Asus Zenfone 5Q Review
With all the hoopla about iPhones, Galaxies, Pixels, and others, it can be easy to forget that companies like Asus still make phones that aim to offer a bit of the high life, but at a more reasonable price.
The Asus Zenfone 5Q is a mid-to-upper-mid-range device where so many manufacturers seem to be aiming. Competition is still stiff around the $299 price point the Zenfone 5Q is going for, but Asus hopes to pull out a win with dual cameras in the front and back (20 MP regular in front and 16 MP regular in back, both paired with 8 MP wide-angle lenses), sleek glass back, and Asus’s typically fast ZenUI performance.
We’ve seen solid attempts in the past, but often times one or two glaring flaws have held us back from fully embracing the Zenfone lineup. Does the Zenfone 5Q overcome this and establish itself as a worthy mid-range alternative?
In the box:
- Asus Zenfone 5Q
- Micro-USB cable and wall adapter
- Clear silicone case
- Asus headphones and spare earbuds
- Warranty and manuals
Design
The glass back looks nice albeit rather familiar and plain, but we do like the color selection, namely the addition of a red colorway to spice things up. The power and volume buttons built into the plastic sides also have a nice solid click to them – not too firm, and not at all mushy.
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
Dimensions
6.3 x 2.98 x 0.33 inches
159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm
Weight
6.74 oz (191 g)
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
Dimensions
6.3 x 2.98 x 0.33 inches
159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm
Weight
6.74 oz (191 g)
To see the phones in real size or compare them with other models, visit our Visual Phone Size Comparison page
Display
Notched or not, this 6-inch Full HD+ (2160 x 1080) display still achieves a respectable 80% screen-to-body ratio. Clarity on this screen is pretty good, as are the colors, though it can seem a bit bluish. Reaching a max brightness of 478 nits and a minimum of 6, it’ll be easy to see this display in any lighting scenario.
Display measurements and quality
Maximum brightness Higher is better | Minimum brightness (nits) Lower is better | Contrast Higher is better | Color temperature (Kelvins) | Gamma | Delta E rgbcmy Lower is better | Delta E grayscale Lower is better | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asus ZenFone 5Q |
478 (Good) |
6 (Good) |
1:2545 (Excellent) |
9297 (Poor) |
2.27 |
6.57 (Average) |
9.44 (Poor) |
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) |
507 (Excellent) |
1 (Excellent) |
unmeasurable (Excellent) |
7419 (Good) |
2.03 |
7.37 (Average) |
9.91 (Poor) |
Motorola Moto X4 |
563 (Excellent) |
6 (Good) |
1:1689 (Excellent) |
8007 (Poor) |
2.15 |
13.17 (Poor) |
6.06 (Average) |
Nokia 7 plus |
476 (Good) |
2 (Excellent) |
1:2170 (Excellent) |
8105 (Poor) |
2.32 |
4.22 (Average) |
6.08 (Average) |
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x: CIE31' and 'y: CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance (balance between red, green and blue) across different levels of grey (from dark to bright). The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones, the better.
These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.
Interface and Functionality
Asus’s ZenUI has undergone a series of small, but effective refinements over the past few years. A nip here and a tuck there has left ZenUI looking more cohesive and less confusing than it’s ever looked in this Android 8.0-based iteration. Aesthetically, we’re fans of this increasingly uniform UI and appreciate the level of tweaking still provided.
Tools to clean up cached files, theme your interface, manage your files, and lock certain apps are all well integrated and bloat is kept to a bare minimum. Adding a better all-device search functionality could certainly help to organize them further, making features more accessible and therefore more likely to be utilized.
Processor, Memory, and Performance
Asus likes to remind us every now and then that being a mid-range device doesn’t have to mean being slow. The Zenfone 5Q pairs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 630 with 4 gigabytes of RAM to keep things running smoothly, and smooth it is. Navigating through your day-to-day tasks for work or for pleasure won’t often leave you frustrated. We encountered no hangs, quick app launching, and brisk app switching throughout.
Gaming will drop some frames and load slower than higher-end phones, but the experience overall is more than tenable.
AnTuTu Higher is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
88493
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
114688.33
Motorola Moto X4
70292
Nokia 7 plus
140880.5
|
JetStream Higher is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
27.443
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
48.294
Motorola Moto X4
27.999
Nokia 7 plus
53.716
|
GFXBench Car Chase on-screen Higher is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
5.1
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
5.8
Motorola Moto X4
5.8
Nokia 7 plus
8.6
|
GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 on-screen Higher is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
9.3
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
9.6
Motorola Moto X4
11
Nokia 7 plus
14
|
Geekbench 4 single-core Higher is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
868
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
1510
Motorola Moto X4
865
Nokia 7 plus
1636
|
Geekbench 4 multi-core Higher is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
4153
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
4266
Motorola Moto X4
4154
Nokia 7 plus
5847.5
|
Connectivity
The Zenfone 5Q is a dual-SIM device which expands the dual-SIM tray to also fit a microSD card in addition to two simultaneous SIM cards (only one SIM can connect to data at a time). That’s pretty cool, but otherwise there’s nothing too noteworthy to find in the connectivity department for the 5Q. You’ll find the proper requisites like dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and NFC – pretty much par for the course at this price point. Being an unlocked phone, you won’t be able to put this on Verizon Wireless or Sprint, but AT&T, T-Mobile, and prepaid companies who use their towers should have no issue hooking up the Zenfone 5Q.
Sound
Being a device that uses micro-USB as opposed to USB-C, we’re not surprised (and far from displeased) to find a 3.5mm headphone jack on board. The built-in speaker doesn’t do a bad job of entertaining on its own though. Sound is decently clear and loud enough for most situations.
