ASUS takes on OnePlus, launches ZenFone 5Z for Rs. 29,999
ASUS has officially launched its 2018 flagship, the ASUS ZenFone 5Z, in India today. Entering the mid-premium segment, the ZenFone 5Z comes at a starting price of Rs. 29,999 and takes on the likes of OnePlus 6 and Honor 10. The ASUS smartphone packs top-end internals and is well positioned to beat the heavyweights, considering its highly competitive price point. Here's our roundup.
ASUS ZenFone 5Z will be available starting July 9
The base model of the ASUS ZenFone 5Z with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage comes at Rs. 29,999. The mid-end variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB inbuilt storage has been priced at Rs. 32,999 while the top-end model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage will cost Rs. 36,999. Notably, the ASUS flagship will be sold exclusively via Flipkart starting July 9 at 00:00 hours.
ASUS ZenFone 5Z: At a glance
The ZenFone 5Z features a 6.2-inch Full-HD+ (1080x2246 pixels) Super IPS+ notch-based display with an 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 550-Nits brightness, and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The rear panel is made using aerospace-grade aluminum zircon and sports a shimmery sandblasted finish. The phone will be offered in two color options - Meteor Silver and Midnight Blue.
ASUS is also flaunting the Smart Screen feature
The ZenFone 5Z also gets Smart Screen, an AI-powered screen feature that turns off the display when you're not looking at your phone. Moreover, the screen also supports scaling for apps and videos along with an option to hide the notch.
For the shutterbugs and selfie lovers
The ASUS flagship gets a dual rear-camera comprising a 12-megapixel Sony IMX363 sensor with an f/1.7 aperture and support for OIS and EIS, paired with an 8-megapixel fixed focus OmniVision 8856 sensor with f/2.2 aperture and 120-degree wide-angle lens. Notably, the primary camera also gets AI-based scene detection. Up front, the ZenFone 5Z gets an 8-megapixel selfie shooter with EIS and real-time beautification feature.
Under the hood
The ZenFone 5Z is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, coupled with Adreno 630 GPU, Artificial Intelligence engine, up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB internal storage which is expandable up to 2TB via microSD card. The phone supports dual Nano SIM cards and runs Android Oreo-based ZenUI 5.0. Under the hood, it packs a 3,300mAh battery which supports Quick Charge 3.0.
Connectivity options, onboard sensors and more
The phone comes with an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, electronic compass, gyroscope, fingerprint sensor, proximity sensor, and RGB sensor. Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/c (2.4GHz/5GHz), NFC, FM radio, GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, USB OTG, USB Type-C (Gen1), and 3.5mm headphone jack. The ZenFone 5Z also gets dual speakers, dual amps and support for DTS Headphone and Hi-Resolution audio output.
ASUS ZenFone 5Z launch offers
ICICI cardholders will get Rs. 3,000 discount. Additionally, Flipkart is offering its 'Complete Mobile Protection' at Rs. 499 as against its price of Rs. 2,299; no-cost EMIs starting at Rs. 3,333 per month and a Jio offer with Rs. 2,200 cashback and 100GB extra data. Buyers can also avail service benefits like invoice free walk-in, free pick/drop of faulty devices, and a substitute phone.
OnePlus 6 or ASUS ZenFone 5Z
In our recent smartphones faceoff, the clear winner was OnePlus 6 owing to its premium feel, refined bloat-free OS, and slightly better camera. That said, we did highlight that both phones pack top-end specs and price will remain a deciding factor. Given OnePlus 6 starts at Rs. 34,999 (6GB/64GB) and ZenFone 5Z (6GB/64GB) at Rs. 29,999, the ASUS flagship will give OnePlus a tough fight.
