The Asus ZenFone 5 is here. From the external point of view, the phone is stunning - a refined version of the last year's flagship handset. The Zenfone 5 employs some design elements of a 2018 top-of-the-line phone; at the same time it's preserving the iconic concentric circle aesthetics.
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The ASUS ZenFone 5
Design, Construction
Upfront, the ASUS Zenfone 5 is beautifully-designed. It comes with a striking resemblance to the iPhone X only that it has a smaller notch which houses some of the most important sensors of the handset. ASUS is also proud to have slimmer phone bezels with 90 percent screen-to-body ratio - this combination frames a 6.2-inch display in a standard 5.5-inch smartphone!
Upfront, the ASUS Zenfone 5 is beautifully-designed. It comes with a striking resemblance to the iPhone X only that it has a smaller notch which houses some of the most important sensors of the handset. ASUS is also proud to have slimmer phone bezels with 90 percent screen-to-body ratio - this combination frames a 6.2-inch display in a standard 5.5-inch smartphone!
The glass back of the Zenfone 5 has two cameras arranged in a vertical manner. The rear mounted fingerprint sensor is also placed where it should be in the upper center of the handset. It's easily accessible and you'll most likely use this as your primary unlocking feature. A premium finish greets the user when the back panel is struck by a light source.
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Display
The ASUS Zenfone 5 uses a 19:9 aspect ratio in the display. The 6.2-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD panel intelligently shifts to 18:9 aspect ratio when viewing videos in landscape, deliberately hiding the notch along the process.
First hand impressions of the display is great. The panel is bright and produces legible texts and graphics even on lock-screen. The Zenfone 5 is also light at 155 grams. Carrying this phone around would be a breeze.
Hardware
Talking about the specs, the ASUS Zenfone 5 churns with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 mobile platform. The base variant will have 4GB of RAM. However, there's also a ZenFone 5z variant which beefs up with flagship-grade Snapdragon 845 and up to 8GB of RAM. Both chipsets are AI-enabled, which means that it'll have learning curves while you use your device.
When it comes to the storage, the Zenfone 5 is loaded with 64GB native storage while the Zenfone 5z has 128GB.
Camera
The handset packs a dual-lens setup. The primary sensor is a 12MP Sony IMX363 with f/1.8 aperture. A wide angle secondary camera couples the main sensor and is used when you wanted to have wider landscape view of up to 120 degrees. Based on the brief, the AI feature in the camera software can detect the type of subject you are capturing. For one, it could produce bluer tones for oceans, greener scenery for grasslands, etc; it also knows if you're about to take a photo of your pets. But we are looking forward to test this in the coming days.
The front panel houses the 8MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and is loaded with facial recognition feature for device unlocking.
Battery, Software
The ASUS Zenfone 5 packs 3,300 mAh battery which also uses AI tech in charging your handset over night to avoid device over charging. It'll also come with Android Oreo out-of-the-box.
ASUS Zenfone 5 Price and Availability
No pricing has been revealed for the Zenfone 5. The ASUS Zenfone 5z starts at 479 euro, that's roughly Php 30,500 in current exchange rates. From the looks of it, the Zenfone 5z could give other flagships a run for their money with its competitive price and beefy specs sheet.
The Zenfone 5 will have a global availability in March 2018 while the Zenfone 5z will hit the shelves in June 2018.
The Wrap
I'm excited about the ASUS Zenfone 5. There's no denying the fact that this is a beautiful handset. It has a strong resemblance to the iPhone X. Whether it's good or bad? That depends on the user. However, I love how the company refined the Zen design.
The hardware is very promising, and with the seemingly great price standpoint, the ASUS Zenfone 5 could serve some heat in the upper midtier and flagship segments this year.
Asus Zenfone 5 Specs (ZE620KL)
6.2-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display, 1080 x 2246 pixels at 402 ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass
Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC
Adreno 509 GPU
4GB/6GB of RAM
64GB Internal Memory up to 400GB expandable
Dual-Camera, 12MP IMX363 (f/1.8, gyro EIS, PDAF)
120-degree secondary camera
2160p video at 60fps
8MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture lens, 1080p
4G LTE, 3G, 2G
Dual SIM (Dual Nano)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band, WiFi Direct, Hotspot
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
FM Radio
USB Type C 2.0
3.5mm Audio Jack
Dual Stereo speakers
Fingerprint Sensor, Rear mounted
Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Accelerometer Sensors
Android 8.0 Oreo with ZenUI 5.0
3300mAh Li-Ion Non-Removable Battery
QuickCharge Fast Charging
Midnight Blue, Meteor Silver
Price: TBA
Asus Zenfone 5z Specs (ZS620KL)
6.2-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display, 1080 x 2246 pixels at 402 ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass
Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 845
4x2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver
Adreno 630 GPU
4GB/6GB/8GB of RAM
64GB/128/256 Internal Memory up to 400GB expandable
Dual-Camera, 12MP IMX363 (f/1.8, gyro EIS, PDAF)
120-degree secondary camera
2160p video at 60fps
8MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture lens, 1080p
4G LTE, 3G, 2G
Dual SIM (Dual Nano)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band, WiFi Direct, Hotspot
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
FM Radio
USB Type C 2.0
3.5mm Audio Jack
Dual Stereo speakers
Fingerprint Sensor, Rear mounted
Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Accelerometer Sensors
3300mAh Li-Ion Non-Removable Battery
QuickCharge Fast Charging
Midnight Blue, Meteor Silver
Starts at €479 (Php 30,500 in current Exchange Rates)
