Is that the ASUS ZenFone 5 or a knockoff Apple iPhone X? Why not both?
Yep, ASUS has unveiled a new line of ZenFone 5 series devices at MWC 2018, and it's definitely the most egregious way of lifting a competitor's design that we've seen in quite some time.
To be fair, you see a lot of design “inspiration” in the mobile industry. We're dealing with highly refined slabs of plastic and metal with touch screens on the front, and there's really only so much you can do with it. However, ASUS decided to not only go for an iPhone X-esque notch at the top of the phone, but they stuck with a glass back and a vertical camera system that looks nearly identical to Apple's latest flagship. But hey, there's a fingerprint scanner, so at least there's something.
Design choices aside, let's actually talk about the ASUS ZenFone 5, because it looks like a legitimately impressive phone.
Both the ASUS ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5Z feature 6.2-inch displays with a 90% screen-to-body ratio. The ZenFone 5 sports a Snapdragon 636 CPU while the ZenFone 5Z uses the more powerful Snapdragon 845, and both chips will help power the phones' advanced AI features for photography and communication.
| ZenFone 5 | ZenFone 5V | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.0 Oreo | Android 8.0 Oreo |
| Display | 6.2-inch 2160 x 1080 LCD | 6.2-inch 2160 x 1080 LCD |
| Rear Camera | 12MP + 8MP AF, OIS | 12MP + 8MP AF, OIS |
| Front Camera | 8MP | 8MP |
| Memory | 4GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 64GB | 128/256GB |
| Battery | 3,300 mAh | 3,300 mAh |
| Sensors | Pressure, Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint, Gyro, Geomagnetic, Hall, HR, Proximity, RGB Light | Pressure, Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint, Gyro, Geomagnetic, Hall, HR, Proximity, RGB Light |
| Speakers/sound | Stereo speakers | Stereo speakers |
The devices have a dual-camera system complete with OIS and image detection for specific scenes and objects to drastically improve your photography skills, and you'll get industry-standard hardware like support for LTE and Bluetooth 5.0.
ASUS wants to bring the ZenFone 5Z to market around the $500 price point, which, if nothing else, will undercut Apple where it really matters. The ZenFone 5 will supposedly launch in April while the 5Z launches later in June.
Who's buying?
Be sure to check out everything else that's happening at MWC 2018.
