Asus Photo Collage app for ZenFone 2 may just be the best thing in the bundle

Photo Collage apps are a staple in the Android operating system, while some becomes the standard go-to imaging apps for selfie addicts looking to add more creativity to their photos. However, a photo collage app is making waves not just because of its features, but because, in a rare exception, it comes bundled with the smartphone as a pre-installed app.

The Asus Photo Collage App comes as a standard feature in the company's flagship ZenFone 2 smartphone, although the first generation of ZenFones can still download the app via system update or from Google Play. As with similar apps on Google's Play Store, Asus Photo Collage makes layouts out of pictures in the user's gallery, capable of creating a grid for up to eight images.

Like most photo collage apps, the Asus version allows users to pick from a variety of layouts and templates right from the app's home screen. Aside from multi-image grids, the app also has magazine- style covers and cards for a few occasions like Graduation and Mother's Day built in. Users can also add effects to each section of the grid, as well as stickers and text overlays. Color effects can be applied to each grid element, and the app has live previews of each effect.

However, the strength of a photo collage app depends mostly on the preset templates and layouts in it, and this is where Asus' Photo Collage needs a bit more work, since there are relatively few choices in the app, thus limiting the creative options available for users. There is likewise still no option to add more templates and layouts to the app. While it is clear that the app is bundled with the phone, Asus could have gone the distance and made Photo Collage a standout from the rest of the pack, and be more than an ordinary bundled app.