Reviewing ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL - Elegance meets powerful hardware!

The Taiwanese company ASUS manufactures quite a few different models of ZenFone 3 smartphones, ranging from the affordable ASUS ZenFone 3 to the true king of their lineup, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. The latter is the best you can buy under ASUS' brand: it comes with powerful hardware, an impressive build quality and many promises. When it was launched, it was also the first smartphone in the world to offer 6 GB of RAM memory. We've had the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL in tests over the last week and, after using it as my main Android smartphone, I would like to share with you my opinion about this device, in this review:

Hardware specifications and packaging

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe comes in a premium package: a stylish box made from high quality cardboard and an elegant, although rather intricate design, even when compared to other flagships. The top of the box holds only the name of the device.

If you want to see the name, details and hardware specifications of the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL you bought, you'll have to look at the stickers found on the bottom of the package.

Lift the upper lid and you'll find your brand new smartphone inside.

Open the drawer beneath the smartphone and you'll get to the power charger, the USB Type C detachable cable, the headphones and the documentation provided by ASUS with the smartphone.

With its 5.7 inch screen, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is a large smartphone. But, although you would expect it to use a QHD display, things are not quite like that. Instead, ASUS chose to equip it with a display that has the standard 1080p FHD resolution. The good thing about it is that it's a Super AMOLED display, meaning that the colors and the contrast it offers are well above the norm. And, if you worry about dust and scratches, keep in mind that the smartphone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4, which is great.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL draws its power from a powerful 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-Core 820 processor running at 2.15GHz, or a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-Core 821 processor running at 2.4GHz, depending on the variant that you purchase. The version that we reviewed had the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-Core 820 processor.

Regardless of its processor, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe offers the same graphical chip, which is an Adreno 530. In terms of memory, this smartphone can come with either 4 or 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM memory, and with 32, 64 or 256GB of built-in storage space. We tested the model that had 6GB of RAM memory and 64GB of internal storage space. Besides what you get from the start, if you want to increase your smartphone's storage capacity, you should know that you can also add a MicroSD card of up to 2TB.

One of the most impressive specs of the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe is its camera: it's a 23 megapixels PixelMaster 3.0 camera with a maximum aperture of f/2.0, built with 6-element Largan lens with sapphire lens protection. The camera can focus almost instantly in 0.03s and can track the subjects in the photo automatically, using a so called TriTech auto-focus system technology. The main camera on this smartphone is also able to do image stabilization on your photos, so that it will help remove the unwanted shaking of your hands. And, if you shoot photos in low light, you also get a Dual-LED real tone flash. If you prefer videos to still photos, you might be interested to know that the main camera is capable of 4K video recording (at 3840 x 2160 pixels and 30 frames per second), 1080p FHD at 60 or 30 frames per second and 720p HD video recording at 30fps. Also, for video recordings, the camera uses a 3-axis electronic image stabilization system. In case you're a selfie lover, this smartphone gives you a front camera that can take photos at 8 megapixels with a f/2.0 aperture and an 84˚ field of view.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is a dual SIM smartphone, which means that you can use two different SIM cards at the same time. The SIM cards can be from the same mobile operator or from different operators, but only one SIM will be able to connect to high speed 3G WCDMA or 4G LTE data networks at a time. It's also important to note that the second SIM slot is also used for SD cards, so if you want to expand the storage capacity of your ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL, you will have to make do with using it in single SIM mode. In terms of wireless connectivity, it works with a network chip that offers Bluetooth 4.2 support, and is compatible with the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac networking standards, which means that it can connect to both 2.4GHz and to 5GHz wireless networks.

Being a high-end smartphone, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL also offers a lot of various sensors, ranging from common ones like the accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity or ambient light sensor, to the fingerprint scanner found on its back. The autonomy is drawn from a 3000 mAh non-removable battery that supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology.

If you're looking for a small Android smartphone, you already know that the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is not for you because of its large 5.7 inch screen. If you care for details, this smartphone is 6.16 inches or 156.4 mm long, 3.05 inches or 77.4 mm wide, and 0.17~0.31 inches or 4.2~7.5 mm thick. And it weighs 6.07 ounces or 172 grams.

If you want to see all the technical specs of the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL, you should visit its official webpage, here: ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL Tech Specs.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is a high-end Android smartphone and, as expected, is comes with very impressive hardware specifications.

Design and build quality

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe is a very beautiful smartphone and there's a big chance you'll fall in love with it the moment you see it. It's a thin smartphone with a unibody chassis that's made from aluminum, extremely narrow bezels and a very large screen. It's a thing of luxury, and even its colour variations are very elegant: Glacier Silver and Sand Gold.

