Smartphone asus zenfone 5 a501cg black. Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between different devices
Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 72.8 mm (millimeters) 7.28 cm (centimeters) 0.24 ft (feet) 2.87 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 148.2 mm (millimeters) 14.82 cm (centimeters) 0.49 ft (feet) 5.83 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement. | 10.34 mm (millimeters) 1.03 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.41 in (inches) |
| Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 145 g (grams) 0.32 lbs 5.11 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 111.56 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 6.77 in³ (cubic inches) |
| Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale. | Black White Purple Red Golden |
| Materials for making the case Materials used to make the device body. | Plastic |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds
Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.
| SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | Intel Atom Z2560 |
| Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor. | 32 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications. | Intel Clover Trail+ |
| Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance compared to 32-bit processors, which in turn are more powerful than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
| Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | IA-32 (x86) |
| Level 1 cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small in size and works much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 24 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes) |
| Level 2 cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1 cache, but in return it has a higher capacity, allowing it to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or in RAM memory. | 512 kB (kilobytes) 0.5 MB (megabytes) |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel. | 2 |
| CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1600 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is most often used by games, consumer interfaces, video applications, etc. | PowerVR SGX544 MP2 |
| Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications. | 2 |
| GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 400 MHz (megahertz) |
| Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted. | 1 GB (gigabytes) 2 GB (gigabytes) |
| Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR2 |
| Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels mean higher data rates. | Dual channel |
| RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data. | 533 MHz (megahertz) |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends. | IPS |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 5 in (inches) 127 mm (millimeters) 12.7 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 2.45 in (inches) 62.26 mm (millimeters) 6.23 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 4.36 in (inches) 110.69 mm (millimeters) 11.07 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.778:1 16:9 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail. | 720 x 1280 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on the screen with clearer detail. | 294 ppi (pixels per inch) 115 ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device. | 64.09% (percent) |
| Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics. | Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance |
| Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.
Rear camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.
| Sensor model Information about the manufacturer and model of the sensor used by the camera. | Sony IMX219PQ Exmor R |
| Sensor type Information about the camera sensor type. Some of the most widely used types of sensors in mobile device cameras are CMOS, BSI, ISOCELL, etc. | CMOS BSI (backside illumination) |
| Sensor size Information about the dimensions of the photosensor used in the device. Typically, cameras with larger sensors and lower pixel densities offer higher image quality despite the lower resolution. | 3.67 x 2.76 mm (millimeters) 0.18 in (inches) |
| Pixel size Pixels are usually measured in microns. Larger pixels are able to capture more light and therefore provide better low-light photography and wider dynamic range than smaller pixels. On the other hand, smaller pixels allow for higher resolution while maintaining the same sensor size. | 1.124 µm (micrometers) 0.001124 mm (millimeters) |
| Crop factor The crop factor is the ratio between the dimensions of the full-frame sensor (36 x 24 mm, equivalent to a frame of standard 35 mm film) and the dimensions of the device's photosensor. The indicated number represents the ratio of the diagonals of the full-frame sensor (43.3 mm) and the photosensor of a particular device. | 9.42 |
| Svetlosila | f/2 |
| Focal length Focal length indicates the distance in millimeters from the sensor to the optical center of the lens. Equivalent focal length (35mm) is the focal length of a mobile device camera equal to the focal length of a 35mm full-frame sensor, which will achieve the same viewing angle. It is calculated by multiplying the actual focal length of a mobile device's camera by the crop factor of its sensor. Crop factor can be defined as the ratio between the diagonals of a 35 mm full-frame sensor and the sensor of a mobile device. | 3.1 mm (millimeters) 29.21 mm (millimeters) *(35 mm / full frame) |
| Number of optical elements (lenses) Information about the number of optical elements (lenses) of the camera. | 5 |
| Flash type The rear (rear) cameras of mobile devices mainly use LED flashes. They can be configured with one, two or more light sources and vary in shape. | LED |
| Image Resolution | 3264 x 2448 pixels 7.99 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| 30fps (frames per second) | |
| Characteristics Information about additional software and hardware features of the rear (rear) camera. | Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographical tags Panoramic photography Touch Focus White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode Macro mode |
Front-camera
Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.
