Is it worth to switch to this phone? - ZenFone 2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello everybody, I'm looking for a new smartphone to fit my needs. I actually own a Lg G Flex 2, and I'm unhappy with it. You may ask "why?". Well, because I'm very addicted to modding and all of these things. The locked bootloader etc. on the G Flex 2 made me really sad about this phone. Do you think it's worth to switch from a G Flex 2 to a Zenfone 2 (+ 30€)? Let me know, please. And most of all, this is not a "which one is better" so please don't argue too much. Thank you all!

My Opinion
gicifix said:
Hello everybody, I'm looking for a new smartphone to fit my needs. I actually own a Lg G Flex 2, and I'm unhappy with it. You may ask "why?". Well, because I'm very addicted to modding and all of these things. The locked bootloader etc. on the G Flex 2 made me really sad about this phone. Do you think it's worth to switch from a G Flex 2 to a Zenfone 2 (+ 30€)? Let me know, please. And most of all, this is not a "which one is better" so please don't argue too much. Thank you all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Opinion
1) If you want to buy Zenfone 2 then I suggest you to buy 4GB Ram version Only.
2) If you are interested in latest android only then go for Nexus (e.g: Nexus 5X)
3) 4GB RAM versions are also available in Oppo,Vivo,etc. (Search for it)
4) In Sony you can get waterproof smartphone. (Search)
Some Mid Range Great Smartphones:-
1) Lenovo Vibe X3
2) Samsung Galaxy A8
3) Huawei Honor 7
4) Nexus 5X
5) Nexus 6
6) Sony Xperia M5 Dual
7) Sony Xperia Z3+
8) One Plus 2
9) VIVO X5 PRO
10) and of course ASUS Zenfone 2.
But do whatever you want to do...

The Zenfone 2 is not going to knock your socks off, and I don't think it was ever supposed to. The Zenfone 2 is a nice hardware package (not big time, but nice) and the price tag on it is LESS than my first car. The development community seems to love this phone and we were promised android 6 this quarter. Just make sure you get the 4GB model, and don't make the mistake of ordering one online that seems cheaper than everyone else is offering one for (a lot, and I mean A LOT of people got hosed thinking they were buying the WW version, and instead got a chinese model that someone flashed WW software on it and can't get LTE). I ordered three of these from ASUS and all three work great. I love mine and this is the first phone that my son or daughter have not complained about, and they complain about EVERYTHING

gicifix said:
Hello everybody, I'm looking for a new smartphone to fit my needs. I actually own a Lg G Flex 2, and I'm unhappy with it. You may ask "why?". Well, because I'm very addicted to modding and all of these things. The locked bootloader etc. on the G Flex 2 made me really sad about this phone. Do you think it's worth to switch from a G Flex 2 to a Zenfone 2 (+ 30€)? Let me know, please. And most of all, this is not a "which one is better" so please don't argue too much. Thank you all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm in ur same position ...i have xperia sp with GREAT deve community ....but i need to move since it's very old now(2013 phone) though it runs 6.0.1 with no bugs at all
gonna buy zenfone 2 after a month (till my exams are finished ) and i searched alot like VERY VERY alot
screen : it's not brightest nor the best IPS display but for the price u can't complain
volume : as i saw it's not that great...it's somehow little loud but it's muffled and tiny
hardware : 4g ram and quad-core 2.3ghz equal to SD801 or SD805 with only 300$ ....u sure can't complain about that
and ofc it got a great deve community with great ROMs and good official cm13 base

In all honesty, there are better options, I would go with the nexus or opo, I'm sorry I purchased the ZenFone 2.

From the current user of Zenfone 2, don't waste your money for it, you buy it as it is, no one care after that, more update bring more bugs, Intel has abandoned Intel Atom mobile CPU so if we are lucky, Android 6.0 is the lastest android version we could have on our phone, and if we are not, we stucked with 5.0 forever :3

Still great value for the $. It's not perfect but it's very functional.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk

Just buy a phone with Qualcomm inside instead of intel inside.

Thank you all for the answers!

