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Asus Zenfone 5 comes with 6.2-inch full HD (2246x1080p) super IPS LCD screen having 90% screen-to-body ratio, supports DCI-P3 and Smart Screen OnAsus India

Asus Zenfone 5 made its official debut at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona in late February. The company officials told International Business Times, India that the new Android phone will be making its way to the Indian market in a few weeks.

Asus India hosted a pre-launch product showcase event for select media houses recently in Bengaluru and we had the opportunity to get a closer look at the new Zenfone 5 and used the Zenfone 5 for a brief time. Here's our take on the new Asus phone.

Design and display:

The most noticeable feature of the Zenfone 5 is the iPhone X-like notch on the top. We asked a company executive on why they mimicked another brand's design and the quick reply was that their research revealed consumers wanted the feature on an Android phone and they were just enabling them.

Some critics might cry foul and call the notch as unsightly even on the Apple's anniversary mobile. But, if download data from Google Play store is any indication, Android users do love the iPhone X notch user-interface.

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Apple iPhone X launcher for Android phones has garnered more than 1 million downloads on Google Play storeKVN Rohit/IBTimes India

There are thousands of iPhone X [review] launchers on Play store and one of them, in particular, has more than a million downloads.

That aside, the Zenfone 5 also comes with vertically aligned dual-camera on top-left corner similar to that of Apple's anniversary phone. Thankfully, the design duplication ends there.

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Asus Zenfone 5 comes with additional glass cover on both the front and the back-sideKVN Rohit/IBTimes India

The back panel has the Asus' trademark concentric design with the glossy shell on the back, which was first seen in the popular Zenfone 3 and also fingerprint sensor, which is sorely missed in the iPhone X.

As far as the display is concerned, it's quite bright and vibrant for a mid-range phone. But, we will pass the judgment when we get a review unit and test it for visibility of content under different light condition.

Processor, RAM, and storage:

During the demo session, Asus Zenfone 5 worked seamlessly, be it while the app loading or switching between multiple apps. 

For those unaware, the Zenfone 5 comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor-backed ASUS AI Boost, which the company claims, will monitor apps in the background to control the unnecessary use of mobile data and hog battery. It will also extend the battery life of the device.

But, all new devices work faster and run for a whole day with some battery life left, in their early days. We are very keen to test these features and also AI capabilities, once we get the unit for the review.

Asus Zenfone 5 is expected to come in two variants –4GB RAM and 6GB RAM—having 64GB storage with an option to expand up to 2TB through microSD card.

Camera:

Asus, Zenfone 5, design, review
Asus Zenfone 5 comes with dual-camera setup: 12MP (with F1.8 aperture) and 8MP (with 120-degree field of view)KVN Rohit/IBTimes India

Though I spent very little time with Asus Zenfone 5, the dual camera images taken from the hotel balcony were really good. I was particularly impressed by the wide-angle view feature, which the company claimed, would offer a 120-degree field of view.

Also, the Zenfone 5 camera comes with AI-based scene detection feature, which optimizes the camera settings to take better pictures. For instance, if you are taking a picture of your pet, the Zenfone 5 camera will know it is a dog or a cat (or any other animal) and take the best possible image. It can detect-- food, sky, green field, plant, ocean, sunset, snow, flower, stage, dog, cat, people, text, tripod, QR code and night view.

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Asus Zenfone 5 camera with normal field of viewKVN Rohit/IBTimes India

Even the front camera takes really good quality images. But, we will reserve the verdict on camera quality until we test the device in different light conditions.

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Asus Zenfone 5 dual-camera shot with wide-angle field of viewKVN Rohit/IBTimes India

For those unaware, Zenfone 5 comes with dual cameras: 12MP (with Sony IMX363 with f/1.8 aperture) and 8MP 120-degree wide-angle lens f/2.2 aperture sensors. And, on the front, it houses an 8MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture [complete specs below].

Battery:

Asus Zenfone 5 houses 3,300mAh cell with fast charging capability. The company also claims that the phone's AI feature, based on device owner's battery charging routine, intuitively controls the charging rate.

For instance, if the user has the habit of leaving the phone connected to a charging point and retire to bed at 10 pm and wake up at 6:00 am to disconnect the phone, the AI feature of the phone dynamically change the charging rate and finally complete the full charging of the phone, just before the user gets up.

