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Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL Smartphone Review

Two cameras. Selfies are more popular than ever, which is why Asus now sells a matching smartphone. The ZenFone Selfie is equipped with two 13 MP cameras, so is it the perfect smartphone for self-portraits?

For the original German review, see here.

The front cameras of many smartphones have improved significantly over the last few years to satisfy the ongoing selfie trend. But the front cameras are often worse than their counterparts at the back, most probably because of the limited space. On the other hand, Asus has equipped the ZenFone Selfie with two 13 MP sensors, one at the front and one at the back. However, the modules are not completely identical, and we will talk about the differences over the course of the review. The other components of the 5.5-inch device are typical for a mainstream device: IPS display, Snapdragon 615 SoC and Adreno 405 GPU. The memory equipment of our review unit is generous with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. Another highlight is the dual-SIM support.

There is no shortage of alternatives in this segment. We use the Motorola Moto X Play, the LG G4s and the OnePlus 2 as comparison devices. Other rivals for the ZenFone Selfie are the Honor 6 Plus, the Huawei P8 and the Samsung Galaxy A7.

Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL (Zenfone Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 8 x 1.5 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Qualcomm Adreno 405, Core: 550 MHz
Memory
3 GB 
, LPDDR3
Display
5.50 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, capacitive, IPS, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 24.7 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm stereo jack, Card Reader: microSD (up to 128 GB), Sensors: Accelerometer, G-Sensor, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Hall Sensor, WiFi-Direct, AGPS, BeiDou, USB-OTG
Networking
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0, Edge/GPRS/GSM, UMTS HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), LTE Cat.4 (800, 850, 900, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2600 MHz), LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 10.8 x 156.5 x 77.2 ( = 0.43 x 6.16 x 3.04 in)
Battery
12 Wh, 3000 mAh Lithium-Polymer, removeable, Talk time 2G (according to manufacturer): 23 h, Standby 2G (according to manufacturer): 255 h
Operating System
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Camera
Primary Camera: 13 MPix f/2.2, Dual LED Flash, 88 degrees wide-angle
Secondary Camera: 13 MPix f/2.0, Laser autofocus, Dual LED Flash
Additional features
Speakers: Mono, Keyboard: virtual, PSU, USB cable, Headset, Manual, Warranty information, ZenUI, MyAsus, Smart Tools, Auto-Start Manager, Asus WebStorage (5 GB for life), Google Apps, Zen Circle, Splendid, Omlet-Chat, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
167 g ( = 5.89 oz / 0.37 pounds), Power Supply: 90 g ( = 3.17 oz / 0.2 pounds)
Price
300 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The chassis of the Asus ZenFone Selfie is not different from the other current devices of the manufacturer. Once again, the back is rounded, so the smartphone feels very good in the hand. The design also helps to hide the fact that the smartphone is pretty thick (10.8 millimeters/~0.43 in), because it tapers to just 3.9 millimeters (~0.15 in) at the sides. However, it is also one of the longest smartphones (156.5 mm/~6.16 in) because of the Android buttons below the display and the large camera above. The weight is average at 167 grams (~5.9 oz) and the overall handling was still okay.

The back cover is made of smooth and matte plastic. Our black review sample in particular was quickly covered in fingerprints and grease, which were hard to remove. This means that the new smartphone will not look pretty nice after a short while. You can also get the smartphone in white, aqua-blue and pink, but the front is always black.

The physical buttons had to be relocated due to the slim chassis sides. The power button is now at the top (center) and the volume button has been moved to the back underneath the camera. Both buttons are well-integrated and do not clatter, but produce a loud and therefore cheap clicking sound when you press them.

We are not fully convinced by the stability of the chassis. Pressure is no problem for the smartphone, but the device can be twisted and we can hear quiet creaking sounds. This is probably a result of the removable back cover. On the lower right side is a small indentation that helps to remove the firmly attached cover. After the removal, you gain access to the replaceable battery and the two micro-SIM slots. Only one of the slots is accessible without removing the battery first.