Related

Questions before purchase

Hello everyone... currently I have a Moto G first gen.. that doesn't suits my need anymore, so i guess i'll be buying a zenphone 2 by the end of this week, but I have a few questions, and would really like if someone can clear some stuff out
Zenphone 2, 4GB ram, 16GB rom, Intel 4x 2,3Ghz
1 Is it possible to cast it's screen to some TV? hdmi, USB tv out, or even miracast or DLNA?
2 Is it easy to root the phone? will lost data? can unroot? need to unlock bootloader? will the warranty be void if so?
3 I've heard the update is late, but will it get android 6.0? and 7.0?
4 Intel leaving the atom mobile market, will turn into a problem for owners of Zenfone2
5 Are the bloats a serious problem? hard to remove / affects performance?
6 How does it stand againt of some phones of the same price? maybe moto X 2014, Xperia Z1, LG G3,moto G4 plus?
7 Can I run some linux on it, or even windows reasonably? (was able to boot winXP on moto G with Qemu, but it was so slow, that turned to be useless, but linux was kinda better)
8 Is there some real difference beetween 4x1.8Ghz and 4x2.3Ghz?
9 Can i expect some not oficial android 8? will it have enough performance for it (I understand it's a guess)
10 How long does the battery last with screen on and wifi? (with moto G a can get something beetween 3H40m ~ 5H according to use and brightness, in other words, 2 netflix movies with a single chage)
and here's the last one, thanks for reading
11 Do you like it's indoor/night/artificial light photos?
I undertand it's a lot of questions, no need to answer what you are not confident about, but please use the numbers to make it easier to read and understand
Thank you very much for any help

Best dual sim phone to switch to from Asus Zenfone 2 ???

Hi guys,
I would like to switch from my asus zenfone 2 64G to a more development supported dual sim phone. Preferably under $300 or exactly $300. What would be a good choice in your opinion.
Please, elaborate if possible.
Thanks
Please, advise me.
dual sim phone that works great and is UNDER $300? hummmmmmm ....... oh yeah - zenfone 2. Your price limitations exclude any dual sim phone worth it weight in toilet paper. Save up some extra cash for an Honor 8, or suck it up and keep this phone.
Redmi Note 3
Moto G4 Plus
Blu Life One X
Sony Xperia XA Ultra (Amazon has the Lime Gold w/64GB microSD for less than 300)
LeEco Le 2 (if you can find it)
Huawei Mate 8
Trotter516 said:
Redmi Note 3
Moto G4 Plus
Blu Life One X
Sony Xperia XA Ultra (Amazon has the Lime Gold w/64GB microSD for less than 300)
LeEco Le 2 (if you can find it)
Huawei Mate 8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my experience stay away from Blu products. Their screens are very fragile. They save money by not placing that extra layer of glass on it. So if it cracks at all you're done.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
Thanks my friends for all your opinions. What about Oneplus 2? Would you suggest it?
Yousvel said:
Thanks my friends for all your opinions. What about Oneplus 2? Would you suggest it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in thins price range don't think anything else go for Xiaomi mi5
Yousvel said:
Hi guys,
I would like to switch from my asus zenfone 2 64G to a more development supported dual sim phone. Preferably under $300 or exactly $300. What would be a good choice in your opinion.
Please, elaborate if possible.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you want cheaper one and crazy about screen quality.. go for mi4i... best screen i think so. camera quality is far better than any samsung flahship.. don't go too much over online reviews. i personally used mi4i and mi5.

Should I buy Lenovo Z2 Plus ??

