Home Tech Editorials ASUS ZenFone 5 Unboxing and First Impressions

ASUS ZenFone 5 Unboxing and First Impressions

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Asus recently released the Asus ZenFone 5 series in the Philippines. The series includes the ZenFone 5ZenFone 5Z, and the ZenFone 5Q. We finally got our hands on the all-new Zenfone 5, which the company dubbed as the Intelligent Zenfone. Before we show you some comparisons, here’s an unboxing and our initial thoughts on the ASUS Zenfone 5!

Asus ZenFone 5 Full Specs

SPECS Asus ZenFone 5
Display 6.2 inches IPS LCD Display (1080 x 2246)
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 636
GPU Adreno 509
Memory 4/6GB of RAM, 64GB internal storage
Rear Camera Dual 12MP+8MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus and dual-LED Flash
Front Camera 8MP selfie camera
Connectivity Hybrid dual Nano sim, Dual 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS support, USB Type-C, NFC
Battery non-removable 3,300mAh Li-Ion battery, supports Fast battery charging 5V/2A 10W
OS Android 8.0 Oreo
Price PHP 19,995

What’s Inside the Box?

The ASUS ZenFone 5 comes in a Navy Blue box with the Zenfone logo and unit name in Neon Blue embossed on the center of the box. The ASUS logo can be seen at the top and bottom part of the box, while the slogan “We love photo” on both sides.

Inside the box are the 6.2-inches ASUS Zenfone 5 smartphone, a packet containing  SIM ejector pin, a silicon case, and the user manual. There’s also the headphones, USB adapter, and the USB Type-C charging cable.

Design

The Zenfone 5 has a double sided glass design with Corning Gorilla Glass. Same with almost every smartphone getting launched this year, this all-new Zenfone 5 has the notch, which was popularized by Apple. However, the Zenfone’s notch is smaller compared to the iPhone X’s.

The power button and the volume rockers are both located on the right side of the smartphone while the SIM trays are located on the left side. At the bottom bunk of the phone are the speaker, microphone, 3.5mm audio jack, and the USB Type-C port.

When you look at the notch on top, it bears the front-facing camera, the earpiece, and some sensors.

Now, let’s flip the phone and look at the rear portion. The back part of the ASUS Zenfone 5 is made up of premium glass. The dual camera setup is placed vertically, with the LED flash positioned below it. At the center is the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and below is the ASUS logo.

Display

Heading to the display, the ASUS Zenfone 5 has a  6.2 inches IPS LCD screen with 1080 x 2246 resolution, edge to edge 19:9 display. There’s no physical buttons and capacitive keys up front. ASUS put on-screen keys instead.

It’s pretty nifty for its size, it looks pretty good and it’s not hard to hold even for people with small hands.

We tried watching some movie trailers and we’re pretty satisfied with the display. We also watched some aesthetically vibrant music videos and it was able to take every color accurately. We also took out our phone outside to take pictures in broad daylight, and we didn’t experience any viewing problems so far.

Sadly, there’s no option to hide the notch on this phone, unlike the Huawei P20 series. But if you get irritated with the notch while watching movies on it, you can pinch the sides of the display to make the screen smaller and ditch the notch.

We’ll dive deeper regarding the viewing experience on this smartphone in our upcoming review.

Camera

In the camera department, it comes with a dual 12MP+8MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus and dual-LED Flash. On the other side, it has an 8MP selfie camera. Here are some sample shots:

Other Features

This all-new ASUS Zenfone 5 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, coupled with 4 or 6GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage. This runs on Android 8.0 Oreo and is fueled by a 3300mAh battery pack, which also supports fast charging.

ASUS called this as the most intelligent Zenfone ever as it contains AI capabilities. Just like other AI-powered smartphones, it can identify up to 16 different scenes when taking pictures and it automatically adjusts its settings to take the best result. The ringtone also adjusts depending on how noisy the user’s current situation.

It also has an auto color temperature option wherein the brightness and feel of the display will adjust depending on the environment. We will talk more about its features and our experiences using the device on our full review. So, better check that out.

Price and Availability

The ZenFone 5 is priced at Php 19,995 whereas the more upgraded ZenFone 5Z is priced at Php 29,995. Meanwhile, the ZenFone 5Q will cost Php 16,995. The ZenFone 5 and 5Q are already available in Philippine stores.

 

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