156.5 mm / 6.16 inch 77.2 mm / 3.04 inch 10.8 mm / 0.4252 inch 167 g0.3682 lbs151.8 mm / 5.98 inch 74.9 mm / 2.95 inch 9.85 mm / 0.3878 inch 178 g0.3924 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 75 mm / 2.95 inch 10.9 mm / 0.4291 inch 169 g0.3726 lbs150.4 mm / 5.92 inch 75.7 mm / 2.98 inch 7.5 mm / 0.2953 inch 164 g0.3616 lbs151 mm / 5.94 inch 76 mm / 2.99 inch 6.3 mm / 0.248 inch 141 g0.3109 lbs142.7 mm / 5.62 inch 72.6 mm / 2.86 inch 9.9 mm / 0.3898 inch 140 g0.3086 lbs144.9 mm / 5.7 inch 71.8 mm / 2.83 inch 6.4 mm / 0.252 inch 147 g0.3241 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

The ZenFone Selfie uses the modern mainstream SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 with the Adreno 405 GPU. Asus is quite generous in terms of memory, because you get 32 GB of internal storage as well as the 3 GB of RAM. You can use around 24.7 GB for your own files and apps after the initial set-up, but it is also possible to expand the capacity by up to 128 GB via a microSD-card. Compatible apps can be transferred to the microSD after the installation. However, it is not possible to use two SIM cards in this case. The micro-USB port at the bottom supports the 2.0 standard with USB-OTG for peripherals or flash drives. MHL or Miracast are not available, and instead data can be transferred via Wi-Fi Direct or Chromecast in local networks. File transfers with other mobile devices are possible via Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. The integrated FM radio can be used in combination with a headset.

Top: Microphone, power button, stereo jack
Top: Microphone, power button, stereo jack
Bottom: Microphone, Micro-USB 2.0
Bottom: Microphone, Micro-USB 2.0

Software

The Asus ZenFone Selfie comes with Android 5.0 and Asus’ own user interface ZenUI. The latter does not change the basic control of the operating system, but changes the design and also adds some interesting features. These include, for example, the gesture control ZenMotion, which can be used to accept calls by holding the smartphone to your ear. It is also possible to draw letters on the screen in standby, which will trigger certain functions. The letter "S", for instance, launches the camera app and switches to the front camera, but individual commands cannot be configured. Another interesting feature is hidden within the user settings. In addition to an account for guests, it is possible to set-up a private account. A mode for children and a simple mode are also available. Asus also ships the ZenFone Selfie with a lot of preloaded apps, but not all of them are really useful. You can see all the preloaded apps on the following screenshots.

Home screen
Home screen
ZenMotion
ZenMotion
Simple Mode
Simple Mode
Stagefright Detector App
Stagefright Detector App
Preloaded apps 1/4
Preloaded apps 1/4
Preloaded apps 2/4
Preloaded apps 2/4
Preloaded apps 3/4
Preloaded apps 3/4
Preloaded apps 4/4
Preloaded apps 4/4

Communication & GPS

GPS Test indoors
GPS Test indoors
GPS Test outdoors
GPS Test outdoors

The smartphone supports the WLAN standards 802.11 b/g/n/ac in 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. The connection with the two test routers Asus RT AC56U and Fritz!Box 7490 was not a problem and the signal quality did not cause any criticism. The two SIM slots (both micro) support LTE Cat. 4 (downstream 150 Mbps, upstream 50 Mbps), but you can only use one SIM card at a time. You should get a signal in most parts of the world thanks to the wide coverage of frequencies.

The position of the smartphone can be located via A-GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou. The app GPS Test was able to determine the location both outdoors and indoors (close to a window) within around 20 seconds. We also took the smartphone on a bicycle ride to check the accuracy and compared the results with the professional navigation device Garmin Edge 500. The difference between the two was less than 200 meters (~219 yd), which is a decent result. You can see that the position of the smartphone is located less frequently, so there are some "shortcuts". However, there should not be any problems when you use the smartphone for navigation in the car.

Asus ZenFone Selfie: Overview
Asus ZenFone Selfie: Overview
Asus ZenFone Selfie: Forest
Asus ZenFone Selfie: Forest
Asus ZenFone Selfie: Bridge
Asus ZenFone Selfie: Bridge
Garmin Edge 500: Overview
Garmin Edge 500: Overview
Garmin Edge 500: Forest
Garmin Edge 500: Forest
Garmin Edge 500: Bridge
Garmin Edge 500: Bridge

Telephone & Voice Quality

Phone app
Phone app

The phone app does not hold any surprises: large numbers pad, call history and contacts. You can also add VIP contacts and see the call history from blocked contacts. It is also possible to assign a preferred SIM for calls when you use the dual-SIM feature or set up call forwarding. When SIM 1 is not available, for example, the incoming call will automatically be redirected to SIM 2. The smartphone left a good impression during calls. The voice quality was always flawless during test calls in the metropolitan T-Mobile network and there was no annoying static. We are less impressed by the position of the speaker when you use the hands-free feature (is quickly covered) and the quality of the provided headset, because the microphone was a bit too quiet and our voice was slightly distorted.