Headphones output power (Volts) Higher is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
0.74
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
0.53
Motorola Moto X4
0.429
Nokia 7 plus
0.38
|
Loudspeaker loudness (dB) Higher is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
76.1
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
78
Motorola Moto X4
77.5
Nokia 7 plus
78
|
Camera
Flipping on the HDR mode seems to rectify these small annoyances with exposure pretty much entirely, which thankfully doesn’t add too much time to the shot.
The secondary 8 MP wide-angle lens does a lot of the same things right that the main sensor does in terms of color accuracy and detail capture, but it unfortunately lacks the main sensor’s adeptness in exposure and higher proclivity in mitigating movement, which leaves the wide-angle lens more vulnerable to blowing out highlights and capturing blurry shots if you’re not careful.
Overall, in terms of color reproduction, detail, and point-and-shoot-ability, the Zenfone 5Q pulls off easily one of the best photo capturing experiences in its field.
Taking a pic Lower is better | Taking an HDR pic (sec) Lower is better | |
---|---|---|
Asus ZenFone 5Q |
2 |
2.8 |
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) |
1.85 |
2 |
Motorola Moto X4 |
2.71 |
2.98 |
Nokia 7 plus |
1.9 |
2 |
Video
4K video taken on the Zenfone 5Q is perhaps unsurprisingly well-detailed. Colors aren’t quite as accurate as in image capture though, displaying a tendency to punch things up a bit. Electronic image stabilization helps keep things steady, but not enough to keep movements from becoming too shaky and jarring most of the time. Exposure is good though, as are focusing times, but audio came out sounding rather compressed, which is a shame to match such sharp video with sub-par audio.
Call Quality
Calls come through nicely on the Zenfone 5Q; we didn’t have any issues with signal or reception. The earpiece is plenty loud, and the speakerphone is adequate for most situations. Callers could hear us well and we could hear them without issue or interruption.
Battery Life
Packing a 3300 mAh battery, the Zenfone 5Q does well with its battery efficiency; well enough to last through a full-day’s use in our time with the device. Clocking a respectable 10 hours on our custom drain test, we found the 5Q’s battery life quite reasonable. Re-charge times are quick too, taking just under 90 minutes to charge from 0 – 100.
Battery life (hours) Higher is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
9h 55 min (Excellent)
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
9h 24 min (Excellent)
Motorola Moto X4
9h 37 min (Excellent)
Nokia 7 plus
9h 46 min (Excellent)
|
Charging time (minutes) Lower is better
|
Asus ZenFone 5Q
89
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
99
Motorola Moto X4
99
Nokia 7 plus
113
|
Conclusion
Selling for $300 does put it against some potentially better-known competitors, though. Devices like the Moto G6 come to mind, but the Zenfone 5Q has a safe lead on the G6 in most areas we find – especially photography. Other phones to consider, like Nokia’s 6.1, also appear to be beat in areas like display quality, though photography may be a closer match up; we’d still give the Zenfone 5Q a slight edge for better usability and a quicker shutter in the camera department, though. For now, we’re pretty comfortable in saying that the Zenfone 5Q is one of the best phones you can get around the $300 price point.
Pros
- Very capable and competent cameras
- Quick performance on a tasteful and useful UI
- Good-looking display
- Slightly updated looks
Cons
- Audio recording in videos sounds compressed
- Video recording punches up colors too much
16 Comments
1. piyath
Posts: 2445; Member since: Mar 23, 2012
posted on Jun 28, 2018, 10:20 AM 2
2. jsoutherland89
Posts: 6; Member since: Aug 06, 2015
posted on Jun 28, 2018, 10:32 AM 1
3. Plasticsh1t
Posts: 3109; Member since: Sep 01, 2014
posted on Jun 28, 2018, 11:08 AM 1
4. mahima
Posts: 743; Member since: Nov 20, 2014
posted on Jun 28, 2018, 2:00 PM 4
5. DasGebuesch
Posts: 19; Member since: Aug 31, 2017
posted on Jun 28, 2018, 5:18 PM 0
6. Deadeye37
Posts: 311; Member since: Jan 25, 2011
posted on Jun 28, 2018, 6:03 PM 2
10. DasGebuesch
Posts: 19; Member since: Aug 31, 2017
posted on Jun 29, 2018, 5:57 PM 0
7. sunnyfpy
Posts: 294; Member since: May 12, 2013
posted on Jun 29, 2018, 3:16 AM 0
8. ZeroSlack_Jack
Posts: 35; Member since: May 02, 2017
posted on Jun 29, 2018, 4:51 AM 2
9. lallolu
Posts: 734; Member since: Sep 18, 2012
posted on Jun 29, 2018, 7:29 AM 0
12. sunnyfpy
Posts: 294; Member since: May 12, 2013
posted on Jul 09, 2018, 3:24 PM 0
13. HighTechComputer
Posts: 1; Member since: Jul 19, 2018
posted on Jul 19, 2018, 10:34 AM 0
14. Technicalsain
Posts: 7; Member since: Jul 20, 2018
posted on Jul 20, 2018, 9:09 AM 1
15. Technicalsain
Posts: 7; Member since: Jul 20, 2018
posted on Jul 20, 2018, 9:09 AM 0
17. abubasim66
Posts: 5; Member since: Feb 22, 2016
posted on Jul 21, 2018, 5:18 AM 0
19. johncarter2679
Posts: 1; Member since: Sep 24, 2018
posted on Oct 17, 2018, 1:08 AM 0
PhoneArena Comments Rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please, contact us.
Comments Options
Report Post
Send a warning to post author
Send a warning to Selected user. The user has 0 warnings currently.
Ban user and delete all posts
Message to PhoneArena moderator (optional):