Table of Contents 64q43
The wait is over and the Galaxy A8 + at their launch prices. 5t196f
But to know if the Zenfone 5 really has a chance in our intermediaries, specifications alone are not enough. Precisely for that reason, the showmetech spent the last few weeks testing the device, evaluating aspects such as camera, performance, software and battery in the smallest detail.
Now it's time for you to find out everything we think about the model. Check the complete analysis of the device below:
Zenfone 5 at a glance: 4d3h56
Pros 6x1j2g
- Immersive and high quality screen;
- Modern and well-finished design;
- Best-in-class rear camera;
Cons 7147r
- Battery could be better;
- Protection against water and dust is needed
Design 145g70
just looking at the Zenfone 5 you can see that he evolved. Although much of its look was inspired by the iPhone X, which makes it unoriginal, this is a completely different device from its predecessors. The screen, to begin with, occupies nothing less than 90% front of the device and dispenses with capacitive buttons. Also, even if you only glanced at the photo above, you may have noticed the new model features a cut at the top of the screen, the so-called 'notch'.
Despite having a much larger screen, the Zenfone 5 is almost the same size as its predecessor. For this to be possible, Asus needed to have a minimum of edges around the display, and the easiest solution for this was to use a notch.
Although it does not contain any scanner facial, as on the iPhone, the Zenfone 5's notch houses a series of important components, such as the front camera, the speaker used in calls, an LED indicator and the ambient light sensor. As incredible as it may seem, it is also very easy get used to it – but if you still don't want to see it, you can access the settings and disguise it.
The back of the Zenfone 5 also brought changes, albeit more modest. The dual camera array is now positioned vertically, in addition to bringing a slight relief. Also in this region, it is possible to find the biometric reader of the Zenfone 5 – which, although it works well, is in a very high position and makes it difficult for the finger to reach. To complete the look, the sides also have the same metallic finish as the old generation, but this time they bring beveled edges, which adds to the charm of the device.
In of build quality and footprint, the Zenfone 5 also makes a good impression, even though it's quite light (155g) and thin (7,9 mm). Because of the glass and metal finish, of course, the concern about drops and possible scratches should also be greater. However, it is worth ing that the box already includes a case, and that both the front and back of the device have protection. Gorilla Glass.
Fabric 3c653a
Complementing the Zenfone 5's design, the 6,2 inches brings an IPS , resolution Full HD + (1800 x 2246 pixels), 19:9 aspect ratio, rounded corners and also reproduces 95% of the color gamut DCI-P3. Because of this last feature, the device's screen displays more colors than those with the standard gamma (sRGB), thus being more accurate as well.
But putting some of the technique aside and going to practice, I can say that the screen of the Asus device is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen on a smartphone. Of course, even with all its qualities, we are still talking about a intermediary , so the resolution isn't the highest on the market, the doesn't break records for brightness or contrast, and there's no HDR.
Even so, the screen pleases a lot in what matters. Brightness, for example, has 550 nits of maximum value, it is high and allows you to see the screen even under strong sun. The blacks, on the other hand, are quite deep for an LCD screen and even resemble those of an AMOLED; the colors, in turn, are somewhat dull when they are in the default setting, but if you access the settings and activate the option “wide color gamut”, they need to jump off the screen.
For those who like to customize, the Asus screen also offers a series of manual adjustments, being possible to change the saturation, hue and color temperature, in addition to the touchscreen sensitivity.
Finally, thanks to the generous size of the screen and all the hits in the brightness and color adjustment, even without having fancy specifications on the display, the smartphone does not disappoint when watching series on the Netflix, videos on YouTube and even in everyday use; after all, interface and application colors also benefit from these strengths.
Audio 3n1j5g
A audio experience was also not forgotten in the Zenfone 5. This is because, in addition to bringing high-resolution headphones and a great surround system from DTS, the model has a double amplifier for the audio, reproducing loud, clear sounds with a great sense of depth - I was particularly surprised at this point, as the audio really resembles that of much more expensive models.