Camera & Multimedia

The big highlight of the ZenFone Selfie is obviously the camera at the front. The two cameras have the same 13 MP resolution, so you might think that the modules are identical. This is, however, not the case. 

The aperture at the front is a bit smaller at f/2.2 (rear f/2.0) and therefore captures less light, and the laser autofocus is missing as well. The front module has a 88° wide-angle lens in return, which is particularly noticeable when you take groufies. We took a picture of the same scene with both cameras, so you can better see the differences. The two following pictures were taken from roughly the same spot and immediately after one another.The big highlight of the ZenFone Selfie is obviously the camera at the front. The two cameras have the same 13 MP resolution, so you might think that the modules are identical. However, this is not the case. 

The aperture at the front is slightly smaller at f/2.2 (back f/2.0) and therefore captures less light, and the laser autofocus is missing as well. On the other hand, the front module has an 88° wide-angle lens, which is particularly noticeable when you take groufies. We took a picture of the same scene with both cameras, so you can see the differences better. The following two pictures were taken from roughly the same spot and immediately after one another.

Picture with the front camera (click for original)
Picture with the front camera (click for original)
Picture with the main camera (click for original)
Picture with the main camera (click for original)

The first thing you can notice is the smaller picture of the rear camera, but at the same time the slightly richer colors and the higher brightness. The result is still very good for a front camera and does not really have to hide behind the main camera.

Next, we had a look at the picture quality in low-light situations. We used indirect lighting to recreate the situation that you will often face on restaurants or bars. We took one image with the automatic mode and one with the "Low-Light" mode, where the resolution has decreased in favor of a higher luminance. The brightness is actually pretty good in both modes, but the details are visibly reduced, so we cannot really say we are satisfied with the results.

Front camera automatic mode (click for original)
Front camera automatic mode (click for original)
Front camera "Low-Light" (3MP) (click for original)
Front camera "Low-Light" (3MP) (click for original)

The rear camera also takes very good pictures in good lighting conditions and can also impress within our comparison group. However, the laser autofocus had some problems in some situations, which resulted in blurry pictures. This was pretty rare though, and the focusing was usually very quick. The rear sensor also quickly suffers from picture noise in low-light situations. Picture enthusiasts will be happy about the comprehensive settings (ISO, exposure, etc.) of the standard camera app. There are also several picture modes. Some of them use blur effects and can take great pictures.

Picture Modes
Picture Modes

Videos can be recorded in Full HD (1920x1080 pixels). The recordings can be paused and continued. There are also some settings (white balance, exposure) and there is an option to stabilize the video. However, this will limit the resolution to 1280x720 pixels and fast movements will result in inconvenient distortions, so we cannot recommend this mode. The general video quality in the normal mode was pretty impressive though. The colors are vivid and even faster movements are not a problem. Slow-motions and time-lapses are possible as well.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

Accessories

The box of the Asus ZenFone Selfie includes only the usual accessories like a modular power adapter (10 watts), a USB cable, a headset, a quick start guide and warranty information. There are no dedicated accessories on the homepage of the manufacturer, but the software includes an option for the Flip Case, where some information can be displayed when the device is on standby.

Warranty

The warranty period of the smartphone is 24 months, but the battery and the accessories are covered for only 6 months.

Input Devices & Handling

The capacitive touchscreen is protected by Gorilla Glass 4 and provides decent gliding capabilities. Our inputs were recognized and executed precisely and reliably even in the peripheral areas. The ZenUI also leaves a very good impression in this respect, because it runs very smoothly and there are no visible stutters. The virtual keyboard from Asus is easy to use and offers all the usual features like swipe inputs or word predictions. It is also possible to adjust the height of the keyboard to a certain extent, but there is not much left of the actual display content depending on the setting. The Android buttons have been integrated as sensor buttons below the display, but unfortunately they are not illuminated. The smartphone also offers a glove mode. We tried it with cloth gloves and it actually worked quite well; even keyboard inputs were possible.

Keyboard landscape mode
Keyboard landscape mode
Keyboard portrait mode (default height)
Keyboard portrait mode (default height)
Keyboard portrait mode (maximum height)
Keyboard portrait mode (maximum height)
Keyboard portrait mode (minimum height)
Keyboard portrait mode (minimum height)

Display

Asus has equipped the ZenFone Selfie with a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display. The resolution is 1920x1080 pixels and results in a pixel density of 400 PPI. Pictures and fonts are very sharp and the picture leaves a good subjective impression. The average brightness is comparatively low for an LC display at 382 cd/m². All the rivals except for the AMOLED based Galaxy A7 are better in this respect. The black value of 0.41 cd/m² is also the highest in comparison, so the contrast ratio is also the lowest. Almost 1000:1 is not bad by any means, but the rivals are even better. The brightness distribution is very good at 93%.

