The new smartphone asus zenfon. Section "Overview of All ASUS ZenFone Models

Characteristics

• Case materials: metal and glass Corning Gorilla Glass
• operating system: Google Android 7.1.1
• Network: GSM / GPRS / EDGE, FDD-LTE CAT 12/13 (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 32), two sim cards (nan + nano)
• Processor: 8 cores, 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 630/660
• RAM: 4/6 GB
• Memory for data storage: 64 GB + memory card up to 2 TB
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi b / g / n / ac with MIMO technology, Bluetooth 5, microUSB (USB 2.0) connector for charging / synchronization, 3.5 mm for a headset
• Screen: capacitive, Super IPS OGS 5.5 "" with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels
• Camera: 12 MP (f \u003d 1.8); 8 MP (f \u003d 2.2) 120 degrees viewing angle; front 8 MP (f \u003d 2.0), 84 degrees viewing angle
• Navigation: GPS, AGPS, GLO, BDS, GAL
• Sound: 2 stereo speakers, support for audio format 192 kHz / 24 bit, DTS Headphone technology: X and FM radio
• Optional: NFC, fingerprint scanner (unlock in 0.3 s, support for 5 prints), acceleration sensor, electronic compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, light sensor, Hall sensor
• Battery: non-removable, lithium-polymer (Li-Pol) capacity of 3300 mAh
• Dimensions: 155x75x7.5 mm
• Weight: 165g

Contents of delivery

• Smartphone ZenFone 4
• ASUS headset
• USB Type-C Cable
• SIM tray eject pin
• USB Charger (S630 / 10 W)
• Documentation (user manual, warranty card)
• Silicone Case

Introduction

ASUS needs to do justice: the team has thoroughly prepared for the presentation of the new product. About two months before the date of the event, ASUS employees contacted observers and talked about where and how the event will take place, which documents need to be prepared for this important matter.

A global presentation took place in the ancient "city on seven hills" Rome, which is located on the left bank of the Tiber River. In the "Eternal City" there are such historical sights as the Colosseum, Capitol Hill, Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain and many other amazing buildings.

Our group of 27 people was accommodated in the Sheraton Roma Hotel, located in an urban area called the World Exhibition of Rome. This is a large complex of business buildings, built by order of Benito Mussolini in 1935-1943 in the south-west of Rome in preparation for the World Exhibition. By the way, it never took place ... unlike the presentation of ASUS!

The venue was chosen grandiose: the impressive building of the Roma Convention Center, located between the national ethnographic museum of Luigi Pigorini and the Pala Lottomatica Sports Palace.

Directly before the main event for journalists and IT specialists, a mini press conference was held on the topic of mobile cameras. We were told about the technical intricacies of ZenFone 4 and 4 Pro cameras.

An hour later, the main presentation of the entire ZenFone line of smartphones began on the ROC main stage. They spoke essentially, and therefore the event was quick enough, but fruitfully: many large publications (including Mobile-Review) were invited to interview tops from ASUS, where they discussed the present and future of technology in the world of wearable devices.

Returning to the topic of the review. I managed to use the ZenFone 4 smartphone before all other Russian journalists and bloggers, so the “First Look” was released on our website, as well as quite detailed video  about the device. I’ve been with the gadget for more than three weeks now, so there is something to tell about the fourth version of ZenFone.

In short, the device is positioned as a camera phone in the medium-high price category with good technical characteristics. Judge for yourself: two cameras - normal (f / 1.8 aperture and optical stabilization) and wide-angle, 4/64 GB of memory, Wi-Fi standard ac and Bluetooth version 5.0, a fingerprint scanner, NFC chip, two speakers for stereo audio output, Google Android 7.1.1 with upgrade to Android 8.

On the this moment  The price of ASUS ZenFone 4 is 33 000 rubles.

Design, dimensions, controls

ABOUT appearance  It’s becoming more and more difficult to talk about devices recently, since almost all smartphones are alike. The device ASUS ZenFone 4 is not just a copy of some kind of “tube”, but its design does not bring anything new: a strong metal edging, Corning glass on the front and back panels. The only chip is the branded "drawing" (in the form of rays coming from the center of the inscription "ASUS") on the back of the gadget, which plays nicely in the light.

Another issue is quality. Everything is super in this regard with ASUS 'new product: almost a month of testing, no chips or scratches remained on the glass or metal. Of course, there are small Kotska, but this manifestation is quite normal.

Three colors will be on sale: “starry black”, “moonlight white” and “mint green”. I would choose something brighter, that is, the last two colors, as fingerprints will be less visible on them, and the palette is somehow more fun. The oleophobic coating is both front and back.

The shape of the case is rectangular, the corners are sloping, the edges are rounded. Lies well in the hand due to not the largest width (75 mm) and quite comfortable thickness (7.5 mm). It weighs ZenFone 4 165 grams. The gadget is non-slip, but it fits easily and is taken out of the pockets of jeans or a jacket.

The metal frame is semi-matte, has edges on the edges, smoothly turning to glass. Above and below, you can see two antenna partitions.

On top of the front panel are the front camera, light and proximity sensors, an indicator of missed events, and a speech speaker. It is loud, the interlocutor is audible clearly and legibly, the tone is pleasant, closer to medium and low frequencies. Echoes and other extraneous sounds did not occur. By the way, it should be noted that the speech speaker is also a speakerphone, and to be more precise, it transmits high frequencies, and the speaker at the lower end - medium and low frequencies.

Under the display there are two touch buttons “Back” and “Menu” (various actions can be assigned to this button), a fingerprint sensor (aka “Home”). The response speed is slightly above average.

At the bottom there is a standard 3.5 mm audio output for headphones, a USB Type-C connector, a microphone and a speakerphone (one of two). An additional microphone for noise reduction and stereo recording is on top.

On the left side there is a combined nano + nano or nano + microSD slot. On the right are the power button and the volume rocker.

On the back area above, there are two camera modules flush with the body (seamlessly), a flash and a special RGB sensor to accurately determine white balance.

ASUS ZenFone 4 and 4 Max

ASUS 4 and Meizu Pro 7 Plus

ASUS 4 and Meizu Pro 7

ASUS 4 and Huawei P10 Plus

Display

ASUS ZenFone 4 has a screen with a diagonal of 5.5 inches. Physical size - 68x121 mm. The frames are relatively thin: 16 mm on the top, 17 mm on the bottom, and 3.5 mm on the right and left. Of course, there is an effective anti-reflective coating. Under sunlight, the display behaves well.

