Last month Asus launched three budget smart phones, the Zenfone 4, the Zenfone 5 and the Zenfone 6 in the price ranges of RS 5,999, RS 9,999 and RS 16,999 respectively. Surprisingly, it has sold more than 40,000 of these handsets in the Indian market within a matter of four days time. This stats also reveals the company has caught the pulse of the consumers as it knows what to make, how to make and for whom should it make these interesting handsets. I had opportunity to roll my fingers in of these handsets, the Asus Zenfone 5.
Looks and design
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| Asus Zenfone 5 |
The 5 inch capacitive display with three keys below for the home, back and multitasking adds elegance to the device. Designed in the size of 148.2 x 72.8 x 10.34 mm, it weighs only 145 grams. The smooth plastic finish back has the 8.0 megapixel camera with the led flash on the upper portion and a speaker on the lower portion of the back. The top of the device has slot to insert the 3.5 mm head jack. Besides, the right panel of the device holds the power key and the volume rocker. There is a dent to remove the back panel of the device. The bottom of the device has the slot for the micro-USB and a tiny microphone hole.
Hardware feature
The inner hardware feature of the phone as good as the outward looks. The device powered by 1.6 GHz dual core Intel Atom Z2560 processor – a processor as good in performance as its name. It runs games/applications without any lag and provides and handles multitasking with ease. Besides, it has 2 GB RAM and 8 GB storage expandable to 64 GB with a micro SD external memory card. Though the Li-PO 2100 mAh battery decent in performance and power efficient, but it needs at least one charge every day.
Software feature
The new device runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean as its operating system up-gradable to version 4.4 Kitkat operating system. The Zen User Interface running on top of it provides an overall smooth user experience whether watching movies or playing high-definition games. The music and the call sound quality is decent and up to the mark. The dual SIM device supports the 3G, Wi-Fi, GPRS, Bluetooth and the GPS connectivity. Besides, the PixelMaster technology in the 8.0 megapixel rear camera helps shooting better pictures in dim light conditions.
Price and colour
The price of the handset is RS 9,999 in India. The device available in different colours like the black, white, red, gold and purple. The new box has handset, USB cable, wall plug/charger, warranty card and user manual.
Opinion
It's a value for money device and successfully created buzz in category of budget smartphones in India. The good hardware/software features, intelligent camera technology blended with stylish/design fit the common man's budget. If you are planning to buy a new budget smartphone, then you should not think twice before investing your money in this handset.