Best products from r/zenfone3

The Zenfone 3 Max is the low-end model. It has a relatively low-powered chipset, but its selling point is not speed; it's battery life. It has a very large battery, and that combined with the power-sipping processor means that it's the third longest-lasting phone that GSMArena has ever tested. Despite this, it's stuck on Android 6.0 Marshmallow for the moment and there is no word for when (or if) it will be upgraded to Nougat.

The Zenfone 3 Laser steps things up quite a bit, with a more powerful processor, better screen, and better camera. It's still firmly in "budget" territory, but it's relatively snappy and a good phone overall. Despite it's average-sized 3,000mAh battery, it lasts a good long while (though not as long as the Max). Its biggest flaw is the amount of RAM it comes with. 2GB of RAM is good enough on other phones in this price range, but ASUS' software clogs that up enough that multitasking is basically impossible, with apps closing almost as soon as you exit them. The phone is otherwise great for average use, but power users need not apply. The 2GB RAM model is the only one available in most markets, but I'm pretty sure some markets have up to 4GB of RAM in the Laser. The camera in the Laser is not fantastic but still within spitting distance of other phones in its price range as long as you aren't expecting much.

The Zenfone 3 (no qualifier after the name) is the mid-range, and most popular phone in the Zenfone 3 lineup. It's the only phone in the range with a glass back, and it comes in two models: a 5.2" screen model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (with the model number ZE520KL), and a 5.5" screen model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage (with the model number ZE552KL). It's a good phone overall, and the best "bang-for-buck" if you want something that will work well for pretty much any but the most hardcore use (the Snapdragon 625 processor in it is one of the most efficient and powerful mid-range SoCs out there). The camera is decidedly average for the price point, but still not bad. Battery life is also pretty good, but having neither the battery capacity of the Max or the low-end chipset of the Laser, it's still not as good as either. The body also doesn't feel as seamless as the unibody metal models, but glass does have appeal that some like, so YMMV.

The Zenfone 3 Deluxe is the high-end model in the lineup, and it comes in a number of models: a couple high-end models with all the flagship features you would expect like a Snapdragon 820/821 SoC, an AMOLED display, and 6GB of RAM. There is also a mid-range model of the Deluxe with a SD625, 4GB of RAM and an IPS display. The latter model of Deluxe is closer to the vanilla Zenfone 3 than the high-end deluxe in most ways, but the high-end Deluxe model has a few advantages. Aside from the better specs, it also comes with a better camera, up to 256GB of UFS 2.0 storage, and more software features.

The Zenfone 3 Ultra is the sort of black sheep of the series. It's only sold in certain markets, and has a 6.8" screen. The specs are midrange, with the screen being IPS and the processor only a Snapdragon 652 combined with 3 or 4GB of RAM, but it makes up for it in other ways. It's got a fancy display processor that allows it to do the sort of motion estimation that newer TVs do for smoother video, as well as a number of other contrast tricks on the display. It's capable of Displayport out and being able to output power to charge other devices up to 5V/1.5A over the USB-C connector, and is the only model of Zenfone 3 with dual bottom-firing speakers. The camera is also identical to the high-end Deluxe, and has a battery size that almost gets up to the same capacity as the Max at 4600mAh.

All other Zenfone models like the "Pegasus" and so on are not truly part of the Zenfone 3 lineup with the following exceptions: there are also 2 Zenfones, the Zenfone AR and the Zenfone 3 Zoom (not to be confused with the Zenfone Zoom which came before it) that have come out since the rest of the core Zenfone 3 lineup. All Zenfone 3 models in the core lineup come with fingerprint scanners. The Zenfone 3 and the Zenfone 3 Deluxe are the only models with unlockable bootloaders, and both currently have an unofficial build of LineageOS available (both in very early stages of development at this point). The Deluxe, vanilla Zenfone 3, Laser, and Ultra have been upgraded to Nougat officially, but the Max has not as of yet. There might also be other minor, regional models of the Zenfone 3 series that I have not covered here.

I hope I didn't miss anything here. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

Edit: I thought I would add my recommendations: at your price budget of $350, the Moto G5 Plus is probably your best bet. It has very similar specs to the vanilla Zenfone 3, but has a nicer display, sturdier build, and snappier software. It's also about $30 cheaper than the Zenfone 3 and has a (subjectively) better camera. It's available on Amazon for $300 here.

If you're really set on getting a Zenfone 3 (I don't recommend it with the Moto G5 Plus around, but for the sake of argument), the 5.5" vanilla Zenfone 3 is probably the way to go. The smaller model has lesser specs if you don't mind that either, the cameras and build quality are identical.

https://www.amazon.ca/ASUS-Zenfone3-Unlocked-Smartphone-Android/dp/B01LX929Q8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482875853&sr=8-3&keywords=zenfone+3

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875220038&cm_re=zenfone_3-_-75-220-038-_-Product

Model: Z012DC for US/BR

GSMArena Link

Not sure whether you can get it shipped from CA to USA(?)