The matrix of this smartphone is made using Super IPS + OGS technology, that is, there is no air gap, so the colors are more saturated, and the picture seems to lie on the surface of the screen. The display resolution is FullHD, that is, 1080x1920 pixels, the pixelation is invisible (400 ppi), but the picture is clear.

The average brightness is 562 units, the black color is 0.36 units, the contrast is 1600: 1. Very good indicators of brightness and contrast!

The viewing angles are maximum, there are no purple or yellow shades - signs of a high-quality IPS-matrix. Below are screenshots of measurements.

Settings

Battery

The smartphone ASUS ZenFone 4 uses a battery capacity of 3300 mAh. It is built in. Official job data:

• up to 23 days standby time
• up to 30 hours talk time
• up to 18 hours when browsing sites via Wi-Fi

If you use the device not very often, but constantly be on the Wi-Fi network with all social networks, mail and other applications, then you should count on 1.5 days. With a fairly active mode - about 16 hours, in ultra mode (4G network, recording photos and videos, active correspondence in social networks, and so on) - 11-12 hours. At maximum brightness, the phone lives 4 - 4.5 hours (screen glow). Approximately 16 hours of talk time.

I think this working time is quite good, most of these devices in my conditions showed values \u200b\u200bof 3 - 3.5 hours of glow and 11-12 hours under normal load.

During testing, there were no questions about energy consumption. The older model with a Snapdragon 660 processor is equipped with fast charging (36 minutes and 50%), the youngest with a regular 5V - 2A. ZenFone 4 is charged from a standard network adapter for about 2.5 hours.

Communication opportunities

The device is equipped with two slots for sim cards of nano format. The device supports LTE networks (LTE Cat 12 return - 150 Mbps / Cat 13 reception - 600 Mbps) with bends 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 32 ( version with NFC). Both SIM card slots support 3G WCDMA / 4G LTE standards, however, only one of the SIM cards can connect to the 3G WCDMA / 4G LTE network, not two at a time.

The gadget works with Wi-Fi ac MIMO, Bluetooth version 5.0, and it has a full NFC chip. From navigation - GPS, AGPS, GLO, BDS, GAL.

Memory

The younger model is equipped with 4 GB of RAM, and the oldest - 6 GB of RAM. The internal memory is always 64 GB. Read speed - 240 MB / s, write speed - 190 MB / s. There is a slot for a microSD memory card up to 2 TB.

Cameras

In fact, at the presentation in Rome, almost all the time we devoted it to cameras, and the slogan of the entire campaign was “We love photos!”, Where the word “love” was replaced by two smartphones located 90 degrees relative to each other - in the form of a heart.

The main camera of ZenFone 4 is the Sony IMX362 sensor (the lens consists of six elements, aperture f / 1.8, focal length 25 mm):

• Resolution 12 MP
• Sensor size 1 / 2.55 inches
• Pixel Size 1.4 μm
• DualPixel phase detection autofocus

In addition, the main module is equipped with optical stabilization (4 steps), and a special RGB sensor is used to adjust the white balance. The same sensor can boast of HTC U11, Moto G5 Plus / Z2 Play and even the inexpensive Meizu M6 Note.

The optional module is wide-angle. It has an angle of 120 degrees, that is, 12 mm in terms of 35 mm. Resolution - 8 MP, no autofocus.

Given that we were in a unique historical place, it was a sin not to take pictures of local beauties, but at the same time to test the capabilities of the camera. Frankly, I took almost all the photos at a wide angle for two reasons: the first - you need to capture these sights in as much detail as possible, so that all the details of buildings, the landscape and so on are visible in the frame (try photographing large structures on a “short” angle - nothing good will come of it); the second is picture quality.

The image quality on the main camera completely satisfied me: thanks to high-aperture optics, it is easy to obtain silent photographs at night, and optical stabilization helps to increase shutter speed up to 1/8 second. As you know, during the day almost all cameras at this level shoot plus or minus the same way. The only caveat is the correct HDR mode, which works just fine: all objects remain evenly backlit, even at night - this is the strong side of the main camera!

The picture on the “shirik” is pleasant, although it has a narrow dynamic range. The quality is about the same as on the LG G6. However, I have not seen smartphones with wide-angle cameras where the quality would be better than ZenFone 4 or the same G6 from LG. The juice itself is a large coverage of space. While people clicked a few frames on their Apple iPhone  8 Plus, I took only one frame with ZenFone 4, which fit both colleagues and the sights of Rome.

“Shirik” was best revealed in the Vatican Museum: narrow corridors, small halls, a large-scale “gallery of maps” and chic tapestries - all this was given by ZenFone 4 without any problems.

In the new firmware for the device, distortion was slightly corrected, the image became more natural, with minimal distortion. However, distortions are also present on SLRs with expensive optics.

ZenFone 4 video can write in maximum UHD resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels). The quality is very good. Also, the gadget "knows" about FullHD 60 fps. In this case, a lot of light is needed for this mode.

The wide-angle camera writes videos in FullHD resolution. The picture is not bad, but the DD is narrow. Electronic stabilization is applied. In any case, shooting at a wide angle is cooler than on a normal one. You cannot switch between cameras during shooting.

8 MP front camera (f / 2.0) with a wide angle and quite normal photo quality. He writes excellent quality videos in FullHD resolution. There is electronic stabilization.

For fans of blurring the background, the device has a "Portrait" mode. At this stage, it does not work quite adequately, blurring many details in the frame.

In the settings there is a “Pro” mode (for both cameras) - these are manual parameters for focus, shutter speed (1/10 000 - 32 seconds), ISO (25 - 3200), exposure and white balance (2750K - 7500K). As you can see, the parameters are impressive, especially ISO from 25 and temperature in increments of 250K. Moreover, when shooting a video, you can choose the white balance, ISO value and focus! Exposure is set in advance. Of course, there is the RAW format.

Examples of photos on the main lens

Wide-angle photo examples

Examples of photos on the front camera

On the mWC exhibition  2018 Asus

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (Chinese 華碩 電腦 股份有限公司 Huáshuò Diànnǎo Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, usually called ASUS (/ eɪˈsuːs /)) is a company located in the Republic of China that manufactures a variety of computer equipment (both components and finished products). The brand name Asus comes from the word Pegasus (Pegasus). Wikipedia

Brought replenishment in the line of ZenFone mobile phones: ZenFone 5 Lite, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5z.