379
cd/m²
390
cd/m²
383
cd/m²
383
cd/m²
392
cd/m²
378
cd/m²
380
cd/m²
391
cd/m²
365
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 392 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 382.3 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 392 cd/m²
Contrast: 956:1 (Black: 0.41 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.55 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.7 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.7
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Screen
24%
-1%
23%
11%
20%
17%
Brightness middle
392
641
64%
411
5%
451
15%
472
20%
453
16%
338
-14%
Brightness
382
620
62%
392
3%
446
17%
471
23%
439
15%
337
-12%
Brightness Distribution
93
93
0%
88
-5%
90
-3%
93
0%
91
-2%
91
-2%
Black Level *
0.41
0.4
2%
0.38
7%
0.3
27%
0.28
32%
0.28
32%
Contrast
956
1603
68%
1082
13%
1503
57%
1686
76%
1618
69%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.55
5.37
3%
5.3
5%
3.84
31%
6.33
-14%
4.7
15%
2.28
59%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.7
6.01
-28%
6.32
-34%
3.97
16%
7.39
-57%
5.03
-7%
2.24
52%
Gamma
2.7 81%
2.44 90%
2.37 93%
2.46 89%
2.34 94%
2.27 97%
2.47 89%
CCT
7270 89%
7806 83%
7250 90%
7283 89%
8227 79%
7439 87%
6367 102%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
71
58.07
72.04
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
96
90.14

* ... smaller is better

CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN Colorspace
CalMAN Colorspace
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale

We use a spectrophotometer and the professional software CalMAN to check the color accuracy ex-works. The average DeltaE deviations compared to the sRGB reference are 5.55 for the colors and 4.7 for the grayscale. Values smaller than 3 would be ideal, but the results are still decent and the ZenFone Selfie does not have to hide behind the rivals. There are some more accurate devices like the OnePlus 2 or the Samsung Galaxy A7, but there are also worse results. We cannot see a strong blue cast.

There is also the app Splendid if you want to change the colors. You can adjust the color temperature and the color balance, but there are also additional presets.

Outdoors (with reflections)
Outdoors (with reflections)
Outdoors (without reflections)
Outdoors (without reflections)
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

The maximum luminance stays at 392 cd/m² with the activated brightness sensor. This is sufficient to see the display content, but the situation is more comfortable for the rivals thanks to the higher results for the brightness and the contrast. The background illumination is also not powerful enough to compensate for direct sunlight. As expected, the viewing angle stability of the IPS panel is very good and the picture is stable from any direction.

Performance

The Snapdragon 615 SoC from Qualcomm is currently used for many mainstream smartphones, including our comparison devices from MotorolaLG and Samsung. The processor supports 64-bit and consists of eight Cortex-A53 cores in two clusters. One cluster can reach a maximum clock of 1.5 GHz, while the other cluster runs at up to 1.1 GHz. The processor is supported by 3 GB of RAM, so the smartphone can handle multitasking quite well. The graphics are handled by the Adreno 405 GPU that runs at up to 550 MHz.

All the benchmark results are on the expected level and the ZenFone Selfie can even manage a lead over the identically equipped rivals in some tests (like AnTuTu). The good results of the Samsung Galaxy A7, which can benefit from the higher clocks of the eight cores (1.7 GHz), are a bit surprising. The OnePlus 2 with the powerful Snapdragon 810 and Adreno 430 GPU is at the top of the rankings. The handling of the OS is always smooth in practice and we did not encounter any performance issues with any app.

Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
LG G4s
2370 Points
OnePlus 2
4154 Points
Honor 6 Plus
3250 Points
Huawei P8
2955 Points
Samsung Galaxy A7
3202 Points
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
LG G4s
638 Points
OnePlus 2
1066 Points
Honor 6 Plus
900 Points
Huawei P8
698 Points
Samsung Galaxy A7
940 Points
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
2720 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
2558 Points -6%
OnePlus 2
4804 Points +77%
Huawei P8
3458 Points +27%
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
680 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
717 Points +5%
OnePlus 2
1140 Points +68%
Huawei P8
864 Points +27%
3DMark
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
OnePlus 2
1350 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
OnePlus 2
1777 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited (sort by value)
OnePlus 2
1660 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
OnePlus 2
1267 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
OnePlus 2
2686 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited (sort by value)
OnePlus 2
2151 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
OnePlus 2
1517 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
OnePlus 2
846 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
OnePlus 2
938 Points
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
952 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
974 Points +2%
OnePlus 2
1414 Points +49%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
124 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
178 Points +44%
LG G4s
0 Points -100%
OnePlus 2
1854 Points +1395%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
154 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
218 Points +42%
LG G4s
0 Points -100%
OnePlus 2
1734 Points +1026%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
7484 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
6839 Points -9%
LG G4s
7113 Points -5%
OnePlus 2
10985 Points +47%
Honor 6 Plus
13420 Points +79%
Huawei P8
10494 Points +40%
Samsung Galaxy A7
15857 Points +112%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
8099 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
7796 Points -4%
LG G4s
7375 Points -9%
OnePlus 2
31858 Points +293%
Honor 6 Plus
14441 Points +78%
Huawei P8
8743 Points +8%
Samsung Galaxy A7
16545 Points +104%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
7954 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
7561 Points -5%
LG G4s
7315 Points -8%
OnePlus 2
22400 Points +182%
Honor 6 Plus
14201 Points +79%
Huawei P8
9080 Points +14%
Samsung Galaxy A7
16387 Points +106%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
7003 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
6841 Points -2%
LG G4s
6766 Points -3%
Honor 6 Plus
12725 Points +82%
Huawei P8
9404 Points +34%
Samsung Galaxy A7
5564 Points -21%
Samsung Galaxy A7
5564 Points -21%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
5091 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
5082 Points 0%
LG G4s
4957 Points -3%
Honor 6 Plus
8607 Points +69%
Huawei P8
6064 Points +19%
Samsung Galaxy A7
6932 Points +36%
Samsung Galaxy A7
6932 Points +36%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
5420 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
5390 Points -1%
LG G4s
5270 Points -3%
Honor 6 Plus
9274 Points +71%
Huawei P8
6584 Points +21%
Samsung Galaxy A7
6573 Points +21%
Samsung Galaxy A7
6573 Points +21%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
7049 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
6799 Points -4%
LG G4s
6828 Points -3%
Huawei P8
9337 Points +32%
Samsung Galaxy A7
7364 Points +4%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
10059 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
10194 Points +1%
LG G4s
9530 Points -5%
Huawei P8
10515 Points +5%
Samsung Galaxy A7
10823 Points +8%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
9187 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
9176 Points 0%
LG G4s
8760 Points -5%
Huawei P8
10228 Points +11%
Samsung Galaxy A7
9800 Points +7%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
14 fps
Motorola Moto X Play
15 fps +7%
LG G4s
14 fps 0%
OnePlus 2
47 fps +236%
Honor 6 Plus
13 fps -7%
Huawei P8
11 fps -21%
Samsung Galaxy A7
31 fps +121%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
14 fps
Motorola Moto X Play
15 fps +7%
LG G4s
14 fps 0%
OnePlus 2
48 fps +243%
Honor 6 Plus
12 fps -14%
Huawei P8
10 fps -29%
Samsung Galaxy A7
23 fps +64%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
5.5 fps
Motorola Moto X Play
6.2 fps +13%
LG G4s
5.8 fps +5%
OnePlus 2
23 fps +318%
Honor 6 Plus
7.5 fps +36%
Huawei P8
5.8 fps +5%
Samsung Galaxy A7
14 fps +155%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
5.6 fps
Motorola Moto X Play
5.8 fps +4%
LG G4s
5.5 fps -2%
OnePlus 2
23 fps +311%
Honor 6 Plus
6.6 fps +18%
Huawei P8
5.5 fps -2%
Samsung Galaxy A7
13 fps +132%
Smartbench 2012
Gaming Index (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
2874 points
Motorola Moto X Play
2523 points -12%
LG G4s
2946 points +3%
OnePlus 2
4325 points +50%
Honor 6 Plus
4363 points +52%
Huawei P8
4340 points +51%
Samsung Galaxy A7
4443 points +55%
Productivity Index (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
3440 points
Motorola Moto X Play
3820 points +11%
LG G4s
5460 points +59%
OnePlus 2
10472 points +204%
Honor 6 Plus
6469 points +88%
Huawei P8
5433 points +58%
Samsung Galaxy A7
5734 points +67%
Linpack Android / IOS
Multi Thread (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
280.6 MFLOPS
Motorola Moto X Play
275 MFLOPS -2%
OnePlus 2
819 MFLOPS +192%
Honor 6 Plus
420.6 MFLOPS +50%
Huawei P8
272.5 MFLOPS -3%
Samsung Galaxy A7
490 MFLOPS +75%
Single Thread (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
218.3 MFLOPS
Motorola Moto X Play
134 MFLOPS -39%
LG G4s
0 MFLOPS -100%
OnePlus 2
630 MFLOPS +189%
Honor 6 Plus
191.4 MFLOPS -12%
Huawei P8
122 MFLOPS -44%
Samsung Galaxy A7
420 MFLOPS +92%
AnTuTu v5 - Total Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
37321 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
29699 Points -20%
LG G4s
30806 Points -17%
OnePlus 2
58535 Points +57%
Honor 6 Plus
44523 Points +19%
Huawei P8
45927 Points +23%
Samsung Galaxy A7
49293 Points +32%
BaseMark OS II
Web (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
664 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
710 Points +7%
LG G4s
601 Points -9%
OnePlus 2
923 Points +39%
Honor 6 Plus
797 Points +20%
Huawei P8
694 Points +5%
Samsung Galaxy A7
599 Points -10%
Graphics (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
757 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
785 Points +4%
LG G4s
727 Points -4%
OnePlus 2
2631 Points +248%
Honor 6 Plus
776 Points +3%
Huawei P8
882 Points +17%
Samsung Galaxy A7
370 Points -51%
Memory (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
967 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
595 Points -38%
LG G4s
412 Points -57%
OnePlus 2
1297 Points +34%
Honor 6 Plus
532 Points -45%
Huawei P8
1216 Points +26%
Samsung Galaxy A7
770 Points -20%
System (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
1456 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
1177 Points -19%
LG G4s
1164 Points -20%
OnePlus 2
2536 Points +74%
Honor 6 Plus
2141 Points +47%
Huawei P8
1860 Points +28%
Samsung Galaxy A7
1129 Points -22%
Overall (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
917 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
701 Points -24%
LG G4s
677 Points -26%
OnePlus 2
1681 Points +83%
Honor 6 Plus
916 Points 0%
Huawei P8
1085 Points +18%
Samsung Galaxy A7
510 Points -44%
PCMark for Android
Computer Vision score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto X Play
1756 Points
Storage score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto X Play
3900 Points
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto X Play
3293 Points
Work performance score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
3244 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
3589 Points +11%
LG G4s
3663 Points +13%
OnePlus 2
4282 Points +32%
Honor 6 Plus
2859 Points -12%
Huawei P8
4479 Points +38%
Samsung Galaxy A7
3959 Points +22%

