![]() ![]() We were actually able to switch between playing FIFA 14 and Virtua Tennis on it while keeping out social networks and mails on push, with barely a lag. ![]() But by and large, Intel’s Atom processor turns in a very good performance and while the device does heat up, it never becomes uncomfortably so. ![]() Benchmark scores placed the ZenFone 5 at in the vicinity of the Nexus 4 and Note 2, which is staggering when you considered its price and how good those devices were (the Note 2 still does brisk business in India!). We had been expecting a few creaks and jitters at a device at this price point, but although there was the odd lag, performance in general was surprisingly smooth and a clear notch above that seen in the Moto G. Right, we need to apologize right away for using ‘strong’ language in the sub-heading above, but what really surprised us about the ZenFone 5 was its performance. In terms of hardware, this is perhaps the first device from a prominent brand to offer a 720p display and a 8.0-megapixel camera at this price point. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, 3G and Wi-Fi. The camera is not a run of the mill affair and comes with Asus’ PixelMaster technology, which the company claims facilitates low light photography even minus a flash. The display is a 720p affair and comes with Corning Gorilla Glass to stave off scratches. The storage stands at 8 GB and is expandable via microSD card. ![]() The phone is powered by a dual core Intel Atom Z2560 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz, with 2GB RAM to facilitate multi-tasking. We covered the brand name with our finger and asked people to identify the manufacturer of the phone and the answer we got most of the time was “HTC.” Yeah, that good! Not budget hardware eitherĪnd backing up those rather sleek looks is some very good hardware. At around 145 grammes, it is not exactly lightweight and it will be large for most feminine hands, but it feels reassuringly solid. All in all, the impression is one of understated class, with some very clever use of metallic accents. The back incidentally is removable, and below it reside dual SIM slots, a non-removable battery and an expandable memory slot. On the right are metallic buttons for volume and power/display, the micro USB port is on the lower part of the phone and the 3.5 mm audio jack on top. The outward curve makes it appear a lot slimmer than it actually is (10.34 mm for the record). The back is curved outwards gently and is made of solid plastic (thankfully not the stain-picking, glossy type), and houses an 8.0-megapixel camera with a LED flash near the top and speaker grille on the lower portion. Yes, it increases the length of the device, but we cannot deny that it looks good. The front is all about the 5.0-inch display which has a speaker and a 2.0-megapixel camera above it, three touch keys just below it, and in a neat touch, the kind of brushed metal finish that we saw on Asus’ ZenBook range at the bottom. The designers of the ZenFone 5 however seem to have skipped that part of the book and the result is a phone that looks surprisingly good for its price tag. Even the likes of the Moto G and the Lumia 630 looked smart rather than stylish (although some of the colourful back panels added a touch of class to the Lumia 630). “Costeth thou not a pretty penny, phone? Thou shalt not cut a pretty figure then” seems to be a clause in the Bible of Smartphone Design. ![]()
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