ZenFone 5 Lite ZenFone 5 Lite received a 6-inch display (2160 × 1080, 18: 9), Snapdragon 430/630 processors, a 3300 mAh battery and four cameras: the main 16 MP and front 20 MP with a Sony sensor

Sony Corporation, Sony (Japanese ソ ニ ー 株式会社 Sony: Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, formed on May 7, 1946. It specializes in the production of home and professional electronics, game consoles and other high-tech products. In addition, Sony is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, owning the Sony Music Entertainment record label, the Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures film studios, as well as the complete archive of MGM films (jointly with Comcast); provides financial services. Wikipedia

IMX376, each of which is complemented by a wide-angle module. The mobile phone is equipped with an NFC module and three slots: two SIM cards and one microSD memory card.

ZenFone 5 (2018) - a 6.2-inch mobile phone (2160 × 1080, 19: 9) with a Snapdragon 636 processor, 6 GB of RAM and a 3300 mAh battery. The camera on the back of the device received a Sony IMX 363 sensor and a dual module: the main one at 12 megapixels (f / 1.8) + wide-angle. The resolution of the front camera is 8 megapixels.

The 19: 9 aspect ratio of the display is explained by Asus's desire to avoid truncating the image in landscape mode. Sitting on its side, ZenFone 5 plays the video in full 18: 9 format.

The position of the flagship in the line will take ZenFone 5z  - “charged” version of ZenFone 5 with the flagship Snapdragon processor 845, 4/6/8 GB of RAM, 64/128/256 GB of ROM. Special attention at the presentation was paid to the updated ZenUI 5 branded shell, which penetrated many aspects of the work of artificial intelligence. AI can: distinguish 16 shooting scenarios, selecting camera settings for the user; automatically adjust the volume of the ringtone, based on the noise level in the surrounding space; control mobile phone charging to increase battery life. The last function is to set the threshold for charging the device at night. In other words, AI will allow mobile phone  Charge up to 100% just before you wake up.

When the new ZenFone goes on sale:

• ZenFone 5 Lite - March, price not specified;
• ZenFone April 5, price not specified;
• ZenFone 5z - June, from 479 euros (~ 33 thousand rubles).

Perhaps the most interesting representative of the budget line of smartphones of a Taiwanese company

The world community has learned about the upcoming smartphones Asus Zenfone quite a long time ago - a new line by a Taiwanese company at the very beginning of the year, during the CES 2014 exhibition in Las Vegas. In the Asian region, sales of these devices have even begun, but smartphones have reached our market only now. Today, the Russian premiere will take place in Moscow, during which the head of the company, Jonney Shih, who has specially arrived in the capital for this purpose, will personally present his new smartphones in Russia.

Thanks to the quickness of the Russian office of Asus, right now, right on the day of the premiere, we have the opportunity to talk in detail about perhaps the most interesting representative of the new series - the “central” smartphone in the line, the five-inch Asus Zenfone 5. This smartphone even before the release of many liked the sale - this is evidenced by numerous responses on the Internet, people are discussing the model with interest, waiting for the start of sales. In principle, it is not surprising that it is the “five” in this series that causes the greatest interest of users: perhaps this is the most balanced device in all senses from the whole trinity.

Zenfone 5 does not belong to the category of top smartphones, as, indeed, its entire line, however, the device has several qualities that attract buyers. First of all, this is the ratio of good declared hardware characteristics with a low price for such characteristics. And, of course, the popularity of the brand makes itself felt. At this point, it’s worth noticing right away that the “at number five” model itself is represented by a whole series of smartphones, because in nature there are simultaneously several completely different modifications of the device called Asus Zenfone 5. In particular, the developers have repeatedly mentioned that the model may equipped with not only one, but two gigabytes of RAM, and this is a very tangible difference. Not to mention the fact that the hardware platform itself can be different: while the majority of official presentations featured the Intel Atom Z2580 SoC, the smartphone that we visited for testing works on another Intel SoC model - the Atom Z2560, with a lower frequency processor cores (1.6 GHz versus 2.0 GHz for Atom Z2580). However, this is not all. It is also reported that the Asus Zenfone 5 will be modified with support for LTE networks, and that device will not be built on the Intel Atom platform at all, but on Qualcomm SoC, since Intel systems still have not made friends with 4G networks. However, little is known about this modification of the Asus Zenfone 5, and it was presented much later - during the Computex 2014 exhibition in Taiwan.

Be that as it may, one of the basic versions of the Asus Zenfone 5 smartphone has arrived at our office and has already passed proper testing in our laboratory. So today, readers will be able to judge for themselves whether the novelty, so loudly sung by the Taiwanese, is so interesting, or hopes were in vain - we present to your attention one of the first detailed test reviews of a smartphone called Asus Zenfone 5 in Russia.

Key Features of Asus Zenfone 5 (Model T00J)

	Asus zenfone 5	Asus padfone e	Fly Evo Energy 4	Lenovo S660
Screen	5 ″, IPS	4.7 ″ IPS	5 ″, TN	4.7 ″ IPS
Resolution	1280 × 720, 294 ppi	1280 × 720, 312 ppi	854 × 480, 196 ppi	960 × 540, 234 ppi
SoC	Intel Atom Z2560 (2 cores) @ 1.6 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (4 core ARM Cortex-A7) @ 1.4 GHz		MediaTek MT6582 (4 core ARM Cortex-A7) @ 1.3 GHz
GPU	PowerVR SGX 544MP	Adreno 305	Mali 400 MP	Mali 400 MP
RAM	1 GB *	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB
Flash memory	16 GB	16 GB	4 GB	8 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	microSD	microSD
operating system	Google Android 4.3	Google Android 4.3	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.2
Battery	non-removable, 2110 mAh	fixed, 1820 mAh	removable, 4200 mAh	removable, 3000 mAh
Cameras		rear (13 megapixels; 1080p video), front (1.2 megapixels)	rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (0.3 MP)
Dimensions	148 × 73 × 10.3 mm, 145 g	140 × 70 × 9.1 mm, 126 g	144 × 72 × 10.5 mm, 197 g	137 × 69 × 9.9 mm, 151 g
average price	T-10663656	T-10686990	T-10818364	T-10725079
Offers Asus Zenfone 5	L-10663656-10

• SoC Intel Atom Z2560, 1.6 GHz, 2 cores
• GPU PowerVR SGX 544MP
• Android 4.3 operating system
• IPS touchscreen, 5 ″, 1280 × 720, 294 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 1 GB *, inner memory  16 GB
• MicroSD card support up to 64 GB
• Communication GSM GPRS / EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• 3G WCDMA Communications 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
• HSPA + data rates up to 42 Mbps
• Support for two Micro-SIM cards
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS / Glonass
• 8 megapixel camera, autofocus, LED flash
• 2 megapixel camera (front)
• 2110 mAh battery
• Dimensions 148.2 × 72.8 × 10.3 mm
• Weight 145 g

* It should be noted that the retail version of Asus Zenfone 5 with the same model number T00J, but with 2 GB of RAM.

