Smartphone asus zenfone 5 a501cg black. The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

The Zenfone 5 we are reviewing today is one of the best deals on the market for its price, as well as the most interesting smartphone from the entire ZenUI line. Let me remind you that we already had a detailed “First Look” at this device, so if you read it, I recommend that you immediately go to the sections “Dimensions”, “Screen”, “Camera”, “Battery life” and “Conclusion”.

Specifications:

• Class: state employee
• Form factor: monoblock
• Case materials: matte rubberized plastic
• Operating system: Android 4.3, Zen UI
• Network: GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, dual SIM support (microSIM)
• Platform: Intel Atom Z2560
• Processor: dual-core 1.6 GHz
• RAM: 2 GB
• Storage memory: 16 GB, microSD memory card slot (cards up to 64 GB are supported)
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (b/g/n/), Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset,
• Screen: 5’’, capacitive, 1280x720 pixels (HD), automatic backlight level adjustment
• Camera: 8 MP main camera, 2 MP front camera
• Navigation: GPS/GLONASS (A-GPS support)
• Sensors: accelerometer, position sensor, light sensor
• Battery: non-removable, Li-Pol, capacity 2050 mAh
• Dimensions: 148.2x72.8x9 mm
• Weight: 145 grams

Equipment

• Smartphone
• Charger
• PC cable (also part of the charger)

Our package also included a wired headset, but commercial samples will not have it.

Appearance, materials, control elements, assembly

The smartphone has a calm, strict appearance, the corners are slightly rounded, which is typical for Asus devices.

An interesting design element is the bottom panel under the touch buttons. It is made of textured plastic and shimmers beautifully in the light.

Dust collects at the junction between the touch buttons and the iridescent panel

Most of the front side of the smartphone is occupied by a five-inch display; above it there is a speaker mesh, a front camera eye, as well as light and proximity sensors.

Below the screen you can see a row of three touch buttons: “Back”, “Home” and “Recent applications”. The distance between the keys is quite large, so you can sometimes miss a button (expecting it to be closer to the one next to it).

The back cover and ends of the device are made of matte rubberized plastic. It's more smudge-resistant than soft-touch plastic, but it still shows fingerprints, they're just barely noticeable.

A place for an external speaker is also allocated on the back of the device. It has an average maximum volume level, and the sound quality is average, to put it mildly. Using ZenFone 5 as a “music box” is unlikely to work.

At the top end there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and at the bottom there is microUSB for charging and connecting to a PC.

On the left side you can see the volume rocker and the power button. They are installed in such a way that it is convenient for you to press them with your right thumb. The material of these buttons is similar to the bottom panel of the smartphone; they also shimmer in different shades in the light.

There is a special groove at the bottom of the left side, by prying it you can remove the back cover. By the way, the smartphone is surprisingly well built. Despite the removable cover, there are no gaps.

Hidden under the cover are slots for two SIM cards in microSIM format, as well as a slot for a memory card.

In all the photographs you can see small specks of dust, unfortunately, this is a feature of rubberized plastic; it very quickly becomes covered with such specks of dust, and then removing them is very problematic.

Dimensions

To begin with, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the dimensions of the smartphone and its closest competitors in the table below.

As you can see, Zenfone 5 stands out only for its length; the device is slightly taller than other models, but otherwise it has typical dimensions for five-inch devices.

The smartphone is relatively comfortable to hold in your hand if you are already accustomed to a similar screen diagonal. However, you are unlikely to be able to operate it with one hand.

Screen

First, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the screen.

In the first glance, I wrote that the device has a poor oleophobic coating, so it seemed to me upon a quick acquaintance. After almost a month of active use, I have to take my words back. The oleophobic coating here is standard, yes, it is a little worse than on flagship smartphones, but in general, using the Zenfone 5 display is much more convenient thanks to its presence.

