Last month, Asus India has launched the affordable flagship device the Asus ZenFone 5Z, the device will directly compete with OnePlus 6. The Phone pack all the latest from current trend and hugely improved the software and camera as compared to last Asus phone. Here is my review of Asus ZenFone 5Z:
Pros of Asus ZenFone 5Z
- Design
- Superb Camera Quality
- Battery Life
- Performance
- Slick & Fast UI
Cons of Asus ZenFone 5Z
- No Water or Dust Resistance
- Face Unlock is still hit & miss
Design & Hardware
The Asus ZenFone 5Z comes with aluminum body with Zircon sandblasted premium finish and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass on both the side. Because of the glass panel at the back, the phone shines in the light and looks very premium.
The Display comes with 6.2-inch Full HD+ Display with the big notch. The Display has 500 nits Brightness and can easily be read in direct sunlight. The Display looks gorgeous and the colors production are up to the mark.
At the bottom, the phone comes with 3.5mm jack, USB Type-C port and a speaker. The Power & volume button is on the right-hand side.
Software
The Asus ZenFone 5Z comes with Android 8.0 Oreo with brand new Asus ZenUI 5. Asus finally light up its skin, now its look more like Google Launcher. Asus launcher is now more subtle, cleaner, less bloatware, and gesture support.
ZenUI 5 now also harness the power of AI. It can now suggest apps based on your daily habits. It group apps at the bottom of the apps screen. It also keeps the screen ON when you’re looking at it. However, I noticed that some AI features such as Suggest Apps, AI Charging and Smart screen is Off by default. You’ve to go to Settings → Advanced → AI Features to enable them.
Asus introduces new intelligent charging features to maximize the battery lifespan. AI Charging will adjust the power rate based on the time. If you’re a person who left the phone for the overnight charge, then AI will auto cut the power after battery percentage reached the certain level.
Performance
Asus ZenFone 5Z is powered by Qualcomm latest Snapdragon 845 processor and 6GB of RAM. The Phone performance is top notch, it can easily handle all the day to day tasks without any hiccups. From apps to games, everything is buttery smooth.
The Asus also bundle Bluetooth 5.0 which can connect the multiple Bluetooth speakers with ease. It also has DAC that boost audio performance in wired gear and AptX if you prefer Wireless. The phone comes with fast charging and you’ll get an 18W charger in the package which charges your phone at very high speed.
Camera
The ZenFone 5Z comes with dual camera arrangement on the rear, the first camera has 12 MP IMX363 dual-pixel image sensor with f/1.8 aperture, 6p lens, 4-Axis OIS + EIS. The second camera is the 120° wide-angle camera with the 8MP f/2.2 camera sensor.
The Main camera of 5Z is pretty impressive in almost every lighting conditions, the image is crisp, color reproduction is great, very fast focus and Auto HDR works great. Also, the performance of the phone really helps to snap the picture at the very fast rate. The camera comes with many modes such as Auto, Beauty, Pro, Super Resolution, GIF Animation, Panorama, Slow Motion, Portrait, and Time-lapse mode. Accessing these settings are very easy, you just have to swipe left and select the desired mode. The Portrait mode can be selected directly from the main screen.
The secondary wide-angle camera takes the 120° wide photos, however, the quality of that photo is not that great as compared to the main sensor. So it’s better to keep this mode untouched. However, if you want to use then you can select this mode directly from the main camera screen. just tap on triangle icon near the shutter button to select this lens.
The ZenFone 5Z front camera also did the fabulous job with your selfie. The 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture did the superb job even in the low condition, the company also added the EIS support on the front camera so that you can shoot smooth selfie video.
Camera Samples
Battery Life
The Asus ZenFone 5Z comes with 330 mAh battery with the support of Qualcomm Quick Charging 3.0 & AI Charging. During my testing, the phone can easily take you to the 1.5 Days, it means if you fully charge the device on Day 1 Morning at 8 AM then you’ve to plug it again on Day 2 at around 1 PM. My usage includes the camera, playing games, Always On 4G LTE and a few calls.
Conclusion
Asus ZenFone 5Z is a solid device and are the strong competitor of OnePlus 6. While OnePlus still not perfect with their software department, Asus did the brilliant job with 5Z. In terms of Performance, Design and Camera department Asus did a great job with ZenFone 5Z. Even the battery life is solid with the support of fast charging.
If you’re looking for an affordable flagship around the 30K budget then I strongly recommend the Asus ZenFone 5Z. Go for it.