Contents of delivery

Asus Zenfone 5 goes on sale in a small package of classic dimensions, sufficient to accommodate only a smartphone and a small set of necessary accessories. The box is made of solid smooth cardboard, the packaging is neat and quality. A cover made of thin cardboard acts as a lid over the box, in which several holes are cut, coinciding with the pictures on the box itself. It all looks quite fresh and stylish together.

In the internal compartments, of which there are as many as three pieces, there is a rather poor set of accessories: a large charger (output current 1.35 A), a headset with a thin round wire and gel ear cushions of a vacuum type, as well as a USB connection cable and user manual made in the form of a thin paper booklet.

Appearance and usability

In design and shape, the Asus Zenfone 5 smartphone is surprisingly reminiscent of Taiwanese HTC smartphones - with the exception that the materials used here are simpler. If the case of the smartphone were made of aluminum, then it would be difficult to distinguish it from the smartphones of the HTC One series, both in front and behind. At the same time, the creators themselves believe that they gave their new smartphones a fresh and unbroken design, and even gave it their own name: Zen Design. Although if you look objectively, in the appearance of smartphones of the new Zenphone series there are no common parallels with previous products of the company, including those belonging to the Zen family. True, the developers added a small metal strip to the front panel with concentric Zen circles applied to it, but that’s all. It's amazing that for this secondary design, in general, which is nothing special, the Zenfone line managed to receive one of the most prestigious design awards - the reddot award 2014.

The entire body, except for the front glass, is completely covered by a one-piece plastic casing, covering not only the rear panel, but also all side faces. The lid has a sloping back and rounded corners and faces - it is streamlined on all sides and very simple in shape. The lid is traditionally mounted on plastic latches and is removed with great difficulty - you have to make a lot of effort, and sometimes even use additional tools. All side buttons are mounted directly on the cover, so it is impossible to control the smartphone with the cover removed.

There are practically no fingerprints on the matte surface of the plastic, so the case of Asus Zenfone 5 due to the lack of gloss turned out non-marking and non-slip. The smartphone is quite large, and there's nothing to be done about it - in a trouser pocket or in the breast pocket of a shirt, such a device is difficult to fit. In general, the matter of saving space, apparently, the developers in this case did not care at all, because with such a large screen with a diagonal of five inches, the frames around it were made very thick. On the sides, the thickness of the frames is at least 5 mm, but in reality it looks even worse. And this is at a time when all manufacturers polls strive to minimize these figures as much as possible. Here, everything is completely wrong, and Asus Zenfone 5 can not boast of thin frames - and elegant dimensions in general.

On the back of the smartphone, all the elements are arranged in the usual order. Here you can find a round camera window without any frame, a peephole of a single LED flash, as well as a ringing speaker grill made in the form of an array of small round holes. The speaker grill partially falls on the bevel of the rear surface, so that the sound is not too noticeably muffled by the surface of the table. The flash under the control of the preinstalled software is able to function as a flashlight, including in the alarm mode with blinking.

Under the cover, you can find three card slots: two for SIM cards and one for a microSD memory card. Both SIM-cards are used in “Micro" format; all cards are easily inserted and removed from their slots due to spring-loaded gripping mechanisms. Slots for SIM cards are equivalent in their capabilities, you just need to remember that at the same time two cards will not work in 3G mode - one of them will have to be switched to 2G.

SIM card slots are unusually arranged, stretching out in a line along the vertical, and the battery under them is tightly closed by an additional protective cover and is not available for user manipulation. A slot for a memory card is embedded in the side end on the right side of the device.

Not all of the front panel is covered with a protective glass Gorilla Glass 3 - a lot of free space is left under it, and it is not occupied by anything. This sector is covered by a thin metal plate coated with Zen concentric circles traditional for Asus mobile products. Why this extra space is left here is not entirely clear: there are no elements on it - the touch buttons are located higher, and they also occupy a decent place on the front panel. It is very sad that these buttons have no backlight and in the twilight are already completely invisible.

But in the upper part above the screen, in addition to the usual sensor eyes and the front camera, as well as the recessed speaker grill, you can observe such a useful element as an LED event indicator. This is a fairly large and noticeable round point, constantly shining with a dim light when charging a smartphone.

There are only two mechanical hardware keys on the sides of the device, and both of them are located next to each other on one, right side. It’s not very convenient that the lock key is located above the volume control key: it is pressed much more often, and reaching here is not so convenient. For most manufacturers, with this arrangement, the lock key is in the middle, and the volume key is raised higher.

The buttons are metallized, large enough, but they do not stick out too noticeably outside the case so that it is convenient to feel for them blindly. In addition, they are probably too hard a move, however, these may be problems of a specific test sample. In any case, such things must be checked individually at the time of purchase - someone may not attach any significance to this at all.

The micro-usb connector here has standard location  at the bottom, but why Asus engineers were greedy to add support for connecting external devices to uSB port  (OTG), remains a mystery - in all smartphones of the Padfone series, for example, such support is. The headphone jack (3.5 mm) is located opposite - on the upper end, next to the second, additional microphone.

There are no plugs or additional covers on the connectors of the device, since the Asus Zenfone 5 smartphone is not protected from moisture and dust. Not found on his case and mount for the strap.

The product goes on sale in several color options at once, and this is one of the most noticeable moments when positioning a new line. The color palette of the Asus Zenfone series is full of variety, and here everyone can choose their own color to their liking. Zenfone 5 alone has released as many as five options: in the interpretation of the creators themselves, this is black coal, pearl white, cherry red, gloomy purple, and cream gold.

Screen

Smartphone Asus Zenfone 5 is equipped with a sensor matrix IPS. The physical dimensions of the display are 62 × 110 mm, the diagonal is 5 inches. The screen resolution in points is 1280 × 720, the indicator of the density of dots per inch reaches a value of 294 ppi.