Hey guys
So I'm here asking about the question in the title
I want to know whether the kernel sources are released by OEM or not ?
And I'm getting this phone for only 15K INR
Is there any android developement like custom roms possible on this phone ?? OR should I buy redmi note 4 which has a better support ??
I don't want to switch devices for few more years
Please help me here
That are two phones hard to compare.. snapdragon 820 vs 625, 5inch vs 5.5inch etc, fingerprint on front vs on the back etc... how should we know what you need or want?
Both are great..
And for custom roms > how about if you look into the roms, kernels, recovery.. section? Dont be so lazy man
Modder001 said:
Hey guys
So I'm here asking about the question in the title
I want to know whether the kernel sources are released by OEM or not ?
And I'm getting this phone for only 15K INR
Is there any android developement like custom roms possible on this phone ?? OR should I buy redmi note 4 which has a better support ??
I don't want to switch devices for few more years
Please help me here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Warning: Very long story
My purchase of 3Gb variant of Redmi Note 4 was final but could not buy it (everything happens for a good) as delivery was not available by flipkart in my area. I was very sad and finally decided to buy a new, seal packed Redmi Note 3 from ebay at Rs. 9300 (Rs. 10400 was listed price, after applying coupons it became Rs. 9300) as it had performance and recently got franco kernel too (previously available only on Pixels, Nexus and One Plus devices). Finally saw Lenovo Z2 Plus on Snapdeal for Rs. 12000 and immediately purchased it (was hesitant at first reading reviews on Amazon but could not resist SD 820 at this price).
The phone is great, no heating issues and was much better than Redmi Note 3 (Screen quality, camera quality, general performance, looks) when compared side by side as my friend had one. Battery is also good, I get 5-6 hours Screen on time on 4G network with hotspot on and around 7-8 hours SoT on WiFi.
About development, both devices have great roms but Redmi Note 4 has no custom kernel as kernel source codes are not released currently but may or will get them in future when sources are released. Also if you want to be like a trickster and change TV channels of any TV in lobby of any hospital/Hotel, go for Xiaomi phones as they have IR blaster.
The Z2 Plus recently got official Nougat whereas Redmi Note 3 and 4 are still on Marshmallow but that does not matter as you are planning to use a custom rom and all three have 7.1.2 Nougat custom roms.
Conclusion
If you like very good developer support with some good performance, go for Redmi Note 3
If you like development with superior battery life, go for Redmi Note 4
If you want a phone with sheer raw power and the one that does not slow down even after 3 years and a great value for money and brag among friends, go for Z2 Plus.
Currently Z2 Plus is available at Rs.13000 at Snapdeal but wait for amazon sale on 11th, previously at an Amazon sale, it was available for 12K and if you get any bank discount (sometimes 10 to 15% off on SBI Card etc during sale), you can get it for 10-11K too.
Go for the black one, it looks very good
Hope this helps
You can also watch reviews and comparison of phones on youtube for better decisions.
hp5942 said:
If you like very good developer support with some good performance, go for Redmi Note 3
If you like development with superior battery life, go for Redmi Note 4
If you want a phone with sheer raw power and the one that does not slow down even after 3 years and a great value for money and brag among friends, go for Z2 Plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am absolutely agree with hp5942's statements. Development for Z2 is only growing, it will be awesome in a few months. Note 3 has one of the best dev support and will have it for a long time. Note 4 is better looking and feeling than Note 3, but it is less speedy device.
I'm fine with front mounted finger print sensor
I want to use device for at least 2-3 years
Which one do you suggest me ?
Modder001 said:
I'm fine with front mounted finger print sensor
I want to use device for at least 2-3 years
Which one do you suggest me ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For long run always go with the phone with more performance.
My friend still has no performance issues with his Mi4 (SD 800, flagship at that time) even after 2.5 years.
if u cant get more money .. get it .. if u can get a bit more.. get oneplus 3t
thebiggboss180 said:
if u cant get more money .. get it .. if u can get a bit more.. get oneplus 3t
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have much if a money ... Should I buy lenovo z2 plus ?
Modder001 said:
I don't have much if a money ... Should I buy lenovo z2 plus ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah..this phone worth what u paying for.
Why do you guys confuse much. Its good phone for the price. For 13k you are getting snap 820
Its like for the price of audi you getting buggati
Why to get confused. There are minor software hiccups. As you are familiar with xda you can always use custom roms
Hardware wise there are no issues. Build quality is damm solid. I have thrashed my phone many times, but it still survives.
Back glass is lil fragile.
Should i buy lenovo z2 plus now at 12k?
Guptasar98 said:
Should i buy lenovo z2 plus now at 12k?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone was a worthy buy @18K, it's definitely a steal @12k, but if you can wait, BigBillionDay/GreatIndian sale is around the corner, you might get an even sweeter deal.
Guptasar98 said:
Should i buy lenovo z2 plus now at 12k?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought z2 plus(4,64gb) @ 9.5k from amazon
(Actually 11k - 1.5k cashback)
So wait for any amazon sale
May be buy it on Diwali
For those not used to pimp their phones (unlock bootloader, flash rom etc...), i think Zuk Z2 is not a good choice as the original version is not perfect. But if you like to flash and customize your phone, so yes, 10 times yes,it's a very good phone (have it for almost 1 year and still happy with it).