| Svetlosila F-stop (also known as aperture, aperture, or f-number) is a measure of the size of a lens's aperture, which determines the amount of light entering the sensor. The lower the f-number, the larger the aperture and the more light reaches the sensor. Typically the f-number is specified to correspond to the maximum possible aperture of the aperture. | f/2.4 |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of cameras is resolution. It represents the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in an image. For convenience, smartphone manufacturers often list resolution in megapixels, indicating the approximate number of pixels in millions. | 1600 x 1200 pixels 1.92 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum video resolution that the camera can record. | 1280 x 720 pixels 0.92 MP (megapixels) |
| Video recording speed (frame rate) Information about the maximum recording speed (frames per second, fps) supported by the camera at maximum resolution. Some of the most basic video recording speeds are 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps. | 30fps (frames per second) |
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.
| Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours. | 2110 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used batteries in mobile devices. | Li-polymer |
| 2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network. | 18 hours 30 minutes 18.5 h (hours) 1110 min (minutes) 0.8 days |
| 2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 353 h (hours) 21180 min (minutes) 14.7 days |
| 3G talk time 3G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network. | 18 hours 30 minutes 18.5 h (hours) 1110 min (minutes) 0.8 days |
| 3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 353 h (hours) 21180 min (minutes) 14.7 days |
| Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery. | Fixed |
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)
The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.
| Head SAR level (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device close to the ear in a conversation position. In Europe, the maximum permissible SAR value for mobile devices is limited to 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by CENELEC in accordance with IEC standards, subject to the guidelines of ICNIRP 1998. | 0.71 W/kg (Watt per kilogram) |
| Body SAR level (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device at hip level. The maximum permissible SAR value for mobile devices in Europe is 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by the CENELEC Committee in compliance with the ICNIRP 1998 guidelines and IEC standards. | 0.607 W/kg (Watt per kilogram) |
| Body SAR level (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device at hip level. The highest permissible SAR value in the USA is 1.6 W/kg per 1 gram of human tissue. This value is set by the FCC, and the CTIA monitors mobile devices' compliance with this standard. | 1.18 W/kg (Watt per kilogram) |
General characteristics
Type smartphone operating system Android OS version at the start of sales Android 4.3 Case type classic Control touch buttons Number of SIM cards 2 SIM card type micro SIM Multi-SIM mode variable Weight 145 g Dimensions (WxHxD) 72.8x148.2x10.34 mmScreen
Screen type color IPS, 16.78 million colors, touch Touch screen type multi-touch, capacitive Diagonal 5 inches. Image Size 1280x720 Pixels per inch (PPI) 294 Aspect Ratio 16:9 Automatic screen rotation There is Scratch-resistant glass There isMultimedia capabilities
Number of main (rear) cameras 1 Main (rear) camera resolution 8 MP Rear flash Functions of the main (rear) camera autofocus Recording videos yes (MPEG4, 3GPP) Max. video resolution 1920x1080 Max. video frame rate 30fps Front-camera yes, 2 MP Audio MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, FM radio Headphone jack 3.5 mmConnection
Standard GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G Interfaces Wi-Fi 802.11n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, USB Geopositioning GLONASS, GPSMemory and processor
Processor Intel Atom Z2560, 1600 MHz Number of processor cores 2 PowerVR SGX544MP2 video processor Built-in memory capacity 16 GB RAM capacity 2 GB Memory card slot Yes, up to 64 GBNutrition
Battery type Li-polymer Battery capacity 2110 mAh Talk time 18.5 hours Standby time 353 h Charging connector type micro-USBOther functions
Control voice dialing, voice control Airplane mode yes Proximity sensors, compass Flashlight yesAdditional Information
Features Gorilla Glass 3 display; GloveTouch technology support Announcement date 2014-01-07Before purchasing, check the specifications and equipment with the seller.