The brightness of the display has both manual and automatic adjustment, the latter is based on the operation of the light sensor. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to handle 10 simultaneous touches.

The screen of the smartphone is covered with a protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which is resistant to scratches. In the special settings section, you can enable the GloveTouch screen mode, then the display becomes more sensitive to touch and really responds to fingers with gloves on. However, against the touch of other objects, such as the tip of a pencil, the screen, contrary to expectations, does not respond.

We will present the results of a detailed examination of the Asus Zenfone 5 display using measuring instruments a little later, when our specialist Alexei Kudryavtsev returns from vacation.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the Monitors and Projectors and TV sections Alexei Kudryavtsev. We give his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, we present a photo on which the white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Asus Zenfone 5, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen on the Asus Zenfone 5 is even a bit darker (brightness in photos is 106 compared to 108 for Nexus 7). The doubling of the reflected objects in the Asus Zenfone 5 screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass-air) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better under conditions of strong external illumination, but repairing them in the case of a cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, even better than Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and when displaying a white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 320 cd / m², the minimum - 19 cd / m². The maximum brightness is not very high, but, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be quite good. At the same time, with the help of third-party utilities, the maximum brightness can be increased to 395 cd / m², which slightly improves the situation. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by light sensor (located to the left of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 25 cd / m² (normal), in an office lit by artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets to 120 cd / m² (just right), in a very bright environment (corresponds to illumination on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) increases to a maximum of 395 cd / m² (which is required). The brightness slider is 50% - the values \u200b\u200bare as follows: 19, 50 and 340 cd / m², 0% - 19, 26 and 215 cd / m². It turns out that the automatic brightness adjustment function works adequately. At any brightness level, the backlight modulation is practically absent, so there is no screen flicker.

This smartphone uses an IPS type matrix. Microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without a significant color shift, even with large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting (except for the very darkest when deviating to the left) shades. For comparison, we present photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Asus Zenfone 5 and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 200 cd / m² (full-screen white field), and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K Perpendicular to the screens a white field:

We note a good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And the test picture:

The color reproduction is good and the colors are saturated in both screens, but the color balance is slightly different. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens, but on Asus Zenfone 5 the contrast decreased to a greater extent due to the strong brightening of black, and the bluish color slightly increased (on the other diagonal, the color shift is slightly less). And the white field:

The brightness at an angle of the screens decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), and decreased approximately the same. When deviated diagonally, the black field highlights strongly and acquires a violet or red-violet hue. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is approximately the same!):

And from a different angle:

With a perpendicular look, the black field uniformity is very good:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is quite high - about 870: 1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 25 ms (15 ms on + 10 ms off). The transition between gray tones of 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and vice versa in total takes 38 ms. Constructed at 32 points with an equal interval in the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal a blockage in either highlights or shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.86, which is noticeably higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve strongly deviates from the power law:

Due to the aggressive dynamic adjustment of the brightness of the backlight in accordance with the nature of the displayed image (moreover, without a clear pattern revealed), the obtained dependence of the brightness on the hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with a consistent output of shades of gray almost full screen. For this reason, we conducted a series of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black flare at angles - when displaying special patterns with invariably average brightness, rather than plain fields in the entire screen. In general, such a non-turn-off brightness correction does nothing but harm, since a constant change in screen brightness can at least cause some discomfort. However, the manufacturer represented by Asus continues to implement this function in its mobile devices with a screen (with the exception of Google Nexus 7 2013).

The color gamut from a practical point of view is equal to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters to a moderate degree mix the components together:

As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is not much higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the spectrum of the black body (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device. In this case, the color temperature and ΔE vary little from shade to shade - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of the color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since there the color balance does not matter much, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

In this device, by default, there is a special utility that allows you to manually adjust the color balance by adjusting the color temperature, saturation and hue (and turning on the mode Vivid mode).

The graphs above show the result (data signed as Tct. \u003d + 7) obtained after our attempt to correct the color temperature, for which we had to resort to several iterations, as a result, we settled on the value +7   (which corresponded to approximately 6500 K in a white field). And a visual representation:

This is not to say that there is a special need for such a correction, moreover, as a result, ΔE has grown a little. That is, given the already good balance, there is no point in using this utility. Note that the correction does not work in the case of hardware video playback. But what happens if you turn on the mode Vivid mode:

Saturation (color contrast) is lifted to the limit, there is no trace of the naturalness of the image - another useless function.

To summarize. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device, most likely, can be used without problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is acceptable to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include effective oleophobic coating, lack of air gap in the layers of the screen and flicker, excellent uniformity of the black field, as well as sRGB color gamut and good color balance. Significant disadvantages are the low black stability to deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen plane and the aggressive, non-disconnectable dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered high.

Sound

In terms of sound Asus Zenfone 5 stars from heaven is not enough. The sound remains clear in the entire frequency spectrum, but compared to real top-end smartphones, this sound is still rather faded, and the maximum volume is not enough. During a telephone conversation, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, the conversation is quite comfortable.

The device uses proprietary SonicMaster technology - a set of hardware and software tools to improve sound quality. You can independently configure and select modes using the preinstalled AudioWizard utility.

The smartphone has a pre-installed voice recorder, which is used to create sound notes. There is also the possibility of regular means of recording telephone conversations from the line. To do this, just during a call, press the special “rec” button in the lower right corner of the phone application screen, and the conversation is automatically recorded in the device’s memory. There is also an FM radio in the smartphone; it does not have the ability to record broadcasts.

The main rear camera is equipped with an 8-megapixel module, the developers also mention the proprietary Asus PixelMaster technology, which is currently implemented in the new Zenfone smartphones, as well as Padfone. Judging by the description, the technology can automatically increase the pixel size up to 400% and includes a set of functions and modes such as Low-light Mode, the possibility of burst shooting up to 20 frames / s, intelligent detection of smiles, the ability to remove unwanted objects from the frame and much more.

The camera can shoot video with a maximum resolution of 1080p (30 fps), an example of a test clip is presented below.

• Movie №1 (60 MB, 1920 × 1080)

The main camera shoots with a maximum resolution of 3264 × 2448. When controlling shooting in the activated camera state, the volume key can be used as the shutter button. The following are test shots taken on an Asus Zenfone 5 camera, with our quality comments.