As for the quality of the screen itself, it has good picture clarity, and it’s easy to read even small text. But the maximum brightness let us down, its margin is lower than that of many competitors (than that of the same Acer Liquid E3, for example). When the display is tilted, the image is not inverted, but noticeably fades.

When reading at night, I also want to reduce the minimum brightness a little more. As for behavior in the sun, the screen almost completely goes blind, the image is practically indistinguishable.

Traditionally, Asus devices come pre-installed with the Asus Splendid application, which allows you to change the color scheme to suit your needs.

Another setting used in smartphones from this company is reading mode. When it is turned on, the white color becomes yellowish, and the entire color scheme is softened, this is done in order to reduce eye strain. It’s convenient that you can choose the applications in which the reading mode will work.

The smartphone supports operation with gloves; to do this, you need to enable the corresponding option in the screen settings. Pressure sensitivity isn't as good with gloves on, but you should be able to take a call or read an SMS without taking off your gloves.

operating system

The smartphone runs on the Android 4.3 operating system with the proprietary ZenUI shell from Asus. The manufacturer has completely redesigned it, and now it looks a little like a mixture of TouchWiz and CyanogenMod. And yet it remains just as comfortable.

There are a lot of different innovations in ZenUI, so I plan to write a separate article about it, the link to which will be added to the full review.

Performance

First, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the chipset used.

To begin with, I note that the commercial version of the device will have 2 GB of RAM, but our sample had only 1 GB. After long-term use, I can note that an extra gigabyte would clearly not have hurt our sample, since there was no more than 150 MB of free memory. However, I can’t say that applications often crashed or froze.

Now about heating. The device gets hot, sometimes quite hot, but it’s not clear why. It seems that you are just taking a call, but it feels as if the smartphone was given a command to fry part of your face or the ear to which you leaned the device.

As for performance, there are no complaints about the device. You can run most powerful games and other heavy applications without any problems. I would also like to note the fast operation of the built-in launcher, this is a big plus of the device.

Autonomous operation

First, I suggest you take a look at the battery characteristics and the results of our tests.

With everyday use (total screen activity is about three hours: email, Twitter, web surfing, two SIM cards running in the background), the device’s charge lasts for one full day. The device has several power saving modes, with their help you can fine-tune the behavior of applications or simply limit the processor frequency. In my opinion, they didn’t add much to battery life.

Wireless interfaces

I note that changing chipsets from MediaTek to Intel Atom had virtually no effect on improving the quality of the GPS module; a cold start still takes about two minutes, and this, of course, is a minus of the device.

The device has support for two SIM cards. There is only one radio module in the device, so when talking on one SIM card, the second one becomes inaccessible. As for the interface for working with two cards, on the one hand, it is well made (in the dialer and SMS messages there are buttons for selecting the SIM card from which the call will be made), however, one function is implemented inconveniently. I have often seen how in MediaTek devices, with one click on the switch in the curtain, you could change the active 3G from one card to another, but for this operation you need to go to the settings.

Camera

The smartphone has two cameras, the main one is 8 MP and the front one is 2 MP. Asus paid a lot of attention to the camera, talking about various modes and a large number of settings. But let's first look at the quality of the photos.

Among the interesting features, I would like to note the improvement of lighting when shooting in poor lighting. However, as you can see, despite the slight improvement in light, the quality of the image is still low.

Smartphones produced by Asus have already proven themselves to be the best. Thus, these devices have gained fame as reliable, stylish, functional phones, which are also available at a low price. It is due to this that they have gained such high popularity in the market.

In today’s article we will talk about a gadget that is not the “freshest”, but still present in the line of smartphones - Asus Zenfone 5 16Gb. The model that we will discuss will be subject to deep technical analysis and, to some extent, criticism. As a result of this, we hope to find out what positive and negative qualities the device is endowed with, what its strengths and weaknesses are, and what, in fact, a buyer who purchases this smartphone should expect. At the end of the review, we hope you will have your own impression of what you have read about the device.

