Asus during the MWC 2018 announced the Zenfone series sequel i.e the Zenfone 5 and a higher end variant named as the Zenfone 5Z. The 5Z and the 5 both have identical form factor however the 5Z is more powerful since it houses the Qualcomm's flagship SOC. The revolutionary feature that they have in common is the 'Notch' which Asus claims is smaller than the iPhone X which they dubbed it as the 'Fruit Phone X' during the event. They also come with ZeniMoji which is Asus's version of animoji or AR emoji from Samsung.
Asus Zenfone 5 and 5Z specifications :
Asus Zenfone 5 and 5Z specifications :
| SPECS | |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.2 inch IPS LCD 2.5D glass |
| Resolution | 2246×1080 (18.7:9) |
| Protection | Gorilla Glass |
| SOC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 (Zenfone 5) Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (Zenfone 5Z) |
| GPU | Adreno 509 (Zenfone 5) Adreno 630 (Zenfone 5Z) |
| RAM and storage | 4/6 - 64 GB (Zenfone 5) 6/8 - 128/256 GB (Zenfone 5Z) |
| Rear camera | 12 (f/1.8)+8 (f/2.0) MP RGB + wide angle lens |
| Front camera | 8MP f/2.0 |
| Video recording | 4K 30 FPS |
| Battery | 3300 mAh |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5 WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4&5 GHz) NFC |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Proximity e-compass Gyroscope Ambient light |
The Zenfone 5 and the 5Z from the front gets a complete departure from the design perspective considering the predecessors. This time they have been inspired from Apple for the notch. The notch houses the front facing camera, regular sensors and the earpiece. Apart from the notch we get an 18.7:9 aspect ratio 6.2 inch (2246 X 1080) IPS LCD 2.5D display with minimum bezels. The devices are overall made out of glass and have a metallic frame however inspite of boasting glass at the back we do not get wireless charging. The rear houses the fingerprint sensor and the vertically oriented dual cameras with flash. The 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker and the USB type-C port are present to the bottom.
Speaking of internals, the Zenfone 5 gets a 14nm Snapdragon 636 SOC which is based on Kryo cores and is paired with 4 or 6GB of RAM. This SOC was debuted with the recently announced Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and is indeed a powerhouse. The internal storage made available is 64 GB which is expandable.
The Zenfone 5Z gets a Snapdragon 845 SOC which is based on 10nm process. This SOC is the flagship from Qualcomm and is completely AI ready. Along with a powerful silicon, the device gets either 6 or 8GB of RAM alongside 128 or 256GB of storage.
Coming to cameras, the rear houses a 12MP f/1.8 lens with 1.4 micron pixel size. The other sensor is a wide angle lens of 8MP f/2.0 aperture which provides 120 degree field of view. The camera can record 4K in 30FPS and slow motion with 120FPS at 1080p or 240FPS at 720p. The front facing camera is of 8MP with f/2.0 lens and 84 degree field of view.
With these devices Asus has implemented their own share of AI here which again is nothing new. The ZeniMoji is similar to Apple's Animoji where the characters replicate our expressions. Apart from this, they have also implemented machine learning in camera for scene detection as well as image detection. Modes like portrait and beauty are available with the user getting option to capture manual shots via Pro mode.
Asus has also expanded the AI in terms of battery and named it as 'Boostmaster'. Basically, its just the regular fast charging stuff related to software that any other device has to prevent overcharging and maximize the battery life due to exposure to excessive current. Well brands these days just rename any stuff to AI !! :-P
Keeping the AI stuff aside, the Zenfone 5 and the 5Z will run Android Oreo based on Asus's Zen Ui which is again AI enhanced according to them. The Zen Ui has been revamped to some extent reducing the bloat that they always carried. Along with expanding AI in camera, Ui and battery they have also sprinkled its presence in adjusting the screen color temperature based on conditions and even in providing optimum ringtone levels based on either noisy or quiet scenario as if they were never available before :-P
By chance if you were wondering whether the face unlock is available or not, well you won't get disappointed since it is available. Overall, the Zenfone 5 and the 5Z have been heavily inspired from the 'Fruit Phone' (they actually dubbed Apple iPhone X as Fruit Phone on stage).
The Zenfone 5Z will be available for €479 which is indeed a great price considering their pricing strategy after the Zenfone 2 was insane and close to tier 1 brands. This pricing does put Asus in a good position and we do hope for a better pricing in India. The details for the pricing of the regular Zenfone 5 will be available later.
Do share your thoughts regarding the Zenfone 5 and the 5Z in the comments below and do let us know whether you prefer the notch or rather settle for a traditional display without the notch.
Image source : Asus