	The sharpness is not bad, the leaves merge only in the background. But the color of the camera has problems.
	Significant overexposure and strange colors indicate weak firmware.
	The macro is quite sharp, and over the entire field of the frame.
	Good sharpness in the focus area. However, the program somehow weirdly handles small details.
	Text camera manages well.

Camera shots cause confusion. The efforts of good optics are negated by either the sensor or software processing. Perhaps the camera driver itself does not correctly interpret the signal from the matrix, but something is clearly wrong. The camera copes well with close-ups, but something difficult to explain is happening on the general plans. Most likely, this problem is solved by updating the firmware, and since the hardware component of the camera is very good, there is a hope that it will be able to shoot quite well. For large plans, the camera is suitable in the current state.

Telephone part and communications

The smartphone standardly works in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks; support for fourth-generation networks (LTE) no. The data transfer rate is limited by the HSPA + mode to 42 Mbps. The communication capabilities of the device are implemented without frills: neither the 5 GHz Wi-Fi range nor the NFC technology are supported here. Unlike Padfone series smartphones, the mode of connecting external devices to the USB port (USB Host, OTG) is not supported here either. You can standardly organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The navigation module can work with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system.

Spontaneous reboots / shutdowns during testing were not observed, as well as braking or system freezes. Draw letters and numbers virtual keyboards quite comfortable to drive. The layout and arrangement of keys is standard: switching languages \u200b\u200bis carried out by pressing a special button, also in the presence of a dedicated row with numbers - it is very convenient, there is no need to switch the layout each time. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is made by the first letters in the contacts. There is also the ability to enter text by continuously sliding your finger from button to button (Swype).

The smartphone supports two SIM cards, and in general, working with them in the menu is organized according to the familiar principle: you can designate any of the SIM cards as the main one for organizing voice calls, data transfer or sending SMS messages; when dialing a number, you can also select the desired card in the context submenu. With 3G networks, a SIM card can work in any slot, but at the same time only one of the cards can work in this mode (the second will work only in 2G). To change the assignment of card slots, you do not need to swap places - this can be done directly from the phone menu. Work with two SIM cards is organized according to the usual Dual standard. SIM Dual  Standby, when both cards can be in active standby mode, but can’t work at the same time - there is only one radio module.

OS and software

Asus Zenfone 5 is currently running on the Google Android software platform is no longer the latest version 4.3, but the developers firmly promise to upgrade to 4.4. The standard system interface was replaced with a proprietary one, and they even gave it its own name - of course, ZenUI.

Major changes were made to the notification panel: it was completely redrawn externally, a quick access menu was added, here you can quickly change the screen brightness, turn on the flashlight, etc. The program menu is supplemented with sorting options, a separate section for managing two SIM cards is added to the settings menu, and support for Miracast, refined camera software interface and sound effects. In addition, a special section called “Asus Custom Settings” has been added to the settings. It collected additional settingsthat were not in the original Android OS.

Performance

At the heart of the Asus Zenfone 5 hardware platform is a dual-core 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2560 CPU. The RAM in the device is 1 GB, and the storage available to the user to download their own files is about 10 GB of the nominally designated 16 GB - the rest went to the system and applications. The memory can be increased by microSD cards, but connecting a flash drive via the OTG adapter will not work - the device does not support this mode.

To get an idea of \u200b\u200bthe platform performance of the tested smartphone, we will conduct a standard set of tests.

All the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks, we have brought to the table for convenience. A few other devices from various segments, also tested on similar ones, are usually added to the table. latest versions  benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the received dry numbers). Unfortunately, the results of different versions  benchmarks, therefore, "behind the scenes" are many worthy and relevant models - due to the fact that at one time they passed their "obstacle courses" on previous versions  test programs.

The test results showed that the two Intel Atom Z2560 cores of the Asus Zenfone 5 were able to withstand on equal four cores the ARM Cortex-A7 with a frequency of 1.4 GHz in Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (Asus Padfone E configuration). The results were similar, and in general in terms of hardware performance, the novelty looks quite decent. We would say - unexpectedly worthy for the price at which the smartphone is offered for sale.

In general, according to the results of all tests, the Asus Zenfone 5 smartphone can be safely attributed to the category of devices with average (even slightly above average) performance. At the moment, the hardware performance of this smartphone should be enough to perform most tasks that any game or other application from Google play  Store

Test results in MobileXPRT, as well as the latest versions of AnTuTu 4.x and GeekBench 3:

When testing the graphics subsystem in the 3DMark cross-platform test for the most productive smartphones, it is now possible to run 3DMark in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps).

The results of testing the graphics subsystem in the game test Epic Citadel, as well as Basemark X and Bonsai Benchmark:

	Asus zenfone 5 (Intel Atom Z2560, 2 cores @ 1.6 GHz)	Asus padfone e (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 4 cores ARM Cortex-A7 @ 1.4 GHz)	Fly Evo Energy 4	Lenovo S660 (MediaTek MT6582, 4 cores ARM Cortex-A7 @ 1.3 GHz)
Epic Citadel, High Quality	59 fps	57 fps	53 fps	59 fps
Epic Citadel, Ultra High Quality	50 fps	33 fps	no support	no support
Bonsai benchmark	47 fps / 3321	25 fps / 1779	27fps / 1923	24fps / 1681
Basemark X, Medium Quality	3189	4579	4830	4790

Play video

To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices, it is important to have hardware-based video decoding support at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, you should not expect decoding of everything from a mobile device, since the lead in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the test results, Asus Zenfone 5 was not equipped with all the necessary decoders, in this case sound, which are necessary for the full playback of most of the most common files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, in it you will have to first change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or to a new mode called Hardware +  (not supported by all smartphones) - only then will the sound appear. All results are summarized in a single table.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX video player	Native video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720 × 400 2200 Kbps, MP3 + AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720 × 400 1400 Kbps, MP3 + AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 3000 Kbps, AC3	Hardware +
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 4000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally with a decoder Hardware +	video plays normally, no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920 × 1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally with a decoder Hardware +	video plays normally, no sound¹

¹ the sound in the MX Video Player was played only after switching to software decoding or to a new mode Hardware +; a regular player does not have such a setting

We did not find the MHL interface, as well as the Mobility DisplayPort in this smartphone, so I had to confine myself to testing the output of the image of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: resolution (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In tests, we used the MX Player video player in the "Hardware" mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

oK no fine no oK no fine no

Note: If in both columns Uniformity  and Passes  green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies artifacts caused by uneven rotation and skipping frames, either will not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problemsrelated to playing the corresponding files.