General characteristics

Let's start introducing the smartphone with its general description. The device was presented at the end of 2014, and after that a whole line of Zenfone devices was presented. Nevertheless, in terms of its technical characteristics, it remains quite relevant (for the budget class) and meets the requirements of the market as a whole. At a price of $200 (at the time of its debut, it probably reached $250-300), the device is equipped to suit even the most demanding buyer (at the time of release, that’s for sure). And the technical parameters presented by the developer, taking into account the cost, are an understandable basis for such strong interest in the phone from the public. A large number of reviews and recommendations are the clearest confirmation of this.

The model has 2 GB of RAM, an average-quality camera, a Snapdragon 400 processor and a well-equipped screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.

However, let's not get ahead of ourselves and create a false impression among readers that the model works with outdated systems. No, in fact, the device functions smoothly and dynamically, due to the high level of optimization of the entire system, consisting of software and hardware components.

However, in order to present the model to you in a more complete light, we have prepared this review, to which we proceed directly.

Equipment

The phone comes in a familiar, classic box made of thick dark cardboard. On the top cover, as usual, there is an image of a smartphone, as well as inscriptions with its name and the name of the company.

Inside the box we find the device itself, a charger (consisting of a cord for connecting to a PC and an adapter with a “plug”), as well as a standard headset. As reviews dedicated to ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb note, the sound quality of the latter is quite good, considering that this is a factory accessory. By definition, they must be different from what a buyer can purchase “on the outside.”

In addition to the above, the smartphone we are describing comes with instructions.

Design

The appearance of the device is made in the classic Asus style - this design will be demonstrated a little later on the Asus Zenfone 2 - a line consisting of three devices.

The front part of the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG is visually “composed” of two segments - a glass-covered screen and a pseudo-metallic plate that shines in the light. Between them are physical buttons - navigation elements found on every Android device. At the top of the device you can see the speaker slot, as well as the developer’s logo.

The side edges of the device are covered with a back cover, which covers them with a single “casing”, along with the back side. Surprisingly, there are no difficulties in removing it - it comes off easily and without difficulty. On the right side of the smartphone you can see metal screen lock buttons, as well as a volume rocker. The top edge became the place for the audio jack, and the bottom edge became the place for the charging port.

On the back of the phone you can see the camera eye, under which you can find the flash and again the brand name.

Zenfone 5 16Gb is made of plastic due to its budget. True, the device should not be underestimated because of this: its matte texture is very pleasant to the touch, which makes it easier to work with the device - it does not slip out at all during a conversation.

Connectors for access to SIM cards and a memory card slot are located under the back cover. You can also notice the non-removable battery of the device.

Screen

The device's display has a diagonal of 5 inches - this is a normal size for a smartphone of this class. According to reviews related to ASUS Zenfone 5 (2) 16Gb, such a screen makes the phone quite convenient for working with basic functions and at the same time is not too bulky in terms of mobility.

The quality of the picture shown on the display can also be called high. The resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels contributes to the screen density being around 290 ppi. In practice, this means that if you want, you can see the “grain” effect, but to do this you will need to really carefully concentrate your vision on one point.

With other indicators, the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb screen is doing well - there are decent viewing angles (thanks to which the image does not lose its color and saturation as a result of rotating the device), capacitive multi-touch (capable of reading up to 10 simultaneous clicks).

You can also praise the display taking into account the characteristics of the glass that covers it. According to the technical data, it is made of material that can withstand impacts and scratches. In addition, there is a quality feature that ensures that no traces of the user’s fingers remain on the screen.

CPU

The smartphone operates on a processor consisting of two cores. The clock frequency of each is up to 1.6 GHz, which is quite enough to work with most applications presented in the Google Play catalog.

At the same time, the developers endowed the device with two RAM options - 1 and 2 GB. Due to this, it can be argued that the second version of ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb will be able to demonstrate greater performance. And, of course, this will have a positive effect on the everyday tasks facing the phone.

