Asus Zenfone 5z review

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Introduction

The Asus ZenFone 5z has been around for some time now. Announced back at MWC 2018, the phone was then the flagship for the company. It has since then been superseded by the ROG Phone as the new flagship in the company's lineup, the ZenFone 5z is still the flagship for the masses, so to speak.

So, while the 5z may not have the glamor of the ROG Phone, it still comes loaded with everything one would expect from a flagship in 2018. Flagship ZenFone series devices have been known to border on the excess in the past, and while some of that may have become par for the course for flagship Android phones these days, the ZenFone 5z leaves no stone unturned and comes with all the proverbial bells and whistles.

Asus ZenFone 5z specs:

• Body: Corning Gorilla Glass front and back, aluminum side frame
• Screen: 6.2-inch, 2246 x 1080 IPS LCD
• Rear camera: Primary 12MP, 24mm f1.8, 4-axis OIS, 4K60 video, secondary 8MP, 12mm wide-angle f2.2, 1080p30 video
• Front camera: 8MP, 24mm f2.0, 1080p30 video
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa-core (4x Kryo 385 Gold @ 2.8GHz + 4x Kryo 385 Silver @ 1.8GHz) CPU, Adreno 630
• Memory: 64GB/128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 storage, 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• OS: Android Oreo 8.0 with Asus ZenUI 5
• Battery: 3300mAh with Quick Charge 3.0
• Connectivity: Dual SIM (hybrid), Wi-Fi 802.11ac with 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB 2.0 Type-C, GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/QZSS, headphone jack
• Misc: FM Radio, stereo speakers

That's pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. However, top-notch specs are not the only thing that the ZenFone 5z has going for it. As with previous ZenFone flagships, it is also priced exceedingly well, which makes a lot more attractive than even something like the OnePlus 6. It's not quite as aggressively priced as the Poco F1, but the ZenFone 5z makes up by having a more premium look and feel.

So, it sits neatly between the Poco F1 and the OnePlus 6 but is that really the whole story? Let's find out.

Unboxing the Asus ZenFone 5z

The ZenFone 5z comes in a pretty decent packaging that feels slightly more premium than some of its rivals. All the basics are here, including the phone, cable and a charger. The 18W charger supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 so you don't have to go hunting for one.

The packaging also includes a soft silicone case, which is quickly becoming the norm. Lastly, Asus also included a decent sounding in-ear headset, something you won't find inside a Xiaomi or OnePlus package.

Disclaimer: You might notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include some of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written far away from our office and test lab. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the phone in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!