It has been almost a year since ASUS released a ZenFone smartphone; however, the company didn’t disappoint when it officially announced its newest ZenFone 6 flagship smartphone today. Compared with its flagship predecessor, ASUS ZenFone 5Z, how significant are the changes in the company’s latest contender? Check them out below!
Here are their detailed specs:
| Specification | ASUS ZenFone 6 (ZS630KL) | ASUS ZenFone 5Z |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.4-inch 19.5:9 FHD+ All-screen nano-edge IPS display @2340 x 1080px | 6.2-inch FHD+ 18.7:9 display @ 1080 x 2246 resolution |
| Glass protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | 2.5D Gorilla Glass |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 2.84GHz octa-core | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 2.8GHz Octa-core |
| GPU | Adreno 640 | Adreno 630 |
| RAM | 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM | 6GB RAM |
| Storage | 64GB/128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 storage | 128GB/256GB internal storage |
| MicroSD | expandable up to 2TB via micro SD card slot (dedicated) | Expandable via microSD up to 256GB (dedicated slot) |
| Rear Camera | 48MP f/1.79 Sony IMX586 PDAF + 13MP ultra-wide (125-degree) dual flip cameras w/ Laser autofocus, Dual LED flash, 90-degree flip support | 12MP + 8MP dual rear cameras |
| Front Camera | - | 8MP f/2.0 front camera |
| SIM | Dual-SIM | Dual-SIM |
| LTE | Dual 4G LTE Cat. 13 | Dual 4G LTE |
| WiFi | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz) 2×2 MIMO | WiFi 2×2 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS |
| Audio | 5-magnet speaker with dual NXP TFA9874, Stereo Speakers, Audio Wizard | Dual speakers with Smart Amp |
| Biometrics | -Fingerprint Scanner (rear-mounted) -Face Unlock | -Fingerprint Scanner -Face Unlock |
| Port | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| Additional button | Smart Key Button | - |
| OS | ZenUI 6 (Android 9 Pie) | ZenUI 5.0 (Android 8 Oreo) |
| Battery | 5,000mAh battery w/ Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0 technology | 3,300mAh battery with BoostMaster & Smart Charging S |
So what’s changed in the new ZenFone 6?
- No notch
- New design
- Larger screen size
- Higher screen resolution
- Corning Gorilla Glass 6
- Better performing CPU
- Better performing GPU
- Higher maximum expandable storage capacity
- Higher primary and secondary camera resolutions
- No Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
- Flipping camera mechanism
- Any-angle support for the flip camera
- Stereo Speakers
- Smart Key button
- Android 9 Pie out-of-the-box
- Larger battery capacity
- Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0
Starting with the design, the new ZenFone 6 doesn’t have a notch as compared to the ZenFone 5Z because it doesn’t have a front camera. As for the back, the former doesn’t resemble the latter; instead, it looks more like the ASUS ROG Phone with its glowing-like logo located at the middle.
For display, given that the ZenFone 6 doesn’t have a notch, it provides better viewing experience, especially with its large screen size. It also has the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 6 screen protection unlike the unspecified version of the ZenFone 5Z.
Performance-wise, the Snapdragon 855 chipset is Qualcomm’s latest chip that delivers better and faster CPU speed as compared to the Snapdragon 845. In terms of gaming experience, the ZenFone 6 is better over the ZenFone 5Z.
The main feature of the ZenFone 6 is its Flipping camera mechanism. I previously mentioned that this device doesn’t have any front camera and that’s because its 48MP + 13MP dual rear cameras also serve as the selfie shooters. With this setup, users can also use the modes that are only typically found in the rear shooter like the Pro mode and the 4K 60fps video recording capability with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). Not only that, you can operate on the angle of the camera which lets you take photos in ways that we can’t normally do with smartphones without having any troubles in shooting them.
One aspect worth noting in the camera department is that the ZenFone 5Z comes with an Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) for photos, but the ZenFone 6 doesn’t have it. This change is pretty much a deal breaker to some who likes hand-held photography.
For features, the ZenFone 6 now comes with stereo speakers, which enhances a person’s listening experience when using the loudspeakers. ASUS also adds a new button called Smart Key, which can easily access Google Assistant; however, you can customize it to change what it does in the settings. One thing that I’ve noticed, though, is that it still uses a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner like with the ZenFone 5Z. Nowadays, flagship smartphones from other brands use in-display sensors which signal innovation in the biometrics department.
A significant improvement of the ZenFone 6 from the ZenFone 5Z is that ASUS increased the battery capacity to 5,000mAh. This setup means that the former potentially lasts way longer than the latter, as well as, it will have a faster-charging speed thanks to the Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0.
Here are the prices of each variant:
- ASUS ZenFone 6 6GB + 64GB – EUR 499 (~PHP 29,305)
- ASUS ZenFone 6 6GB + 128GB – EUR 559 (~PHP 32,828)
- ASUS ZenFone 6 8GB + 256GB – EUR 599 (~PHP 35,177)
- ASUS ZenFone 5Z 4GB + 64GB – PHP 26,995
- ASUS ZenFone 5Z 6GB + 128GB – PHP 27,995
Overall, the new ZenFone 6 brings a lot of features on the table as compared to the ZenFone 5Z. If you are currently using the latter and you are planning to upgrade, then it’s a good time to do that given that’s it’s almost a year already since ASUS updated its flagship smartphone line. I do have some reservations given that the former still doesn’t have any IP resistance or even an OIS for photos.
What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
