ZenFone Go TV smartphone review

Today's review is dedicated to ASUS ZenFone Go TV (G550KL) - a smartphone with a rather unusual function: a built-in digital TV tuner. If you like the idea of ​​always having a TV near at hand, welcome to Cat.

Specifications

Operating system : Android 5.1.1
Processor : quad-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8928, 1.4 GHz
Graphics : Adreno 305
Display : 5.5-inch, capacitive, HD resolution 1280x720 pixels, protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3, brightness 450 nit
Operational Memory : 2 GB LPDDR3
Data storage : 16 GB eMMC
Memory slot : For micro SD cards up to 64 GB
Wireless :
WLAN 802.11 b / g / n
Bluetooth V4.0 + EDR + A2DP
Wi-Fi direct
SIM: two micro-SIM slots
Navigation : GPS, GLONASS, AGPS & BDS
Battery : Prismatic, 3010 mAh
Cameras :
Front: 5 megapixel, f / 2.0 aperture
Primary: 13 megapixel, f / 2.0 aperture
Dimensions : 151 x 76.9 x 10.7 mm (L x W x H)
Weight : 160 g.

Appearance

By design, the ZenFone Go TV is almost completely identical to the ZenFone 2 Laser , it differs only in the absence of an autofocus module to the right of the camera.





On the top there is a power button, headphone jack and microphone hole:



On the bottom there is a microUSB power connector.



There are no connectors or controls on the left and right sides.





The plastic housing cover is easy to remove.



On the sides of the volume buttons are connectors for SIM-card format microSIM and memory card microSD.



The battery is removable, so in the future you can replace it. Although in practice not everyone needs such an opportunity, many simply change their phones faster than battery degradation becomes noticeable.



Under the system touch buttons is a decorative panel with a proprietary pattern of Zen.







Although the smartphone is quite large - a diagonal of 5.5 inches - it is quite light, because the body is entirely plastic.



Included is a headset with interchangeable ear cushions of different sizes and a silicone sheath of wires:



... as well as a special adapter for headphones, which also plays the role of a television antenna:

Display

ZenFone Go TV is equipped with a high-quality TFT-TN-display with a diagonal of 5.5 inches. In the viewing angles, it is slightly inferior to IPS. The display is closed with a protective glass Gorilla Glass 3. The maximum brightness is very decent, in the rare sundial of this summer it was quite convenient to use a smartphone outside.

Camera

The main camera has a resolution of 13 megapixels, front - 5 megapixels. The f-number of both cameras is f / 2.0.

TV and software

ZenFone Go TV is equipped with a SONY SMT-EW100 TV tuner, thanks to which you can watch digital TV channels on your smartphone. To do this, simply insert the above-mentioned adapter-antenna and launch the pre-installed SoloTV application.

The full interface of the application looks like this:



You can display a scrolling list of channels:



There is another display of the list of available channels:



In total, about 40 channels are available. After a couple of seconds, the interface elements disappear, and only the TV picture remains:



To change the volume, just drag your finger up or down the screen. Settings menu:







If you start Solo TV without an antenna, then a message about a weak signal is displayed:



Channels switch quickly, the delay is small, not longer than a couple of seconds. The reception quality is quite satisfactory: in my home the signal of the same cellular networks is not very good, two or three divisions, but the television broadcast on the smartphone went confidently, only if you look closely, you could notice a slight decrease in the frame rate - for example, there was a small discreteness of lip movement.

A traditional set of ASUS proprietary utilities is installed on the smartphone, including Mobile Manager:



Of course, ZenUI's proprietary graphical shell is also available, for which you can download many free and paid themes.

Performance

The smartphone runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor , whose clock speed reaches 1.4 GHz. The amount of RAM - 2 GB, internal memory for data storage - 16 GB. The graphics chip is the Adreno 305.

By modern standards, the processor and graphics chip are not the most powerful, but they do well with all everyday tasks. The smartphone cheerfully opens up heavy sites, without any problems twists Full HD-movies. Of course, modern 3D games are not his hobby, but I can't say that they crawl on him.

When testing for the duration of the work, the battery capacity dropped from 100% to 20% in 7 hours and 53 minutes.

Conclusion

ZenFone Go TV is a travel smartphone, a gadget on the road. It is not a pity to throw him into a backpack or bag, in order to watch an interesting show, a game of your favorite team or a TV show on a train or bus. You can adapt ZenFone Go TV as a regular low-cost TV in the car, so as not to get bored in traffic jams. At the same time, this "TV" will be a spare phone. Or you can turn on the informative TV show for children and thereby brighten up the child a long boring trip by car. In general, ZenFone Go TV is a TV in your pocket. The main thing, do not forget about the antenna.

Recommended retail price: 10,990 rubles.