Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE500KL

In some countries you'll find this model with 8 mp on back camera, in others with 13 mp (which would be normal). The name is the same for every model out there. No letters or numbers to let us know the difference. That's a bad move, Asus, very bad! In other cases you'll find differences between the battery capacity: one version has 2080 mAh and another version 2400 mAh.

Poor those who got the version with 8 mp camera, and 2070 mAh battery life. People on youtube and the internet in general, love the version of 5.5" (ZE550KL). That's bad again, because I don't want a screen that looks like my 7" tablet. That's why tablets were invented. I don't have big hands, or face, and I'd like to hold a phone to my ears, not a tablet. 5" inches will always be enough for me. I can't make tests on this phone. Only if I buy it. And I would totally buy it. But I need to know that battery life is at least 4 hours of screen time. All I ask is 4 hours. In the past, my phone used to have those performances. Now I'm lucky if I get almost 3 hours.

Why do you like so much big phones? They don't even fit in my pockets. I need a bag to carry the phone with me. I can't sit down with such a phone. At least, make something pliable, dear companies. I admit I like a big screen, but not on my phone. I don't carry my tablet every day. It would be hell if I did. I like the new notebooks 2 in 1, they are small and great. That is a real invention, not the phablets. I know there are many enthusiasts for phablets, and I respect you guys, I just want my part of this Android world, with phones that are 5" maximum.

I'm not saying I'd ever give up Laser's screen for Sony Z1 Compact screen of 4.3", but for the battery life maybe I would. The rest is debatable. I expect great performances from a phone. I need to play games, listen to music, chat on social networks, talk on the phone, write messages, stare at my screen (I like staring at any touchscreen, I know it's almost a disease). And I need that all these actions keep my phone up for a day. I'm not asking for two days (what I would get if I'd buy a Sony device), I am just asking for a day of full usage by a maniac. I am not saying I'll stay 10 hours on the phone. 4 hours are enough.

I am so crazy I am writing an article about a battery from a phone I never held in my hands. If you, reader, are in possession of such a phone, please go to Settings->Battery(or whatever that's called on your devie)->Screen and tell me how many hours of activity on the screen you got after a full day and how much battery left. Of course, provided you have 2070 mAh battery. Otherwise, thank you, but don't bother. I know the 5.5" is quite good on battery life and since in my country the 2400 mAh on the 5" inches model doesn't exist, I don't really need any benchmarks.

The processor, SnapDragon 410 sounds great. On Xperia M4 Aqua it heats the phone very much, but that's the only device that I found with such problems.

I need to find myself a new obsession as I know everything that's on the internet about this one, right? Well, here begins another story of mine, but that's for next time.

Smarphones: Lenovo, Asus, Samsung, Apple, Meizu, Sony!

I am a total maniac this year about smartphones! Don't get me wrong, I own some sort of entry level phone with android 4.0, that can't handle 3d games well enough and hence the evolution of smartphones is going so fast, I need a new phone. I know this is totally different from what I usually write, but I need to write it somewhere or I will die eating smartphones (joking). I will become a zombie who will eat smartphones, not brains. So this is an article based on my obsessiveness about phones and a few tricks I picked along the way. I am hard consumer to please.

Let me start at the beginning. Apple. I don't like the Iphone. I know it's simple, elegant, does its job, but  I need freedom, complexity and customization. Things the Iphone, no matter how sweet it is, can't give me.

Now I shall continue with Samsung. Except a few great models like S5, Note5, S6 (not edge, not + or edge+) the rest are just garbage. Samsung puts its lower devices at a high price, while other brands offer more at a lower price. The most known device I think it's the Core Prime. This phone would've tempted me if it would've had IPS screen (I can't really hope for Amoled). But the Core Prime, except for it's like-always-Samsung-design (which I don't fancy - all their devices look with round edges or like blocks - ouch that was harsh for the Samsung fans) doesn't have anything new to bring to the market.

Now I am going to make a big parenthesis and ask you: have you ever heard of Meizu? I am sincerely afraid to touch one of these (of course, if you are living in China I think it would be a great phone). I love Google Play. Google Play is my life. What if I buy a Meizu device and I'll have problems activating Google Play? I know there are many tutorials out there explaining everything, but I am not a big fan of change (although Android Marshmallow looks fantastic).

I wanted to buy Amazon Fire Phone. It was on sale on some stores and it absolutely felt perfect. But then again, not Google Play compatible (although you can install it without rooting the phone). It's not worth my time. I hope that those of you who have these problems solved them with ease.

Let's get back on track. I love Lenovo. I own a laptop-tablet from Lenovo (IdeaPad A10 - if it's the one with nondetachable screen with android 4.1 then that's the one) and I believe they have great laptops (Asus is still on the first place for me). I looked into many smartphones from Lenovo (found out A6000 is a failure; S60, S70, P70, P90, Vibe X2 look really great, but the updates? Horror! A couple of days ago it was announced some terminals will get the lollipop version (I'm not really interested which ones - search on Google).


Sony is the best company so far. But their terminals are so high priced. Looked into the M4 Aqua for a while. Quite the device I'd say. With SnapDragon 810 sounded amazing. But the phone overheats so much. So what can I do? Just give this one up. Then, I looked into Z1 Compact. This would've been the perfect phone if it had 5 inches display. But seriously, 4.3 inches and home and back buttons on the screen? At least, Lenovo got the decency to put them under the touchscreen. But Sony has the latest updates for its devices. Except of course, my dear Z1 Compact. I don't recommend Z1 or M2 Aqua, they seem rather not well-built devices.

Now I am hunting Asus Zenfone 2 and Laser. The versions with 5.5 inches seem too big for me. And the 5 inches versions don't have the same performances: a slower processor, less rom. It's quite frustrating. The battery on Laser it's not that good compared to Lenovo P70 or Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Asus excels in computers and I appreciate this company for it. Also, the latest terminals will receive updates to Android 6.0.

I need a phone with the specifications of many devices combined. For example I'd pick the 400 mAh battery from Lenovo P70, combine it with a high resolution of at least 300 dpi on an IPS screen or Amoled (even better), put an octa-core processor of 2.2 Ghz SnapDragon 812 (the latest, I think), put 3GB of RAM, 32gb flash storage (16gb is acceptable too) and make it 5 inches, at dimensions of 135 x 80 x 10 (thickness can vary - I just put a random number, but I wouldn't mind if it would be thicker than 1 cm).

Of course, the Ara Project

More detailed view on some of these models will soon be posted (as I am a zombie who eats phones for dinner). As you have noticed I didn't say anything about WindowsPhone or Blackberry. I respect Blackberry for it's qwerty keyboards and innovative design, but it's not a choice for my needs. WindowsPhone is just... how do I put this so I won't offend it? Well, you get the idea.