When I first had it my hands, the feeling I got was that I was holding a simple, beautiful yet exquisitely intricate device. One aspect that contributes to this feeling even now, after a week of having it, is the fact that there's no visible antenna on it. To be honest, I didn't notice it the first time, but after reading it on ASUS' website, it's obvious: there are no gaps on the smartphone's body and that really is impressive!

Unlike its smaller brother, the ASUS ZenFone 3, the Deluxe ZS570KL model doesn't have glass all over its body. In fact, only the screen and the front bezels are protected by glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 4). The back and the sides of the phone are made from aluminum and have a nice matte surface that makes it easy to hold in your hands.

The front of the smartphone is a territory ruled by the very large 5.7 display, but it's also home to the three Android standard buttons: Back, Home and Recent apps. The icons ASUS used for them are simple, minimalist and elegant. They're also backlit, which means you'll see them even if you use your smartphone in the dark.

The volume rocker and the power button are all found on the top right side of the smartphone. They have a nice, hardy, tactile feedback that makes them pretty difficult to press by mistake.

However, one thing that isn't that great about them, or could be better, is that they are positioned too far to the top side of the smartphone, which makes them hard to reach if you're using the phone with only one hand.

The other margins of the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL are free of any buttons. The left margin is the place where you'll find the SIM tray, which you can eject by using the small metal pin from the smartphone's package. The top rim of the phone is home for a 3.5mm audio jack used for connecting headphones, and the bottom holds the USB Type C port that's used for charging and transferring data.

On the backside of the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL you'll find the camera bump, the dual-LED flash, the laser autofocus sensor and the fingerprint scanner. The latter has a rather strange form compared to what we've seen on other smartphones, because it's rectangular, but that's not an impediment when it comes to using it. We've especially liked it for being slightly sunken inside the chassis, which makes it easy to identify with your finger.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is a very elegant and stylish smartphone. Although it's a very large device, it manages to wow you with its minimalist design and with the way ASUS engineered it.

The smartphone experience on the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe

One of the essential parts of having a good user experience is the quality of the screen on your smartphone. The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL has a very beautiful Super AMOLED display that offers rich and vibrant colors. It also helps that the smartphone is designed to offer a 79% screen-to-body ratio and very narrow bezels, of only 1.3mm. The only thing that could have been better is the resolution you get, which is "only" Full HD at 1920 x 1080 pixels. Don't get us wrong - the display looks great - but the "normal" these days is the Quad HD, or 2K resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels). Most flagships from various manufacturers offer such resolutions.

One other thing that can give you a positive or a negative experience on a smartphone is how fast it is in normal day to day activities. Meaning that a good smartphone should not be laggy when it responds to your commands. Fortunately, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is a very strong device in terms of processing power. During the time in which I used it as my daily driver, it never felt laggy, it never blocked, and it never restarted itself. Everything, from web browsing to running games is fast and smooth.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is a Dual SIM smartphone, which means that you can use two different SIM cards with it and connect to two different mobile operators if that's what you want. But, you must take into consideration that only one of the SIM cards can be used for data transfers on 3G or 4G LTE connections. The other one will be limited to 2G. I have a 4G data plan and the the signal reception is pretty good in my geographical area. As such, the internet mobile connection I enjoyed during the period I've had the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL was stable and fast.

The smartphone did well in phone conversations, meaning that the calls didn't interrupt randomly, the sound was crisp and clear, while the background noise was cancelled and didn't disturb my conversations.

On the other hand, the audio quality you get from the loudspeaker is not that great. The sound quality is not ruined by distortions or unwanted noises, but the maximum volume is rather low. If you want better quality and a whole different level of audio volume, you should use a good set of headphones. By the way, the ones you get in the smartphone's package are pretty good.

As far as the battery goes, for me it usually managed to last for 8 to 10 hours tops. But that's because I tend to overwork my devices, including the smartphone. I do a lot of web browsing and gaming and that takes a big toll on the battery. However, if you're going to use your smartphone lightly, it will probably last you some more time.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe has no trouble at all when it comes to delivering a good user experience. You'll love its display, the 4G data transfer speeds and the quality of your phone calls.

Read the next page of this review to learn more about the camera experience on this smartphone, the software installed on it and the raw performance it offers in benchmarks.

The camera experience on the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL offers a main camera that's built around a 23 megapixels image sensor and a whole series of impressive hardware specs which we've already talked about earlier in this review.

We were expecting that all those specs would mean that the camera will shoot extraordinary pictures. Unfortunately, the truth was different: although some photos that we made looked really good, like the landscapes we've photographed outdoors in good lighting conditions, other photos, especially those that we shot inside or during the night, were often unclear and grainy, and the colors were rather washed out and dull. Maybe it's just a software issue that will get better in future updates of the Camera app, but for now, this is not the photo quality you would expect to see in a flagship. In the gallery below you can see some sample photos that we shot, photos taken both outdoors and indoors, in bright light conditions and in dim environments. There are landscapes, people, close-ups, panoramas and even some selfies included, made with the front camera.

