Is Asus Zenfone 5z better than OnePlus 6, Honor 10, Vivo X21? Click to vote

The Zenfone 5Z is priced at Rs 29,999, Rs 32,999 and Rs 36,999 for 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB variants, respectively. It will be available in midnight blue and meteor silver colours.

Asus, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, on July 4 launched the Zenfone 5z in India. The phone is priced at Rs 29,999, Rs 32,999 and Rs 36,999 for 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB variants, respectively. The phone will be available in two colours -- midnight blue and meteor silver – and will go on sale starting from July 9, exclusively on Flipkart.

First unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in February, the Asuz Zenfone 5z is a flagship smartphone with top-of-the-line innards, notch-based screen, dual rear cameras and system-wide artificial intelligence capabilities. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip (SoC), the Zenfone 5z boasts 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to its 6.2-inch fullHD+ screen that covers almost the entire front. The 19:9 aspect ratio leaves just a small notch on top to accommodate an 8-megapixel camera, earpiece and sensors.

On the back, the smartphone sports a dual-camera set-up, which features a 12MP primary shooter and a wide angle 8MP shooters. The primary 12MP sensor boasts f/1.8 aperture and the 8MP sensor features 120-degree wide-angle lens. Both the front and rear cameras are backed by AI for automatic scene selection and portrait photography, and machine learning to improve the output by learning usage patterns.

In a quick hands-on experience, the phone seemed to be on par with other smartphones in same segment, which includes the OnePlus 6, Honor 10 and Vivo X21. But, is Zenfone 5z the smartphone that can take on these smartphone and set a new benchmark for midrange flagships? Take the poll and let us know:

Vivo X21 review: A worthy mid-range flagship to challenge OnePlus dominance

Priced at Rs 35,990, the Vivo X21 is a premium mid-range device strong in almost all areas; the phone's modest processor seems a downside, but it shows no signs of weakness in real-life scenario.

Vivo X21 Review : After showcasing the prototype of in-display fingerprint sensor technology at the Consumer Electronic Show, 2018, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo on May 29 launched the Vivo X21 with a fingerprint sensor under the display. For a mid-range smartphone, the X21 boasts premium features like dual rear cameras, artificial intelligence capabilities, face-unlock mechanism, Hi-Fi sound with dedicated AMP and modern notch-based screen. These features propel it in the league of mid-range premium smartphones – at least on papers.

Vivo X21 design

The Vivo X21 glass-metal-glass sandwich design looks similar to other mid-range smartphones. The design, especially the frame, looks close to the OnePlus 6, but the front is dominated by a notch-based screen stretching almost edge to edge on three sides and leaving only a thin chin on the bottom. On the back, the reflective glass design with horizontally aligned dual camera set-up on top left is in line with the current trend and looks similar to the Honor 10.

The thin frame that holds the front and back glass feels pointed, something similar to the Nokia 8 Sirocco. While the frame makes it easy to hold and operate the phone, the razor thin volume rocker keys and a power button on the right side of the frame are somewhat uncomfortable to use.

On the bottom, the phone sports an outdated microUSB port for charging and data transfers, coupled with a mono speaker on the right and dual-SIM slot on the left. The left side of the frame is vacant and the top side features a 3.5mm audio output port and secondary microphone.

Overall, the design looks modern, but not refreshing. The metallic frame gives to the convenience to hold the phone with confidence, but the thin volume rocker keys and power button reduce the utility overall.
Vivo X21 display
The Vivo X21 sports a 6.28-inch fullHD+ notch-based display. Being a super AMOLED unit, the display looks vivid and shows deep blacks, which in turn boosts colour reproduction and looks lively. The screen supports the always-on mode, which shows an active fingerprint sensor location brightening up and registering fingerprint as soon as you put a finger on it.
Unlike other phones, the notch is enabled by default and there is no provision to turn it off. The screen area around the notch is not optimised, so it shows inconsistencies that do not go well. Otherwise, the screen looks vivid and stays legible under direct sunlight.

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