Sunday, July 13, 2014

Review of Asus Zenfone 4, Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 6 and comparison between asus zenfone vs moto e vs xolo q700s

It was my mother's birthday and she wished to upgrade from a keyphone to a good touchphone. Although she never asked and we siblings were aware that `thi will be most delighting gift for her. Her requirements were very simple, a 3.5" screen, a good touch with a camera, must be a front camera for skype calling to remain in touch with her siblings and relatives across the globe, a good music and video, good camera to capture the moments. 

So, I thought to surprise her with such a phone to meet her expectation. It was not a easy job for me. While searching phone, I kept following criteria for me:

1. The phone should be within Rs. 8000/- (I could extend upto 12000)
2. The RAM should be at least 1 GB
3. Internal memory should not be less than 4 GB
4. Processor should be at least 1 GHz+ dual core or more
5. Th battery should be good enough to last a day longer (2000 mAh or bigger)
6. Expandable memory of at least 32 GB

It was not an easy task. I do not think I ever spent so much time on researching the product. I took help of Smartprix.com (and I recommend this website to refer this website making any mobile purchase and really helpful). 
So after lot of research I got following options

1. Xolo Q 700S
2. Gionee M2
3. Nokia Lumia 630
4. Nokia X2 dual SIM
5. Motorola Moto E
6, Lava Iris X1
7. Micromax unite 2


I went through all of these specification and could not figure anything good except Xolo Q 700s. (apart from above models, I must have seen specification of 10+ other handset including Samsung. Nokia and spice but after bad experience of HTC single core 512 MB RAM mobile (Constant hanging, app not responding etc., I was focussing least on this preference but yes, my focus was more on specification). 

However, I find a problem with Xolo Q 700S. Its screen size is bigger than my mom's preference.I would have loved Gionee M2 due to its camera, processor speed, RAM, good front camera but my biggest constraint was bigger screen size. 

I was in a dilemma. Finally while searching flipkart.com, came across Asus and explored the options. After few initial thought, I placed the order for Asus 4 Zenfone at Rs. 5999/- 
Here is the comparison between final 3 shortlists

Brand
Xolo Q700s
Gionee M2
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Specs Score
  65 / 100
  65 / 100
  55 / 100
Operating System
Android, v4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4 (KitKat)
Android, v4.2 (Jelly Bean)
Android, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Features Present In Only One Device
Slimmer
Bigger Screen
Light Weight
Screen Size
4.5"
5"
4"
Major attributes
Around 15% slimmer than Gionee M2. Slimmer devices are easier to carry in pocket and look more fashionable.
Around 11% bigger screen than Xolo Q700s. Reading, browsing internet and watching movies is more pleasing experience on a bigger screen.
Around 16% lighter than Xolo Q700s. Light weight devices are easier to hold without tiring your arms.


Bigger Battery
More Storage Capacity
Xolo Q700s
Xolo Q700s
1800 mAH
4 GB
Gionee M2
Gionee M2
4200 mAH
4 GB
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
1600 mAH
8 GB
Around 133% more battery capacity than Xolo Q700s. With more battery size, device's battery can generally last more time, though it depends on various other factors too.
Around 100% more inbuilt memory than Gionee M2. More memory allows you to store more songs, videos, photos and install more applications.


Longer Battery Talk Time
Faster Download Speed
Xolo Q700s
Xolo Q700s
1380 Minutes
21 Mbps
Gionee M2
Gionee M2
1890 Minutes
Unknown
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
720 Minutes
42.2 Mbps
Around 36% longer Battery Talk Time than Xolo Q700s. With longer battery talk time, you can talk on your device continously without charging.
Around 100% faster download speed than Xolo Q700s. Faster Download Speed means stream videos at real time.
Features Present In More Than One Device
Quad Core CPU
Quad Core CPU

Xolo Q700s
Xolo Q700s
Quad Core
Quad Core
Gionee M2
Gionee M2
Quad Core
Quad Core
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Dual Core
Dual Core
More cores result in better parallelism, meaning more tasks can be processed in parallel without slowing down the User Interface.
More cores result in better parallelism, meaning more tasks can be processed in parallel without slowing down the User Interface.

