The ASUS Zenfone 5 won the hearts of many Filipinos with its balance of good specs and price. Now we have the more affordable ASUS Zenfone 5 Lite (A502CG) which sports a toned-down version of its sibling. Will its lower price point justify the downgrade of its internals? We find out in this quick review.
The Zenfone 5 Lite still carries the same 5-inch IPS display that the basic model has. What changed in the screen area is the protection for the glass. The first generation is reinforced with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3, while the Lite only has soda lime glass. Another thing that’s been downgraded is the resolution, but going for a qHD display from HD was not so bad even on a 5-inch screen.
Completing the main face of the device, there’s the usual threeway of capacitive buttons at the lower end to aid in navigation. Of course since the model that this was based on didn’t have backlight for its buttons, the Lite version had us griping for the same thing — we were still left unsure where to press when we use it in dimly-lit places. This is a luxury feature that had to go for the company to offer a more competitive price point.
Turning it around and we have the familiar 8-megapixel camera right smack in the middle accompanied by a single LED flash. In addition, the non-glossy plastic cover is still removable to reveal the microSD, dual-SIM slots, and its non-removable battery.
At the bottom we have the microUSB port and microphone for calls.
The audio jack is situated on the top left which is personally my preferred position for easier plugging while inside the pocket.
At the side we see some reshuffling of buttons since the original Zenfone 5 has the power button on top of the volume rocker, opposite this one — it just makes sense since it’s easier for the thumb to reach the power/lock button this way.
Shot using the Zenfone 5 Lite.
Although it still got the same 8-megapixel camera as its main shooter, it no longer carries Sony’s 5-piece lens and BSI sensor previously embedded inside the camera. This supposedly helps users capture a more vibrant and sharper photos. That may be the case but the images that the Lite produced wasn’t at all bad. In fact, its Low Light mode shoots decent images despite the grains. Check out more sample images below:
[fancygallery id=”154″ album=”187″]
The Zenfone 5 Lite is still running on an Intel processor, but is clocked at a lower speed. From 1.6GHz, it’s been tamed down to 1.2GHz. Memory has also been reduced from 2GB to 1GB. These factors generally affected the performance of the device as we were able to notice occasional lags when multiple apps were running simultaneously, eventually leading to one of the active apps crashing.
Here are the benchmark scores:
AnTuTu – 17,753
Quadrant Standard – 6,922
Vellamo – 818 (Multicore), 586 (Metal)
NenaMark 2 – 59fps
As for the battery, we ran our usual battery test by looping an HD video on 50% brightness and volume with headphones plugged in. On optimized mode, the result is an impressive 8 hours and 22 minutes worth of playback thanks to its larger 2500mAh Li-Po battery.
The Lite version of the Zenfone 5 is a good alternative to other local phones in the same price range. But if you would compare it to the original Zenfone 5, we think it lost a fair amount of traits that made the Zenfone 5 a hot device in the market. Priced at Php5,595, you only save Php900 from getting the Zenfone 5 that has HD display, 2GB RAM, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3. On the other hand, you get more juice with its bigger battery.
All these considered, we would say the Zenfone 5 Lite is for users who are tight on budget, but want to experience ZenUI on a 5-inch screen.
ASUS Zenfone 5 Lite (A502CG) specs:
5-inch qHD (960 x 540) IPS display, 220ppi
Soda Lime Glass
1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2520 dual-core CPU with HyperThreading Technology
PowerVR SGX544
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD
8 megapixel AF rear camera w/ LED flash, f2.0 aperture, PixelMaster
0.3 megapixel front camera, f2.8 aperture
Dual-micro SIM
3G HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0 EDR, A2DP
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
USB 2.0
Android 4.4.2 KitKat w/ ZenUI
2,500mAh Li-Po battery
148.2 x 72.8 x 10.8 mm
160g
Colors: Charcoal Black, Ceramic White, and Cherry Red
What we liked about it:
What we didn’t like:
You can also check out our comparison of all variants of ASUS Zenfone 5 sold here in the Philippines.
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sai says:
how about the firmware update for this. i own zenfone 5 lite but when i try to update it to lollipop. it just turned off .then i try to turn it on just a usb logo appears on the screen .. i searched for tutorials but then i need the firmware for this device .since it was done here in the philippines. I don Know what SKU im going to use .. and the version .ex.(Version WW_2.22.40.61) i really need your reply i cant use my zenfone 5 lite
mikespike says:
Hi!
I was planning to buy this product but I had a little delay considering the loudness and/or quality of sound it produces using the speaker.
Does it have the same sound as the Zenfone 5? Because not all stores have demo units and my sister has a Zenfone 5.
I put a video of the same file in her zenfone 5 and my LG G2 mini, surpirsingly the zenfone 5 is loud.
But I am going for the 5 Lite because of the battery.
I will be using it for music,movies(loudspeaker), and internet; thus I need more battery than the Zenfone 5. And a little gaming but not so hardcore.
Also, could you put input in the battery life using 100% volume and brightness? So that we could be guided accordingly.
THanks!
albert says:
madali lang mag crack ung screen ng zenfone 5 lite kasi soda lime glass lang kumpara sa zenfone 5 gorilla glass 3
Dave says:
Please help, where can I buy a back casing for zenfone 5 lite? Nagka aksidente po ako, na damage yung back cover nya. Im looking for a back cover kasi replaceable naman cya. But where can I buy?
Zenfane Fans says:
This is a cheap version of Zenfone 5,, although cheesy specification Zenfone 5 Lite pretty good.
PegasusX002 says:
May bagong launch na Asus Pegasus X002 ~ 799 Yuan or roughly Php 5,700. 1.5GHz Mediatek quad core at 5MP front cam at 2GB ram . Bakit kaya ang mahal ng Zenfone 5 lite? dahil sa processor? hmmm..
Pat says:
Wish the next zenfone 5 has the same battery
korokoro says:
pati earphone inalis din, hndi man lng binanggit.
Adidas Joe says:
Mag ipon na lang kayo para Zenfone 5. Sure ako mabibitin kayo at di makatulog sa pag iisip “sana zenfone 5 na lang kinuha ko”. Ako nga eh kakabili lang ng Zenfone 5 the other day feeling ko gusto kong kukuha na naman ng Zenfone 6.At bibilit bibili ako bukas. As of writing this post. lol.
Btw, dot bash me. Pera ko ‘to at bibili pa rin ako ng Zenfone 6 kahit anong ipupokul nyo saking panlalait.
mi_fan_here says:
Ung zenfone 5 lite ang topic dito hinde ung stand.
Juice colored, author mali ata ung title mo mas okay pang reviewhin yang stand kaysa sa cellphone
Mike Villamejor says:
Hi po – yung stand po kagaya po sya ng “Elago M2” po and “Case Star Aluminium Stand” po.
Jepoy says:
Me too, I want that stand, where can I buy it?
Zell says:
how come it dont have hyperthreading while intel’s website says it has hyperthreading function?
Dada says:
ung sa camera mali din ba?
Kevin Bruce Francisco says:
Hi, sorry about that. There’s been a mix-up with the specs. It’s been corrected now. Thanks!
mailyn says:
I don’t really like 5 lite..much better if u go with zenfone5..
ajdeguzman says:
what is the name of the stand and where can we buy it? Thanks
tim cook says:
ako din I need that stand, ang porma. nagmumukhang iMac yung phone hehehe :)
MaYu says:
Since it has the same price range as the Xiaomi Redmi 1S now, can you do a comparison to it.
MrOrange says:
That stand, I want the stand. What is the brand and where can i get it?