Welcome to my review of the Asus Zenfone 5.. This is Asus’s new midrange phone which completely surprised me in nearly every area that defines what makes a great smartphone.
The Key Specs/Features
– 6.2-inch Full HD+ (2246 by 1080) Super IPS+ display, 90% screen-to-body ratio, 550nits brightness, supports DCI-P3
– Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, 64-bit Octa-core Processor with AI Boost, FinFET LPP (Low Power Plus) powersaving technology, GPU Qualcomm Adreno 509
– 4gb ram, 64gb storage
– Dual SIM dual standby, Slot 1: 2G/3G/4G Nano SIM Card, Slot 2: 2G/3G/4G Nano SIM Card, or the microSD card (supports up to 2TB) at a time
– Cameras – DxoMark Scoring 90 for camera, 93 for photos
– Dual rear camera
Lens 1 – Sony flagship IMX363 12MP dual pixel image sensor – 1/2.55″ large sensor size, 1.4µm large pixel size, F1.8 aperture, 6p lens, 83° field of view, 0.03 seconds phase-detection autofocus, 4-axis, 4 stops optical image stabilization, LED flash, AI photography with scene detection, RAW,
Lens 2 – 120° wide-angle camera
– Video – 4K UHD (3840 by 2160) video at 30 fps for main rear camera, 1080p FHD video recording at 30 / 60 fps, 720p HD video recording at 30 fps, 3-axis electronic image stabilization for rear cameras, Take still photo while recording video, Slow Motion video (1080p at 120 fps / 720p at 240 fps), ZeniMoji: Live Emoji
Audio – Dual speakers 5-magnet speaker with dual NXP Smart AMP for louder, deeper and less distorted sound effect
– Audio Output Hi-Res audio 192kHz/24-bit , DTS (Digital Theater System) Headphone:X™ 7.1 virtual surround sound for headphone support, Audio CODEC integrated into PMIC, AudioWizard with listening profile, Microphone, Dual internal microphones with ASUS Noise Reduction Technology
– FM radio
– Sensors – Rear fingerprint sensor (0.3 seconds unlock, supports 5 fingerprints), Face recognition, Accelerator, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, RGB sensor
– Power – 3300mAh with fast charging, AI & scheduled charging for battery protection, 5 minutes charge for 2 hours talk time, 38 minutes charge to 60% capacity
– In the box – ZenFone 5 with Android™ Oreo™ and new ASUS ZenUI 5, ASUS ZenEar Pro Hi-Res earphone with microphone, Type-C USB cable, Ejector pin (SIM tray needle), USB power adapter (10W), Documentation (user guide, warranty card), Clear soft bumper (optional)
The camera was excellent, video too and stabilised nicely. The default video mode out of the box is 1080p at 60fps. Good speakers and headphone sound too via the 3.5mm headphone socket.
Now for the main event.
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Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 
Always great to hear about competition.
But how do you explain the idiocy of putting a bright red phone booth up against a heritage stone building?! Gaaaaa! :0
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Liked the look of this phone enough to pre order it; to replace my failing main phone.
Early this year I set up the more basic ZenPhone 5 model for a friend, but I really needed the bigger screen. What Software version did yours arrive with?
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It was on android 8. After many updates it ended up on 1st May patch.
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I have this phone and am really pleased with everything other than VoLTE which is not provisioned, hopefully this will come at a later date
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Great feedback John
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