Another interesting feature of the Zenfone 5 is the so-called “external mode”, which makes the audio of the speakers more acute and, consequently, more audible for those who are far away. As the name says, the feature is ideal for open environments.
However, while Asus claims the Zenfone 5 has two speakers, this it's not exactly true. As with other smartphones, the device uses the call speaker to increase the audio of the songs, but it is very low and makes almost no difference in the final result.
With this, practically all the sound comes from the standard speaker, which is located at the bottom of the smartphone and only sins for being misplaced. When holding the device horizontally, such as when playing games or watching movies, it's hard not to cover it completely.
Back to talking about headphones, it is worth mentioning that, although they have a fragile appearance, the sound emitted by them is equally immersive to that of the speakers and has a series of manual adjustments. To close, the Zenfone 5 is one of the few devices of the year that still brings the headphone connection, allowing you to use them the way that makes sense – that is, without needing an adapter.
Cameras 353z5z
Asus is aware that cameras are the most important point of current smartphones and, therefore, has invested heavily in the Zenfone 5's optical set. In the main rear camera, the device brings the Sony IMX 363, a sensor with 12 megapixels, aperture in f/1.7, 1,4 micrometer pixels, 1/2,55″ in size and dual-pixel focus. While these specs might sound confusing to the general public, they're also a recipe for great photos.
In the second rear camera, the Zenfone 5 brings a lens wide-angle, with a much larger capture area than the main camera. With it, according to information from Asus itself, it is possible to photograph twice the area that a common smartphone camera photographs. What Asus forgets to say, however, is that this camera also has less resolution and a much smaller sensor than the main camera, which makes it only take reasonable photos.
In automatic mode, the cameras also recognize up to sixteen scene types. After identifying whether your photo will be of a cat, a flower or a plate of food, for example, parameters such as brightness and color are automatically adjusted to make the best click.
In photos with the main camera, however, the Zenfone 5 is a beast. As you can see in the images below, the level of detail is good, the colors are vivid and the HDR, despite making people's skin very saturated, balances the lightest and darkest parts of the scene well. Due to the fact that this camera also comes with optical stabilization (OIS), even night shots taken with it come out satisfying. The only feature I don't like so much is the portrait mode.
Although the front camera also takes good pictures in good light, the sensor doesn't do any miracles. Thus, if the environment is not clear enough, the selfies will not be as sharp, which is common with smartphone front cameras. Finally, the good part of the front camera is that it has several features of the rear camera - including flash (illuminated by the device's screen), HDR mode and portrait mode.
Hardware and Performance 5n491a
Despite ing the image of a top of the line, the Zenfone 5 is still an intermediary. And precisely because of that, the hardware embedded in the device is modest, with few changes compared to its predecessor. Under the hood, the processor used is the Snapdragon 636, which promises to be 20% more powerful than that used in Zenfone 4. In turn, all versions of Zenfone 5 are sold with 4GB of RAM, although there are options with 64 e 128GB of storage.
During the last few days that I've been testing the smartphone, I haven't faced crashes or stutters when running apps. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the model suffered from one of these problems from time to time, since its interface is not the lightest and the hardware is not the most powerful.
However, that doesn't mean the smartphone is slow either - I just mean that if you're looking for high performance, it's best to invest a little more and take the Zenfone 5Z, which has all the strengths of this device and still brings the Snapdragon 845, the most powerful processor today.
In short, the Zenfone 5 has all the power needed to run the interface and most apps. However, it's when it's time to play that the difference between mid-range and top-of-the-line becomes clearer.
The moment when the limits of the device are most noticeable is when playing games. This is because, although the Adreno 509 be able to run most of the titles available on the Play Store, the suffering of GPU with heavier games is notorious, as the frame rate remains unstable and the texture quality is almost always set to low qualities.
