ASUS ZenFone 5 LTE Post-Event Write-Up

Special thanks to Asus for hosting us at their Play Test event with the new ZenFone 5 LTE. Asus is well known to have a great range of motherboards, graphic cards and even modems and routers, and this is the first time I'm using their phone. Everyone loves  something that is inexpensive, good and fast. So is it as feature-rich and pack as much value-for-money as their other products? Read on to find out!

After unboxing and cradling the ZenFone in my hand, it feels solid and has a reassuring heft to it. Not too light (doesn't feel like a cheap product) and not too heavy either, which makes it easy on your hand and wrist while you're using it on the go.

 
Mobile phones nowadays have a lot expected of them. Gone are the days when we were happy to have one that makes a simple phone call. Now, they must be able to make calls clearly, take photos of whatever we want, whenever we want, let us browse the Internet with little delay, act as our personal secretary, and if possible, be inexpensive. This is where the ZenFone 5 LTE especially shines!
I personally like Asus' Pixel Master Camera which, combined with its Sony F2.0 lens, makes for some great photos. We had some time to play with a few modes during the event, and my favourites are the Depth of Field and Low Light Mode.

Depth of Field mode attempts to replicate the bokeh that comes with expensive wide-aperture lenses used on DSLR cameras. I found this mode to be a bit of a hit-and-miss when I was trying it out. I don't think it's the phone's fault, I probably just haven't yet learnt to properly use it according to how it focuses. The photo above was taken with this mode.

Unfortunately, I didn't save the photo taken with the Low Light mode of the printed butterfly. However, this feature really caught my interest! We all like to take photos at some point, usually at night or indoors, and those situations usually mean low-lighting. I have a six month old baby at home who wakes up at 6am almost every day and coos. I've tried taking photos and videos of her with my iPhone 5, but sadly, all that appears is darkness because the phone isn't as capable in a dark room as I'd like it to be. After what I've seen the Asus is capable of, I'm sure that using it to film my kid will  be a lot better!

Asus' phone comes with their Do It Later and What's Next apps. Great stuff for someone forgetful like me! What's Next shows you,  as the name suggests, what's next on your calendar and agenda. Do It Later lets you save something for viewing later, like say watching that Youtube video, or reading that inspiration webpage. Almost as good as having a personal secretary!

The Zen UI is pretty spiffy and nice. Looks lovely, sharp and well thought out. Gaming on the phone also seems good, speed and graphics-wise.

Finally, the verdict! We all know that when it comes to Inexpensive, Good and Fast, we usually can only choose two and compromise on the last one. The ZenFone 5 LTE is surely inexpensive at $299 for the top end version. Is it good? Of course! Incredibly feature-packed, comes with Gorilla Glass, great camera, great graphics, what else could I ask for? Oh, speed, of course! Granted it could be faster, but at this price point, I don't consider it to be a compromise. If you're looking for the best value-for-money phone out there, coupled with the benefits of having Asus' great after-sales service, this is the phone to get!