Asus has turned over a new page in their smartphone chapter with the launch of the Zenfone Max Pro M1. Asus Zenfones were generally known for their engineering excellence, but not for competitive pricing. But now we are seeing a new Asus strategy where they are launching incredible mobiles with aggressive pricing. Asus Zenfone 5z is one such mobile which is priced very aggressively starting at Rs 29999. Is this mobile the new flagship killer? Is this the true dragon slayer? Let us find out in this review.
In the box
- Asus Zenfone 5z
- 18 watt Quick Charge 3.0 supported charger
- USB – C Cable
- Zen Earphones
- Soft TPU back case
- SIM ejector pin
- User manual
Design
The design is a department where Asus always has a strong hand. Zenfone 5z has a very unique and stylish design. It is a flat slab of tech with minimal camera hump. The bezels are very narrow and the high screen to body ratio, adds to the aesthetic appeal. The glass at the back and front is protected by Corning Gorilla glass. The mobile has dual speakers, one at the bottom and another one hidden beneath the earpiece. It is a thin mobile and still, it retains a 3.5mm audio jack. Zenfone 5z is very comfortable to hold in the hand and overall, it is a premium mobile with good design aesthetics and with a keen sense of fashion.
Display
Asus Zenfone 5Z was one among the first mobiles in the Android world to embrace the notch. While the notch is a personal choice, Zenfone 5z deals very tactfully. The notch can be hidden and even otherwise, it does not interfere while playing games or watching videos. However, the row of notification icons is limited due to the notch. The display is an IPS LCD panel and I wish the 5z had AMOLED panel. With what we have in hand, this is a good IPS panel supporting full HD resolution. The colors are bright and vivid with wide gamut range. The viewing angles are perfect and also the mobile has fairly good visibility under direct sunlight. This 6.2-inch full vision display has optimal white balance and the color can be controlled with an app in the display setting called Splendid. I have been using the mobile as my primary device for over 30 days and I found the display ideal for gaming, reading and media consumption.
Camera
Asus Zenfone 5Z has a dual camera 12 + 8 MP setup. The 8 MP camera is a wide angle lens which can click wide stills and shoot wide frame videos. The secondary lens, if used as tele or wide lens, adds a lot of value to the camera experience and Zenfone 5z gives you that extra bit of fun. It has a color correction sensor near the flash unit. It has 4 stop Optical image stabilization (OIS) for sharp stills and gyro Electronic image stabilization (EIS) for smooth videos footage. The images out of this mobile have good details and the edges are sharp. Image post-processing is just right and perfect for social media sharing. They have good contrast and brightness levels. The dynamic range is good, but Oneplus 6 has a better dynamic range. Under low light, Zenfone 5z clicks sharp images with good color details retained.
The camera app is simple to use and is powered by Machine learning algorithms to adjust post-processing based on the type of subject/scene identified. Edge detection algorithm is not the best we have seen, but even without the portrait mode, the lens can give you very good depth of focus. Selfies are also sharp and have natural skin tones. The mobile can shoot up to 4K videos, but the unlike the Oneplus 6, only 1080p videos get the EIS support. Focus latching is spot on and the mobile is a charm to use for both videos and photos. Check out a few sample images below.
Software
Asus Zenfone runs on Android Oreo 8.0 with ZenUI skinned on top. The ZenUI, I see on this mobile is totally refreshing. The visual design is very minimal and pleasing to use. ZenUI has now reduced the number of bloatware and comes with vare minimum essential apps pre-installed. It has a theme store for customization. The user interface (UI) is very sleek, slick and fast. For those who think that pure Android is the only version of Android that can give you a fast experience, ZenUI would be a pleasant surprise.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence features are one of the prime selling features of the Asus Zenfone 5z. It employs the use of deep learning, machine learning to gain artificial intelligence and enhance the user experience in the following avenues:
- Ringtone – Volume adjustment based on the ambient noise levels
- Battery Charging – Control charging speed and level to protect the battery and give an optimal experience
- Power boost – Increase the speed and performance of the mobile for apps which need that extra juice
- App recommendation – Recommend the right app in the app draw based on the usage pattern
- Optiflex app enhancement – 10 chosen apps based on usage pattern will get an enhanced power boost
- 16 camera scenes – identify the scene and process the photos appropriately
- Photo gallery – Additional creative processing of images in the gallery and also grouping by face identification on photos.
While all these features still quality to be termed as Machine Learning and not really artificial intelligence, AI is the buzzword of the day. These features in the mobile work to enhance the user experience without much of hindrance to the users. Asus has taken the first step and definitely, this is the right way towards the era of intelligent personal technology.
Unique features
Here are some cool features on the Zen UI
- Twin apps to use two accounts on the same app
- Game Genie to enhance the gaming experience
- Zenmoji – Animated personalized emoji
- Live selfie beauty videos
- Kids mode – to control mobile usage by kids
- Easy mode – to aid senior citizens use the mobile
- One hand operation
- Gesture-based controls
- App lock
- App hide
- Data transfer – to help migrate from old mobiles
- Mobile Manager to monitor data, power, notifications, permission and storage utilization
Hardware Performance
The mobile is powered by the latest Snapdragon 845 processor. It comes in 6 or 8 GB DDR4 RAM variant with internal storage options of 64/128 or 256 GB. The mobile can handle anything you throw at it with ease. Gameplay is smooth and gives you a lag free experience. Zenfone 5z does not heat up even on prolonged usage. Memory management and app handling is spot on. The speakers are loud and I would say it is one of the loudest mobiles in the market right now. The fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate. Face unlock works in all light conditions and it is fast as well. The mobile has FM radio and the supplied earphones in the box is one of the best stock earphones I have used. Asus Zenfone 5z give you the best experience for
- Gaming
- Audio
- Media consumption
Overall, the Asus Zenfone 5z gives you the best all-rounder smartphone experience.
Battery
Asus Zenfone 5z can be charged from 0 to 100% in less than 1:30 hours, thanks to the Qualcomm certified Quick charger. It has a 3300 mAh battery which gives about 5-6 hours of screen on time for intensive usage. For a moderate user, the mobile will last for a day on a single charge.
Verdict
Asus Zenfone 5z gives you a fulfilling user experience. It is one of the rare mobiles with excel in every dimension. It has a cool design, a pleasant display, sensible UI features, sharp camera, great performance and a good battery life. It is priced attractively at Rs 29990 and some credit card offers and further reduce the price you pay for this mobile. But the big question in your mind would the choice between the Zenfone 5z and Oneplus 6. Let me make that simple for you. Oneplus has a better camera and battery life, but it is expensive. Zenfone 5z gives you a whole bunch of features and a holistic experience for a much leaner price tag. Also if you are thinking of Nokia 7 Plus, Zenfone 5z would give you a better performance and camera experience while the 7 Plus gives you a better battery life. I hope the choice is clear for you. Asus Zenfone 5z climbs to our recommendation list without any hesitation.