Better Camera Resolution
Better Camera Resolution

Xolo Q700s
Xolo Q700s
8 MP
8 MP
Gionee M2
Gionee M2
8 MP
8 MP
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
5 MP
5 MP
Around 60% more mega pixels (MP) than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). More resolution generally means better picture quality, though it's not always necessary.
Around 60% more mega pixels (MP) than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). More resolution generally means better picture quality, though it's not always necessary.

Has Flash For Camera
Has Flash For Camera

Xolo Q700s
Xolo Q700s
Yes
Yes
Gionee M2
Gionee M2
Yes
Yes
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
No
No
Having a camera flash allows you to take photos in low light.
Having a camera flash allows you to take photos in low light.

Supports FM Radio
Supports FM Radio

Xolo Q700s
Xolo Q700s
Yes
Yes
Gionee M2
Gionee M2
Yes
Yes
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
No
No
Listen to your favourite radio stations on your device. Enjoy music on the go with FM Radio.
Listen to your favourite radio stations on your device. Enjoy music on the go with FM Radio.

Longer Battery Standby Time
Longer Battery Standby Time

Xolo Q700s
Xolo Q700s
600 Hours
600 Hours
Gionee M2
Gionee M2
555 Hours
555 Hours
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
295 Hours
295 Hours
Around 103% longer Battery Standby Time than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). With longer standby time, device's battery can last more days without charging in idle condition.
Around 88% longer Battery Standby Time than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). With longer standby time, device's battery can last more days without charging in idle condition.

General

Sim Type
GSM+GSM
GSM+GSM
GSM+GSM
Dual Sim
Yes
Yes
Yes
Device Type
Smartphone
Smartphone
Smartphone
Design

Dimensions
136 x 64.59 x 8.9 mm
144 x 72 x 10.5 mm
124.4 x 61.4 x 11.5 mm
Weight
137 g
unknown
115 g
Display

Type
Color LCD screen, 16M colors
Color TFT screen, 16M colors
Color TFT screen, 16M colors
Touch
Yes, with Multitouch
Yes, with Multitouch
Yes, with Multitouch
Size
4.5 inches, 480 x 854 pixels
5 inches, 480 x 854 pixels
4 inches, 480 x 800 pixels
PPI
~ 218 PPI
~ 196 PPI
~ 233 PPI
more PPI (pixel density) means more clear picture
Memory

Phonebook
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Internal
4 GB inbuilt, 1 GB RAM, 4 GB ROM
4 GB inbuilt, 1 GB RAM
8 GB inbuilt, 1 GB RAM
More memory means more space for Apps and storage
Card Slot
Yes, upto 32 GB
Yes, upto 32 GB
Yes, upto 64 GB
Connectivity

GPRS
Yes
Yes
Yes
EDGE
Yes
Yes
Yes
3G
Yes, 21 Mbps Download, 5.76 Mbps Upload
Yes
Yes, 42.2 Mbps Download, 5.76 Mbps Upload
More MBPS means optimum usage of network on 3G
Wifi
Yes, with wifi-hotspot
Yes, with wifi-hotspot
Yes, with wifi-hotspot
Bluetooth
Yes, v4.0
Yes, v4.0
Yes, v4.0
USB
Yes, microUSB v2.0
Yes, microUSB v2.0
Yes, microUSB v2.0
Camera

Camera
Yes, 8 MP with autofocus
Yes, 8 MP
Yes, 5 MP with autofocus
Features
Face detection, Geo tagging, Touch to focus
Face detection, Geo tagging, Panorama, Touch to focus
Face detection, Panorama
Video Recording
Yes, 1080p @ 30fps
Yes, 720p
Yes, 1080p @ 30fps
Flash
2 Flash
1 Flash