Help Out in Choosing Between Between Note 5 Pro & Zenfone Max Pro M1

Hello Friends,
Could You Please help me out by Recommending a Device between Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 and Redmi Note 5 Pro.
Actually i am Currently Using MMX Nitro A311 with ResurrectionRemix ROM. And I need to upgrade to a New Device.
Actually Both the RNote5Pro and ProM1 both make a Tough Competition and with similar specs , making it really tough to choose from. So it is difficult for me in selecting one in my Budget of 15K.
I am Basically in to Info-Sec Field so I need a phone which I can Root Easily and install custom ROM(s) ,if needed. And I need a Decent Good Battery Backup & Processing Power so that I can manage my Studies and Work. And Want Complete Control of my Phone. And I need to Use My Next Phone for a Pretty Long Duration 2-3 Years.
I would Basically use my Phone for Calls, Chats, Youtube, Watching Tutorials, Reading PDFs and Camera is needed for Recording Purpose. Other than that I would use it for TESTING Apps and for Other Info-Sec Purposes.
Since I read that Xiaomi has some issues Now in Rooting and Now with that Anti-Rollback its now more critical.
So Please help me Out by Suggesting.And Leaving Your Kind Genuine Reviews.
Thanks in Advance,
Regards,
Rahul
rxrkr said:
Hello Friends,
Could You Please help me out by Recommending a Device between Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 and Redmi Note 5 Pro.
Actually i am Currently Using MMX Nitro A311 with ResurrectionRemix ROM. And I need to upgrade to a New Device.
Actually Both the RNote5Pro and ProM1 both make a Tough Competition and with similar specs , making it really tough to choose from. So it is difficult for me in selecting one in my Budget of 15K.
I am Basically in to Info-Sec Field so I need a phone which I can Root Easily and install custom ROM(s) ,if needed. And I need a Decent Good Battery Backup & Processing Power so that I can manage my Studies and Work. And Want Complete Control of my Phone. And I need to Use My Next Phone for a Pretty Long Duration 2-3 Years.
I would Basically use my Phone for Calls, Chats, Youtube, Watching Tutorials, Reading PDFs and Camera is needed for Recording Purpose. Other than that I would use it for TESTING Apps and for Other Info-Sec Purposes.
Since I read that Xiaomi has some issues Now in Rooting and Now with that Anti-Rollback its now more critical.
So Please help me Out by Suggesting.And Leaving Your Kind Genuine Reviews.
Thanks in Advance,
Regards,
Rahul
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for the 6gb variant of the Zenfone Max pro M1. Xiaomi is a headache in terms of unlocking bootloader. I got permission to unlock months ago but I'm still not able to unlock it. Planning to sell my note 5 pro and get Zenfone Max pro!
Recommending something can be biased unless you havent tried both and yes its tough choice to make. Now that 6 gigs version of Asus zenfone max pro is released it can surely out perform 5 pro and in your case for a device to stay as much as 2-3 years i would vote hands down for max pro m1 6 gigs since 4+64gigs will age by that time. only thing which was letting max pro down compared to 5 pro was camera which now said to be improved since asus isnt launching zenfone 5 in india so its they're best bit in budget segment market. Speaking of development on both phone should be the same since both are powered by same processor and are treble enabled.
and Yes I am frustated with unlocking bootloader and antiroll thing since its only way they make money by making people use their bloatware and UI which is otherwise in asus case
so verdict ASUS FOR THE GO.
100% Redmi Note 5 Pro
And
Mi A2 Coming Shortly
myron2699 said:
Go for the 6gb variant of the Zenfone Max pro M1. Xiaomi is a headache in terms of unlocking bootloader. I got permission to unlock months ago but I'm still not able to unlock it. Planning to sell my note 5 pro and get Zenfone Max pro!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually sold my RN5 Pro yesterday and will get Asus. Left all the groups of Telegram too. It's not worth investing time in custom roms anymore since it's a lot of headache with anti3/4, unlock bootloader etc.
I've used the 4GB Asus variant for few days, exchanged my ph with a friend, I won't say it's bug free phone but there is no phone that's bug free. For Asus: Once you've got used to receive otas from oem, security patches every bi monthly, stock Android with few addons ( double tap), can unlock unofficially and relock for warranty, I feel Asus has a lot of advantage here.
I'm pretty sure few will tell you about prior issues they had specially with Asus Zenphone phs that were based on Intel cpus but I would suggest you to ignore. Asus has learned from such mistakes, went with SD this time which I'm sure will get good dev support if you're into flashing roms.
For me, getting a stock rom ph, easy to root/unlock bootloader just to use ad blocker, good battery life, decent hardware, no boatloader 20 days waiting, no anti3/4, no mi fans nonsense. I've heard the camera outperforms RN5P but I haven't checked about it since I'm sure all mid end phs does the social sharing job. I'm investing my money with Asus this time.
simple sir , go for asus if your main priority into custom roms etc , you can simply unlock and flash anything right after buying .
this redmi note 5 pro/ai maybe good at camera but asus max pro m1 seems had an advantages on other specs.
lawong said:
simple sir , go for asus if your main priority into custom roms etc , you can simply unlock and flash anything right after buying .