ASUS Zenfone 5
ASUS Zenfone 5
ASUS announced a new line of smartphones based on Intel processors at the beginning of the year, at CES 2014, and now the first samples have begun to arrive in Russia. So what can ASUS offer the buyer in such a popular segment of inexpensive smartphones? Let's look at the example of the ASUS Zenfone 5 smartphone.
We received the configuration of this smartphone with an Intel Atom Z2560 1.6 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM.
The full specifications of the smartphone look like this:
| CPU | Intel Z2560, 2 cores, 1.6 GHz |
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| GPU | PowerVR SGX 544MP |
| Random access memory (RAM) | 1 GB |
| Inner memory | 16 GB (plus 5 GB free ASUS WebStorage cloud storage) |
| operating system | Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (later updated to 4.4 KitKat) |
| Screen | Touch IPS display, 5?, 1280?720 |
| Connection | Two micro-SIM cards, GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz |
| Data transfer | 3G UMTS 850/900/1900/2100/ WCDMA HSPA+ UL:5.76 Mbps/DL:42 Mbps; DC-HSPA+ UL:5.76 Mbps/DL:42 Mbps |
| Bluetooth | V4.0+EDR+A2DP |
| WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi direct |
| Miracast support | There is |
| Navigation | GPS/Glonass |
| Main camera | 8 megapixels, built-in LED flash |
| Front-camera | 2 megapixels |
| Battery | Non-removable 2110 mAh lithium polymer battery |
| Dimensions | 148.2 x 72.8 x 10.34 mm |
| Weight | 145 g |
Delivery and packaging
Zenfone 5 comes in an elegant rectangular cardboard box with a minimalist design:
The front side and sides of the packaging do not contain technical information about the device inside, while on the left side the main functions supported by the smartphone are presented in the form of icons:
The back of the package contains a detailed description of the smartphone, including the capacity of the built-in battery. True, this description is made in small print:
The kit includes:
· charger with USB connector;
· micro-USB cable;
· headset;
· replaceable earphone inserts;
· instructions and warranty book.
Housing and controls
The smartphone is equipped with a 5-inch screen, and occupies almost the entire front part of the body, only in the lower part there is a decorative overlay made of brushed aluminum. The back cover has a rounded profile and is made of matte, rough plastic, pleasant to the touch, thanks to which the phone fits tightly in the hand and does not try to slip out:
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The body parts fit very tightly to each other, do not creak, and overall the feeling of a monolith is created.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the only metal part of the case is the same lining at the bottom of the front side of the device. This does not mean that the smartphone looks or feels “cheap”; the quality of materials and workmanship is at a very high level.
The touch buttons do not take up any useful screen space, which is good, but the buttons are not backlit, and when pressing them in the dark, you have to navigate by memory.
Control buttons (volume rocker and power button) are grouped on the right side of the device:
The button travel is clear, with a clearly noticeable click.
On the top edge there is a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a headset (headphones) and an additional microphone hole:
On the bottom edge there is a hole for the main microphone and a micro-USB socket for connecting a synchronization cable with a PC or charger:
In general, the arrangement of controls and connectors is logical and convenient; using the device with one hand is not difficult.
Under the back cover there are SIM card slots, micro-SIM form factor, as well as a slot for microSDHC memory cards (maximum supported card capacity is 64 GB). The arrangement of these connectors implies the possibility of hot replacement of both SIM cards and memory cards.
Non-removable battery:
Screen
The screen matrix is made using Super-IPS technology with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The physical size of the screen is 111×63 mm (own measurements), the pixel density per inch is 294 ppi. The matrix is covered with protective high-strength Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with a fairly effective oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating that prevents the formation of stains from touches.
Under the screen glass at the top of the device there are:
· a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear;
· multi-color LED indicator of battery charge level, signal of received message or missed call;
· a light sensor that changes the intensity of the screen backlight depending on the external light.
