Ronnie012
Earthling
*www.digit.in/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=14807&d=1411931864
So it’s been close to two months now and during which period I have invariably used, tried and tested my Zenfone 5 after having purchased it from a local outlet near my home. So I decided that the time is ripe now for me to write a review regarding my two months experience with my Zen-ie .
But before I begin, just let me enthuse upon few points regarding me and this review.
First and foremost purpose of this review –
1. Give an insight to members of this forum regarding a first hand user experience so as to help other members in obtaining knowledge about the product.
2. Help potential buyers (in this forum)make better decisions.
3. Bring this phone to focus.
Second, regarding me and Android –
1. Since this is my first android phone and I might lack some knowledge regarding the OS and Android phones so kindly rectify if you find any mistakes regarding the review.
Second but also foremost-My Purpose for buying this phone
1. Need for a phone with good camera - I already had a digital camera which hardly got the time to use(if at all). Thus I realised the need for a phone with good camera with which I could click good pictures on the go.
2. Need for an Android Smartphone - My old Noika which runs Symbian OS is quite outdated so needed an up to date modern and smart phone.
3. Need for a phone to watch movies and view internet, documents and play games.
Hence I decided to go with Asus Zenfone 5 which fulfilled my above given needs
(P.S. - Am I over doing the Smiley thingy )
Now lets Begin the review.
Regarding the Company - ASUS
Asus is a well known brand in the world of computers. It is famous for its laptops, desktops and other computer peripherals. ASUS is the world's fifth-largest PC vendor by 2013 unit sales.
ASUS and Mobiles
Now here is something that I want to share with some members here. I found many of the members here commenting about how Asus is totally new in the mobile market while others commented that this is untrue – That Asus launched Padfones earlier!
Now let me add a further comment here by stating that both of the above comments are wrong! Asus is basically Old in the mobile market and has been launching mobiles from many years back.
Asus Windows PDAs were launched in the market (around 2006-2007) much before Nokia came out with the Lumia.
So basically, not only as a PC maker, but ASUS is also returning to the mobile market as a mobile maker with its 2014 Asus Zenfone range of mobiles.
Now regarding the Phone
An Android phone with a lot of features, the Asus Zenfone 5 comprises a 5 inches screen, Intel Atom CPU of 1.6 Ghz, 2 Gb Ram, 8 Mp rear camera and a 2 Mp front facing camera. Available at an affordable price range, the Zenfone 5 boasts of features and specifications that can give even higher ranged mobiles a run for their money.
Launched in Indian during the month of July 2014 as a competitor to such models as Moto G, Samsung Core, Sony Xperia L, Xiaomi Mi3 amongst others, this mobile has become quite successful within a short period of time not only due to its price but also for bang for the buck it offers.
Specificatios and Features
In detail-
Form factor Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm) 148.20 x 72.80 x 10.34
Weight (g) 145.00
Battery capacity (mAh) 2110
Removable battery No
Colours Black, White, Red, Gold
Display
Screen size (inches) 5.00
Touchscreen Yes
Touchscreen type IPS Capacitive
Resolution 720x1280 pixels
Colours 16M
Hardware
Processor 1.6GHz dual-core
Processor make Intel Atom Z2560
RAM 2GB
Internal storage 8GB
Expandable storage Yes
Expandable storage type microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB) 64
Camera
Rear camera 8-megapixel
Flash Yes
Front camera 2-megapixel
Software
Operating System Android 4.3
Skin ZenUI
Java support Yes
Connectivity
Wi-Fi Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported 802.11 b/ g/ n
GPS Yes
Bluetooth Yes, v 4.00
Wi-Fi Direct Yes
Headphones 3.5mm
USB Micro-USB
Charging via Micro-USB Yes
Number of SIMs 2
SIM 1
SIM Type Micro-SIM
GSM/ CDMA GSM
3G Yes
SIM 2
SIM Type Micro-SIM
GSM/ CDMA GSM
3G Yes
Sensors
Compass/ Magnetometer Yes
Proximity sensor Yes
Accelerometer Yes
Ambient light sensor Yes
The Ui
Zen Ui as it’s called is a customized version of the stock Android Ui. Due to the 2 Gb Ram and super fast Intel 1.6 Ghz processor, users can experience a super smooth and flawless android experience that is free from any lags, hangs or any other issues whatsoever.
The Phone arrives with Android Version 4.3 out of the box with guaranteed updates to Android 4.4 (Kit Kat) and expected update to Android L.
