In the ZenFone series, Asus had a formidable set of phones for the budget segment, marrying good hardware and pleasing design in a category where you’d typically get one or the other. With the 5.5-inch ZenFone 3 though, Asus has set its sights on the high-end, but with the Rs 27,999 pricing, can it hold its own against the OnePlus 3 and the Mi5?

The design team certainly nailed the brief — the phone feels premium with its use of glass and metal, and Asus’ signature concentric circle design is quite the looker — although it is one slippery beast. A large 5.5-inch display dominates the front, and offers great brightness and colours. The camera department comes well-appointed too, and thanks to a combination of Asus’ TriTech auto-focus tech and optical and electronic image stabilisation, the camera takes some detailed and colour accurate shots, and fast! Low-light images have some noise, though.

It’s under the hood that the ZenFone 3 reveals its more modest mid-ranger spec, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor paired with 4GB of memory and 64GB of inbuilt storage (with microSD expansion). While the 625 is no pushover and I saw no issues in gaming or multitasking, the competition offers top-of-the-line processors at the same price point, so there’s that. On the plus side? The battery lasts the whole day on moderate to heavy use. Even so, Asus has priced the ZenFone 3 out of contention. That’s a pity since I really liked the design and display on this one.

♦ Rating: 7/10
♦ Price: Rs 27,999
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-ZenFone3

Selfie star

With specifications becoming increasingly commoditised, smartphone vendor Oppo has, for a while now, chosen to focus on cameras to stand out in the crowd. With the F1s, Oppo’s self-proclaimed “Selfie Expert”, the brand is focusing on a growing niche of a selfie-obsessed generation, but does it pay off for the phone as a whole?

With a matte finish metal body, chamfered edges and mildly curved glass, the F1s is pleasing to hold in the hand. The 5.5-inch display is bright and displays rich colours, but at this size and price point, the HD resolution screen is a bit of a downer. The MediaTek MT6750 chip and 3GB/32GB memory-storage combo is par for the course, and is a competent performer.

Clearly though, Oppo’s focus has been on the cameras, blessing the F1s with a 16MP front sensor with a bright f/2.0 aperture that manages a good amount of detail for selfies, even those shot in less than ideal lighting. It also has a Beautify mode which doesn’t go overboard with the skin smoothening and blemish removal for a natural-looking improved you. The rear 13MP camera manages decent shots, but I’d recommend learning to use the Expert mode as soon as you can.

The question is — are great selfies and design worth the Rs 17,990 asking price, with the underwhelming display and decidedly budget hardware? Not to me.

♦ Rating: 7/10
♦ Price: Rs 17,990
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-OppoF1s

Low-cost challenger

My, how times and markets change! Just take a look at what Rs 6,999 gets you these days — a metal frame with a curved glass finish, an 8MP front-facing camera and Android 6.0 out of the box. That’s the Coolpad Mega 2.5D for you, and while it sounds impressive, can it replace my pick for sub-10k phones, the Redmi 3S Prime?

Let’s start with the basics — the Mega has an attractive gold-finish design, though it skips on a fingerprint scanner which was available on the Note 3 Lite sibling at the same price. The resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels is common for this segment, but thanks to the larger 5.5-inch screen, you get jagged-edged text every now and then. The MediaTek MT6735P chip is average, though Coolpad kits the Mega with 3GB of RAM, which no one else has done at this price point yet. And despite packing in the latest version of Android, what you get is rather unrecognisable with Coolpad's bloated CoolUI 8.0 skin. The front and rear cameras — both 8MP — are average at best, though the front camera fares better than the rear one.

What started off as a promising encounter has left me somewhat disappointed. The heavy UI skin, sluggish performance and poor battery life mean that the Mega is sadly just a pretty face, no more.

♦ Rating: 7/10
♦ Price: Rs 6,999
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-CoolpadMega

Smarter sleeping

Considering the amount of time one spends on the mattresses on our beds, it was only a matter of time before they got smart too! The “it bed” by Sleep Number allows you to customise the softness/firmness level for each side of the mattress via an app on your smartphone. You also get sleep tracking capabilities via embedded biometric sensors that continuously monitor sleep-critical variables (heart rate, motion and breathing), and you get a personalised score every morning of how well you slept

♦ Price: Starts at $799
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-itbed

technocool@kanwar.net; follow me on twitter @2shar