Auto-brightness works adequately without forcing the user to make manual adjustments.
The screen has good color reproduction and wide viewing angles, but the brightness reserve is not enough. When using the device outdoors, the screen fades.
The touchscreen can accept up to 10 simultaneous presses:
The touchscreen also has a special mode for working with gloved hands, and the responsiveness of the screen does not suffer from this:
Interface and OS
The smartphone runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS, complemented by the updated ZenUI shell:
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Following the fashion, ASUS made its interface in a new minimalist style with “flat” icons.
ASUS paid a lot of attention to the quick settings menu, called up from the notification shade:
In addition to standard Android applications, ASUS has added several of its own:
· Do It Later organizer;
· What's Next weather app;
· SuperNote note-taking application, capable of accepting handwritten text;
· Splendid screen color temperature setting application;
· master of preset phone modes (Smart mode, Music, Movies, Recording, Games, Speech);
· WebStorage application for synchronizing phone data with cloud storage;
· file manager with built-in zip archiver.
There are also several applications for interacting with the environment:
· PC Link – control your smartphone from a PC;
· Remote Link – remote control for PC or tablet;
· Share Link – application for direct file transfer via WiFi-direct;
ASUS even provided a special Easy mode, which is a lightweight interface, with larger fonts and icons of the main applications:
In this form, the phone will be convenient to use for children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
Performance
The smartphone platform is based on a dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 processor with support for Hyper-Threading technology, clocked at 1.6 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB built-in memory (of which 12 GB is available to the user). There are also versions of ASUS Zenfone 5 with a 2 GHz Intel Atom Z2580 processor and 2 GB of RAM. Quite normal characteristics for a device in the mid-price range.
The built-in memory can be expanded using a microSDHC memory card. The maximum supported card size is 64 GB, which by modern standards is not the most outstanding result; many devices support cards up to 128 GB.
Graphics processing is carried out by the PowerVR SGX 544MP video accelerator.
The platform provides comfortable work with pages in the browser and smooth scrolling of desktops. However, in some resource-intensive games the performance is clearly not enough. For example, Dead trigger 2 with maximum settings starts, but runs with severe slowdowns. Asphalt 8 can be played with maximum settings, but sometimes the image lags.
Benchmark results:
Antutu Benchmark
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Epic Citadel
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Quadrant Standard
Communication and usability
The smartphone supports working with two SIM cards, but it has only one radio module, and SIM cards cannot be active at the same time. The device holds the signal confidently; there were no problems with communication either when used indoors or outdoors.
Supported communication standards include UMTS/WCDMA HSPA+/DC-HSPA+, UMTS 850/900/1900/2100, EDGE/GPRS/GSM: 850/900/1800/1900. Unfortunately, LTE is not supported.
The navigation module receives satellite signals from both GPS and GLONASS:
The cold start time was about 20 seconds.
Of course, the smartphone is equipped with Wi-Fi modules of 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz) standards with support for Wi-Fi Direct and access point, and Bluetooth 4.0. Everything works flawlessly, and there is no point in specifically describing the operation of these functions.
The speaker volume and microphone sensitivity are sufficient for communication in any environment.
Thanks to the convex cover, the main speaker touches the surface, but is not completely blocked by it. When used indoors, the speaker volume is sufficient, but outdoors it is difficult to hear the call.
Camera
As befits a modern smartphone, there are two cameras installed: the front one is 2 megapixels, and the main one is 8 megapixels.
ASUS PixelMaster technology, which expands the range of camera functions implemented in Zenfone 5, includes several preset shooting and image processing modes:
· auto, when all shooting settings are set automatically;
· time control – the ability to select the desired frame when shooting moving objects using “rewind” of the captured frames;
· HDR – high dynamic range mode for taking pictures with more pronounced colors and contrast;
· night shooting mode;
Low light shooting mode;
· your photo - mode for “self-shooting”, shooting self-portraits;
· miniature;
· depth of field - a mode for highlighting objects in the foreground;
· intelligent removal - for cutting out unnecessary objects from the frame;
· “everyone is smiling” mode;
· improvement;
· GIF animation – creating moving pictures from several consecutive frames.