Apart from the super fast and smooth Ui, another thing which I noticed about the device was how less Ram it consumed. The phone comes with 2 GB of Ram but upon using it I found that only around 600 – 700 Mb of Ram was utilised by the phone most of the time (That leaves you with a whopping 1300 – 1400 Mb of Ram free!) Talk about FreeDom! (or FreeRam)
The Hardware
Upon receiving the mobile(a white one)I actually couldn’ t take my eyes of it. The phone looks and feels premium! While holding the phone I felt that it’s not a 10,000 Rupees phone but a 20,000 Rupees one.
The 2 GB Ram and Intel Atom 1.6 Ghz processor are the strong points of this mobile and you will experience almost zero lags while playing any high end mobile game or while multitasking.
The Intel Atom processor has two drawbacks though –
1. This processor is a bit more power hungry as compared to the snapdragon one so expectedly battery consumption is a bit more.
2. Although majority (almost all) games and apps will run smoothly on this device, but there are a negligible few games which are not compatible yet , for example – GTA SA (Gta VC and most other games are compatible though so I don’t think that this is a big issue)
The Camera
Now this is the biggest Pro of this device and is the department where I feel this model really shines and provides the biggest advantage and vfm. The Camera of Asus Zenfone is superb producing excellent photos and capturing great details. The 8 Mp rear camera produces outstanding images in bright daylight and details in the captured images are excellent. In case of low light though, the pictures taken with flash of near objects are excellent but of distant objects are average. The HDR mode takes average pics under dark conditions but photos taken under bright sunlight are excellent.
Battery Life
Regarding the battery life, all I can say is that it basically depends upon what kind of a user you are. The battery life is average so don’t expect too much from it. In my case, getting around 12 – 14 hours of moderate usage and pretty happy with it. But if you are a heavy user then better get a powerbank or carry a charger with you(will last around 6 – 7 hours without).
If I have to explain about the Screen on time then expect around 4 – 5 hours of continuous movie viewing , 2 – 4 hours of gaming and website browsing (With screen set to auto brightness)
Please Note - I am new to smartphones so don't know much regarding expected battery life of android mobiles.
Edit : Battery life expected to increase by around 30% - 40% after upgradation to Kitkat.
Video and Music
I have tested videos ranging from 480 p, 720 p to 1080 p videos in this mobile and altogether experienced a lag free experience.
Expect great music quality with headphones plugged in or with speakers attached but without a headphone or a speaker attached the sound is a bit low in my opinion.
Call Quality
Call quality is distinct and clear.
Bottomline
Before purchasing, be reminded of its average battery life. For those who can manage with it's average battery life, get it. It will take good pictures, play most games and videos and will offer an overall good android experience.
So hope my review was helpful to members. Will update it soon with pictures and screenshots and hardware benchmarking.
So it’s been close to two months now and during which period I have invariably used, tried and tested my Zenfone 5 after having purchased it from a local outlet near my home. So I decided that the time is ripe now for me to write a review regarding my two months experience with my Zen-ie .
But before I begin, just let me enthuse upon few points regarding me and this review.
First and foremost purpose of this review –
1. Give an insight to members of this forum regarding a first hand user experience so as to help other members in obtaining knowledge about the product.
2. Help potential buyers (in this forum)make better decisions.
3. Bring this phone to focus.
Second, regarding me and Android –
1. Since this is my first android phone and I might lack some knowledge regarding the OS and Android phones so kindly rectify if you find any mistakes regarding the review.
Second but also foremost-My Purpose for buying this phone
1. Need for a phone with good camera - I already had a digital camera which hardly got the time to use(if at all). Thus I realised the need for a phone with good camera with which I could click good pictures on the go.
2. Need for an Android Smartphone - My old Noika which runs Symbian OS is quite outdated so needed an up to date modern and smart phone.
3. Need for a phone to watch movies and view internet, documents and play games.
Hence I decided to go with Asus Zenfone 5 which fulfilled my above given needs
(P.S. - Am I over doing the Smiley thingy
)Now lets Begin the review.
Regarding the Company - ASUS
Asus is a well known brand in the world of computers. It is famous for its laptops, desktops and other computer peripherals. ASUS is the world's fifth-largest PC vendor by 2013 unit sales.
ASUS and Mobiles
Now here is something that I want to share with some members here. I found many of the members here commenting about how Asus is totally new in the mobile market while others commented that this is untrue – That Asus launched Padfones earlier!
Now let me add a further comment here by stating that both of the above comments are wrong! Asus is basically Old in the mobile market and has been launching mobiles from many years back.
Asus Windows PDAs were launched in the market (around 2006-2007) much before Nokia came out with the Lumia.
