Hands on: First impressions of the Asus ZenFone 2 Laser

In a rather loud and very crowded event in Delhi on August 6, Asus India launched a series of phones and tablets primarily targeted at the smartphone photographer, selfie generation and stylistas. Post the event, we checked out the devices and here’s what we found--in this case a device that packs several features that aim to deliver the best possible photo experience in a phone.
 
When it comes to smartphone photography, the wishlist is pretty well known: sharp pictures, good exposure even in challenging low-light situations, fast and accurate focusing, and all the resolution you need even for crops. The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser basically puts this wishlist on their spec list and shoots at ticking off each of these with specifications to match.
 

 
Based on the same form factors as the other two phones launched the same day, the ZenFone 2 Laser is also based on a 5.5-inch screen, but unlike the other two, this one has a 720p resolution. Given that I’m accustomed to using a phone with the exact screen size and resolution, I didn’t notice too much of a difference, but the lack of added pixel density would crop up if you decide to slot this phone into a Google Cardboard, for example. For general image review it is just fine though.

The visible front camera is a regular 5 megapixel f/2.0 component which also gets the laser focusing system like the rear camera. The sensor is also optimized for low-light photography that is supposed to deliver a scene that is up to 400 percent brighter than competing products.
 

 
When we fired off a few test shots, the results were indeed good, with quick and precise focusing on both the front and rear cameras. The low-light mode also worked pretty well when we had a go with it at the sample mockup.
 
This phone is based on a slightly slower variant of the 615 Snapdragon processor used in the ZenFone Selfie (1.5GHz versus 1.7 GHz). Teamed up with up to 3GB of RAM, the phone should be well suited to virtually much every type of photography situation.
 
Stay tuned for the complete review coming up shortly. Meanwhile, read more about the launch event here.