Memory

Users most likely will not notice the lack of space on a smartphone. The developers equipped the model with 16 GB of internal space and, in addition, connected a memory card module, with which you can further expand the space for loading personal data. Thus, the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG smartphone can be purchased by those who like to work with a large amount of content without having to worry about space on the device.

Battery

Another key factor that shows the level of comfort when interacting with a phone is the ability of the smartphone to operate on a single charge. This is the autonomy of the model, its “endurance”.

In the case of ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG, there is no need to worry about how long the device will work. The latter is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 2110 mAh. This means that with “normal” use of the device (which consists of performing everyday tasks), the battery charge will last for one day. If desired, you can use the economical operating mode, which is expressed in disabling the data exchange mode when it is not needed. This will make it possible to “stretch” work with the device for a couple of days. Another alternative solution may be to purchase a portable battery (Power bank).

It is best to ask the buyers themselves about how the battery behaves in practice - those who were directly involved in the “tests” of the smartphone. We will present their opinion at the end of the article, and also propose a simple but effective way to save battery.

Connection

The ASUS Zenfone 5 (2) 16Gb A501CG (Black) smartphone is capable of supporting two SIM cards. In this, in fact, it is no different from most modern Android devices. After installing them, the system asks the user to select which card is a priority. After this, you can change this setting using the corresponding menu item.

Our test and review of the ASUS Zenfone 5 16 Gb showed that the volume of the speaker, communication stability and the ability to “catch a signal” are at their best, due to which we can only praise the communication features of the model. We were unable to find any reviews about the device “losing connection,” as often happens with some Chinese devices.

operating system

The ASUS Zenfone 5 LTE 16Gb we described runs on Android OS version 4.3 (it was the current modification at the time the smartphone was released). Today, apparently, version 6.0 is available, you can upgrade to it using a Wi-Fi connection.

The graphical shell here is developed individually for this model - it is ZenUI, which in the future will also be present on the second generation line mentioned above. It included, for example, ASUS Zenfone 2 Lazer 16Gb. The 5th version is its “predecessor” in the model range.

The new interface looks, in our opinion, more attractive than the standard Android “shell”. The functions that are offered to the smartphone user are presented here in a more convenient form. In addition, of course, new icons, graphic backgrounds and transitions between different phone menus have been developed, which also gives some kind of visual “freshness” for those who are used to working with “bare” Android.

Camera

The device is equipped with two shooting modules located on the front and back of the device. The main camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels, while the front one is equipped with a 2 megapixel matrix. As the reviews describing the ASUS Zenfone 5 16Gb A501CG Black note, the quality of the images can be quite competitive with photographs created using more expensive smartphone models. This is partly the result of high-quality hardware. On the other hand, the developers achieved this effect through an optimized software framework. Also, as noted earlier, the device is equipped with a flash.

Yandex market

Children's option or for pensioners

Yandex market

Cool smartphone, the price is good. There are a bunch of different settings and there are quite a few of them in the camera. Everything works quickly. Possibility to use 2 microsims. I was pleased with the purchase and have no regrets. The battery is a separate conversation, I personally adapt (the volume should be at least 2000 only).

Yandex market

Overall a great phone with great features for the money. Good, fast, functional Android. Intel Atom processor. Internet speed does not indicate the lack of 4G!!! It ships quickly, which is good news!

