Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL

     ASUS once again made a history when they released a smartphone that enhances the beauty of its user using the beauty live built-in app of ASUS ZenFone Live. If you're a fan of live streaming and updates your status on Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, and YouTube daily, this smartphone is made for you!

     ASUS ZenFone Live was launched last April 6, 2017, and wowed the attendees and blogger guests because this is the world's first smartphone with live-streaming beautification technology. After weeks of waiting, beauty live kits arrived and ASUS Philippines let bloggers try and see what ZenFone Live has to offer. I presume that some of you have seen tech and lifestyle bloggers go live last May 6, 2017, around 6:00-7:00 pm to unbox and give their first impression of this phone. Does it live to its promise of #LivestreamBeautifully? My unboxing, first impressions, and review of ASUS ZenFone Live after the jump :)

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 

     Weeks ago, I went to ASUS Philippines office to get hold of my ASUS ZenFone Live unit to try and see if it can make me look better than ever in just one app- the BeautyLive. Some of my blogger friends who also got an exclusive Beauty Live Kit wanted a pink phone but the OC in me wants black. So here you'll see my ZenFone Live in Navy Black. This color is almost the same with my ZenFone 3 and I super love the color to bits!

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 

     The box of the phone is simple, with a color indicator on the background of the phone image. This box is the same as my first ASUS smartphone, the ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser 5.2 ASUS ZenFone Live is the lightest and thinnest smartphone I have so far. All-metal unibody design just like my ZenFone 3.

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 

Unboxing

Inside the box of my review unit are as follows:

1. ASUS ZenFone Live 5" (ZB501KL) Unit in Navy Black 

2. AC Adapter

3. USB Cable

4. ASUS Earphones
5. Sim Card Ejector
6. Manual

ASUS ZenFone Live 5" (ZB501KL) Unit in Navy Black 

First Impressions

     Upon opening the box I noticed that the design of the phone is somehow similar to my ASUS ZenFone 3 and the differences are the corning glass cover at the front and back plus the selfie flash. Fits my palm perfectly and the elegant curved design gives a natural ergonomic feel. Like what I've said above, it's thin and light. 

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 

Front

     Facing in front at the left side is the Soft-light LED flash for natural skin tone or selfie flash. On the right side is the camera dubbed as the world's first live streaming, real-time beautification technology. The capacitive buttons are still placed at the bottom of the phone and still no backlight like the previous phone models. No backlight means a bit off to use at night but not a big deal for me.

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 

Back

     Here's the back of ASUS ZenFone Live- the 13MP rear camera is located at the upper left most part. Lies flat at the back together with the Single LED Flash for natural skin tone situated just below the camera. The ASUS Logo is located in the middle. Back cover's texture is flimsy for me but it's matte, great for clumsy hands. Hahaha!

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 
Back

Top, Bottom, and Sides

     The 3.5mm jack is located on the top with one of the noise canceling mic. You'll see the griddle speaker at the bottom together with the other noise canceling mic and the micro USB port.

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 
Top and bottom

      The keys for the power and volume can be seen at the right side of the phone. This placement is also the same for other ZenFone 3 series. This doesn't have a removable battery though.

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 
Right side

     The left side is where you'll place the sim card. It's not obvious at first look but it's there. You have to use the sim card ejector to eject the sim card and MicroSD tray. It says it's dual-sim but you can only use one the Nano SIM2 card or the MicroSD card at the same time.

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 
Left side

     I use only one sim and a have not tried inserting a memory card as of the moment. So far so good. The display is HD showing clear images but not as bright as those high-end ZenFone 3 phone models. The photos are clear. I think the 2650 mAh lion battery is normal for the size but it will drain fast especially on continuous live streaming but for browsing and social media, this lasted for more than 6 hours while Data or WiFi is on.  