Asus, Zenfone 5, design, review, battery
Asus Zenfone 5 comes with special AI charging technology that only extends the overall battery lifespan, but also maintains the optimum performance level of the phone in the long runAsus.com (screen-grab)

The company says that the intelligent charging technique will not only improve the battery lifespan and also maintain the optimum performance in the long run. Recently Apple was panned for throttling of older iPhones CPU performance to delay the speed of chemical degradation of the battery.

First impression:

We cannot help but point out that Asus Zenfone 5 is an Apple iPhone X clone. Having said that, the Asus mobile will definitely appeal to consumers as its spec-sheet is very impressive for a mid-range phone. If priced aggressively under Rs 20,000 in the emerging market like India, Asus will surely give a stiff challenge to established brands such as Xiaomi, Samsung, and Motorola, among other Chinese players.

Key specifications of Asus Zenfone 5 (2018):

Model Asus Zenfone 5 (2018)
Display 6.2-inch full HD+ (2246x1080p) super IPS+ LCD screen having 90% screen-to-body ratio, supports DCI-P3 and Smart Screen On
  • Brightness: 550 nits, 96% NTSC color gamut
  • Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass shield and Bluelight filter for eye care, Auto Color Temperature,
  • Touchscreen: Capacitive touch panel with 10 points multi-touch (supports glove touch)
OS Android Oreo-based ZenUI
Processor 14nm-based FinFET LPP (Low Power Plus) power saving technology processed 64-bit class Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor + ASUS AI Boost
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 509
RAM 4GB/6GB
Storage 64GB eMCP UFS 2.1 memory (+ expandable up to 2TB via microSD card)
Camera Main camera:
  • Primary: 12MP dual pixel (Sony IMX363) image sensor-1/2.55-inch large sensor size, 1.4µm large pixel size, F1.8 aperture, 24mm equivalent focal length in 35mm film camera, 6 physical lenses, 83-degree, instant camera switching, 0.03 seconds phase-detection autofocus, 4-axis, 4 stops optical image stabilization, LED flash
  • AI photography: AI scene detection in 16 types: food, sky, green field, plant, ocean, sunset, snow, flower, stage, dog, cat, people, text, tripod, QR code, night view, AI Photo Learning, Real-time Portrait and Real-time Beautification
  • PixelMaster camera modes: Auto (with Night HDR and Portrait), Beauty, Pro (RAW file support / up to 32 seconds long exposure), Super Resolution (48MP), GIF Animation, Panorama, Time Lapse (with power saving mode), 8 various filters
  • Secondary: 8MP sensor with 120-degree wide-angle camera, 200% wider view compared to other brands, 12mm equivalent focal length in 35mm film camera

Front camera:

  • 8MP sensor with F2.0 aperture, 24mm equivalent focal length in 35mm film camera and 84-degree field of view; PixelMaster camera mode: Auto (with Night HDR & Portrait), Beauty, Selfie Panorama, GIF Animation and 8 other filters
Video
  • 4K UHD (3840x2160p) video at 60 fps for main rear camera
  • 1080p FHD video recording at 30 / 60 fps
  • 720p HD video recording at 30 fps
  • 3-axis electronic image stabilization for front and rear camera shake-free videos
  • Take a still photo while recording video
  • Slow Motion video (1080p at 120 fps / 720p at 240 fps)
  • ZeniMoji: Live Emoji
Audio Speaker: Dual speakers
  • 5-magnet speaker with dual NXP Smart AMP for louder, deeper and less distorted sound effect

Audio Output:

  • Hi-Res audio 192kHz/24-bit standard that is 4 times better than CD quality

DTS (Digital Theater System) Headphone:

  • X™ 7.1 virtual surround sound for headphone support
  • Audio CODEC integrated into PMIC
  • AudioWizard with listening profile

Microphone:

  • Dual internal microphones with ASUS Noise Reduction Technology
Battery 3300mAh with fast charging
  • AI & scheduled charging for battery protection

Power Adapter:

  • Output: 5V 2A 10W, supports up to 18W Adapter
Network LTE Cat13 UL up to 150 Mbps / Cat12 DL up to 600 Mbps
Add-ons Dual SIM (hybrid type: SIM-1 4G nano + SIM-2 4G nano or microSD card), Bluetooth v5.0, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac: dual-band: 2.4 & 5GHz), FM Radio, GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BDS
Sensors Rear fingerprint sensor (0.2 seconds unlock, supports 5 fingerprints), Face recognition, Accelerator, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, RGB sensor
Dimension 153.0 x 75.65 x 7.7 mm
Weight 155 g
Colors Meteor Silver, Midnight Blue