Asus Zenfone 5 – In pursuit of sleek

Asus has been delivering very sleek devices in the budget range, and not just that, the specifications compliment the device, and in that price range , Asus smartphones are one of the best. I had the good fortune of getting my hands on the Asus Zenfone 5, and after a few hours of usage, I couldn’t believe Asus fit in so many features in that modest price range. Some might argue that the Redmi Note 4G or even the new Yu Yureka can beat this device, but opinions are purely restricted to individuals.
Lets dive straight into the device and check out its mettle.

• Connectivity – The Zenfone 5 features 2G and 3G connectivity. I expected 4G connectivity, as it won’t be long before 4G bands set into the market, and the Zenfone users will clearly feel left out. Its a shame that although we get the dual sim feature in the Zenfone 5, the absence of 4G connectivity is big drawback. People today expect full connectivity , and I fear, that the absence of 4G will surely not do the Zenfone 5 any favours in terms of sales.

• Display – The Zenfone 5 features 5 inch 720p HD display with a modest ppi density of 294ppi. The colors are vibrant, and text is sharp enough to be viewed clearly at maximum zoom. The screen to body ratio stands at 63.9%, which is decent considering the pricing, but sometimes, the phone can feel a bit bulky when it comes to one handed use. One the plus side, we get Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and the ZenUI is quick and snappy, and gives you a nice , fluid experience. The Overall design is very sleek, and probably makes the Zenfone 5 , the best looking device in its segement. The metal finished strip below the touch controls adds that extra punch to the device. Asus has made a glaring mistake by not including a backlight for the touch controls, and it can get frustrating to locate the controls in the dark. The back panel is removable, though the battery is sealed. Asus has given a metal feel to the back panels, making the handling feel very exclusive. The colors on the case are not exactly the vibrant blocks of glossy plastic, but rather, subtle metallic shades which are a treat to the eyes. Overall, when it comes to the display and overall device, its probably a 7/10 at best.

• Performance – The Zenfone 5 features the Intel Atom Z2580/2560 chipset, depending on the model you buy. I was initially skeptical about how the chipset will perform, but to my pleasant surprise, the dual core 2 GHz CPU didsnt disappoint , and gave me a good , quick performance, and though the Snapdrgaon chipsets are a class apart, Intel seems to be making quick improvements to their chipsets as well. As far as the GPU is concerned , we get the PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU which can handle the trickiest of games with ease, but there are cases where the device heats up , which is bound to happen when you try running a high graphics game on the device for a long time. Given a choice, I would have preferred the Snapdragon and Adreno package , but the Intel- PowerVR combo does equally well. I would give the performance a 7/10 as well.

• Memory – The device comes in two flavours – The first variant with 8 GB internal memory which features 1GB RAM, while the second variant features 16 GB internal memory with 2GB RAM. We get the memory expansion option via SD card upto 64 GB. I would recommend buying the 16 GB variant, as 8 GB internal memory these days is not sufficient, as the system apps eat a lot of memory these days, and before long you will be subject to the really frustrating “insufficient memory” errors. 16 GB is the safe internal memory configuration these days, so that is what i recommend. The memory will get an 8/10 from me.

• Camera – The camera package is the 8MP-2MP combo, which , according to me, could have done much better. The image quality is not exactly stellar, and the fact that you have to use the volume keys as the shutter makes it very annoying sometimes. The features included in the device are pretty good, but the sensor could have been much better. Asus has included a feature they call ‘Pixelmaster’ which enhances the quality of pictures taken , but even after that filter has been used, you will not really find them top notch. The live Filters work really well, and the time rewind for video recording is very useful. There is an option to include a shutter button on the screen , but that somehow doesn’t give the output you would expect. Overall, its not the best camera sensors around, but considering the price point, I would say its decent. I would give the Camera package a 6.5 / 10 at best.

• Media – The overall media package is quite nice, and you can play most music and videos without a hitch. The only drawback I found here is the speaker quality. The audio enhancement produces no musical magic whatsoever, and as the speaker grille is on the rear of the device, the device literally has to be flipped over if you want legible playback. That was something i was not impressed with , and I think Asus should really work on the speaker output in their upcoming devices. Its a 6/10 on the media front from me.

• Battery – The Zenfone 5 features a 2110 mAh battery, which gives a day of use, but if you are someone who uses 3G data , and play a lot of games, then I would recommend you buy a power bank along with your device. I expected a bigger battery, but it was not to be. 

Overall, the Zenfone 5 is a value for money device, and there is no hassle of buying the device, as there is no special invites or registration required. All you have to do is go on the e-retail website or your nearest ASUS store and grab it. In conclusion, I would say-

If you are looking for a device which costs under INR 10000, and you really don’t have the patience to wait for the next flash sale to happen, This should be your top choice.