Asus was at the MWC 2018 to unveil the ZenFone 5, a homage to the successful ZenFone 5 model released in 2014. The return of the ZenFone 5 (ZE620KL) has been received with mixed reactions after the company made a bold move to go the iPhone X way and include a notch on the display.
The Taiwanese company even compared the ZenFone 5 notch to the iPhone X notch on stage, clarifying that the former’s is 26% smaller than the latter’s notch. But of course, the reasons here are obvious. The number of sensors on the iPhone X notch is surprising, which isn’t the case for the ZenFone 5, a midrange phone.
That aside, the ZenFone 5 looks promising with a 19:9 display screen, some impressive performance specs, a trending dual-lens camera and runs the latest software. You’ll even like the company’s aggressive pricing strategy, which Asus hopes will be a major selling point.
ZenFone 5 specs
The ZenFone 5 is one of the most powerful midrange phones on the market right now. The second to debut with a Snapdragon 636 (after Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro), the ZenFone 5 blurs the gap between midrange and premium phones and a high-end design and some impressive specs as listed below.
- Front glass, aluminum design
- 6.2-inch 19:9 LCD IPS display with full HD+ resolution (2246 x 1080 pixels)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor
- 4/6GB RAM and 64GB storage (expandable up to 400GB)
- Android 8.0 Oreo with ZenUI 5.0
- Dual 12MP (f/1.8, PDAF) + 8MP (f/2.0, 120-degree wide-angle view) main camera with dual-tone LED flash, EIS, PDAF, 4K video recording and AI camera features; and an 8MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture, EIS and 1080p video recording.
- 3300mAh battery
- Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, fast battery charging and rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
ZenFone 5Z specs
Besides the ZenFone 5, Asus also announced the ZenFone 5Z (ZS620KL), which had widely been believed to be the ZenFone 5 Pro. On the outside, including the display screen as well as the camera specs, the 5Z is the same phone as the standard ZenFone 5, but on the inside, the two are different phones, as you can see below.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
- 4/64GB, 6/128GB or 8/256GB memory options (expandable up to 400GB)
- Android 9 Pie update coming in January 2019
As for the rest, including software, connectivity, ports and battery capacity, among others, they remain the same as the ZenFone 5. However, the ZenFone 5Z has superior fast charging technology than its counterpart, which means the 3300mAh unit on the 5Z will fill up faster than the similar unit on the 5. It also includes what Asus calls AI Charging, where the battery will keep an eye on your charging habits and adjust the charge rate in a bid to help the battery age gracefully.
ZenFone 5 and 5Z price and release date
At the launch event, Asus confirmed that the ZenFone 5Z will be priced at $499 for the base model of 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. In the UK, the 5Z will be priced at £499. As for the ZenFone 5, you’ll part with about $400, but this price could vary depending on markets. Those in India get to part with INR 29,999 for the base model and just INR 36,999 for the 8/256GB variant of the 5Z.
The ZenFone 5 started selling in Asia in mid-April, but the ZenFone 5Z will be available beginning May 2018.
