Packing as much feature as you think of having in a smartphone and complement it with advanced AI features, Taiwanese mobile vendor Asus is hitting the perfect sweet spot with the launch of its flagship android smartphone Asus Zenfone 5z in India.
Officially unveiled first during the Mobile World Congress event in February 2018, the Zenfone 5z has been a hit around the world. In a nutshell the mobile packs Snapdragon 845 SoC processor, dual cameras, gorgeous big all-screen display, dual speakers and AI-enhancement all-around.
Asus Zenfone 5z price starts at Rs 29,999, which is for the base model packing 6GB RAM and 64GB of storage. The second variant of the mobile packing 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is priced at Rs 34,999. Finally, the top-end variant of the mobile packing 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will retail at a price tag of Rs 39,999. These three variants of the mobile will be available for purchase exclusively via Flipkart. As for launch day offers, you could get Rs 3000 instant discount when paying via ICICI Bank Debit or Credit cards. There is also No cost EMI option and extra data offer from Reliance Jio.
Design and Performance
Asus Zenfone 5z boasts a luxurious feel with its glass-covered body that’s built from special aerospace-grade aluminum. The edge-to-edge 2.5D-curved screen from the front portion seamlessly merges with the delicate body, making it fit comfortably in your hand. In the front, the mobile flaunts a 6.2-inch Full HD+ Super IPS+ (2246 by 1080) all-screen display that has a screen-to-body ratio of 90 per cent. However, you would find a cut or notch at the top of the screen.
Powering the Asus Zenfone 5z is a 64-bit Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform coupled with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. For intense graphics performance, there is the Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU. AI or Artificial Intelligence is in the heart of the phone with Qualcomm Artificial Intelligence Engine offering great performance with better battery life.
For storage, the Zenfone 5z would come in 64GB, 128GB or 256GB UFS2.1 storage options. You could further expand the storage up to 2TB using microSD card. There is also additional 100GB free one-year cloud storage from Google Drive. The phone runs on Android Oreo OS with new ASUS ZenUI 5 skin over the top.
AI-Performance
Asus has packed numerous AI features on Zenfone 5z. The phone uses AI learning to analyse your usage habit and then intelligently predict the apps you’re most likely to use next.
Then we have the advanced AI features packed with the camera unit. The AI can anticipate your needs and adapt to your preference. The AI Scene Detection can intelligently guesswork from 16 scene types, thus optimizing the camera settings for that perfect shot. AI Photo Learning allows you to teach ZenFone 5Z what’s your preference on a photo. It then automatically adjusts the camera settings for future shots.
Then we have the AI Ringtone that intelligently adapts the ringer volume to your surrounding ambient noise level. There is also a smart AI-powered call feature which can boost up the call quality and audio recordings, with the help of its triple noise-cancelling microphones.
Dual Cameras
Talking about photography, the Asus Zenfone 5z boasts a dual camera setup at the rear. This includes the main rear camera of 12-megapixel Sony IMX363 dual-pixel image sensor featuring F1.8 aperture and 4-axis, 4 stops optical image stabilization. There is an additional second 8-megapixel rear camera featuring 120-degree wide-angle shooting and 200 per cent Wider view frame.
For selfie addicts, the Zenfone 5z comes with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It features F2.0 aperture, 84-degree field of view and support for beautification mode. The cameras are complemented by AI Photography, that we talked about earlier.
Connectivity and Extras
Asus Zenfone 5z comes with dual SIM and dual standby, with support for 4G LTE, 3G and 2G networks. The mobile also supports 4G VoLTE for making that HD voice and video calls. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 & 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC. For biometric security, the phone has a fingerprint sensor at the back and a face unlock feature.
For audiophiles, the Asus Zenfone 5z comes with dual speakers driven by a powerful NXP low-distortion dual Smart AMP. It can also play audio files encoded at up to 24-bit/192KHz sample rates. You also get a pair of Hi-Res Audio-capable ZenEar Pro earbuds with the phone, which also supports DTS Headphone:X offering 7.1-channel virtual surround-sound over headphones.
Finally fuelling the Zenfone 5z is a 3300mAh battery with support for fast charging. It also comes with AI-powered intelligent charging. It can dynamically adjust the charging rate, which slows down the battery ageing process and offers better battery lifespan.