We’ve been trying to source any of the three (3) Zenfone since two months ago and our attempt to get one from a recent visit to Thailand was unsuccessful. Fortunately, there were a lot of stocks in Taiwan last week during our visit there so we managed to get the Asus ZenFone 5 right away.
We’ve seen the new ZenFone line-up as early as January during CES in Las Vegas, and then again at MWC in Barcelona in February so we pretty much know how they look like and how they feel.
Then, last week, Asus also announced another version of the ZenFone 5 with a Snapdragon 400 and LTE.
We were initially contemplating between getting the ZenFone 5 and the ZenFone 6 but ended up with the ZenFone 5 because it was more to our liking (right size and more affordable).
The handset came in black, white and gold with a special red variant which is more expensive. We picked the gold one instead.
The handset feels slightly large and heavy for its 5-inch display. It’s also a bit bulky and measures 10.3mm at its thickest point.
The ZenFone design is similar to the PadFone and the Zenbook with its metallic finish, especially at the back. That, despite the fact that it’s just made out of some fine polycarbonate, the paint finish is pretty convincing.
Perhaps, if we need to nitpick, our only issue with the front panel is that there are a lot of un-used space and the size of the bezel is less than ideal. This gives the ZenFone 5 a larger-than-usual profile for a 5-incher.
We liked that concetric pattern at the lower corner of the front panel just below the soft keys. They remind us of the Zenbook laser-etched engraving from the earlier generation Asus ultrabooks.
And for a sub-10k smartphone, the ZenFone 5 has a pretty impressive configuration. The variant that we got has a 16GB internal storage and 2GB of RAM although the lower variant only has 8GB storage and 1GB RAM.
ASUS ZenFone 5 specs:
5-inch IPS display @ 1280×720 pixels, 294ppi
Intel Atom Z2580 2GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX 544 MP2
1GB/2GB RAM
8GB, 16GB, 32GB internal storage
64GB via microSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
3G/HSPA+
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS with aGPS
8MP BSI rear camera w/ LED flash
1080p video recording @30fps
2MP front-facing camera
Li-Ion 2,050mAh battery
Android 4.3
148.2 x 72.8 x 10.3 mm (dimensions)
144 grams (weight)
We’ll see if that 2,050mAh battery can last us the whole day in our bench test.
The ZenFone UI looks fresh and simple, has a flat UI design and familiar interface. It’s one of the nicest UI we’ve seen around and based on our short use, it’s very snappy and responsive.
As for the pricing, here are the most common retail prices we’ve seen in stores in Taipei.
ZenFone 5 8GB/1GB RAM – NTD$3,990
ZenFone 5 16GB/2GB RAM – NTD$4,990
ZenFone 5 32GB/2GB RAM – NTD$5,990
We’re hoping that once Asus finally releases the ZenFone line-up in the Philippines, the suggested retail price is very near the ones listed above.
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archie says:
ZenFone 5 32GB/2GB RAM – NTD$5,990: More or less Php12,000 kasama na ang tax and duties. I’m impressed by the design, very sleek at simplistic. I hope Asus will distribute this in the Philippines.
Red says:
d2 nila nilalabas yung mga kabastusan nila dahil mga duwag yan.
@Heckler
try mong sabihan ng tanga ng kaharap yung isang tao pag nakamali sya tignan natin kung d ka maVhong Navarro.
Vladimir says:
@Heckler
There’s no need to be harsh about it. He committed a mistake (or maybe not). So what? You can always point it out respectfully. Learn some manners dude!
vakladimir says:
bobo! tingin mo may manners mga ungoy?
walang_pambili.net says:
Xiaomi and Asus affordable gadgets on ph coming this 3rd and 4th quarter…
Ano kaya next move ng mga Pinoy made kuno na local brand phones?
bambi says:
kapareho nung soc ng lenovo k900 na nag ooverheat nang sobra.
Lakipuki says:
Wow ang mura!
Liitpuki says:
Wow ang mahal
Lars says:
If ever that is the price when it comes to the Philippines, it would be a steal. How about the quality of photos and videos?
Joshua Tumanda says:
for $5,990, no way!
tanders says:
Tumanda ka na tanga ka pa rin
theo says:
If 1 New Taiwan Dollar equals 1.46 Philippine Peso
NTD$ 5990 is approx PHP 8731.44
Joshua Bumata says:
5990 times yes way!
Joshua Bumata says:
Yes way!
Heckler says:
TANGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Randy Ortega says:
LOL! READ CAREFULLY before commenting
jm says:
try to read carefully NTD$5990 WITH NTD word.. try to google it
ordu says:
max i would pay for something like this from asus would be around 8k. at that price range that is a guaranteed sale from me. lol
ordu says:
8k for the 8GB/1GB RAM version then maybe around 9.5k and 12k for the other versions
sensespeak says:
Look what Google Translate did! haha
Came out. First curry with pork cutlet, and a sip of curry. N? Or rather watery, next to have a little taste, and bite cutlet softening. Warm applause from the audience, Office & # 2
chunkychinks says:
Yes absolutely! But the question is when?
???? says:
出てきました。カツカレーまず、カレーを一口。ん？なんか水っぽいというか、味が薄い次に、カツを一口。会場から暖かい拍手,オフィス