If you’re looking for a cheap, low-powered phone in order to save cash, but you still want all the fun of Android, then Google’s Android Go is likely going to be your phone of choice. While it hasn’t had the best start in the U.S. with the Alcatel 1X, Asus is looking to change that with the bargain priced Asus ZenFone Live (L1).
The phone will cost $110, and it is exclusive to Best Buy for the moment — but you get quite a lot of phone for your money, even for that low asking price. The ZenFone Live (L1) is equipped with a midrange Snapdragon 425 processor, and a large 5.5-inch display running a 1,440 x 720 resolution in an 18:9 aspect ratio. As it’s an Android Go phone, it’s limited to a single GB of RAM at most — which it has — but storage is a bit on the paltry side regardless, with just 16GB of onboard storage available. Still, that’s able to be bolstered by up to 2TB via a MicroSD card.
Those decent budget specs are backed up by a hefty 3,000mAh battery. That’s standard for a flagship phone with powerful specs, so we expect a battery of that size to work extremely well on a phone with specs as relaxed and a display as power-efficient as the ones packed into the ZenFone Live (L1). Asus is claiming that the phone will be able to last for up to 29 hours of talk time — or 4 days of consistent music playback, which seems a tad excessive.
The budget specs are evident elsewhere on the phone, with a MicroUSB port down the bottom of the device. The camera’s specs seem solid, too, with a single 13MP lens around the back of the device (some models seem to be equipped with an 8MP lens instead), complete with phase detection auto-focus, and beauty modes, panorama shots, and the ability to shoot video in 1080p Full HD. There’s also a 5MP selfie shooter around the front of the device.
Being priced so low, the ZenFone Live (L1) isn’t going to be the fashionable device of the summer, but it is shaping up to be a great device for the budget-conscious, or anyone who doesn’t want to risk their pricey phone while out and about. It will be available for $110 from Best Buy — but if you’re keeping an eye out, keep in mind it won’t work on CDMA networks like Verizon and Sprint.
