The ASUS ZenFone 7 Pro Review: The Triple Flip-Camera
by Andrei Frumusanu on September 1, 2020 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Mobile
- Asus
- Smartphones
- ZenFone 7
- ZenFone 7 Pro
Video Recording
Video recording on the ZenFone 7 Pro should be relatively well performing given it has the combination of OIS as well as a quite excellently performing EIS implementation which we’ve already seen on the ROG3. What remain to be seen is how video recording works with the new telephoto module as well as the new ultra-wide sensor.
Starting off with the main camera at 4K30, things actually aren’t looking too great for the ZenFone. The video show massive EIS jitter that’s massively distracting and looks quite bad with flashing details throughout the scene. We’re also seeing a fair bit of exposure fluctuations.
ASUS doesn’t expose the telephoto module to video recording at all in 4K resolution as the 8MP sensor simply isn’t sufficient for it, so you’d have to revert down to FHD to use it.
60fps recording doesn’t help much in terms of providing a stable image as the OIS and EIS are still fighting each other. What’s new here is that updated ultra-wide sensor now also enables 4K60 video recording.
Finally, 8K video is quite disappointing as there’s a big image crop, and there’s just worse dynamic range, beyond the impracticality of 800MB per minute recording. The positive here at least is that the ZenFone 7 has a microSD card slot.
It was a slightly windy day when I was recording these samples and unfortunately it looks like the microphone is quite prone in picking up wind noise.
Overall, video recording on the ZenFone 7 was quite disappointing due to the seemingly struggling EIS, and video quality suffers a lot.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
31 Comments
View All Comments
GC2:CS - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
I find the battery lifespan saving max charge limit comparison somewhat dishonest.For the same usage you need 500 cycles at 80 and just 400 if you charge to 100. So it is more like 7 and 12% degradation.
I think limiting charge might be usefull for things like headphones. They just sit for days in their case charged to 100%.
Also I am quite woried where we are going with battery capacities. Looks like even 4000+ mAh is not a guarantee of great battery life these days.
CampGareth - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
That's assuming you drop to 0% charge every single time, under that usage you're going to burn through batteries regardless. The state of charge limit is intended more for folks that stay at a high charge percentage. I can't remember the last time my phone dropped below 60%, it's on charge at home and at work so spends a lot of time sitting at 100% charge which degrades the battery faster even when it's idle.imoc - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
Not true. Their graph states SoC(State of charge) and charge cycle doesn't mean Any%-80%, a full 100% battery top up counts as one(such as 30-80 two times).close - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
There are a few trends to dislike, small batteries for the consumers attached to the phone (mega SoCs, gazillion Hz screens, all of the Gs, all the time), glass backs especially when not actually needing it, removing the headphone jack even on phones that are clearly big enough to fit one, etc. This phone ticks most of them.SirDragonClaw - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
You need to learn how modern batteries work...huyhung411991 - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
First paragraph in Battery Life section is repeated.Ryan Smith - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
Thanks!linuxgeex - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
Before I even look at image quality with video recording, I pay attention to the background noise. You should be able to tap the screen, adjust volume up and down, power the screen on and off, and walk in light wind without hearing distracting sounds. This camera failed this basic requirement with flying colours lol.Kangal - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
Dunno, it's hard to judge the quality without a reference.The photo, video, microphone comparisons should have something like a Sony A7 + Lav, as that's basically professional quality, and it would be much easier to spot where phone's deficiencies lay.
Bonus points should be made to compare all devices on a quick Auto Mode, but Manual-Professional Adjustment on the Mirrorless. That's the most important comparison. And do it in Good Lighting, Overcast, and Low-light conditions. And do it in Macro, Regular, and Zoom modes.
Manual Modes are interesting on the new Sony Xperia 1 ii Pro, and LG V60... but are somewhat gimmicky. Phones are meant for quick "point and shoot", for professional quality you can't subsidise a phone with manual mode for a proper DSLR or Mirrorless. It would be like trying to use a hot-hatch to move heavy loads, then complaining, instead of using a pickup truck.
linuxgeex - Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - link
@Andrei - several of the camera comparison photos are missing and some are backwards.