So basically, not only as a PC maker, but ASUS is also returning to the mobile market as a mobile maker with its 2014 Asus Zenfone range of mobiles.
Now regarding the Phone
*www.digit.in/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=14805&d=1411929706
An Android phone with a lot of features, the Asus Zenfone 5 comprises a 5 inches screen, Intel Atom CPU of 1.6 Ghz, 2 Gb Ram, 8 Mp rear camera and a 2 Mp front facing camera. Available at an affordable price range, the Zenfone 5 boasts of features and specifications that can give even higher ranged mobiles a run for their money.
Launched in Indian during the month of July 2014 as a competitor to such models as Moto G, Samsung Core, Sony Xperia L, Xiaomi Mi3 amongst others, this mobile has become quite successful within a short period of time not only due to its price but also for bang for the buck it offers.
Specificatios and Features
In detail-
Form factor Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm) 148.20 x 72.80 x 10.34
Weight (g) 145.00
Battery capacity (mAh) 2110
Removable battery No
Colours Black, White, Red, Gold
Display
Screen size (inches) 5.00
Touchscreen Yes
Touchscreen type IPS Capacitive
Resolution 720x1280 pixels
Colours 16M
Hardware
Processor 1.6GHz dual-core
Processor make Intel Atom Z2560
RAM 2GB
Internal storage 8GB
Expandable storage Yes
Expandable storage type microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB) 64
Camera
Rear camera 8-megapixel
Flash Yes
Front camera 2-megapixel
Software
Operating System Android 4.3
Skin ZenUI
Java support Yes
Connectivity
Wi-Fi Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported 802.11 b/ g/ n
GPS Yes
Bluetooth Yes, v 4.00
Wi-Fi Direct Yes
Headphones 3.5mm
USB Micro-USB
Charging via Micro-USB Yes
Number of SIMs 2
SIM 1
SIM Type Micro-SIM
GSM/ CDMA GSM
3G Yes
SIM 2
SIM Type Micro-SIM
GSM/ CDMA GSM
3G Yes
Sensors
Compass/ Magnetometer Yes
Proximity sensor Yes
Accelerometer Yes
Ambient light sensor Yes
The Ui
*www.digit.in/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=14812&d=1412007274
*www.digit.in/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=14810&d=1412006829
The Phone arrives with Android Version 4.3 out of the box with guaranteed updates to Android 4.4 (Kit Kat) and expected update to Android L.
Apart from the super fast and smooth Ui, another thing which I noticed about the device was how less Ram it consumed. The phone comes with 2 GB of Ram but upon using it I found that only around 600 – 700 Mb of Ram was utilised by the phone most of the time (That leaves you with a whopping 1300 – 1400 Mb of Ram free!) Talk about FreeDom! (or FreeRam
) The Hardware
*www.digit.in/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=14806&d=1411930538
The 2 GB Ram and Intel Atom 1.6 Ghz processor are the strong points of this mobile and you will experience almost zero lags while playing any high end mobile game or while multitasking.
The Intel Atom processor has two drawbacks though –
1. This processor is a bit more power hungry as compared to the snapdragon one so expectedly battery consumption is a bit more.
2. Although majority (almost all) games and apps will run smoothly on this device, but there are a negligible few games which are not compatible yet , for example – GTA SA (Gta VC and most other games are compatible though so I don’t think that this is a big issue)
The Camera
*www.digit.in/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=14814&d=1412007887
Battery Life
Regarding the battery life, all I can say is that it basically depends upon what kind of a user you are. The battery life is average so don’t expect too much from it. In my case, getting around 12 – 14 hours of moderate usage and pretty happy with it. But if you are a heavy user then better get a powerbank or carry a charger with you(will last around 6 – 7 hours without).
If I have to explain about the Screen on time then expect around 4 – 5 hours of continuous movie viewing , 2 – 4 hours of gaming and website browsing (With screen set to auto brightness)
Please Note - I am new to smartphones so don't know much regarding expected battery life of android mobiles.
Edit : Battery life expected to increase by around 30% - 40% after upgradation to Kitkat.
Video and Music
I have tested videos ranging from 480 p, 720 p to 1080 p videos in this mobile and altogether experienced a lag free experience.
Expect great music quality with headphones plugged in or with speakers attached but without a headphone or a speaker attached the sound is a bit low in my opinion.
Call Quality
Call quality is distinct and clear.
Bottomline
Before purchasing, be reminded of its average battery life. For those who can manage with it's average battery life, get it. It will take good pictures, play most games and videos and will offer an overall good android experience.
So hope my review was helpful to members. Will update it soon with pictures and screenshots and hardware benchmarking.
Attachments
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