At MWC 2018 Asus unveiled the new ZenFone 5 series. While only the ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5 Lite were formally shown off, Asus has a third model in the works as well. The Asus ZenFone 5Z sits at the very top of the product line, offering high-end specs (mostly) worthy of a true flagship device.
The ZenFone 5Z features the latest Snapdragon chipset, intelligent dual cameras, and a massive 6.2-inch display that still manages to fit into a form factor that you'd expect from a traditional 5.5-inch handset. On the design front, it appears to essentially rock the same looks as its less powerful brothers.
All this sounds great, but with strong competition from Samsung, Sony and countless others, does the Asus ZenFone 5Z have what it takes to stand out from the crowd? While we won't be able to fully answer that question until we get our hands on a review unit, let's jump in and take a closer look at what the handset brings to the table.
Big screen, little body
The first thing you'll notice about the ZenFone 5Z is the display. Let's get this out of the way: yes there's a notch, and yes it's a shameless move to mimic Apple. Moving on, the 6.2-inch Full HD+ display offers up a 19:9 aspect ratio, as opposed to the more standard 18:9 we are seeing from many other 'tall display' Android phones.
What makes this display stand out is just how little bezel surrounds it, with an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 90%. Asus also says the display has "intelligent display technology". Basically it uses a sensors to automatically adjust the color temperature. It also prevents the screen from turning off when the user's face is detected.
Plenty of power under the hood
The ZenFone 5Z is powered by a Snapdragon 845 with an Adreno 630 GPU. Other key specs include 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, dual-SIM support, and a 3,300 mAh battery with smart charging technology.
Asus claims their charging system adjusts the charging rate by monitoring the user's charging habits, slowing down the battery's ageing process. Their so-called AI Charging tech also can keep the phone from charging to 100 percent overnight, allegedly extending its longevity. Of course that doesn't mean you don't get a fully charged phone, as the phone gets to know your sleeping habits and charges the rest of the way to 100% right before you wake up.
While the display's resolution might be a little less impressive than the QHD screens found in leading flagships, the rest of the phone's specs are certainly at a similar level to the competition.
Be sure to head over to our official Asus ZenFone 5Z specs post where we dive a bit deeper.
Immersive Audio experience
The ZenFone 5Z has two five-magnet stereo speakers that are driven by dual amplifiers that ensure maximum volume while reportedly protecting them from damage with its built-in 'smart' technology.
The ZenFone 5Z also supports Hi-Res Audio files encoded at up to 24-bit/192KHz sample rates and supports DTS Headphone:X for 7.2-channel virtual surround-sound when using headphones.
Smart features, but not really AI
AI is quickly becoming a buzzword — one that Asus is taking clear advantage of with all of their features dubbed as either smart or AI powered. Some of its claims at AI features include an AI display, AI charging, AI Scene Detection, AI Portrait, and AI Boost. Just like with the ZenFone 5 and 5 Lite, the problem is that these aren't really using machine learning technology… they are just 'smart'.
While a smarter phone experience is great, calling it AI is more than a little misleading. Still, the key takeaway is that the Asus ZenFone 5Z has plenty of optimizations under the hood that help make your phone experience a little smarter. Too bad they have to resort to misleading marketing to get this message across though.
A smarter dual camera experience
Dual cameras are all the rage these days, so it's no surprise to see a dual-camera configuration within the ZenFone 5Z. The main camera is a 12MP shooter with a Sony IMX 363 processor, offering f 1.8 aperture and 83-degree field of view. The second camera offers a 200-degree view. And up front you'll find a pretty standard 8MP shooter.
Asus also offers a number of special features including scene detection, photo learning, beautification, and a pro mode. The pro mode allows users the power to change exposrue, white balance, ISO, and gives you a range of shutter speedsfrom 1/10000 to 32 seconds. There's also support for RAW.
Asus reps played the little-known song Despacito on the Asus ZenFone 5, the Galaxy S8 and Google Pixel 2, and the difference was clear – the ZenFone gets much louder, and the sound is deeper, though the speakers sacrifice a bit of the highs clarity compared to the competitors.
Price and availability
ASUS has a history of announcing handsets and not releasing them until many months later, and it looks like this trend is set to continue as ZenFone 5Z. The Asus ZenFone 5Z will arrive this June, priced at $499 or 480 Euros. This seems like a pretty reasonable price tag for the features offered, putting it squarely in Honor V10 and OnePlus 5T territory.
What do you think of the ZenFone 5Z, an exciting affordable flagship or nothing to write home about? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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