Asus MWC 2018: Asus at its Mobile World Congress (MWC) event in Barcelona launched the ZenFone 5 series of smartphones that includes ZenFone 5, ZenFone 5 Lite, and ZenFone 5Z. The new ZenFone 5 series comes with bezel-less displays, new Artificial Intelligence (AI) features, and dual camera setups. The Asus ZenFone 5Z takes the cake as it sports design with an iPhone X-style ‘notch’ on the top and a 90 per cent screen to body ratio. In addition to the new ZenFone 5 series, the Taiwanese company also unveiled ZenFone Max Plus and ZenFone Max on the sidelines.
Asus ZenFone 5Z, ZenFone 5, and ZenFone 5 Lite Price and Availability
Asus showcased all three smartphones at the event but has revealed the price only for the ZenFone 5Z. The Asus ZenFone 5Z 4GB RAM, 64GB inbuilt storage variant has been priced at 479 euros (roughly Rs. 38,400). However, the company did not provide the pricing of rest of the smartphones. While the price details of ZenFone 5Z other variants, ZenFone 5, and ZenFone 5 Lite are yet to be announced by the company, the availability details have been revealed. The ZenFone 5 Lite will be the first smartphone to hit the shelves in March, the ZenFone 5 will ship later in April, and the premium ZenFone 5Z will available to buy in June this year.
Asus ZenFone 5Z, ZenFone 5, and ZenFone 5 Lite Features and Specifications
The Asus ZenFone 5 series is touted to use the new Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to improvise the camera and UI experience for the users. The Asus ZenFone 5Z is a flagship smartphone that comes with some topline specifications. The smartphone comes with a 6.2-inch full-HD+ (1080×2246 pixels) display having a 19:9 aspect ratio. Since the ZenFone 5Z comes with a top ‘notch’ the display aspect ratio makes the smartphone a little taller than the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. However, the iPhone X remains the tallest at a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, as compared to ZenFone 5Z and Galaxy S9 smartphones. The smartphone houses a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, which can be seen on most of the flagship devices launched at the MWC 2018.
The Asus ZenFone 5Z further packs three RAM and storage configuration models – 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, 6GB RAM and 128GB inbuilt storage, and the top-end 8GB RAM and 256GB onboard memory. There is support for a microSD card for expansion up to 2TB. The smartphone comes with a dual camera setup – 12-megapixel and 8-megapixel shooters with a soft-light LED flash. The front camera on the smartphone, however, is an 8-megapixel shooter that also brings support for the face unlock feature. Backing the device is a 3300mAh battery under the hood.
Moving to the ZenFone 5, it comes with mostly similar specifications as the ZenFone 5Z, however, there are significant differences in the processor, RAM, and storage variants. The Asus ZenFone 5 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC paired with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and just a single storage model of 64GB, which can be further expanded via microSD card. The cameras and other specifications are just as similar to the ZenFone 5Z.
The Asus ZenFone 5 Lite is a toned-down version with mid-range specifications that include a 6-inch full-HD+ (1080×2160 pixels) IPS display. The smartphone comes in two processor variants – Snapdragon 630 and Snapdragon 430 – along with two RAM and storage configurations – 3GB/ 32GB and 4GB/ 64GB. The storage can be expanded via microSD card up to 2TB. There is a dual camera setup in the smartphone – 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel with support for an LED flash. On the front, there is another dual camera setup featuring 20-megapixel and 8-megapixel sensors. The handset is backed by a 3300mAh battery and comes with the face unlock feature.