ASUS announces the Zenfone 5, alongside the flagship ZenFone 5Z and ZenFone 5 Lite, with a huge 6.2-inch screen, a bezel-less type design with 2.5D curved glass on both sides, and an iPhone X-like notch which is 26% smaller competes with the Apple iPhone X. The ZenFone 5 also boasts its AI-powered ZenUI, ZeniMoji live animated avatars and dual cameras with AI Photography for scene detection.
The ZenFone 5 is a midrange smartphone while the ZenFone 5Z, being the flagship, features a 10nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 with up to 8 GB RAM and a storage that goes as much as 256 GB. The ZenFone 5 packs a midrange hardware utilizing the latest Qualcomm 600 series chip. It is powered by the Snapdragon 636 octa-core SoC with up to 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The 3,300 mAh battery supports fast charging via ASUS BoostMaster and AI Charging to extend the battery lifespan.
The screen is a 6.2-inch Super IPS and has a very odd resolution of 2246 x 1080 pixels with 19:9 aspect ratio. Aside from the bezel-less display, the cameras are one of the main highlights on the ZenFone 5, the dual-cameras include one 12 MP main camera and one 8 MP secondary for wide-angle shots.
The 12 MP f/1.8 AI-powered camera uses the Sony’s flagship IMX363 sensor with 4-axis OIS, 0.03s Dual Pixel phase detection autofocus, and support for RAW images. On the other hand, the 8 MP f/2.0 camera (OmniVision OV8856) uses a wide-angle lens with 120-degree field-of-view.
Unveiling the ZenFone 5, the ASUS also introduced the new ZenUI 5 optimized for AI functions like AI Camera, AI Display, AI Ringtone, AI Boost, AI Charging, AI Photo Learning. A new addition to the ZenUI is the ZeniMoji that resembles Apple’s Animoji, but with video calling and live streaming functions so that you can add your emoji avatar on social media live.
The fingerprint scanner also works for the gesture to access the notification panel by swiping on the fingerprint scanner. The ZenFone 5 isn’t limited to the fingerprint scanner, the Face Unlock feature will unlock the phone right away.
There’s a USB type-C at the bottom, a 3.5 mm for headphones, FM Radio, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), faster Bluetooth 5.0, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, and BDS. The ZenFone 5Z also features dual speakers with NXP 9874 Smart AMP amplifier, Hi-Res Audio of 192 kHz and 24 bits, DTS Headphone: X for 7.1 channel surround sound, and dual microphones.
The ASUS ZenFone 5 will be made available in June 2018, however, there’s no official information on the pricing. Consider the price a somewhat lesser than the 479-Euro ZenFone 5Z.
ASUS ZenFone 5 Specifications
- Display: 6.2-inch Super IPS display, Full HD+ resolution (2246 x 1080 pixels), 19:9 aspect ratio
- Software: Android 8.0 Oreo, ZenUI 5, AI-Powered, upgradable to Android P
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, at the back
- CPU: Octa-core Kryo 260 processor, 14nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC
- GPU: Adreno 509
- Memory: 4 GB or 6 GB RAM, LPDDR4X
- Storage: 64 GB or 128 GB internal, microSD card support up to 2 TB
- Main Camera: Dual Cameras (12 MP + 8 MP)
12 MP (RGB), f/1.8, 1.4um, Sony IMX363, 4-axis OIS, 5x high light sensitivity, 0.03s Dual Pixel PDAF, AI-powered, RAW support, 8 MP f/2.0, wide-angle 120-degree FOV, OmniVision OV8856, dual-tone LED flash - Selfie Camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, OmniVision OV8856, 83-degree wide-angle FOV
- Cellular: 4G LTE network, X20 LTE gigabit modem, Dual VoLTE-enabled, 2x Nano SIM (GSM)
- Connectivity: USB Type-C, 3.5 mm jack, FM Radio, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
- Audio: Dual speakers with NXP 9874 Smart AMP, Hi-Res Audio, DTS Headphone: X for 7.1 channel surround sound, dual microphones
- Battery: 3,300 mAh, ASUS BoostMaster fast charging, AI Charging
ASUS ZenFone 5 Price & Availability
- Price: TBA
- Availability: June 2018