In general, according to the criterion for outputting frames, the playback quality of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is very high, since frames (or groups of frames) can be displayed with more or less uniform rotation of intervals and without frame drops. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (720p), the image of the actual video file is displayed one-on-one, exactly along the border of the screen. Sharpness (with hardware playback) in the vertical direction (of course, with landscape orientation) is equal to the original, but in the horizontal direction, the sharpness decreases to such an extent that the world with vertical stripes merges into a gray field through a pixel. However, in real images, such a decrease in clarity is difficult to notice. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range 16-235 - all shades of gradation are displayed in shadows and in highlights - which is required for the correct reproduction of typical video files.

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium-ion battery installed in the Asus Zenfone 5 is small for a modern smartphone 2110 mAh. According to the test results, the test subject showed very weak indicators in terms of battery life, unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing to brag about here with the new Asus smartphone.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D game mode
Asus zenfone 5	2110 mAh	8 h. 20 m.	5 hours 10 meters	3 hours 10 meters
Asus padfone e	1820 mAh	15 h. 20 m.	7 hours 10 meters	3 h. 50 m.
Samsung S4 mini	1900 mAh	16 h. 40 m.	10 h. 30 m.	4 h. 40 m.
LG L90	2540 mAh	15 h. 20 m.	10 h. 00 m.	4 h. 50 m.
Motorola Moto G	2070 mAh	15 h. 20 m.	8 h.	4 h. 20 m.
ZTE nubia Z5 mini	2300 mAh	11 h. 05 m.	8 h.	3 h. 50 m.
Alcatel OT Idol X	2000 mAh	10 h. 00 m.	6 hours 40 meters	4 h. 00 m.
Fly Luminor IQ453	2000 mAh	10 h. 00 m.	7 hours	4 hours 10 meters

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for 8.5 hours. When watching continuously YouTube videos in high quality (HQ) with the same brightness level through your home wifi network  the device lasted about 5 hours, and in the mode of 3D-games - almost 3 hours.

Total

As for the cost of Asus Zenfone 5, it is now in our market about 7 thousand rubles, or even slightly less. Money, in general, is not so big, but it turned out that there are not so many obvious advantages of a smartphone. The hardware platform, built on the basis of the Intel Atom SoC, really turned out to be very appropriate, proved to be the best, and as a result, there are no complaints about the performance of the Asus Zenfone 5 - especially considering the price of this smartphone (of course, you must understand that this far from the flagship indicators). In addition, a simplified version of the device visited us for testing - a configuration with more powerful intel  Atom Z2580, in which the frequency of processor cores is higher, as well as more RAM.

However, that’s practically all. The design of the device is secondary (although it can be considered pretty without any stretch), the case materials cannot be called premium, the screen and camera are far from the top level, and the battery life is not up to par. Such negative trifles as the wide frames around the display and the harsh block of mechanical controls are also not among the advantages of the device. In addition, there is no need to talk about support for LTE, NFC, USB OTG, Wi-Fi (5 GHz). The smartphone is very simple, and its only really strong trump card, in addition to a successful hardware platform, is a good opinion about the manufacturer, which has developed recently not only in the Asian market, but also here. Perhaps this factor will help sales, but still it’s a little unfortunate that Asus did not put as much soul and effort into its new line of smartphones as it did in the Padfone series, which we really liked at one time.

In conclusion, we suggest you watch our video review of the Asus Zenfone 5 smartphone.

ASUS is one of the most recognized brands of mobile electronics manufacturers in Russia and in the world. The company supplies the market with high-quality, stylish and multi-functional devices. These include the Asus smartphone. What is remarkable about this device? What do its owners say about gaining experience using it?

Specifications

The first aspect in which we can explore Asus Zenfon 5 is the characteristics. Among the key:

• dual-core processor with a frequency of 1.6 GHz, equipped with the PowerVR SGX544MP2 accelerator;
• android operating system in version 4.3 Jelly Bean, there is a ZenUI shell;
• 5-inch display, resolution - 1280 by 720 pixels (type HD), manufactured using IPS technology, equipped with 3 glass, displays 16 million colors;
• RAM - 2 GB;
• built-in flash memory of 16 GB, it is possible to install additional modules  microSD;
• communications: uSB cable  2.0, Bluetooth in version 4, Wi-Fi;
• battery capacity 2110 mAh.

Judging by the characteristics, the user is provided with a sufficiently productive and technological smartphone. But do mobile gadget lovers share this view?

Features: user reviews

According to some users, the frequency of 1.6 GHz is not enough to perform modern tasks. However, in this case, the decisive role is played by another - the Atom Z2560 chip technology. The specificity of this chip lies in the ability to quickly process 3D graphics at a relatively low frequency. Thus, the processor in this case is a factor of high-performance smartphone.

Regarding the other characteristics, users generally rate them quite positively. And this is not surprising, because the device is equipped with an HD-display made by modern technology, quite competitive in terms of RAM and flash memory, and also supports basic communication standards.

The general opinion of users about the characteristics of the device we have studied. Now consider the specific design of the device.

Design

The Asus Zenfon 5 phone has a plastic case. It can be noted that there is also a small metal part in it - in the lower part. Among other noteworthy design decisions implemented in the device, one can note the placement of an 3.5 mm audio slot in the upper part of the case. SIM card slots are located under back cover  devices. Despite the rather large thickness of the device, its design visually makes the smartphone very compact.

What does Asus Zenfon 5 look like? A photo of the device is presented below.

In the design of the device’s case there are no pronounced sharp corners, the device looks pretty strict and solid. In general, the concept is at the level of leading brand solutions. The plastic insert located under the touch buttons looks interesting: when light falls on it, it shimmers beautifully.

Key buttons - “Return”, “Home”, as well as the one that causes recent applications, are located at a fairly large distance. This is convenient, since in the probability of missing the desired option and engaging another is minimal. It should be noted that many users are accustomed to a shorter distance between the corresponding touch controls.

The back panel, as well as the end elements of the device case, are made of rubberized plastic, which is characterized by resistance to pollution.

On the left side of the device is a key to adjust the sound level, as well as a button to turn on the device. It can be noted that the material of their manufacture is similar to that used in the production of the marked plastic insert, which is slightly lower than the touch buttons. That is, the keys in question can also beautifully shimmer in the light.

