Asus ZenFone 6: Swivel Camera Magic!




The ZenFone 6’s rotating camera turns out to be one of my favorite bad ideas MKBHD Merch: http://shop.MKBHD.com Video Gear I use: …

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About the Author: Marques Brownlee

41 Comments

  1. Asus support and service, during 2020 and 2021 after my purchase of a Zenfone 6, was the worst I have ever experienced, in any industry and for any product. I will never buy an Asus product again, of any kind. Timeline:

    – Jan 2020: I buy a new Zenfone 6.

    – Aug 2020: Phone no longer charges, on any charger including Zenfone’s supplied charger. The charging port in the phone is not working.

    – Aug 2020: Still under warranty, I mail the Zenfone to the ASUS repair center in Grapevine, Texas. This is an unnecessarily complicated process. For example, Zenfone’s support keeps assuming I purchased a laptop, and tries to communicate with me about laptop repair.

    – November 2020: I receive the Zenfone, apparently repaired. (But the data on my phone has been wiped out.)

    – March 2021: My Zenfone stops working completely. No power, no blue screen, nothing.

    – March 2021: ASUS assures me I will be charged only a diagnostic fee of $85, to have the phone assessed and then repaired.

    – March 2021: ASUS then tells me I’m no longer under warranty, which ended in Jan 2021.

    – March 2021: ASUS then tells me I am still under warranty, which was extended because of the previous problem with the Zenfone in 2020.

    – April 2021: I again mail the Zenfone to the ASUS repair center in Grapevine, Texas.

    – April 2021: ASUS then tells me I’m in fact not under warranty any more.

    – April 2021: ASUS then tells me actually I am under warranty, which was extended for an additional 3 months.

    – April 2021: ASUS then tells me I’m in fact not under warranty, which supposedly expired “2 December 2020”.

    – April 2021: ASUS then tells me my warranty in fact expired on “8 March 2021”.

    – April 2021: I ask to escalate the issue. (At this point, ASUS Customer Service is already the worst I have experienced, ever, for any product in any industry.)

    – April 2021: ASUS maintains that my warranty is expired, but offers me a “20% discount” off their fee to repair the dead phone, which is $289. I ask to get a better deal, given what I’ve had to go through in owning this ASUS product. ASUS tells me they will check with their Corporate dept.

    – April 2021: ASUS calls me back, telling me they can take 30% off the fee, to repair the dead phone.

    – April 2021: ASUS then sends me an invoice for the full amount of $289, with no discount. Also, the invoice description of the problem is wrong, as it says “Hangs on ASUS logo” (instead the phone does not respond at all). I call ASUS and ask them to correct the invoice.

    – April 2021: ASUS then sends me a new invoice for this repair, for an even higher fee of $362. The invoice also states a completely different problem: it includes a $97 item (plus tax) and a $243 item (plus tax) both for “abnormal appearance (deformation/scratches/damage/paint removal/dirt/rough edges)”. I call to tell ASUS it should be lower, as we had discussed. And to tell ASUS my phone was not physically abnormal or damaged in any way, when I had sent it to their repair center. And that this new invoice is completely different from their prior invoice. (At this point, it is becoming apparent to me that what is happening at ASUS here is not merely total incompetence, poor training and poor management, but possibly something worse.)

    – April 2021: ASUS contacts me to say they erred, and should have sent me an invoice for $231. I then correct them again, saying no that would be only a 20% discount off the repair fee. ASUS had told me my discount was 30% off (for $216).

    – April 2021: During these interactions, I keep having to tell ASUS that my phone is to be repaired at the discounted rate, but nevertheless ASUS keeps sending me e-mails stating that my phone will be sent back to me unless I pay the (undiscounted, incorrect) invoice amount within 5 days of the invoice date. Repeatedly ASUS assures me that my phone will not be sent back to me, that it is on track to be repaired at the rate they had agreed to, and that I will no longer receive these e-mails pressuring me to pay within 5 days. Yet, the e-mails are not stopped, they keep coming.

    – May 2021: ASUS sends me another invoice for the incorrect, higher amount ($362) and the incorrect problem: “abnormal appearance (deformation/scratches/damage/paint removal/dirt/rough edges)”.

    – May 2021: I contact ASUS, escalate the issue, and ASUS tells me they will have someone contact me in 24-48 hours. 24-48 hours pass by, with no call from ASUS. Meanwhile, ASUS continues to send me invoices, and a payment deadline, for the incorrect rate of $362.

    – May 2021: I contact ASUS again, escalate the issue. ASUS assures me that they will stop sending me e-mails asking for payment of $362, and will contact me about correcting it.

    – May 2021: ASUS “Proactive Care” sends me an e-mail stating that an internal failure to correct the invoice “has triggered the return of your device unrepaired”. The e-mail also states that once I receive my unrepaired Zenfone, I can re-create the return, ship the phone BACK to ASUS (at no shipping cost to me) and “continue this process”. (I’m thinking, Uh… no thanks.)

    – May 2021: Sure enough, I then receive the Zenfone, returned to my home by ASUS. Unrepaired and dead.

    To all: enjoy your ASUS experience.

  2. Yes I would! But I really wish to be able to take landscape mode photos and video while keeping cellphone vertically. Hate vertical videos but don't holding my phone landscape.

  3. If its a samsung apple or oneplus… His reaction would be wow… New tech tired something… I have noticed it many times in his video … He is baised towards the high end brand.

  4. This is the one rare video where Marques didn't do justice to the phone. Asus needs independant unbiased reviewers and this video was a let down. So many things were missed.

  5. Thank you, Marques for highlighting the unique features of the Asus Z6 swivel camera..I am a camera savvy guy, but was confused over many phones in this price range. I actually had
    SAMSUNG SGH-X600 way back in 2005..it had manual swivel camera and I took a selfie in 2006 which my friends still asks who was the camera man! So, it may be homecoming for me in terms of the swivel camera on smartphone 🙂

  6. Buyers, especially business buyers be warned!!! Asus policy is to NOT send replacement on defective warranty items. You WILL be stuck without your phone or laptop until they ship it back to you!!!

    Doesn't matter how good it was when it worked… Can you get by without a phone or laptop for days or weeks (still haven't figured out how long it will take).

    Get a brand that cares about your business and not just flashy technology.

  7. Looking forward to Zenfone 7!!! The reason I love the flip camera is that I don't use front camera that much, so there's no need to flip it really often. But when I need it, best quality is there.

  8. Actually selecting an angle is pretty cool feature, if you want to take landscape photo at low angle, close to water or something like that. You're not going to lay down so that you could see composition better. This helps with that. You can flip it 90 degrees and look directly onto screen.

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