The front camera is quite capable of taking self-portraits and video calls.
The main camera does not make the right impression. On a bright sunny day, it doesn't handle image processing very well. Notice the sky shining through the trees:
In addition to the automatic shooting mode, a Turbo mode is available - the camera takes several consecutive pictures in a resolution of 1600×900 pixels. The number of pictures that can be taken per session is limited only by the memory capacity of the device. However, the quality of these images is far from ideal:
The sensations from the camera's operation are twofold. Shooting close-up objects is excellent, but shooting a general plan is only three points. Perhaps in future firmware versions ASUS engineers will be able to improve the camera's performance.
Battery life
The smartphone has a non-removable battery with a capacity of 2110 mAh. With automatic adjustment of the screen backlight turned on, during normal use (browsing web pages on the road to work), the battery lasted for a day. Asphalt 8 drained the battery in 3 hours. With looped 720p video playback, the phone lasted 5 hours. Not a very strong indicator.
· large screen, sensitive to working with gloves;
· high productivity for this segment;
· two SIM cards.
· no support for LTE networks;
· no OTG support;
· short battery life;
· Ambiguous camera operation.
The Zenfone 5 we are reviewing today is one of the best deals on the market for its price, as well as the most interesting smartphone from the entire ZenUI line. Let me remind you that we already had a detailed “First Look” at this device, so if you read it, I recommend that you immediately go to the sections “Dimensions”, “Screen”, “Camera”, “Battery life” and “Conclusion”.
Characteristics:
- Class: state employee
- Form factor: monoblock
- Case materials: matte rubberized plastic
- Operating system: Android 4.3, Zen UI
- Network: GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, dual SIM support (microSIM)
- Platform: Intel Atom Z2560
- Processor: dual-core 1.6 GHz
- RAM: 2 GB
- Storage memory: 16 GB, microSD memory card slot (cards up to 64 GB are supported)
- Interfaces: Wi-Fi (b/g/n/), Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset,
- Screen: 5’’, capacitive, 1280x720 pixels (HD), automatic backlight level adjustment
- Camera: 8 MP main camera, 2 MP front camera
- Navigation: GPS/GLONASS (A-GPS support)
- Sensors: accelerometer, position sensor, light sensor
- Battery: non-removable, Li-Pol, capacity 2050 mAh
- Dimensions: 148.2x72.8x9 mm
- Weight: 145 grams
Equipment
- Smartphone
- Charger
- PC cable (also part of the charger)
Our package also included a wired headset, but commercial samples will not have it.
Appearance, materials, control elements, assembly
The smartphone has a calm, strict appearance, the corners are slightly rounded, which is typical for Asus devices.
An interesting design element is the bottom panel under the touch buttons. It is made of textured plastic and shimmers beautifully in the light.
Dust collects at the junction between the touch buttons and the iridescent panel
Most of the front side of the smartphone is occupied by a five-inch display; above it there is a speaker mesh, a front camera eye, as well as light and proximity sensors.
Below the screen you can see a row of three touch buttons: “Back”, “Home” and “Recent applications”. The distance between the keys is quite large, so you can sometimes miss a button (expecting it to be closer to the one next to it).
The back cover and ends of the device are made of matte rubberized plastic. It's more smudge-resistant than soft-touch plastic, but it still shows fingerprints, they're just barely noticeable.
A place for an external speaker is also allocated on the back of the device. It has an average maximum volume level, and the sound quality is average, to put it mildly. Using ZenFone 5 as a “music box” is unlikely to work.
At the top end there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and at the bottom there is microUSB for charging and connecting to a PC.
On the left side you can see the volume rocker and the power button. They are installed in such a way that it is convenient for you to press them with your right thumb. The material of these buttons is similar to the bottom panel of the smartphone; they also shimmer in different shades in the light.
