OnePlus 2 vs Zenfone 2 Deluxe: Can Asus Challenge the Bestseller?

The Asus launched a new premium version of their Zenfone 2 at the Zen Festival in Delhi yesterday. Dubbed the Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe the device features a diamond pattern back cover with almost similar specs of the original Zenfone 2.

SEE ALSO: Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe with Intel Quad-Core CPU, 4GB RAM Launched at Rs 22,999

The Taiwanese OEM has price this device a little higher though at Rs 22,999 thanks to the ‘Deluxe' name. With this price tag the Zenfone 2 Deluxe enters into a direct competition with the OnePlus 2. So can it stand its ground against a device that OnePlus proudly calls - ‘Flagship Killer 2016'? Let's find out.

Build & Design:

The Asus Zenfone Deluxe features a diamond pattern back cover which looks phenomenal. Personally I have mixed feeling about it though - as I prefer the metallic finish back cover the Zenfone 2 better (it looks more professional). Rest are all the same. The power button is still on the top of the device - Gizbot would have liked it if Asus had placed it somewhere in the side.

On the other hand the OnePlus uses metal on the side for the OnePlus Two. The sandstone finish back cover though it carried from the last gen OnePlus One. The device is also slimmer than the Zenfone Deluxe which tips the scale at something around 10mm. OnePlus 2 also sports a fingerprint sensor on the home button in the front - this goes missing in the Zenfone 2 Deluxe.

Display:

There's a big similarity between the two devices in this segment. Both devices feature a 5.5 inch Full HD IPS LCD display. The screen from the Zenfone 2 is carried over to its Deluxe variant, whereas the OnePlus 2 uses an improved screen than its predesccor. Nevertheless both display are top notch and it's very difficult to differentiate between the two in terms of color reproduction and viewing angles.

But the display on the OnePlus Two is definitely brighter and results in a better sunlight legitimacy.

Under the Hood:

The OnePlus uses the tainted Octa core Snapdragon 810 SoC from Qualcomm. But officials from OnePlus claim that the SoC used is a v2.1 of the SD810 and won't heat as much as it's predecessor. The SD810 v2.1 now features under clocked cores to reduce the throttling issues.

On the other hand the Asus Zenfone Deluxe uses the Intel Z3580 chip with four cores clocked at 2.3GHz each. But the best part is that the SoC doesn't heat. In fact this new SoC that we first saw on the Zenfone 2 is leaps and bounds improvement on the part of Intel. It is at par with the SD805 in terms of performance, but can't match up with the SD810 (if benchmarks are a concern).

SEE ALSO: OnePlus 2 first impressions: 10 Things We Love!

In terms of CPU power both the SD810 and Intel Z3580 are pretty similar (do neglect the difference in the cores) but the difference steps in the GPU section.

The Asus Zenfone comes with a 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM though at a price tag which is exactly Rs 2,000 less than that of the 4GB variant of OnePlus One. The 16GB storage with 3GB RAM variant of OnePlus comes at Rs 22,999.

Camera:

Both the device come with a 13MP f2.0 camera on the back. But the camera sensors are sourced from two different manufacturers - OnePlus uses a Sony sensor while the Asus comes with a Toshiba. The devices though capture excellent images in daylight with a good depth of field. The camera UI on the Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe is better - especially for those who love manual shooting modes.

The OnePlus 2 though comes with Laser AF and OIS which goes missing on the Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe. The front snapper on the OnePlus is an 8MP while it is a 5MP on the Zenfone 2.

Battery:

There is a slight difference in this department between the two devices. The OnePlus sports a 3300 mAh battery which is merely 300mAh bigger than the one present in the Asus.

Gizbot believes that this mild difference in the battery capacity won't result into any differences in the battery performance - the SD810 is battery hogging chipset!

OS:

The devices runs on Android Lollipop with the companies custom UIs on top. The OnePlus uses the Oxygen OS which is nearly similar to the Cyanogenmod in terms of features. The ZenUI on the other hand is completely customised and lacks the taste of vanilla Android.

Verdict:

Let's keep it straight and simple. If you are looking to spend only Rs 22,999 then Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe is the best device you can buy. Plus you won't require to wait to get an invite to buy this device. It will start retailing in Flipkart by the end of August.

But in case you are open to spend Rs 2,000 more, do go with the OnePlus Two as you can get an extra gig of RAM at that price. The build quality is a little better too.