Asus Zenfone 5: Performance on a budget

The Asus Zenfone has raised and turned quite a few heads in the smartphone segment. Not only has Asus managed to hit all the right notes with the Zenfone but has also dethroned the Moto G to be the next 'King' of budget phones. Don't get me wrong here. Both phones are top notch when it comes to build quality and ergonomics. However, the main aspect where the Moto G falls short on is the performance and package contents. The G only ships with a MicroUSB cable. There is no headphone or even a charging adapter. The 8 GB and 16 GB versions sell for Rs. 12,499 and Rs. 13,999 respectively. The Asus Zenfone 5 on the other hand retails for Rs. 9999 (8 GB) and Rs. 12,999 (16 GB). Below is a comparison sheet of both the Zenfone 5 and the Moto G.

		Asus Zenfone 5	Motorola Moto G
Display
Type		IPS capacitive touchscreen	IPS capacitive touchscreen
Size		720 x 1280 pixels, 5.0 inches	720 x 1280 pixels, 4.5 inches
Pixel Density		294 PPI	326 PPI
Memory
Internal | RAM		8/16 GB | 2 GB	8/16 GB | 1 GB
Expansion slot		MicroSD upto 64 GB	No
Camera
Primary		8 MP (3264 x 2448 pixels)	5 MP (2592 х 1944 pixels)
Secondary		2 MP	1.3 MP
OS		Android 4.3, upgradable to 4.4.2 KitKat	Android 4.3, upgradable to 4.4.3 KitKat
Chipset		Intel Atom Z2560	Qualcomm MSM8226 Snapdragon 400
CPU		Hyperthreaded Dual-core 1.6 GHz	Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7
GPU		PowerVR SGX544MP2 | 533 MHz	Adreno 305 | 450 MHz

What’s in the box?!

A charging head, a cable approximately 1.5 meters long, in-ear headphones, a warranty card and a user manual. So that sums up the whole package contents (with the phone obviously).

The Zenfone 5

For its size and build the Zenfone 5 is surprisingly light. It’s even lighter than the S3 which I had previously. It comes with a 5-inch IPS capacitive screen that has a pixel resolution of 294 ppi. The fit and finish is top notch and the rubberized rear (though plastic) adds an extra bit of confidence when held.

The Zenfone 5 houses a non-removable 2110 mAh battery, an Intel Atom (Saltwell) processor clocked at 1.6 GHz, a PowerVR SGX544 MP2 GPU clocked at 533 MHz, 2 GB of LPDDR2 RAM, support for two micro SIM cards and an expansion slot that can accommodate a 64 GB microSD card. For under 10k, that’s one heck of a configuration.

Booting and Installation

Setting up the phone was easy however I did tend to get a bit lost trying to configure Asus’s free online WebStorage (3 GB). According to me, they should shift their personal customizations after the user boots into the OS. There was a point during installation where I couldn’t gain access to the home-screen. It took me a whole 5 minutes to find my way out.

Bundled Software

The phone comes with a decent set of bundled software. Apart from the already mentioneda Asus WebStorage the Zenfone 5 comes with their proprietary calendar, a ‘Do It Later’ task manager, an audio wizard and a Splendid mode, which basically allows you to either enhance or adjust the overall color temperature. There are three more additional features which is the PC Link, Remote Link and Share Link; all housed inside one folder which Asus aptly named as the ZenLink.

Performance

For a budget phone the Asus ZenFone 5 returned a decent score of 19611 in AnTuTu X, giving it a lead of 1655 points over Samsung’s Galaxy S3 (which still retails for Rs. 20,000+). The PowerVR SGX544 MP2 sets new standards when it comes to 2D (1651) and 3D (6738) gaming, beating the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Sony Experia Z and the Google Nexus 7. You can check the chart given below.

		AnTuTu X Benchmark
		2D Graphics	3D Graphics
Asus Zenfone 5		1651	6738
HTC One		1567	6421
Samsung Galaxy Note 2		1492	4477
Sony Experia Z		1451	5856
Google Nexus 7		1642	5771
Samsung Galaxy S3		1257	3701

Both Asphalt 8 and Real Racing 3 played flawlessly at their highest settings and with 1.2 GB of free memory at your disposal switching between apps has never been this smooth.

Headphone Performance

If you love a little base in your music then you will enjoy these bundled headphones. I have personally enjoyed the Cowon EM1 for the last one year on the Galaxy S3 but they sound rather flat when used with the Zenfone 5.

Let me put it this way, just to give you a comparison of the overall performance. The headphone bundled with the Zenfone 5 is what Cowon EM1 was with the Galaxy S3. And on a scale of 10 I would give it an 8.5 for audio.

They are small, extremely compact and snugly fit the ear with much ease. Also, the headphones come with 3 different size ear pads, thus allowing you to choose the one that fit you best.

Battery Life

The battery will last for about 7 hours to 7 hours 30 minutes with nothing left to spare. Here is how a very generalized test was conducted.

Google Navigation: 15 min

Music: 4 hours

Web Browsing: 20 min

Gaming: 25 min

Movie @ 720p: 2 hours 20 min

*Mobile network (3G) was left on throughout the testing process

Do note that the Zenfone 5 was not operating on just one SIM, but on two. This also reduces battery as the phone needs to handle two networks rather than just one.

If you are not a heavy user the battery should last for about 9 to 9 hours 30 min. But then again it all depends on usage.