At the bottom of the left side there is a special groove, by prying it, you can remove the back cover. By the way, the smartphone is surprisingly well built. Despite the removable cover, there are no gaps.
Hidden under the cover are slots for two SIM cards in microSIM format, as well as a slot for a memory card.
In all the photographs you can see small specks of dust, unfortunately, this is a feature of rubberized plastic; it very quickly becomes covered with such specks of dust, and removing them later is very problematic.
Dimensions
To begin with, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the dimensions of the smartphone and its closest competitors in the table below.
As you can see, Zenfone 5 stands out only for its length; the device is slightly taller than other models, but otherwise it has typical dimensions for five-inch devices.
The smartphone is relatively comfortable to hold in your hand if you are already accustomed to a similar screen diagonal. However, you are unlikely to be able to operate it with one hand.
Screen
First, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the screen.
In the first glance, I wrote that the device has a poor oleophobic coating, so it seemed to me upon a quick acquaintance. After almost a month of active use, I have to take my words back. The oleophobic coating here is standard, yes, it is a little worse than on flagship smartphones, but in general, using the Zenfone 5 display is much more convenient thanks to its presence.
As for the quality of the screen itself, it has good picture clarity, and it’s easy to read even small text. But the maximum brightness let us down, its margin is lower than that of many competitors (than that of the same Acer Liquid E3, for example). When the display is tilted, the image is not inverted, but it does fade noticeably.
When reading at night, I also want to reduce the minimum brightness a little more. As for behavior in the sun, the screen is almost completely blind, the image is practically indistinguishable.
Traditionally, Asus devices come pre-installed with the Asus Splendid application, which allows you to change the color scheme to suit your needs.
Another setting used in smartphones from this company is reading mode. When it is turned on, the white color becomes yellowish, and the entire color scheme is softened, this is done in order to reduce eye strain. It’s convenient that you can choose the applications in which the reading mode will work.
The smartphone supports operation with gloves; to do this, you need to enable the corresponding option in the screen settings. Pressure sensitivity isn't as good with gloves on, but you should be able to take a call or read an SMS without taking off your gloves.
operating system
The smartphone runs on the Android 4.3 operating system with the proprietary ZenUI shell from Asus. The manufacturer has completely redesigned it, and now it looks a little like a mixture of TouchWiz and CyanogenMod. And yet it remains just as comfortable.
There are a lot of different innovations in ZenUI, so I plan to write a separate article about it, the link to which will be added to the full review.
Performance
First, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the chipset used.
To begin with, I note that the commercial version of the device will have 2 GB of RAM, but our sample had only 1 GB. After long-term use, I can note that an extra gigabyte would clearly not have hurt our sample, since there was no more than 150 MB of free memory. However, I can’t say that applications often crashed or froze.
Now about heating. The device gets hot, sometimes quite hot, but it’s not clear why. It seems that you are simply receiving a call, but it feels as if the smartphone was given a command to fry the part of your face or ear to which you leaned the device.
As for performance, there are no complaints about the device. You can run most powerful games and other heavy applications without any problems. I would also like to note the fast operation of the built-in launcher, this is a big plus of the device.
Autonomous operation
First, I suggest you take a look at the battery characteristics and the results of our tests.
With everyday use (total screen activity is about three hours: email, Twitter, web surfing, two SIM cards running in the background), the device’s charge lasts for one full day. The device has several power saving modes, with their help you can fine-tune the behavior of applications or simply limit the processor frequency. In my opinion, they didn’t add much to battery life.
Wireless interfaces
I note that changing chipsets from MediaTek to Intel Atom had virtually no effect on improving the quality of the GPS module; a cold start still takes about two minutes, and this, of course, is a minus of the device.
The device has support for two SIM cards. There is only one radio module in the device, so when talking on one SIM card, the second one becomes inaccessible. As for the interface for working with two cards, on the one hand, it is well made (in the dialer and SMS messages there are buttons for selecting the SIM card from which the call will be made), but one function is implemented inconveniently. I have often seen how in MediaTek devices, with one click on the switch in the curtain, you could change the active 3G from one card to another, but for this operation you need to go to the settings.