Legend

 
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939, Qualcomm Adreno 405, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto X Play Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939, Qualcomm Adreno 405, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG G4s Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939, Qualcomm Adreno 405, 8 GB eMMC Flash
 
OnePlus 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, Qualcomm Adreno 430, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Honor 6 Plus HiSilicon Kirin 925, ARM Mali-T628 MP4, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei P8 HiSilicon Kirin 930, ARM Mali-T628 MP4, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy A7 Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939, Qualcomm Adreno 405, 16 GB eMMC Flash

The browser based benchmarks were performed with the preloaded browser from Asus, which is based on Chrome 39. The ZenFone Selfie is always at the bottom of the ranking; however, subjectively the web browsing was still fast. There were only some small stutters on very complex websites.

Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1200 ms *
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1235 ms * -3%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
934 ms * +22%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
740 ms * +38%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
743 ms * +38%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1164 ms * +3%
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
793 ms * +34%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
3146 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3764 Points +20%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3436 Points +9%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
6955 Points +121%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6370 Points +102%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4084 Points +30%
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6999 Points +122%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
14594 ms *
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
11694 ms * +20%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
13281 ms * +9%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
6585 ms * +55%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
5501 ms * +62%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
11808 ms * +19%
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5061 ms * +65%
Google V8 Ver. 7 - Google V8 Ver. 7 Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
3105 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3917 Points +26%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3186 Points +3%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
7650 Points +146%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6680 Points +115%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4419 Points +42%
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7379 Points +138%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
54 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
56 Points +4%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
56 Points +4%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
80 Points +48%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
94 Points +74%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
70 Points +30%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
18.94 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
24.51 Points +29%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
44.29 Points +134%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
37.4 Points +97%

* ... smaller is better

The internal flash storage with a capacity of 32 GB is average in the benchmarks. It can keep up pretty well with the sequential transfer rates, but our review unit is clearly beaten by the competition in terms of random accesses. However, there should not be major limitations in practice.

