
Camera comparison with Vivo V5 Plus and Oppo F3 Pls
- Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro- Front camera : 24 MP Duo Pixel Camera technology as against 20MP of Vivo V5 Plus or 16 MP of Oppo F3 plus
- Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro F stop - F/1.8 as against F2.0 of Vivo V5 Plus and same for Oppo F3 Plus
- Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro has a Secondary Camera for depth of Field effect . 5MP, f/2.2, 120 wide view angle with EIS with super pixel technology . No wide view angle and EIS in Vivo V5 Plus and Oppo F3 Plus.
- Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro extra features Raw file support , 4k video recording ( front camera ) which is missing in Vivo and Oppo both .
- Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro- Rear camera : 16 MP Duo Pixel PDAF, EIS Camera technology while in Vivo V5 Plus and Oppo F3 plus is also 16 MP but minus EIS.
- Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro Rear Camera features - While this phone has various modes like - auto, super resolution, panorama, slow-mo, time lapse, but the best part is the Pro feature which has 32 sec long exposure which is missing in Vivo V5 Plus and is only for 16 sec in Oppo F3 Plus
- Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro Rear Camera extra features Raw file support , 4k video recording ( rear camera ) which is missing in Vivo and Oppo both .
Price for Zenfone Selfie Pro - 23,999
Oppo F3 Plus - Rs.27,990
Vivo V5 Plus - Rs 22,990
Final Verdict - As a Lifestyle Blogger,most of the times my handicap was of a qualified photographer with me at evening parties. But I found Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro to replace my extra baggage of a photographer.The feel of ease ,the confidence of great night time selfies and the quick response time with great pictures has made me great fan of this product. BTW, did I mention that you get the advanced smartphone features free with this great camera.Maybe after falling in love with the camera qualities don't forget to dial or receive calls too.
You Can Buy the Phone on Flipkart