Asus ZenFone 5 (2018) vs ZenFone 5Z vs ZenFone 5 Lite: Design, Display
The ASUS Zenfone 5 (2018) is a mid-range offering from ASUS that is sure to garner your attention thanks to its design. The first thing you will notice about the Zenfone 5 (2018) is the iPhone X-inspire ‘notch’ on the top of the display. Visually similar to the iPhone’s notch, ASUS claims that the notch on the Zenfone 5 is 26% smaller than the one on the iPhone X. This display is an IPS LCD panel that measures 6.2-inches across in the 18.5:9 aspect ratio with a resolution of 1080 x 2246 pixels – translating to a PPI density score of 402. There is also a Gorilla Glass coating for scratch resistance.
The display on the Zenfone 5z is the same as the one on the ‘normal’ Zenfone and whatever you read above for the Zenfone 5 (2018) is also applicable to the Zenfone 5z.
The third handset in this comparison is the Zenfone 5 Lite. This handset will be positioned below both the Zenfone 5 (2018) and the Zenfone 5z. The handset features a 6-inch IPS LCD display in the 18:9 aspect ratio with a resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels – translating into a PPI density score of 402. The design of the phone is similar to older ASUS handsets – albeit with a taller display. The phone features glass coating both at the front and the rear. Both these sides are held together by a centre aluminium frame.
Asus ZenFone 5 (2018) vs ZenFone 5Z vs ZenFone 5 Lite: Hardware
The ZenFone 5 (2018) is powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset that is also found on the Redmi Note 5 Pro launched a few days ago in India. The handset comes in two versions a base 4GB +64GB version and a pricier 6GB + 64GB variant. For graphics, the phone gets the new Adreno 509 GPU. Powering the hardware on the phone is a large-ish 3,300mAh battery.
The Zenfone 5z, while identical looks wise to the ZenFone 5 (2018), has slightly different stuff on the inside. This phone features the high-end, powerful Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 845 SoC. For graphics, the phone gets the Adreno 630 GPU. The 5z is offered in three versions – a base 4GB + 64GB version, a pricier 6GB +128GB version and a top of the line 8GB + 256GB version. The 5z version also gets the same 3,300 mAh battery.
The Zenfone 5 Lite, the most affordable handset in the lot comes in two versions. The first option is a Snapdragon 430 version that gets 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, while the second option is a Snapdragon 630 variant that comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. While the SD430 version gets the Adreno 505 GPU, the SD630 variant uses the Adreno 508 GPU for graphics.
While the ZenFone 5 (2018) and the ZenFone 5Z run Android Oreo, the lower priced Zenfone 5 Lite will ship with Android 7 Nougat at launch.
Asus ZenFone 5 (2018) vs ZenFone 5Z vs ZenFone 5 Lite: Camera and imaging
Both the Asus ZenFone 5 (2018) and the ZenFone 5Z feature a near-identical camera setup. Both the handsets get dual cameras at the rear that consists of 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel sensors. The primary camera has an aperture of f/1.8 while the secondary camera gets by with an aperture of f/2.0. Both the cameras support phase detection autofocus and EIS and have a dual led, dual tone flash for low light scenarios. The front camera on both the devices happen to be an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture and support for 1080p video recording at 30fps. The only differences between the two handsets in the camera department is the fact that the Zenfone 5z can capture 4K videos at 60fps while the Zenfone 5 (2018) is restricted to 4K videos at 30fps.
The Zenfone 5 Lite features a quad camera setup consisting of dual cameras at the front and the rear both. In both the cases, ASUS is yet to reveal the megapixel count of the secondary cameras. The primary camera at the rear of the Zenfone 5 Lite is a 16-megapixel, f/2.2 unit with support for phase detection autofocus. The rear camera can also record 4K videos at 30fps in the max settings. Note that the 4K video recording option is only available on the SD 630 variant. At the front, the phone gets a 20-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture.
Asus ZenFone 5 (2018) vs ZenFone 5Z vs ZenFone 5 Lite: Pricing and availability
ASUS is yet to announce the official pricing for all three handsets and for the same reason, it is not possible at this time to comment on the same. However, it is understood that the Zenfone 5z being a top-of-the-line handset will definitely not come cheap. It is possible that the phone will be priced below handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the iPhone 8. The price of the Zenfone 5 Lite is also not known at this moment. We will update this article as and when the prices of all three handsets and their availability details become public.
