During a special session for the media and tech bloggers, I’ve been given the opportunity to test out the newest Zenfone 5 unit that was announced during the ASUS screen time during the World Mobile Congress 2018.
The special session allowed us to take a first shot on the pre-production unit and here’s a few impressions I’ve had for the unit.
Before everything else though, here’s the first look at the front side of the Zenfone 5
Meanwhile, here’s the rundown of the specs:
Dual Camera
- AI Photography: AI Scene Detection in 16 Types/ AI Photo Learning/ AI Portrait/ AI Beautification
- Main Camera: 12mp, Sony IMX363 Sensor (1.44μm pixel size, 1/2.55” sensor size) with F1.8 large aperture for 5x light sensitivity – Night HDR. OIS/EIS, PDAF, RGB sensor, 4K video recording, RAW file support
- Second Camera: 8mp, 120 wide view
- Front Camera: 8mp, F2.0
Performance
- CPU: AI-powered Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 with ASUS AI Boost
- Storage: 4GB/64GB, 6GB/64GB, Micro SD Card Support (Up to 2TB)
- Unlock: Face Recognition & Fingerprint
- Battery: 3300mAh Battery with BoostMaster & Smart Charging S
- IM: Dual 4G SIM LTE Standby (nano SIM/nano SIM or SD Card )
Display
- 19:9, 6.2-inch all-screen notch display in just 5.5-inch compact body FHD+ IPS resolution (2246 X 1080, 500 nits) with 2.5D Gorilla Glass
- 90% Screen-to-body ratio
- DCI-P3 wide color gamut display
- AI Display: Smart screen on / Auto color
Other Info
- Zen UI 5.0 (see more in ZenUI section)
- Intelligent audio experience: Noise cancelation, Dual speakers with smart amp
- Hi-Res & DTS Headphone: X supported, New AudioWizard with customizable listening profile
Raw Impressions
One of the things that’s pretty noticeable with the Zenfone 5 design is the bigger screen the phone has. Unlike it’s predecessors the new Zenfone is able to maximize the screen. There is lesser wasted space compared to it’s predecessors which is a great update especially with a lot of the other brands already taking the same screen landscape philosophy.
Meanwhile, the back panel of the phone is still a fingerprint magnet, similar to the premium Zenfone 3 lines.
So far the pre-prod build we had felt solid enough but also at the same time, luxurious enough just like the higher end phone lines. The camera isn’t as great especially with the more selfie centric phones, but then, it seems like the Zenfone 5 was made to not that have in mind.
I must say though that the Zenfone 5 is back, and it’s better than ever.