Smartphones manufactured by Asus have already proven their worth. So, 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 gained such high popularity in the market.
In today's article, we’ll talk about the not-so-latest, but still present in the line of smartphones gadget - Asus Zenfone 5 16Gb. The model that we will be discussing 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, should be expected by the buyer who purchases this smartphone. At the end of the review, we hope that you will have your own impression of what you read about the device.
general characteristics
Let's start the presentation of the smartphone with a general description of it. The device was introduced at the end of 2014, and after it another 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 the debut, it probably reached $ 250-300), the device is suitably equipped even for a demanding buyer (that's for sure at the time of release). And the technical parameters presented by the developer, taking into account the cost, are an understandable reason for such a stormy interest in the phone from the public. A large number of reviews and recommendations are the brightest confirmation of this.
The model has 2 GB of RAM, a medium-quality camera, a Snapdragon 400 processor and a good-sized screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.
However, we will not run ahead of ourselves and create a false impression among readers that the model works with outdated systems.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, which consists of software and hardware components.
However, in order to present you the model in a more complete light, we have prepared this review, which we proceed directly to.
Equipment
The phone comes in a familiar, classic box made of thick dark cardboard. On the top cover, as usual, flaunts an image of a smartphone, as well as an inscription with its name and company name.
Inside the box, we find the device itself, a charger (presented from the cord for connecting to a PC and an adapter with a “plug”), as well as a standard headset. As noted by ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb reviews, the sound quality of the latter is pretty good, given that this is a factory accessory. By definition, they should be different from what the buyer can acquire “on the side”.
In addition to the above in the smartphone kit described by us, you can find instructions.
Design
The appearance of the device is made in the classic style for Asus - this design will be demonstrated a little later on Asus Zenfone 2 - a line consisting of three devices.
The front of the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG is visually “folded” from two segments - a screen covered with glass and a pseudo-metal plate that casts light. Between them are physical buttons - navigation elements available on each Android device. In the upper part of the device you can see the slot of the speaker, as well as the logo of the developer.
The side faces 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 lends itself easily and without difficulty. On the right side of the smartphone are visible metal buttons to lock the screen, as well as a volume control. The upper edge has become a place for an audio jack, and the bottom for a charging port.
On the back side of the phone you can see the camera eye, under which you can find the flash and again the brand name.
Smartphone ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb due to its budget is made of plastic. 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 during a conversation.
The slots for accessing the SIM cards and the memory card slot are located under the rear cover. You can immediately notice the non-removable battery of the device.
Screen
The display of the device has a diagonal of 5 inches - this is the 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 image shown on the display can also be called high. The resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels ensures that the screen density is about 290 dpi. In practice, this is expressed in the fact that if you want to see the effect of “graininess” it is possible, but for this you will need to really carefully concentrate your vision at 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 turning the device), capacitive multitouch (capable of reading up to 10 simultaneous clicks).
You can also praise the display and taking into account the characteristics of the glass that covers it. According to the technical data, it is made of material that is able to withstand shock and scratches. In addition, there is a high-quality oleophobic coating, thanks to which no fingerprints remain on the screen of the user.
CPU
The smartphone operates on the basis of the Intel Atom Z2560 processor, which consists of two cores. Each clock frequency is up to 1.6 GHz, which is quite enough to work with most applications presented in the Google Play catalog.
In parallel, the developers endowed the device with two options for RAM - 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 positively reflect on the daily tasks facing the phone.
Memory
Lack of space on the smartphone, its users, most likely, will not notice. 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 downloading personal data. Thus, the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG smartphone can be bought by those who like to work with a large amount of content without having to take care of the place on the device.
Battery
Another key factor that shows the level of comfort when interacting with the phone is the ability of the smartphone to work on a single charge. This is the autonomy of the model, its “endurance".
In the case of ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG, you should not 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 the “normal” use of the device (consisting in the performance of daily tasks), the battery will last for one day. If desired, you can use the economical mode of operation, which is expressed in disabling the data exchange mode when it is not needed. This will make it possible to “stretch” the work with the device for a couple of days. Also, an alternative solution may be to purchase a portable battery (Power bank).
The best thing about how the battery behaves in practice is to ask the buyers themselves - those who are directly involved in the “tests” of the smartphone. We will give their opinion at the end of the article, and also offer a simple but effective way to save power.
Communication
Smartphone ASUS Zenfone 5 (2) 16Gb A501CG (Black) is able to support 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 choose which of the cards is a priority. After that, you can change this setting using the corresponding menu item.
Our test and review of ASUS Zenfone 5 16 Gb showed that the volume of the speaker, the stability of communication and the ability to "catch the signal" are presented here at a height, due to which we can only praise the communication features of the model. We were unable to find any feedback that the device “lost contact”, as is often the case with some Chinese devices.
operating system
The ASUS Zenfone 5 LTE 16Gb described by us runs on the Android OS version 4.3 (it was the current modification at the time of the release of the smartphone). Today, apparently, version 6.0 is available, which can be updated with a Wi-Fi connection.
The graphical shell here is developed individually for this model - this 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 lineup.
The new interface looks, in our opinion, more attractive than the standard “shell” from Android. 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 visual “freshness” for those who are used to working with “bare” Android.
Camera
The device is equipped with two modules for shooting, located on the front and back of the device. The main camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels, while the front camera is equipped with a 2 megapixel sensor. As noted by reviews describing the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG Black, the quality of the pictures can quite compete with photos created using more expensive models of smartphones. This is partly the result of a high-quality hardware component. On the other hand, the developers achieved this effect due to the optimized software framework. Still, as noted earlier, the device is equipped with a flash.
Reviews
The recommendations of users working with the ASUS Zenfone 5 LTE 16Gb draw attention to a number of disadvantages of the device. The most notable are low autonomy (they say that for some the device works for a very short period of time, after which the battery runs completely), as well as a fragile display. The second characteristic is expressed in the fact that cracks appear on it, not only due to falls and shocks, but also due to strong heating.
You can deal with the first problem by disabling the “ASUS Cover” option, which, according to users, assumes up to 40% of the charge. Of course, it is more difficult to cope with the second one - some say that they had a chance to contact a service center to replace the display under warranty.
The rest of the customer reviews are mostly positive and in every way praise the device for those advantages that we were able to discover earlier.
conclusions
What can be said about the smartphone as a result? Now, of course, this model is outdated, and new ASUS models have been released to replace it, endowed with stronger software and, accordingly, able to demonstrate completely different qualities.
In this case, we must pay tribute to the described model. Zenfone 5 refers to budget smartphones, because at the time of release it was offered for only 8 thousand rubles (at the old rate, at the end of 2014), and a little later its price increased to 15 thousand. This is a decent amount for the features that the device has. And they are presented in the form of an attractive design, a powerful software shell, hardware. We should also praise the build quality and how optimized all the processes required to ensure the operation of the model.
Thus, this smartphone, presented in our review, is an excellent ratio of price-quality-capabilities. It remains only to praise its creators, who designed a high-quality and inexpensive mobile phone.