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Asus hasn't had a serious smartphone offering for quite a while now (that's if we don't count the Padfone, and we don't), but it seems like the time has finally come for the manufacturer to unleash a brand new handset line. Enter the ZenFone! Asus' latest family of smartphones includes three models - the ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6, none of which being particularly high-end, but the 5" and 6" models shaping up as quite decent upper mid-range packages with their 720p displays and Intel CPUs.
Anyways, let's take a look at how Asus' new ZenFone 5 — which can be considered the most mainstream product of the trio — fares against some formidable opponents such as the Galaxy S4 and the G2. Naturally, since we're comparing it to two flagship devices, the ZenFone 5 will understandably lag behind its opponents in the specs race, but if you think about it, that's still going to be quite an interesting comparison, as it's going to give us a hint of just how close to last year's premium experience one can get with this new crop of affordable Android smartphones. After all, the ZenFone 5 is expected to be priced at $149 off contract, making it quite an alluring proposition.
Asus ZenFone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 vs LG G2
| Design | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Android (5.0, 4.4, 4.3) | Android (5.0, 4.4.2, 4.3, 4.2.2) | Android (5.0, 4.4.2, 4.2.2) |
| Dimensions | 5.83 x 2.87 x 0.41 inches (148.2 x 72.8 x 10.3 mm) | 5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches (136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm) | 5.45 x 2.79 x 0.35 inches (138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm) |
| Weight | 5.11 oz (145 g) the average is 5.4 oz (155 g) | 4.59 oz (130 g) the average is 5.4 oz (155 g) | 5.04 oz (143 g) the average is 5.4 oz (155 g) |
| Materials | Main body: Plastic |
| Display | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical size | 5.0 inches | 5.0 inches | 5.2 inches |
| Resolution | 720 x 1280 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
Pixel density
Pixel density - The pixel density of a display represents the number of pixels over an area of one inch. It’s measured in “pixels per inch”, or ppi. The higher the number, the more detailed and good-looking the display is. | 294 ppi | 441 ppi | 423 ppi |
Technology
Technology - There are two main screen technologies currently used in phones and tablets: LCD and AMOLED. The former usually features a light source and liquid crystals, while the latter is based on organic light-emitting diodes. Newer LCD variations like IPS-LCD and Super-LCD allow for very accurate color reproduction and very wide viewing angles, where no significant image quality loss is observed. Current AMOLED screens differ in such a way that they can exhibit much more saturated colors (sometimes too much) and incredibly high contrast levels, which is due to black color being completely black in AMOLED displays. | IPS LCD | Super AMOLED | IPS LCD |
Screen-to-body ratio
Screen-to-body ratio - Shows what part of the frontal area of a phone its screen occupies. | 63.84 % | 71.91 % | 76.28 % |
| Colors | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | |
| Peak brightness | 450 cd/m2 (nit) |
| Camera | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | 8 megapixels | 13 megapixels | 13 megapixels |
| Flash | LED | LED | LED |
| Aperture size
Aperture size - The aperture of a camera is the opening through which light travels before it reaches the camera sensor. The smaller the number is, the bigger this opening is, allowing for more light to pass. | F2.0 | F2.2 | F2.4 |
| Focal length (35mm equivalent)
Focal length (35mm equivalent) - The lower (shorter) the focal length number, the wider the shot will be. Conversely, longer focal length cameras produce narrower frames, which can be used for telephoto (zoomed-in) purposes. | 31 mm | 29 mm | |
| Camera sensor size
Camera sensor size - A bigger camera sensor is able to capture more light, and thus produce better photos. | 1/3.06" | 1/3.06" | |
| Pixel size
Pixel size - The size of an individual pixel on a camera's sensor. The bigger, the better. | 1.14 μm | 1.12 μm | |
| Hardware Features | Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) | Autofocus, CMOS image sensor, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) | Sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical image stabilization, Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) |
| Software Features | Digital zoom, Digital image stabilization, Geo tagging | Digital image stabilization, Touch to focus, Face detection, Smile detection, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, Self-timer, Voice activation | Touch to focus, Face detection, Voice activation, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging |
| Camcorder | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps) |
| Features | Digital image stabilization | Optical image stabilization | |
| Front-facing camera | 2 megapixels | 2 megapixels | 2.1 megapixels |
| Video capture | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) |
| Hardware | |||
|---|---|---|---|
System chip
System chip - Most modern handsets use an advanced chip that includes many of the device’s hardware modules like the processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and sometimes even the wireless radio. This field shows what particular system chip (or System-on-a-Chip) is used in the phone. | Intel Atom Z2580 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 8974 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 |
Processor
Processor - The processor is the main computing component of a phone and is a major factor when it comes to the overall speed of the device. Some more powerful smartphones use dual-core and quad-core processors designed to deliver greater performance. | Dual-core, 2000 MHz, Saltwell | Quad-core, 1900 MHz, Krait 300 | Quad-core, 2260 MHz, Krait 400 |
Graphics processor
Graphics processor - The graphics processor is important for the smooth operation of the system and especially in games and other applications that may involve complex graphics and animations. | PowerVR SGX 544MP2 | Adreno 320 | Adreno 330 |
System memory
System memory - System memory, or RAM memory is the type of memory that the device uses to temporarily store data from the OS or currently-running apps. The more RAM available to the device, the better the performance will be when multiple or heavier programs are running. | 2 GB RAM (Dual-channel, 533 MHz) / LPDDR2 | 2 GB RAM (Dual-channel) / LPDDR3 | 2 GB RAM (Dual-channel, 800 MHz) / LPDDR3 |
Built-in storage
Built-in storage - Bigger storage capacity allows you to keep more content saved onto your device, such as more applications, photos or video. Games and video content typically take up the biggest amount of storage space. | 8 GB | 64 GB | 32 GB |
Storage expansion
Storage expansion - Some handsets allow you to expand their storage capacity by using a memory expansion card – most often microSD. Expansion memory is mostly suitable for media storage, such as photo, video or music content. | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC |
| Battery | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Capacity
Capacity - The bigger, the better! However, battery capacity is not the only factor that has an effect on battery life. Those include the chipset in use, the software running on the device, as well as the consumer's unique usage pattern. | 2110 mAh | 2600 mAh | 3000 mAh |
| Wireless charging | Optional | ||
| Talk time | 34.30 hours the average is 20 h (1190 min) | ||
| Stand-by time | 34.2 days (821 hours) the average is 19 days (463 h) | ||
| Talk time (3G) | 17.00 hours the average is 18 h (1071 min) | 21.30 hours the average is 18 h (1071 min) | |
| Stand-by time (3G) | 15.4 days (370 hours) the average is 25 days (606 h) | 34.4 days (826 hours) the average is 25 days (606 h) | |
| Stand-by time (4G) | 13.3 days (320 hours) the average is 21 days (511 h) | ||
| Music playback | 62.00 hours | ||
| Video playback | 11.00 hours |
| Multimedia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen mirroring | DLNA, Wireless screen share, MHL | DLNA, Wireless screen share, MirrorLink, SlimPort |
| Cellular | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz |
| UMTS | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz |
| LTE (FDD) | Bands 18, 5, 8, 3, 1, 7 | Bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 | |
| Data | HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE Cat 3 (100/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s |