Many users and experts in the field of mobile electronics note how well assembled the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone is. The reviews indicate that there are no noticeable backlashes and gaps in the elements of the case, all the details are fixed very securely.

Display

The Asus Zenfon 5 phone is equipped with a 5-inch display, which has a resolution of 720 by 1280 pixels, which corresponds to the HD standard. The phone screen is made using modern IPS technology. The display density is 294 ppi. Thus, the graininess of the screen is almost invisible.

The brightness of the display is estimated by experts and users as quite sufficient. Viewing angles are large. The display is comfortable to use even in the presence of glare. There is thanks to which the surface of the screen is easy to clean. With the same comfort, you can view photos, videos, launch games and various applications on the display of the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone.

The maximum brightness of the device display is 315 cd / sq.m. However, the actual comfort of using the device depends on the brightness level of the image. The contrast ratio of the screen is 755: 1, it can be considered quite typical for the corresponding hardware component, which is manufactured using IPS technology.

The smartphone screen, like the one installed on many other modern devices, has a multi-touch function and processes 5 simultaneous touches.

Users note the high definition of the image on the screen that the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone has. Feedback from mobile gadget lovers includes very positive assessments of the quality of the display when viewing text in small print. It can be noted that for lovers of reading, the smartphone is provided special mode. When it is activated, the white color becomes a little yellowish, and the color scheme of other interface elements becomes softer. As a result, the load on the eyes of a person who reads is significantly reduced. e-bookusing the Asus Zenfon 5 phone. The reviews of the owners of the device include very positive ratings for this option.

It is noteworthy that the phone can be used with gloves on. Setting up the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone in terms of activating the corresponding option is very simple. You just need to enter the interface menu item, which sets the screen settings. True, the sensitivity of the sensor when using the device with gloves is significantly lower. But it is enough to answer incoming call  or read SMS.

Performance

In modifications of the phone intended for delivery to the Russian market, an Atom Z2560 processor is installed, which operates at a frequency of 1.6 GHz. It may seem that this characteristic of the chip looks modest against the background of many competitive solutions. However, the practical results of tests conducted by specialists and users show that the device is very productive. Popular games and applications start quite correctly, without much braking.

Heavy games

Many users managed to use the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone (reviews regarding the corresponding feature are also present among experts) to launch games and applications that are traditionally classified as “heavy” and requiring powerful “hardware” in the devices. Not every budget device is characterized by similar performance.

Camera

The next noteworthy aspect in which we can study Asus Zenfon 5 is the characteristics of the camera. The corresponding hardware component that the device is equipped with has a resolution of 8 MP. It can be noted that the smartphone brand manufacturer provides the device owner with the opportunity to use convenient and functional software when using the camera. So, among the noteworthy operating modes of the corresponding program is “Time Control”, in which the device can make a series of 31 photos in a set interval so that you can subsequently select the best shots from them.

Users and experts highly value the operation of the camera, which is equipped with the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone. Feedback from mobile electronics enthusiasts suggests that this hardware component provides excellent image quality, both in daylight and nighttime lighting. What other notable features does the camera with which the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone is equipped? Photos in the macro mode, for example, are obtained when using the device just fine. The smartphone is also equipped with an additional camera with a resolution of 2 MP. It can be used for "selfie" or communication via Skype.

Soft

The device is running Android OS in version 4.3. The firmware “Asus Zenfon 5” is proprietary. Users and specialists note the convenience of using the appropriate interface and the speed of the device’s control elements. Firmware "Asus Zenfon 5" also has a stylish and modern design.

The device interface allows you to quickly access any options that interest you. In order to use the “Asus Zenfon 5” settings in the part of the camera or communications, you will need to spend just a few seconds. Difficulties with installing third-party applications from the Google Play store and its analogues are almost not fixed by users.

Sound

Another important aspect in which we can explore the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone is the characteristics of the device in terms of sound. The quality of the conversational speaker users is not particularly complaints. The interlocutor's speech is heard perfectly. The functioning of the headphones, which are connected to the device through a standard 3.5 mm jack, is also quite well evaluated by experts and users. But according to some experts, the external speaker located on the rear panel of the device does not work loudly enough. Although, as many enthusiasts of mobile electronics note, the corresponding hardware component of a smartphone in practice is used, as a rule, not too often.

Communications

The phone supports the basic modern communication standards. Using them in practice is very simple. How to configure “Asus Zenfon 5” in terms of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth? Such questions practically do not arise on thematic online portals, where lovers of mobile electronics communicate. Similarly, there is no problem connecting the device to a computer via a USB cable. Immediately after connecting the device and the PC via this cable, Windows detects the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone. An instruction that would reveal in detail the nuances of the corresponding device activation mode is not required for users.

Phone memory

The RAM of the device is 2 GB. This indicator is quite enough to run most modern programs adapted for the Android platform. The built-in flash memory of the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone is 16 GB. If necessary, it can be increased due to additional microSD modules. Hot swapping of memory card data is supported, in which it is not necessary to turn off the device.

Battery

The battery that the device is equipped with is non-removable, its capacity is 2110 mAh. To many, she may seem modest. However, in practice, users manage to achieve more than decent results in terms of battery life of the device. So, in the video viewing mode in high quality and at the maximum brightness level of the battery resources of the Asus Zenfon 5 phone (many experts testify to similar results), it lasts for about 4.5 hours. In reading mode, the device can work without recharging for about 9 hours. At an average intensity of using the device, it should be enough for about a day.

But if necessary, you can always use one of the energy-saving modes that are implemented in the device. So, among the most effective is the reduction in processor frequency. You can also perform the necessary application configuration in order to increase the battery life of the device.

Using two SIM cards

In the Asus Zenfon 5 smartphone (user reviews indicate that the corresponding option is extremely in demand), 2 SIM cards are supported right away. However, there is only one radio module in the device. Therefore, if a person is talking using one SIM card, then the second temporarily loses functionality. Users highly praise the SIM management interface. So, you can always quickly choose the one with which it is desirable to call one or another number, for example, due to the fact that the current tariff is adapted for calling subscribers of a particular operator.

Summary

The Asus Zenfon 5 phone (reviews by many experts describe it that way) has no direct competitors in its price segment. The device, therefore, can be considered to some extent a unique instance for the Russian market.

With such a smartphone, the owner gets the opportunity to take advantage of the HD-display, take great pictures and videos, and, very importantly, launch “heavy” games and applications. At the same time, the device belongs to the budget category.