If video is more your thing, you will be happy to hear that the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL can record videos using the 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels), in 1080p FullHD at 60 or 30fps, in 720p HD at 30 frames per second, or in the "old" TV standard of 640 x 480 pixels. In all cases, you can use 3-axis electronic image stabilization for video recording.

The video below is a sample in which you can see how the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL handles videos which involve a lot of movement. As you can see, the image stabilization technology does a good job.

In the next video you can watch a static panorama which I recorded by moving the smartphone while standing still. This is an example of a video that has only a bit of movement.

And, because the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL can also record videos in slow motion, here's a sample of this feature:

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is a great smartphone, but its camera is not the best you can get at this price point. It does have some impressive hardware specs, like the huge 23 megapixel image sensor, a fast laser autofocus sensor or the advanced image stabilization but, in the end, the quality of its photography is only average to high.

Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, ASUS ZenUI 3.0 and bundled apps

ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL comes preinstalled with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. That's a bit unfortunate, because Android 7 Nougat was released before ASUS began selling this smartphone. Hopefully though, the Taiwanese company will release a system update sooner rather than later and bring their flagship up to date.

ASUS installed their proprietary ZenUI user interface skin, which is now on version 3.0. We like this customized user interface, because it provides a whole lot more personalization options than the default user interface you get in stock Android. The ZenUI 3.0 user interface offers you an abundance of themes that you can download and install on your smartphone, and all it takes to do that is make a few taps. You can change almost everything on your ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe, from wallpapers to fonts, to icon sets. And the best part is that most of the themes are free, although there are also a few that cost some small amounts of money.

However, what we don't like in any of ASUS' smartphones, and the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is no exception, is the amount of bloatware installed. If you buy this smartphone, besides the default Google apps you get with Android, you will also get this long list of apps:

• Amazon Kindle - an ebook reader app which you can use to shop and read ebooks from Amazon.
• AudioWizard - a settings app that lets you customize the sound on your smartphone.
• Backup - an app that apparently got left behind, as the only thing it can do for you is tell you to open Android's "Settings > Backup & reset" options to backup your data.
• Do It Later - helps you create and organize daily tasks, as well as set reminders, notes and other things like that.
• File Manager - an app which you can use to see and manage the files found on your smartphone. Everybody has to have a file manager on their smartphone, so this is a good a choice as any other.
• Flashlight - lights up your smartphone's flash or screen.
• FM Radio - use it to listen to FM radio stations. You will have to connect your headphones as they also work as a radio antenna.
• Gallery - an app that lets you browse and open the photos and videos you take with your smartphone.
• Instagram - the mobile app of the popular photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service.
• Laser Ruler - you can use it to measure distances. It relies on the camera's sensors to work and the results you get are precise and fast. However, it only appears to work for distances shorter than 60 inches or 150cm.
• MiniMovie - useful if you want to create movies or slideshows using the photos that are saved on your smartphone.
• Mobile Manager - acts as a central point for various system maintenance tasks. It gives you a quick overview of your battery and memory use, as well as quick access to the Power Saver battery modes, to the details of your data usage, the apps are allowed to show push notifications and so on.
• MyASUS Service Center - offers you access to 24/7 support from ASUS.
• PhotoCollage - lets you create photo collages. If you're into that, you might find this app rather interesting.
• Puffin - a web browser that, unlike the default Google Chrome browser, also supports Adobe Flash. It might be a good idea to keep it installed if you visit websites that use the old Flash technology.
• Quick Memo - a very simple app for taking quick and simple notes.
• Share Link - an app that will help you transfer files between your smartphone and a computer on your local network. You don't have to have a working mobile connection and you don't need a USB cable to do the transfer.
• Sound Recorder - a simple app that uses the smartphone's microphone to record sound.
• Splendid - lets you personalize the settings of your smartphone's display.
• Themes - a portal where you can see, download, install and apply various system themes for the ZenUI user interface.
• Weather - an app that shows you weather forecasts based on Accuweather's reports.
• WebStorage - the cloud storage service from ASUS that offers you 5GB of free storage space.
• ZenCircle - a social network that works by sharing photos and videos made with ASUS smartphones.
• ZenFone Care - a customer service app that provides you with in-device assistance, using FAQs, user feedback, and public forums.
• ZenTalk - a forum dedicated to all owners of ZenFone smartphones, which can prove quite useful.
• TripAdvisor - an app developed by the popular TripAdvisor travel website, which lets you plan and book your entire vacation.