BaseMark OS II - Memory (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
967 Points
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
595 Points -38%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
412 Points -57%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
1297 Points +34%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
532 Points -45%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1216 Points +26%
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
770 Points -20%
AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
131 MB/s
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
139 MB/s +6%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
137 MB/s +5%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
234.2 MB/s +79%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
109.8 MB/s -16%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
139.9 MB/s +7%
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
200 MB/s +53%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
103.8 MB/s
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
75 MB/s -28%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
39 MB/s -62%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
125.5 MB/s +21%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
54.3 MB/s -48%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
39.58 MB/s -62%
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
52 MB/s -50%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
10.13 MB/s
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
16 MB/s +58%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
13 MB/s +28%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
21.87 MB/s +116%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
20.8 MB/s +105%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
22.46 MB/s +122%
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
19 MB/s +88%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
5.63 MB/s
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
16 MB/s +184%
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
3 MB/s -47%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
13.94 MB/s +148%
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6.12 MB/s +9%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10.04 MB/s +78%
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3 MB/s -47%

Games

The Adreno 405 GPU is already at its limit with complex games like Modern Combat 5 and cannot ensure smooth gameplay in every situation. On the other hand, simpler games like “Angry Birds 2” are not a problem for the ZenFone Selfie. The sensors and the touchscreen were inconspicuous during our tests, only the speaker was quickly covered depending on the orientation.

Modern Combat 5
Modern Combat 5
Angry Birds 2
Angry Birds 2

Emissions

Temperature

The temperature development of the ZenFone Selfie is completely uncritical. It is even amongst the coolest devices within our comparison group and is only marginally beaten by the Huawei P8 and the Samsung Galaxy A7 (each 3% cooler). The average value is around 29 °C (~84 °F) while idling or with simple tasks, although there is one hotspot at the front where we can measure 33 °C (~91 °F). Under load the average temperatures increased to almost 34 °C (~93 °F) and 32 °C (~90 °F) at the front and bottom, respectively. The temperature distribution is also very even, so the handling is always comfortable.

We have often seen that such low temperatures are possible because of throttled performance in the past, but we cannot confirm this for the ZenFone Selfie. The performance was steady over the whole course of the GFXBench Battery test, there is only a tiny outlier in the 29th run (less than 1%). The full performance can therefore be utilized even during prolonged gaming sessions.

GFXBench Battery Test
GFXBench Battery Test
Max. Load
 35.9 °C
97 F
32.6 °C
91 F
33.7 °C
93 F
 
 35.5 °C
96 F
33.2 °C
92 F
35 °C
95 F
 
 33.7 °C
93 F
32.3 °C
90 F
33.5 °C
92 F
 
Maximum: 35.9 °C = 97 F
Average: 33.9 °C = 93 F
29.8 °C
86 F
32.5 °C
91 F
35 °C
95 F
28.8 °C
84 F
30.5 °C
87 F
33.9 °C
93 F
30.4 °C
87 F
32.3 °C
90 F
32.9 °C
91 F
Maximum: 35 °C = 95 F
Average: 31.8 °C = 89 F
Power Supply (max.)  32.3 °C = 90 F | Room Temperature 20.6 °C = 69 F | Voltcraft IR-350
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33.9 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35.9 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 35 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.8 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

AudioWizard
AudioWizard

The mono speaker is at the lower back. The wide speaker grille suggests a pretty big module, but that is not the case. In general, the sound is decent, although there is obviously no bass. The maximum volume is sufficient and the distortions are limited at higher volumes. Asus has integrated the AudioWizard to improve the sound with several profiles. The sound is richer, especially with less expensive headphone or the provided headset, even though it will affect the details. You should therefore waive the software improvements when you use good headphones. Besides the stereo jack, you can also attach headphones or external speakers via Bluetooth, which was not a problem with our speaker Denon Envaya Mini.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Our comparison group is pretty close in the consumption measurements, the only exception being the Honor 6 Plus. Our review unit consumes slightly more power than the similarly equipped Motorola Moto X Play (+0.2 up to 0.3 watts) in the idle tests, but it is particularly frugal in the average load scenario at 3.6 watts. The provided 10-watt PSU does not have any problems with the maximum consumption of 7.8 watts.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.1 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.2 / 1.9 / 2 Watt
Load midlight 3.6 / 7.8 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Power Consumption
5%
0%
7%
-41%
0%
33%
Idle Minimum *
1.2
0.9
25%
1.4
-17%
0.6
50%
1.6
-33%
0.7
42%
0.4
67%
Idle Average *
1.9
1.6
16%
1.6
16%
1.7
11%
3
-58%
2
-5%
1
47%
Idle Maximum *
2
1.8
10%
1.7
15%
1.8
10%
3.2
-60%
2.1
-5%
1.4
30%
Load Average *
3.6
4.9
-36%
5.2
-44%
5.7
-58%
5.6
-56%
4.9
-36%
3.8
-6%
Load Maximum *
7.8
7.2
8%
5.3
32%
6
23%
7.6
3%
7.4
5%
5.7
27%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

