Asus, Zenfone 5z, first impression, hands-on, review India, launch, price, specs
Asus Zenfone 5Z launched in India with prices starting at Rs 29,999.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India

Taiwanese consumer electronics major Asus is all geared up to release the new top-end variant of the company's Android phone Zenfone 5Z in India later this month.

The company has announced that the new Zenfone 5Z will go on sale exclusively on Flipkart for Rs 36,999 from July 30. It is also offering several launch offers, including flat Rs 2,000 discount for customers with Axis credit/debit (including EMI options).

Reliance Jio subscribers can claim another Rs 2,200 cashback. But, it can only be redeemed with Rs 198 and Rs 299 plans. Additionally, they are entitled to get 100GB extra 4G data (10GB 4G additional data voucher per recharge for first 10 recharges).

Asus is going a step further in terms of after sale service, as they will be providing Free Pick up and Drop service option available to all ZenFone 5Z customers during the warranty period and also if required, they will give 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.

Is Asus Zenfone 5Z worthy investing your money?

Absolutely Yes! It checks all the boxes for the title flagship killer phone. I had the opportunity to review the Zenfone 5Z for more than two weeks and it impressed me a lot with almost all aspects such as build quality, display, performance, camera, and long-lasting battery.

With additional memory, it will be smoother in terms of day-to-day functioning and gaming compared to the standard model. The new Zenfone 5Z model comes with sumptuous 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, 33-percent and 100-percent more RAM and memory compared to a generic variant, which by the way comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage.

It also comes with microSD card option that allows users to expand up to 2TB (2048GB). The rest of the features are same as the generic models.

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

The Zenfone 5Z houses the 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 camera 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

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, Android Oreo, 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.

With just Rs 36,999 price-tag, the top-end Asus Zenfone 5Z (8GB RAM+256GB) model is undeniably the best value-for-money flagship phone in the market.

Key specifications of Asus Zenfone 5Z launch:

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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