Camera
The smartphone has two cameras, the main one is 8 MP and the front one is 2 MP. Asus paid a lot of attention to the camera, talking about various modes and a large number of settings. But let's first look at the quality of the photos.
Among the interesting features, I would like to note the improvement of lighting when shooting in poor lighting. However, as you can see, despite the slight improvement in light, the quality of the image is still low.
Smartphones produced by Asus have already proven themselves to be the best. Thus, these devices have gained fame as reliable, stylish, functional phones, which are also available at a low price. It is due to this that they have gained such high popularity in the market.
In today’s article we will talk about a gadget that is not the “freshest”, but still present in the line of smartphones - Asus Zenfone 5 16Gb. The model that we will discuss will be subject to deep technical analysis and, to some extent, criticism. As a result of this, we hope to find out what positive and negative qualities the device is endowed with, what its strengths and weaknesses are, and what, in fact, a buyer who purchases this smartphone should expect. At the end of the review, we hope you will have your own impression of what you have read about the device.
general characteristics
Let's start introducing the smartphone with its general description. The device was presented at the end of 2014, and after that a whole line of Zenfone devices was presented. Nevertheless, in terms of its technical characteristics, it remains quite relevant (for the budget class) and meets the requirements of the market as a whole. At a price of $200 (at the time of its debut, it probably reached $250-300), the device is equipped to suit even the most demanding buyer (at the time of release, that’s for sure). And the technical parameters presented by the developer, taking into account the cost, are an understandable basis for such strong interest in the phone from the public. A large number of reviews and recommendations are the clearest confirmation of this.
The model has 2 GB of RAM, an average-quality camera, a Snapdragon 400 processor and a well-equipped screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.
However, let's not get ahead of ourselves and create a false impression among readers that the model works with outdated systems. No, in fact, the device functions smoothly and dynamically, due to the high level of optimization of the entire system, consisting of software and hardware components.
However, in order to present the model to you in a more complete light, we have prepared this review, to which we proceed directly.
Equipment
The phone comes in a familiar, classic box made of thick dark cardboard. On the top cover, as usual, there is an image of a smartphone, as well as inscriptions with its name and the name of the company.
Inside the box we find the device itself, a charger (consisting of a cord for connecting to a PC and an adapter with a “plug”), as well as a standard headset. As reviews dedicated to ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb note, the sound quality of the latter is quite good, considering that this is a factory accessory. By definition, they must be different from what a buyer can purchase “on the outside.”
In addition to the above, the smartphone we are describing comes with instructions.
Design
The appearance of the device is made in the classic Asus style - this design will be demonstrated a little later on the Asus Zenfone 2 - a line consisting of three devices.
The front part of the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG is visually “composed” of two segments - a glass-covered screen and a pseudo-metallic plate that shines in the light. Between them are physical buttons - navigation elements found on every Android device. At the top of the device you can see the speaker slot, as well as the developer’s logo.
The side edges of the device are covered with a back cover, which covers them with a single “casing”, along with the back side. Surprisingly, there are no difficulties in removing it - it comes off easily and without difficulty. On the right side of the smartphone you can see metal screen lock buttons, as well as a volume rocker. The top edge became the place for the audio jack, and the bottom edge became the place for the charging port.
On the back of the phone you can see the camera eye, under which you can find the flash and again the brand name.
Zenfone 5 16Gb is made of plastic due to its budget. True, the device should not be underestimated because of this: its matte texture is very pleasant to the touch, which makes it easier to work with the device - it does not slip out at all during a conversation.
Connectors for access to SIM cards and a memory card slot are located under the back cover. You can also notice the non-removable battery of the device.