this redmi note 5 pro/ai maybe good at camera but asus max pro m1 seems had an advantages on other specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing better with Asus is the bigger battery. I don't understand how it has advantage in other specs? It does not support WiFI a/ac nor does it have an IR blaster for example and there is no mention of presence/absence of Gorilla Glass on Asus. Now I have a RN5 AI, so this has better camera specs than all M1 variants, but the RN5Pro still has a slight advantage with 3/4gb vs 3/4gb variants.
Yes the Xiaomi made i d*ck move by implementing ARB without making possibility to disable it, but you can still flash custom roms just as you always did, it's the unlocking method that's a bit more confusing than it was.
Don't get me wrong, I'm just stating the facts, you can check the specs by yourself.
Of course being on the Xiaomi forums there has to be a bit of bias for it, but in the end you go for what you want/need/have money for. The devices are similar, what made me lean to this side was better camera specs (f/1.9 aperture, dual pixel focus and bigger sensor), WiFi support, IR blaster and a rich modding community. Now I never used Asus devices nor do I know it's modding potential and devs interest, but I guess it's going to be good enough since it's cheap. The RN5 got a head start though, a lot of good devs are here.
Cirra92 said:
The only thing better with Asus is the bigger battery. I don't understand how it has advantage in other specs? It does not support WiFI a/ac nor does it have an IR blaster for example and there is no mention of presence/absence of Gorilla Glass on Asus. Now I have a RN5 AI, so this has better camera specs than all M1 variants, but the RN5Pro still has a slight advantage with 3/4gb vs 3/4gb variants.
Yes the Xiaomi made i d*ck move by implementing ARB without making possibility to disable it, but you can still flash custom roms just as you always did, it's the unlocking method that's a bit more confusing than it was.
Don't get me wrong, I'm just stating the facts, you can check the specs by yourself.
Of course being on the Xiaomi forums there has to be a bit of bias for it, but in the end you go for what you want/need/have money for. The devices are similar, what made me lean to this side was better camera specs (f/1.9 aperture, dual pixel focus and bigger sensor), WiFi support, IR blaster and a rich modding community. Now I never used Asus devices nor do I know it's modding potential and devs interest, but I guess it's going to be good enough since it's cheap. The RN5 got a head start though, a lot of good devs are here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i own both devices sir , i buyed redmi note 5 ai at the end of May and recently last week asus max pro m1 , i didnt use ir blaster and i dnt really know what is wifi a/ac .
from both device what makes me choose max pro m1 because the battery can last longer than my rn5 about an hour + in same usage , its has rgb led notification , the bottom speaker was way to better than rn5 , dedicated memory slot so nice if im planned to sell my rn5 and use with 1 device only, easily unlock bootloader and flash it with twrp+root without worrying anything , and cheaper than my rn5
sorry if something not right here ,its my own opinion sir im still xiaomi user for more than 15 devices variant , just comparing it with my own experience of usage .
Just wait for MI A2.
SDM660
8 August.
End of topic
lawong said:
i own both devices sir , i buyed redmi note 5 ai at the end of May and recently last week asus max pro m1 , i didnt use ir blaster and i dnt really know what is wifi a/ac .
from both device what makes me choose max pro m1 because the battery can last longer than my rn5 about an hour + in same usage , its has rgb led notification , the bottom speaker was way to better than rn5 , dedicated memory slot so nice if im planned to sell my rn5 and use with 1 device only, easily unlock bootloader and flash it with twrp+root without worrying anything , and cheaper than my rn5
sorry if something not right here ,its my own opinion sir im still xiaomi user for more than 15 devices variant , just comparing it with my own experience of usage .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh sorry, forgot to mention the separate slot for SD card, which indeed is nice to have and RGB led which I didn't know it has But since I only use one SIM that's not something I need and speaker wise, it's good enough for me
In the end, one has to choose based on his needs and preferences, I would go for RN5, but that's my 2 cents we are giving pros and cons for both anyway
From reviews that I saw, the Zenfone has a pretty slow fingerprint scanner than the RN5. But they might've fixed that in an update. If I was in India, I'd go for the Zenfone (I wanted to get it before RN5 but I'm not in India), simply for the bigger battery. I'm not much of a camera guy, all I care about is lag free UI, decent gaming performance, good battery life, and sleek modern design.
Redmi note 5 pro, never had any problems in terms of modding & stuff. Besides it's very hard to get your hands on a Zenfone Max M1 (at least here in europe). The choice is yours, both are decent and 4 + 64 will be enough also in 3 years!
myron2699 said:
Go for the 6gb variant of the Zenfone Max pro M1. Xiaomi is a headache in terms of unlocking bootloader. I got permission to unlock months ago but I'm still not able to unlock it. Planning to sell my note 5 pro and get Zenfone Max pro!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just bit off IP. If you have still troubles with unlocking bootloader. Only thing you need is to use kinda very old Mi Unlock app. I am in work, so I cant provide you with the exact version I used, but I didnt have to wait that ridiculous time. Just PM and I will send u.

