Samsung Galaxy C7 vs Asus ZenFone 3 Review + Camera Comparison

The biggest comparison in Android mid-range race perhaps is between the new Samsung Galaxy C7 and Asus Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL). With Asus stepping into the premium line and Samsung beefing up its mid-ranger series, the Galaxy C7 and Zenfone 3 share a few features while separated by their prices. Without much talking, which is a more capable and better-looking Android Marshmallow smartphone? Let’s find out in our comparison and review.

• Asus Zenfone 3 Full Review
• Samsung Galaxy C7 Full Review
• Galaxy C7 vs Xperia XA Ultra

Design and build

Both designs are step up from their previous generation. The Zenfone 3 went to all glass design with its curved front and back beveled by Gorilla Glass 3. The Galaxy C7 on the other hand features rounded metal form factor that resembles like to iPhone 6s and OnePlus 3.

The ports on the Asus mid-ranger is one step ahead as it’s a reversible Type-C but unfortunately it still borrows the speed of a microUSB version 2.0 and not the 3.0.

Similar to Zenfone series, the Galaxy C7 and C5 have LED notification which was reserved to high-end Samsung devices at first.

Both have hybrid microSD and dual SIM card trays and feature snappy fingerprint scanners. The one on Galaxy mid-ranger is embedded on the home button along with the backlit capacitive keys. We’d wish Asus had gone for a backlit navigational buttons as well. Nevertheless, each set is responsive and reliable.

In terms of actual size and handling, the Samsung phone remains slightly thinner yet heavy as the Asus phone while latter manages to keep a noticeable shorter form factor.

So which has a better design and build? For us, both are premium and solid. So it’s a tie here.

Display

With a 0.2-inch difference in screen size and the same 1080p resolution, sharpness level is as good as to the other. The panels only differ in color output and preferences. The Super AMOLED on Galaxy C7 produces popping colors and really bright output. For the Zenfone 3, the 5.5-inch IPS+ LCD packs more accurate color render and really good viewing angles.

We also notice that Asus went to a little vivid setup here despite the accuracy of LCD panels.

For display, it’s still a very close offering so we will call it a tie.

Camera

The main cameras on each shooter is a 16MP with Galaxy C7 having wider aperture and the Zenfone 3 with optical image stabilization.

Daylight shooting is a hit and miss on each camera, the Galaxy shooter still photos are bit saturated and with satisfactory dynamic range and noise control. The Asus shooter, on the other hand, shows more pleasing colors and mild control of dynamic range. The details are hard to differentiate here unlike on low light and extreme night scenarios showing the Zenfone shooter with better color reproduction, detail handling, and noise control.

For the selfie shooting, we prefer the most naturalistic shots of Zenfone 3 rather on the too pale and overexposed shots of Galaxy C7. Luckily, both feature extra control on selfie toning and beautification.

One advantage of the Zenfone camera in photography is the 4K video backed by 4-axis Optical Image Stabilization. We just don’t know yet if our Zenfone 3 unit has isolated flaring issues on bright scenes, but overall the video quality is pleasing as on the Galaxy C7’s saturated shot.

For the camera, it’s still a close call, but the small advantages on the Zenfone camera like the OIS and naturalistic selfie make the Zenfone 3 a slightly better shooter.

Performance, gaming, and benchmark

Powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core chipset and 4GB RAM, there’s really no competition here as each hardware could handle the most demanding tasks like playing intensive graphics games without stuttering. There’s a small speed difference in actual test and Antutu Benchmark, but no doubt, the two sets of hardware here are flagship class.

• NBA 2K16 gaming up to highest graphics settings
• Antutu benchmark 60k – 62k

Battery and charging

With extra juice, the 3300mAh battery capacity on the Galaxy C7 produces a few hours of lead time in endurance and screen on time. The 3000mAh juice of Zenfone 3 is enough for a full day use and still ranks average.

Charging time took less on the Galaxy C7 using its Fast Adaptive charger. It only took 1 hour 35 minutes compared to Asus Zenfone 3 at 1 hour and 45 minutes.

For battery longevity, the Galaxy C7 wins with a small lead.

Audio

The Zenfone 3 supports high-res 24bit audio while its mono speaker outputs a bit crisper and solid treble and bass than the Galaxy audio setup, respectively. For this round, the Zenfone audio setup wins.

Pricing and Verdict

Retailing at P17,000 to P18,995 price or roughly $400 USD, the Asus Zenfone 3 is just a few thousand cheaper to the Samsung Galaxy C7 with about P20k or $430 price for its 64GB model from online, which means its price will be more expensive once officially out in the market.

For a recap, design, performance, and display are close with the camera and audio leaning on the Asus mid-ranger and battery on the Samsung mid-ranger.

Picking the overall winner is a hard task, but we think the Asus Zenfone 3 is a better deal considering the Galaxy C7 is not out yet in the global market.

Still, let’s know your pick between the two in the comment section below.
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