Screen
The device's display has a diagonal of 5 inches - this is a normal size for a smartphone of this class. According to reviews related to ASUS Zenfone 5 (2) 16Gb, such a screen makes the phone quite convenient for working with basic functions and at the same time is not too bulky in terms of mobility.
The quality of the picture shown on the display can also be called high. The resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels contributes to the screen density being around 290 ppi. In practice, this means that if you want, you can see the “grain” effect, but to do this you will need to really carefully concentrate your vision on one point.
With other indicators, the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb screen is doing well - there are decent viewing angles (thanks to which the image does not lose its color and saturation as a result of rotating the device), capacitive multi-touch (capable of reading up to 10 simultaneous clicks).
You can also praise the display taking into account the characteristics of the glass that covers it. According to the technical data, it is made of material that can withstand impacts and scratches. In addition, there is a quality feature that ensures that no traces of the user’s fingers remain on the screen.
CPU
The smartphone operates on a processor consisting of two cores. The clock frequency of each is up to 1.6 GHz, which is quite enough to work with most applications presented in the Google Play catalog.
At the same time, the developers endowed the device with two RAM options - 1 and 2 GB. Due to this, it can be argued that the second version of ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb will be able to demonstrate greater performance. And, of course, this will have a positive effect on the everyday tasks facing the phone.
Memory
Users most likely will not notice the lack of space on a smartphone. The developers equipped the model with 16 GB of internal space and, in addition, connected a memory card module, with which you can further expand the space for loading personal data. Thus, the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG smartphone can be purchased by those who like to work with a large amount of content without having to worry about space on the device.
Battery
Another key factor that shows the level of comfort when interacting with a phone is the ability of the smartphone to operate on a single charge. This is the autonomy of the model, its “endurance”.
In the case of ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG, there is no need to worry about how long the device will work. The latter is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 2110 mAh. This means that with “normal” use of the device (which consists of performing everyday tasks), the battery charge will last for one day. If desired, you can use the economical operating mode, which is expressed in disabling the data exchange mode when it is not needed. This will make it possible to “stretch” work with the device for a couple of days. Another alternative solution may be to purchase a portable battery (Power bank).
It is best to ask the buyers themselves about how the battery behaves in practice - those who were directly involved in the “tests” of the smartphone. We will present their opinion at the end of the article, and also propose a simple but effective way to save battery.
Connection
The ASUS Zenfone 5 (2) 16Gb A501CG (Black) smartphone is capable of supporting two SIM cards. In this, in fact, it is no different from most modern Android devices. After installing them, the system asks the user to select which card is a priority. After this, you can change this setting using the corresponding menu item.
Our test and review of the ASUS Zenfone 5 16 Gb showed that the volume of the speaker, connection stability and the ability to “catch a signal” are at their best, due to which we can only praise the communication features of the model. We were unable to find any reviews about the device “losing connection,” as often happens with some Chinese devices.
operating system
The ASUS Zenfone 5 LTE 16Gb we described runs on Android OS version 4.3 (it was a current modification at the time the smartphone was released). Today, apparently, version 6.0 is available, and you can upgrade to it using a Wi-Fi connection.
The graphical shell here is developed individually for this model - it is ZenUI, which in the future will also be present on the second generation line mentioned above. It included, for example, ASUS Zenfone 2 Lazer 16Gb. The 5th version is its “predecessor” in the model range.
The new interface looks, in our opinion, more attractive than the standard Android “shell”. The functions that are offered to the smartphone user are presented here in a more convenient form. In addition, of course, new icons, graphic backgrounds and transitions between different phone menus have been developed, which also gives some kind of visual “freshness” for those who are used to working with “bare” Android.
Camera
The device is equipped with two shooting modules located on the front and back of the device. The main camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels, while the front one is equipped with a 2 megapixel matrix. As the reviews describing the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG Black note, the quality of the images can be quite competitive with photographs created using more expensive smartphone models. This is partly the result of high-quality hardware. On the other hand, the developers achieved this effect through an optimized software framework. Also, as noted earlier, the device is equipped with a flash.