System and Resources 4e2o1l
mounted under the Android 8.0 and in its fifth version, the ZenUI He is in his best attire to date. In addition to sticking with the policy of having fewer pre-installed apps, Asus made some tweaks to the old look and filled the interface with artificial intelligence. Adespite the manufacturer exaggerating this last point, calling some functions that already exist intelligent ages ago on Android, the software for Zenfone 5 really is more proactive.
No battery management, for example, the system uses artificial intelligence to close “unnecessary” applications when the device is turned off. The tactic ends up resulting in good energy savings, but it is also wrong at times and ends up closing important processes. ÇIf the encounters this problem, it is possible turn off the function or even determine the applications that you can not be closed automatically.
Another smart feature that deserves to be mentioned here is the AI Boost. When this mode is activated, the smartphone prioritizes performance over battery and reallocates its resources to running games or other heavy applications. However, it is worth mentioning that the function only has a noticeable impact when the smartphone is demanded more. During simpler uses, it is best to turn off AI Boost to save energy.
With regard to the visual, the new Zen UI hasn't evolved that much anymore, featuring the same lock screen, the same notification bar and the same settings screen that we saw in Zenfone 4. On the bright side, features that were successful in the past version are also still present, such as the OptiFlex, which prioritizes the device's RAM for the most used applications and the so-called Twin Apps, which allow you to use two different Facebook, Whatsapp or Instagram s on the same smartphone.
Generally speaking, I would say that the interface has evolved. It is still recognizable to those who already used the company's smartphones, but it is also more friendly to those who did not find it in a good tone in the first versions. Since last year, ZenUI is more elegant - bringing colors that aren't too gaudy, quick animations and fewer pre-installed apps.
Whether or not you like the look of it, however, is strictly a personal matter.
Battery 554u5p
With 3300mAh energy capacity, it was to be expected that the battery of the Zenfone 5 was not a highlight. Still, with average use, the device has always lasted a whole day with Wi-Fi on, brightness on automatic adjustment and a lot of browsing on social networks. Under more intense tasks and with the AI Boost turned on, this autonomy decreases a little – but still the device ends the day with a charge, although it is already asking for the charger.
And speaking of the charger, it is worth mentioning that the Zenfone 5 also s fast charging. When plugged in, the device takes around an hour and a half to go from 30 to 100%, which is not far behind technologies such as Quick Charge 3, Qualcomm.
Price and final considerations 6u3310
With an indicated price of R$1.999, the Zenfone 5 hit the market for less than its main competitors, the Moto Z3 Play, the Galaxy A8/A8+ and the Xperia XA2 Ultra. Although this does not mean much now, it is very likely that the device will drop in price in the future and become one of the best value for money of the year, as it has a screen, rear cameras and performance superior to all these others.
For the price it is now, the purchase of the Zenfone 5 is not so advantageous, since the Galaxy S8 can be found for a little more and even the Zenfone 5Z it's just R$500 more case. Still, if you take it home, you're buying one of the best middlemen on the market – if not the best.
Complete specifications 45402e
| Dimensions | 153 x 75.7 x 7.9 mm and 155 g |
| Fabric | 6,2 inch, IPS LCD, Full HD+, 19:9 aspect, 95% coverage of DCI-P3 spectrum |
| Back camera | 12 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.0, 12mm, 1/4″, 1.12µm, no autofocus |
| Frontal camera | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm, 1/4″, 1.12µm |
| U | Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 with eight 260GHz Kryo 1.8 cores and Adreno 509 GPU |
| RAM memory | 4GB |
| Storage | 64 / 128GB |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, WiFi dual-band, Bluetooth 5.0 with A2DP, Low Energy, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS and BDS, NFC and FM Radio |
| Doors | USB 2.0 Type-C 1.0, Headphone jack, hybrid microSD card slot and dual SIM (nano-SIM) cards |
| speech | 3G/4G category 12 (600/100 Mbps) |
| System | Android 8.0 Oreo with ZenUI 5.0 |
| Battery | 3.300mAh |
| Suggested price) | BRL 1.999 (4GB/64GB) |