Verdict

I have had this phone for a while and the overall experience has been astoundingly good. For Rs. 9999, I personally don’t think there is a better performing phone than the Asus Zenfone 5. Do keep in mind that there is no update to KitKat (4.4.2) as of now. So you will have to make do with JellyBean (4.3) for a month or so.

Google IO 2014 - Features and aspects to look forward to

From Android One to Google's most ambitious release yet – Android L, this year’s Google IO has left us with a number of aspects to look forward to.

Android One – The Next Five Billion

Google might have leap frogged over the last couple to years to be one of the most notable smartphone OS giant. From 77-million (2011) to 223-million (2012) to 528-million (2013) – Google Android is witnessing more than double the sales with each passing year.

While smartphone users account for well over a billion users there are still 5-billion worldwide who don’t have access to a smartphone. Android One is Google’s solution to reach out to the next 5-billion users. It is an ecosystem specifically designed to help local hardware vendors build better and affordable smartphones. Moreover, the search giant will prequalify a number of vendors who will then be allowed to build around this solution. Bloatware will take a back stage with Android One as all devices manufactured under this ecosystem will feature Google’s stock Android. Spice, Karbonn and Micromax are the three manufacturers who have been roped into this new ecosystem.

Android L

Google’s next OS update will, well, be non-other than the mentioned Android L. While the term ‘L’ isn’t exactly what it will be called, the company gave users around the world a glimpse of what to expect. First off, the new talked about OS is more mature and streamlined than it has ever been. Everything about the Android operating system has seen an enhancement in some way or another. So let’s start off with one of the biggest changes that will be seen in the next iteration of Android.

Android L Developer SDK - http://developer.android.com/preview/index.html

Material Design

With material design Google plans to make their OS bolder, colorful with a rich set of animations. Android L will bring a fresh new look to an otherwise flat painted OS. The new UI comes with an added quadrant which provides a unique perspective to both designers and users alike. For instance, in mathematical terms there always is a horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) plain, which basically gives you the width and height of any object. The extra quadrant (Z) here signifies depth or elevation across all Google enabled devices or apps. So what you get is an interface that is intuitive, well-spaced, aesthetically colorful and rippled with a set of well-conceived animated feedback. Material Design is not only limited to smartphone and tablets but will be made available across all Google enabled segments.

Enhanced Notifications

Now, rather than having to open your look screen to access notifications, Android L will now display them on the lock screen itself. You can just swipe down to get a detailed view of each notification or swipe across to remove. Moreover, the also learns and prioritizes those notifications you will likely respond to. 

There is a new heads up display which has been added too (though this has been existent on custom ROMs for a very long time). For instance, a call notification will hover over whatever you are doing rather than have you exit the app to answer; allowing you to either swipe across or dismiss the incoming call. 

Personal Unlocking & Recents

With Android L users can set specific access points as trusted. Access points could be anything from a Wi-Fi enabled router to a Bluetooth enabled device or even location specific. Your phone automatically unlocks whenever it comes within range of such predefined access points.

With the new recents update, applications will now be able to store multiple pages within the recent app menu. This basically eliminates the need to juggle between webpages you currently visited using Chrome.

Improved Performance and ART 

ART will now be the default Runtime in Android L. Expect twice the performance over Dalvik along with 64-bit compatibility in the upcoming L.

In addition Graphics Processing or GPU have also been enhanced. Google has thrown in an Android Extension Pack, allowing game developers make use of tessellation, geometry shaders, computer shadrers and lighting, thus making graphics more realistic and comparable to DirectX 11.

Project Volta

With a rich number of features the battery life is always the number one concern with Android users. With project Volta, Android L is said to feature a Battery Historian, which will basically provide in-depth detail of battery consuming processes. Also etched into Project Volta is a new Power Saving Mode which is said to enhance battery life by cutting down on the performance.

Android Auto

With a redesigned interface Android Auto has been designed to specifically carry out tasks that users generally do while driving. This will include, Turn-by-Turn navigation, Communication and Music – all this and more without getting your hands off the steering wheel. 40 new partners and the Open Automotive Alliance have signed up for the Android Auto experience with 25 car brands planning to bring in Auto enabled cars sometime this year.

You can also choose to watch the keynote below provided you have two and a half hours to spare. Key time-frames have been provided below so you won't need to hunt for specific sections.

0:00:00		Intro & statistics - Sundar Pichai	0:09:44		Android One
0:13:03		Material Design - Mitias Duarte	0:21:43		Android L Features - Dave Burke
0:28:43		Mobile Web Integration - Avni Shah	0:36:26		Android L Performance - Dave Burke
0:39:25		Android L GPU Performance	0:41:57		Project Volta
0:44:30		Android Innovation & Play Services	0:46:02		Android Security
0:47:27		Android Connectivity	0:49:35		Android Wear - David Singleton
0:59:38		Android Wear SDK	1:05:44		Android Auto - Patrick Brady
1:16:12		Android TV - Dave Burke	1:23:02		Android Games
1:27:48		Chromecast & Google Cast - Rishi Chandra	1:38:15		Chromebook - Sundar Pichai
1:43:57		Unified Android Experience & Enterprise Security	1:46:35		Google Docs & Productivity
1:55:27		Google Cloud - Urs Holzle	1:59:36		Developer Productivity - Greg Michele
2:07:06		Cloud Data Analytics	2:08:54		Cloud Dataflow Analysis - Eric Schmidt
2:15:54		Google Play Developer Tools - Ellie Powers	2:19:00		Google Fit
2:21:46		Google Play Games	2:23:59		Google Play Direct Carrier Billing