Yandex market

Purchased in the fall of 2014. Reliable device, no serious bugs were noticed, communication is excellent, GPS works reliably, the main camera takes pictures with a solid quad, I didn’t use the front camera, but it works, no hardware problems were noticed, although after a year and a half of use the system began to eat up too much memory. The phone is used as a workhorse - communications, the Internet, the camera is sometimes used in black - more than 1000 pictures of text at a time - the text is readable. There were practically no games; those that existed were not used, because... The phone is actually a backup for the work computer. The navigator did not disappoint. Overall, I’m very pleased; it performs its duties for which it was purchased, sacrificing the battery, properly. It was originally purchased specifically for tough work with the requirement of constant communication, stable Internet, and a good quality camera for shooting typewritten text in large quantities. In terms of the last parameter, I am above all praise - I stopped carrying a camera with me, because the quality of the pictures turned out to be equivalent, the speed of work on the phone was equal to the tower. If it is possible to replace the battery (and, ideally, increase its capacity), the device will not have a price. Update as of July 16, 2019: I changed the battery. It would be better not to change it. In April 2019, I began to lose contact. Without the book case, the problem was solved, but, as a result of the carelessness of today's owner, the screen was broken. But this didn’t kill ICQ, everything works.)) Compared to Samsungs of at least the A and J series of 2016-2018. The camera turned out to be fantastic.

Yandex market

I still use this model, no complaints.

Yandex market

I bought it in 2014 with money from my birthday. Cost about 4000 rubles. I bought it just before the infamous price increase, which has still not changed, but continues to grow spasmodically. For the money, this is quite a good device, even today it works quite well. I was surprised when I later learned that the processor has not 2, but 4 threads. Kvalki, of course, were ahead of them, but in the price category at that time, it seems, not so. But the video chip failed. PowerVR, unfortunately, is poorly supported by developers, which is why we don’t have the best results in games. But even at that time, the “scourge smartphone” was not considered at the level of modern Xiaomi. In general, not counting the video chip, it is almost a complete analogue of the budget mid-range Meizu and Xiaomi. Yes, there are fewer cores, fewer threads, but the cores and frequencies are not the most important thing here, but the joint work of the RAM and processor. And here, with the middle models of the ZenFone series, it seems to me that it’s better. I was pleased with the communicative support with the use of a translator. :-D But they communicate normally in English. :-) And as a bonus: I brought it to the SC after more than 2 years. :-) But the Meizu M5 has less than six months of warranty (well, at least they provided a warranty).

TRO_LO_LO S. a year ago

Yandex market

In general, the phone is not bad, it has excellent characteristics and design, but I only had it for 2 months. One fine day I rebooted right in my hands - I lost the network and both IMEI. Asus service in my city is on board and they say there are no spare parts... I'm waiting until I get to Moscow... and by the way, people, the percentage of defects in this model is huge, try searching... I just found it after the fact. ...with the same problem as mine, I found 20 more people, no one knows what to do

Yuri Tarasov a year ago

Yandex market

I took one of the first batches, even before the start of official sales in Russia for 6990. At this price the phone is interesting, for over 10000 it’s absolutely NOT, taking into account the imminent appearance of Zenfone 2, even more so NO and NO. The advantages are a good screen, speed of operation, excellent software, support from the manufacturer - they cut and change something, but the fact that everything works out of the box is a fact, it works well - a fact, you don’t particularly feel the thickness. Updates arrive, are installed and don’t strain your brain. There are some disadvantages. The lower insert, as well as the frames along the entire front part, could be made smaller (see Zenfone 2), nothing prevented us from doing this right away, the same can be said about the thickness in general - it could be thinner. The side edge along the edge on the side of the phone is too flimsy - it wrinkles and bends and marks remain. The glass itself does not suffer - it all looks strange. He fell more than once - intact. The insert bears a mark from the concrete, but is intact. Once they bent it by accident, stepping on it in the center - they bent it back and that was it. But strength is not his strong point. The battery could be larger, but it is no different from all phones. Will do P.S. I changed the screen with the front panel myself 2 times, it’s very easy to do. I cleaned everything from oxidation once. Changed the microphone. I changed the buttons on the side. I replaced the entire back cover assembly. Software updates stopped after updating to Android 5.0. Built-in programs are updated constantly, but they are already oriented to newer versions of Android and new features do not work at all.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on a single chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.

Front camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.