In terms of software, things could be a lot better for ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe. We like a lot the ZenUI user interface and its customization options. However, we don't like the fact that the smartphone comes with Android 6 instead of the new Android 7, and we absolutely disagree with the large number of apps that are bundled by ASUS.

Performance in benchmarks

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is definitely a flagship and we already know that it looks and works great. But what about some raw performance numbers? Everybody loves benchmarks and so do we. That's why, we've also put it to test in some of the most popular benchmark apps in the Google Play Store. Here's what we've found:

We started by running Vellamo, which is a benchmark app that measures the performance of the processor. The first tests we ran are called Multicore and they evaluate the processor performance when it has to handle multiple threads at the same time, like when running multiple apps simultaneously. The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL got a huge score of 3460 points, which puts it on the very top of the ranking ladder. It's literally the highest score we've seen and the only other device that managed to get exactly same score in this test was the Samsung Galaxy S7.

The next benchmark test we ran is meant to check the processor performance in single thread tasks, when only one processor core is used. ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL obtained a score of 3163 points, which is only 3% less than the Samsung Galaxy S7's score in the same test.

Then we started the gaming tests, which are very important if you like to play games on your smartphone. To measure the performance offered by the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL, we used the GFXBench GL Benchmark. We recorded only the results we got in the 1080p Car Chase Offscreen, 1080p Manhattan 3.1 Offscreen and 1080p T-Rex Offscreen tests. That's because the resolutions are standardized at 1080p and thus offer results that are more relevant if you want to compare various smartphones with different display resolutions.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL rendered 1085 frames in the 1080p Car Chase Offscreen test, which is very impressive, and very close to what you'd get from a Samsung Galaxy S7.

In the 1080p Manhattan 3.1 Offscreen, the smartphone managed to draw 1956 frames, which is a similar performance to that of an Apple iPhone 7 Plus.

In the 1080p T-Rex Offscreen test, which is an older and less stressful benchmark, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL rendered a whopping 5160 frames. That's almost the same you'd get from an Apple iPhone 7, and it's 12% more than the Samsung Galaxy S7 managed to render. Impressive!

Moving on to real-world performance, we measured one the most important features of a smartphone, which is how fast it is at browsing the web. Vellamo helped in this matter with its Explore test, which not only renders all kinds of content in the web browser, but it also measures zooming and scrolling performance, which are things you do all the time when you surf the internet. Using Google Chrome, the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL received a score of 5104 points, which makes it the first of the pack. It's better even than the Samsung Galaxy S7.

The final benchmark we ran was PCMark's Work 2.0 battery life test, which measures the battery life during regular activities. The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL managed to keep on going for 7 hours and 42 minutes. It's an average result that doesn't impress, but that was to be expected from a smartphone this powerful.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL offers 4G LTE support and, because we were curious about its data transfer performance, we measured with Ookla's Speedtest.net Android app. During our tests we used the Digi Mobil Romania mobile network and measured a maximum download speed of 28.82 Mbps. The fact that the upload speed is very low is not a problem caused by this smartphone. It's a network problem in our area, that manifests itself on every other smartphone.

Before we ran the benchmarks above, we knew that the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is a high-end smartphone, but we really didn't expect it be so powerful. It's a true flagship and it stands alone when compared to flagships from other companies, including Samsung Galaxy S7.

Pros and cons

Here are a few of the most important positive aspects of the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL:

• Beautiful invisible-antenna design that will be enjoyed by anyone
• It's built from premium materials with very good build quality
• A large and beautiful display with a high brightness, high contrast and vivid colors
• A good camera with some impressive specs (23 megapixel image sensor)
• You can buy it with one of two of the most powerful mobile processors available today (Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-Core 821)
• It's a Dual SIM smartphone
• You can easily extend the available storage space
• It's available in versions with plenty of RAM and storage space

There are also a few not so positive aspects about this smartphone:

• Although the photos and videos you shoot with it are good, they aren't great
• There's a lot of bloatware preinstalled on it
• It comes with Android 6 Marshmallow installed instead of the new Android 7 Nougat
• The price is not for everyone

Verdict

The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL is a great smartphone that manages to meet even the most demanding expectations you might have. It looks stunning, it has a beautiful screen, and it offers some of the strongest and fastest hardware you could get in an Android smartphone. The only things that could keep you away from buying the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe is its price, which is higher than what you might have to pay for the Samsung Galaxy S7, for instance, and the fact that the photos you'll shoot with its camera aren't jaw dropping, although they aren't bad either. However, if you are looking for an Android flagship, then you're probably ready to pay a top price for a top product. In the end, we found only a few things about this smartphone that we didn't like, and a lot of things that we liked, so we will recommend it to anyone who want a big, gorgeous, and very powerful Android smartphone.