Energy-saving modes
Energy-saving modes

The removable lithium-polymer battery has a capacity of 11.5 Wh (3000 mAh) and enables reasonable battery runtimes in combination with the average consumption values. 

The ZenFone Selfie lasts almost 17 hours under perfect conditions (Wi-Fi reading script, minimum brightness). The worst case scenario, which is simulated by the app Stability Test at the highest brightness, will drain the battery in a little less than 5 hours. More interesting, however, are our two tests at an adjusted luminance of 150 nits. We use a Wi-Fi script that opens websites at intervals to simulate web browsing. The runtime is almost 8.5 hours in this case. This is a good result, even though the Motorola Moto X Play manages more than 11 hours with its slightly larger 13-Wh battery. The playback of a Full HD video (Big Buck Bunny, H.264, Wi-Fi off) is possible for almost 9 hours, which is sufficient even for long bus or train rides.

The software offers comprehensive options to save power and also influence the performance. You can decide between different profiles (performance mode, normal, energy-saving, super-saving mode, adjusted mode). You can even activate or deactivate individual apps in the adjusted mode. These modes can be used at any time, and they can also be activated automatically at certain battery levels (in 5% steps when the battery capacity drops below 30%) or even at a certain time frame. The provided 10-watt PSU needs about 2.5 hours to recharge the battery completely.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
16h 48min
WiFi Websurfing (Chrome 47)
8h 36min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
8h 50min
Load (maximum brightness)
4h 53min
Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Motorola Moto X Play
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
LG G4s
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 8 GB eMMC Flash
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
Honor 6 Plus
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 925, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy A7
Adreno 405, 615 MSM8939, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Battery Runtime
11%
-36%
-2%
21%
-13%
3%
Reader / Idle
1008
1145
14%
677
-33%
1393
38%
1645
63%
826
-18%
1098
9%
H.264
530
742
40%
418
-21%
580
9%
710
34%
581
10%
623
18%
WiFi v1.3
516
674
31%
274
-47%
356
-31%
535
4%
434
-16%
565
9%
Load
293
174
-41%
167
-43%
229
-22%
238
-19%
215
-27%
219
-25%

Pros

+ decent performance
+ very good cameras in daylight
+ good battery runtime
+ replaceable battery
+ dual-SIM
+ storage expansion via microSD
+ useful software features

Cons

- bad camera quality in low-light situations
- physical buttons produce a loud clicking noise
- rear attracts dirt and grease
- Android buttons not illuminated

Verdict

In Review: Asus ZenFone Selfie. Test model courtesy of Asus.
In Review: Asus ZenFone Selfie. Test model courtesy of Asus.

Selfies are more popular than ever, so the ZenFone Selfie will certainly have fans. The two cameras at the front and back are not completely identical, but the quality of both cameras are still impressive. You will only have to live with a lot of picture noise in low-light situations. Otherwise, the mainstream smartphone offers a solid performance. The user interface ZenUI in particular could convince us with the completely smooth handling and the useful additional features, even though Asus could reduce the number of preloaded apps.

There are no serious issues. The biggest issues in our opinion are the loud clicking noises from the physical buttons and the dirt-sensitive plastic back cover, which was quite smudgy after a couple of days. The maximum luminance could also be slightly higher for the use outdoors.

If you use the front camera very often and do not need high-end performance, the Asus ZenFone Selfie is certainly an interesting choice without any real issues.

Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL - 01/05/2016 v4.1(old)
Andreas Osthoff

Chassis
81%
Keyboard
67 / 75 → 89%
Pointing Device
92%
Connectivity
49 / 60 → 82%
Weight
91%
Battery
90%
Display
84%
Games Performance
57 / 63 → 90%
Application Performance
35 / 70 → 50%
Temperature
91%
Noise
100%
Audio
59 / 91 → 65%
Camera
77%
Average
75%
84%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Asus ZenFone Selfie ZD551KL Smartphone Review
Andreas Osthoff, 2016-01-10 (Update: 2018-05-15)