The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
The ZenFone 5z goes toe-to-toe with many flagship offerings at a fraction of the price. Unless you need a waterproof phone or the absolute best camera available, the phone checks all the boxes and offers a great value.What's good
- Colorful, sharp display
- Snappy performance
- Stereo speakers
- Dual SIM variant available
- Plenty of storage
- All-day battery life
What's bad
- Slippery glass back
- No waterproofing
- Complex settings menu
While Asus has yet to become a mainstream contender in the mobile market, they are developing a reputation for high-end performance at mid-tier prices. Their latest release, the Asus ZenFone 5z, looks to contend with the best phones of 2018. But with low prices often comes compromises hidden in the specifications.
Looking at the phone, it takes cues from the current mobile trends. The aluminum and glass chassis impressed reviewers with its rounded corners and crisp edges. Unfortunately, the glass back is both fingerprint-prone and slippery. So you’ll want to use the case included with the phone to prevent any damage should you drop it.
The back of the phone features minimal branding or flair, with a circular fingerprint scanner in the middle. Reviewers found the fingerprint scanner responsive -- though a few had the occasional delay that would require them to scan twice to unlock the phone.
Heading around front, you’re greeted by a 6.2-inch 1080-by-2246 pixel IPS display with the controversial notch at the top trending in 2018. Reviewers raved about the display, with many comparing it to AMOLED displays in terms of brightness, clarity, and color reproduction. With a 90% screen-to-body ratio, bezels are minimal with just a tiny chin on the bottom and the notch at the top. Should you wish to hide the notch, Asus includes options to enable a black bar at the top of the screen.
Powered by the same chip used in many of this year’s flagship releases, the 2.8Ghz octa-core Snapdragon 845 processor keeps things humming along with zero lag or stuttering. Variants with 4 to 8GB of RAM allow you to match pricing with your intended use. Regardless of your pick, multitasking is snappy. Reviewers also found the phone great for gaming -- though the phone warmed slightly during longer gaming sessions.
The phone ships with Android 8.0 Oreo and the ZenUI skin. Apart from a few gestures and graphical tweaks, the ZenUI offers a fairly stock Android experience. Bloat is minimal, leaving plenty of space for your apps, games, and media.
With 64 to 256GB of internal storage and microSD support up to 2TB, you won’t need to worry about running out of storage.
Cameras are one area where mid-tier phones often struggle. While the ZenFone 5z won’t keep up with the Google Pixel 2 or iPhone X, reviewers loved the image quality, low-light performance, and color balance of the phone’s dual-lens rear camera.
It combines a 12MP main lens and an 8MP wide-angle lens to provide greater flexibility when shooting. While low-light performance wasn’t perfect, many reviewers complimented the phone for bringing out details while not adding tons of noise to shots.
The 8MP front-facing lens received great reviews as well. Asus’ software-powered portrait mode offers creamy bokehs and the beauty mode adds a nice touch to selfies.
The phone’s 3300mAh battery with USB Type-C Quick Charge 3.0 support lasted through a full day for reviewers -- some even squeezed a second day of light use out of a single charge. Full top-ups take just over an hour. The phone also includes an AI feature that adjusts charging to match your schedule and prevent battery wear.
Audio lovers will find a lot to enjoy about the ZenFone 5z. It includes stereo speakers, DTS Headphone:X support, and Hi-Res Audio support. Whether you’re listening on your favorite headphones or cranking up the speakers, you’ll find rich audio that highlights mids and highs to help the speakers punch through ambient background noise.
Overall, reviewers had no issue recommending Asus’ latest release. Phone Arena says, “... The ZenFone 5Z is a device you won’t regret buying -- especially considering how much you can save in buying a phone of such capability with the few shortcomings it has.” BGR India heaped on equal praise, saying, “... Thanks to top-notch specifications and fine-tuned software, you get the best flagship experience on [a] budget.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, NotebookcheckWith the ZenFone 5Z, Asus has managed to bring competition into the 'flagship-killer' category and does so with panache. It retails at nearly less than half the price of the more expensive Samsung, LG, and Sony Snapdragon 845 contemporaries yet still offers all the essential experiences expected of...
- Dean Daley, Mobile SyrupI was quite impressed by the phone's snappiness and would argue that the days of Asus' underwhelming flagships are over.
- GSMArenaThe Asus ZenFone 5z may just be one of the most underappreciated phones around. It's built well, it has an excellent display, it performs like a bat out of hell and has more software features than you can count. We wish the primary camera quality was better (although the wide-angle secondary camera...
- Adam Ismail, Tom's GuideThis is a great bargain, but not the best. The ZenFone 5Z is a very good phone for less than $500, thanks to its lightning-fast performance. But if you can afford to spend the extra $30, spring for the OnePlus 6, which has a nicer display and better software.
- Jordan Palmer, Android PoliceWhile it's Asus' best phone ever, it's not quite up to par with the greatest from OnePlus or Xiaomi. It's good, don't get me wrong, but just not good enough. Luckily, most of its problems could be addressed with future software updates. But here in the U.S., you can get a OnePlus 6, which provides a...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Asus ZenFone 5z user manual here.
Asus backs up the ZenFone 5z with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your ZenFone 5z has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Asus support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Asus's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- Asus ZenFone 5z Manual (PDF)
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