Melo Villareal
The ZenFones by Asus have something for everyone in their line-up, especially those looking for a device to accompany them on their vacations. For a frequent traveler like me, I like a smartphone that is a little bit bigger, with a good camera, a responsive touch screen and a good resolution. While the new Asus ZenFone 4 is quite impressive especially for its price, I think you should invest a little more for Asus ZenFone 5 to get the features that you will surely love.
Unboxing Zenfone 5
The prices for the available entries in the line are so far quite varied, so there’s something for everyone in there – and if you’re looking to spend a little more money on your device, you might want to give the Asus ZenFone 5 a try.
Physical Specifications
Like the other Asus ZenFones, the Asus ZenFone 5 immediately stands out with its lightweight design – albeit not quite as light as the ZenFone 4, it’s still perfect for active travelers who count the weight of their luggage by the gram. Despite having a bigger screen, it’s also still very comfortable for most pockets and shouldn’t give you an issue with its form.
Zenfone 5 Smartphone from Asus
And on that note, the screen is just marvelous – you will definitely not be able to complain about a lack of entertainment on your trip, as you’ll get to enjoy all your favorite mobile games, movies and TV shows in great quality. Sporting Corning Gorilla Glass 3, this device is perfect for travelers since it has a damage and scratch resistant screen.
You can also enjoy a nearly doubled battery capacity compared to the Asus ZenFone 4, although you shouldn’t interpret this as “nearly doubled battery life”, as the larger screen and more powerful hardware can put a more serious drain on the battery. Still, there was definitely at least some noticeable improvement in how long you can use the device before having to recharge it.
ZenFone 5 by Asus
Asus ZenFone 5 Key Specs
- Display – 5.00-inch
- Processor – 1.6GHz
- Front Camera – 2-megapixel
- Resolution – 720×1280 pixels
- RAM – 2GB
- OS – Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
- Storage- 8GB
- Rear Camera – 8-megapixel
- Battery capacity – 2110mAh
How about the Camera?
The built in camera also has an image stabilization feature to avoid blurry photos for people who are always on the go.
Software
The ZenFone 5 offers the same slightly modified version of 4.3 Android Jelly Bean (upgradable to KitKat) found on the other entries in the series, and you can expect great performance and an overall highly intuitive style of navigation throughout the device. The menus are highly responsive and never gave us any trouble, and you’ll find that some options are easier to navigate to, thanks to the changes implemented by Asus. I didn’t notice issues with any of the popular Android traveler apps that I tried, both in terms of software and hardware compatibility.
Zenfone 5
Power users aren’t left behind, on the other hand, as the Asus ZenFone 5 still has the same great level of flexibility and customizability of its software that you can expect from an Android device, and if you want to adapt it to your special personal preferences, you can do that. This can work out particularly good for active travelers, as a customized home screen can offer you a lot more information with a quick look, compared to the default one featured in Android.
Asus Zenfone 5
Conclusion
If you’re willing to spend a little more money on your traveler smartphone, the ZenFone 5 is the only logical choice on the market right now. Asus definitely know how to deliver a device that strikes the perfect balance between price and features, and you can easily transform your trips into an experience from a sci-fi movie by investing in a ZenFone 5. The great support by the Android community is certainly a big plus as well, and tech-savvy users will find everything they need to customize their experience as much as they want.
How much and where to buy Asus Zenfone 5?
Asus ZenFone 5 is priced at Php 6,495 and is now available in the Philippines at all Asus Concept Stores and official retail partners. Asus ZenFone 5 is available in five colors (Twilight Purple, Charcoal Black, Cherry Red, Champagne Gold, and Pearl White).