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 

Review

Phone Specifications

1. Design- 2.5D Arc Glass
2. Weight- 120 g 

3. Display- 5 inch HD (1280 x 720) IPS Display, 75% screen-to-body ratio, Blue Light Filter

4. OS- Android Version 6.0 with ZenUI 3.5

5. Memory- 2GB RAM, 16/32 ROM

6. Processor- Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-Core Processor

7. Audio- Dual MEMS Mic, 5-Magnet Speaker

8. Connectivity- Dual SIM Standby (2G/3G/4G), 4G LTE is supported in specific countries/regions only.

9. Camera- Front live streaming, real time beautification technology, Large sensor 1.4um pixels for 2x light sensitivity, Soft-light LED Flash, Rear 13MP PixelMaster,  f/2.0 aperture, 5P lens, Single LED Flash for natural skin tones
10. Battery- 2600 mAh (Non-removable)

11. Colors- Shimmer Gold, Rose Pink, Navy Black
12. Price- Php 6,995

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 

Phone Features

     I will not enumerate all the features of the phone. I'll share with you the features that we like. It's our first time to do a live streaming and oh boy, it's fun! We're nervous at first because everything will be seen live so you really need to look better. Well, that's what this smartphone is built for, share the perfect look on your favorite social-networking sites with BeautyLive.

1. The ZEN UI

     I love this feature of ASUS ZenFone. Download themes, change the layout from time to time and arrange the apps whenever and wherever. There are quite a few pre-installed apps so lag is minimal.

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL
ZenUI 3.5 and my favorite theme

2. The Audio

     I was surprised to hear my voice loud and clear during our live streaming. The five-magnet audio system made that possible. Loud and clear audio powered by a smart amp that increases audio resolution and loudness while ensuring that the speaker is not damage. You will hear that on our live streaming video sample below

 3. The Camera 

     I already rave about the camera of my ZenFone 2 Laser 5.2, 5.5, and ZenFone 3 because of clear photos. The 13MP camera of ZenFone Live takes clear and decent photos too plus there are 11 camera modes to choose from for different scenarios.

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 
Camera modes

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 
Sample shots

4. The BeautyLive App

     A unique app that lets you beautify live. If you want to update live on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube but you just woke up, let the ZenFone Live Beauty Live do the magic. No need for makeup because you can select the level of beautification for that pore-less look! It's like you already have foundation and powder because this feature smooths facial blemishes in real time, baby!

Unboxing, First Impressions, and Review: ASUS ZenFone Live ZB501KL 
Selfie shot was taken at night. I only have eyebrow makeup and cheek tint here. Did not apply foundation or face powder.

What I like:

• The price is affordable.
• The packaging is simple.
• There are three nice colors to choose from. Not only the classic black but the cute and girly pink or the sophisticated shimmer gold.
• It's thin and lightweight.
• Awesome beauty live app. This phone is perfect for updating live events and everyday musings on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.
• The audio is loud and clear.
• The ZenUI is perfect for the so-called 'oc-organizer' type of individual like me. I'm the type of individual who likes organizing stuff, arranging the things I like in a neat and coordinated way. Every time I look in my chosen theme, I feel so happy. It brings good vibes to me every day. 

What I don't like:

• The processor is quad-core and may give the heavy internet user a bit of lag.

Will I repurchase/recommend? Yes for aspiring vloggers and YouTubers who want to update live anytime, anywhere as this phone is very handy and easy to use.

Recommendation:

     I give this a 4/5 rating. ASUS ZenFone Live is the smartphone for vloggers and youtubers. If you update live every day, this phone is for you. It's easy to use, live stream beautifully with a woke up like this feels. If you'll use this for long hours of live streaming I advise you to have a backup power bank as that will drain the battery faster than normal.

Giving ASUS ZenFone Live this Dear Kitty Kittie Kath Award

Share your thoughts on ASUS ZenFone Live below :)

For more information about ASUS  Philippines, visit their website:

https://www.asus.com/ph/

Like them on Facebook: ASUS Zenfone Philippines

Follow them on Twitter: @ASUSph

Follow them on Instagram: @asusph

Good Times!~

DISCLAIMER: ASUS ZenFone Live was given to me by ASUS Philippines in exchange for a review. The thoughts expressed are my honest opinion about the product and real user experience. We may have different standards in describing our experience/s. Kindly leave a comment below to share your thoughts.