Asus, Zenfone 5z, first impression, hands-on, review India, launch, price, specs
Asus Zenfone 5Z comes less pre-loaded apps compared to other Android phones in the market.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India

Consumer electronics giant, Asus is releasing the company's top-end model of the flagship Zenfone 5Z with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage later today in India.

Official e-commerce partner Flipkart will kick off Zenfone 5Z sale at 12:00 pm for Rs 36,999. As part of the promotional launch campaign, Asus is offering flat Rs 2,000 discount for consumers with Axis debit/credit card.

Also, Reliance Jio customers can claim further Rs 2,200 cash back. But, can be redeemed with Rs 198 and Rs 299 plans. Additionally, they are entitled to 100GB extra 4G data (10GB 4G additional data voucher per recharge for first 10 recharges).

As far as after-sale service is concerned, Asus is promising to provide free pick up and drop service option to all ZenFone 5Z customers during the warranty period and also if need be, they will provide a standby handset at Asus service centres.

Flipkart too is offering Complete Mobile Protection worth Rs 2299 at a special discounted price of Rs 499 and also as part of the Flipkart Smart Buy, Zenfone 5Z consumers can purchase good quality tempered glass, case or cover for the special price of Rs 229 each.

Does Asus Zenfone 5Z justify for the Rs 36,999 price-tag?

Absolutely Yes! It's a complete package. Asus phone ticks all the check-boxes of a flagship phone and yet cost less than half of the rival brands charge for their phones such as Samsung Galaxy S9, Huawei P20 Pro, Oppo Find X and Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium, among others. Asus phone can be purchased for a lesser price than the OnePlus 6 128GB models in India.

I had the opportunity to review the Zenfone 5Z for more than two weeks and it impressed me a lot with the build quality, display, performance, camera, and long-lasting battery.

Asus, Zenfone 5Z, hands-on, review India, launch, price, specs
Asus Zenfone 5Z comes with full HD screen having 19:9 aspect ratio.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India

With additional memory, it will be smoother in terms of day-to-day functioning and gaming experience compared to the standard model and truly lives up to its tag-line: 'Flagship Redefined'. This top-end Asus Zenfone 5Z (8GB RAM+256GB) model is undeniably the best value-for-money flagship phone in the market.

In addition to 33-percent and 100-percent more RAM and memory compared to the generic variant, the top-end model also supports microSD card option that allows users to expand up to 2TB (2048GB). Rest of features same as the standard models.

The Zenfone 5Z features Snapdragon 845 octa-core, Qualcomm's latest and most powerful CPU to date and yet costs much less than compared to similar flagships such as OnePlus 6 and Samsung Galaxy S9 series, among others.

Another notable aspect of the Asus phone is the photography hardware. It boasts 12MP+8MP dual-camera with super 0.03 second Tri-tech autofocus, dual-tone LED flash and Artificial Intelligence(AI)-powered photography system with 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 for grouping albums, Real-time Portrait, real-time Beautification and more. Additionally, it boasts Pixel 3 Master system with Super Resolution (48MP) image taking ability and more.

Asus, Zenfone 5z, review, hands-on, India, launch, price, specs
Asus Zenfone 5Z comes with metal-shell with glass cover on the top.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India

On the front too, it houses equally impressive 8MP sensor with F2.0 aperture, OV8856 sensor, 83-degree wide-angle lens, PixelMaster camera modes: Auto (with Night HDR and Portrait), Beauty, GIF, Animation, 8 various filters.

Other stipulated features include 6.2-inch full HD+ screen, Adreno 630 graphics engine, 4GB/64GB/8GB RAM, 64GB/128GB/256GB storage and a 3,300mAh battery, which is enough to keep the phone running for more than a day under mixed usage.

Asus, Zenfone 5z, first impression, hands-on, review India, launch, price, specs
Asus Zenfone 5z comes in Meteor Silver and Midnight Blue colour options.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India

Key specifications of Asus Zenfone 5z :

Model Asus Zenfone 5z
Display 6.2-inch full HD+ (24460x1080p) 2.5D curved glass super IPS+ LCD screen with Corning Glass protection, glove touch support
  • Brightness: 550 nits
  • Colour Gamut: 95.4% NTSC, DCI-PC 3
  • Contrast ratio: 1500:1
  • Aspect ratio: 19:9
  • Screen-to-body ratio: 90%
  • Blue-light filter for eye care
  • Auto Colour Temperature
  • Smart Screen On
  • Capacitive touch panel with 10 points multi-touch (supports glove touch)
OS Android Oreo with ZenUI 5.0 (guaranteed to get Android P)
Processor 10nm class 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core with AI Boost
GPU Adreno 630
RAM 4GB/6GB/ 8GB
Storage 64GB/128GB/256GB, + up to 2TB via microSD
Camera
  • Main dual-cameras: 12MP (with Sony IMX363 sensor, 1.4µm pixel size, F1.8 aperture, 0.03s Tri-Tech auto-focus/dual-Pixel, Phase Shift Auto Focus (PDAF), 4-axis OIS Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), Electrical Image Stabilisation (EIS), Pro mode with RAW support) + 8MP (with OV8856 sensor, 120-degree wide-angle lens and F2.2 aperture), dual-tone LED flash with 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, Real-time Beautification, Pixel 3 Master (main camera) modes: Auto (with Night HDR and Portrait), Beauty, Super Resolution (48MP), GIF Animation, Time Lapse (with power saving mode), 8 various filters
  • Front: 8MP sensor with F2.0 aperture, OV8856 sensor, 83-degree wide-angle lens, PixelMaster camera modes: Auto (with Night HDR and Portrait), Beauty, GIF, Animation, 8 various filters
Video recording
  • 4K UHD (3840 by 2160) 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 rear cameras
  • Take still photo while recording video
  • Slow Motion video (1080p at 240 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
  • Qualcomm Audio CODEC
  • AudioWizard with listening profile

Microphone:

  • Triple internal microphones with ASUS Noise Reduction Technology;

FM Receiver:

  • FM radio
Battery 3,300mAh battery with Asus BoostMaster fast charging and AI-charging
Network 4G-LTE Cat 12
Sensors Rear fingerprint sensor (0.3 seconds unlock, supports 5 fingerprints), Face recognition, Accelerator, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, RGB sensor
Add-ons Dual-SIM slots (Type hybrid: SIM-1 + SIM 2 or microSD card), Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi (with 802.11 ac with 2x2 MIMO-DL 866mbps), Near Field Communication (NFC), A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, ASUS ZenEar Pro Hi-Res earphone with microphone will be part of package, Type C USB port (v2.0). 3.5 mm audio jack port,
Dimensions 153 × 75.65 × 7.85 mm
Weight 155g
Colours Midnight blue and Meteor Silver
Price
  • 6GB RAM +64GB storage: Rs 29,999
  • 6GB RAM + 128GB storage: Rs 32,999
  • 8GB RAM+256GB storage: Rs 36,999

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