Choosing a new phone

Hi,
I am looking for a phone, and I would like some advice to help me choose the right one.
I only use my phone to send/receive SMS/calls/emails. I also play (old) games while commuting. No Facebook, no social media, close to no browsing (occasionally, maybe once a month mainly to open links in emails)... which makes me think there is no need for a powerful phone.
I still don't want to buy a supermarket-and-cheap phone as I want something where I can install LineageOS/Cyanogenmod and upgrade "regularly" (every 2-3 years) to a recent version of Android. [I plan to keep my phone 5-10 years]
I also don't want a huge phone as they do nowadays (max 140mm length). I tried the LG G3 and the Samsung GS5 but they are too big for me.
I used to have a Samsung Galaxy S2 which was perfect for me, but it died (maybe softbricked) while upgrading cyanogenmod.
My options : repair the SG2 but it may be a waste of money! or buy a new phone.
So my question is : do you know any recent phone that is not too big, quite cheap, and where I can install LineageOS?
Go to kimovil.com and search (up to 140mm)
Im using Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite.
It's best to just go for a One plus 6. Whatever you do, phrase do not go for another product apart from ONE PLUS is a no-win for me [emoji107] ONE PLUS COMMUNITY is the best. Join the trend and have a great smartphone Experience
Sent from my Nokia 7 plus using Tapatalk
I second the OnePlus devices, development, community...
Xiaomi mi A2. perfect phone for the money.
note 6 pro is better. mi 8 lite has better cpu but in real world usage, there is no difference at all. mi 8 lite don't have SD card expansion, small battery, no fm radio and no 3.5mm jack. also no ifr port. so make your choice
I would recommend the Xiaomi Mi9T

Categories

Resources