Front Camera
Yes, VGA (0.3 MP)
Yes, 2 MP
Yes, VGA (0.3 MP)
Technical

OS
Android, v4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4 (KitKat)
Android, v4.2 (Jelly Bean)
Android, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat)
CPU
1.3 GHz, Quad Core, ARM A7 Processor
1.3 GHz, Quad Core Processor
1.2 GHz, Dual Core, Intel Atom Z2520 with Intel Hyper Threading Technology Processor
GPU
Mali-400 MP2, 416 MHz
Mali-400
PowerVR SGX544MP2
Browser
Yes, supports HTML5
Yes, supports HTML
Yes, supports HTML
Multimedia

Supports
Calendar, YouTube Player
MMS, Instant Messaging, Calendar, YouTube Player
MMS, Instant Messaging
Email
Yes, with Push Mail
Yes, with Push Mail
Yes, with Push Mail
Music
MIDI, WAV, eAAC+, MP3
MP3, WAV, eAAC+
MP3, WAV, eAAC+
Video
H.263, H.264
MP4, H.264, H.263
MP4, H.264, H.263
FM Radio
Yes
Yes
Yes
Document Reader

Yes
Yes
Extra

GPS
Yes, with A-GPS Support
Yes, with A-GPS Support
Yes, with A-GPS Support
Sensors
Accelerometer
Accelerometer, Compass
Accelerometer
3.5mm Headphone Jack
Yes
Yes
Yes
Extra
TV-Out


Battery

Size
1800 mAH, Li-ion Battery
4200 mAH, Li-ion Battery
1600 mAH, Li-Po Battery
Standby time
25 days, 18.8 days on 3G
23.1 days
12.3 days on 3G
Talk time
23 hours, 9 hours on 3G
31.5 hours, 24 hours on 3G
12 hours on 3G




Performance review of the product
The performance is not disappointing. Few of the features I tested are here:

1. Camera clarity: I shot back camera for few photo (it does not have flash so little disappointing) but the pictures clarity are better even in normal day light and during evening. We used it for skype call and over wifi, we could do a skype call of around 2.5 hours non stop. The front camera is 0.3 MP only but still clear enough for a video call with proper light. 

2. Touch performance: The touch is good, smooth and I really loved it. It was a good experience altogether, much better than HTC desire C and Micromax Canvas 2. Its flawless. The zoom and pinch functions are equally good. 

3. The processor and app performance: The launcher stopped twice but after that there was not any problem at all. During continuous 2.5 hours skype call, it performed excellent. Voice clarity was good, it did not stop ever and we did not feel that the device was hot (micromax Canvas 2 had this problem). Similarly, I tested youtube and few other apps too, all worked well and I am quite happy. Even songs app Gaana.com worked well while streaming songs. When I started the phone, it automatically did the system update and upgraded to android 4.4 from 4.3. I loved this. 

4. Battery: The Battery performance is a matter of concern for this handset. I recharged first and with continuous app testing, it worked for around 7 hours (with usage of wifi whole time) and I had to recharge the battery. I recharged it second time and when we used skype for continuous around 2 hours, its battery got drained (skype video calling). So if you intend to use it on continuous basis for longer time, you need to either carry a power bank or need to recharge at least twice. If your major purpose is calling and using apps and camera occasionally, it may last for a day (and anyway none of the smartphone lasts  for a whole day today).

5. Speaker: The speaker quality is good however the output is very low. In a noisy environment, you may not be able to hear clearly. This is another drawback. You may need to use a speaker or a handsfree. However, on headset, the sound clarity was very good and you can enjoy a good music. 

6. Comparison with Moto E: Moto E does not have front camera, it does not record HD video, lookwise too, Zenfone looks better. Zenfone's overall download speed is 42 MBPS, double of Moto E. Zenfone has removable battery whereas Moto E lacks in that. So whenever your phone hangs, you may remove the battery and reuse. Zenfone is lighter than Moto E. However, Moto E has a better PPI, a better battery so you may still think about Moto E. 

7. Design and look:
The design and look are impressive. It is nice and give a niche look.


So, the verdict is, if you are not using it for a longer time, with a good brand name and with intel dual core processor, this is a good phone to buy. It is best in the available class. If you are looking for better screen, better perofrmance and better battery, you may think of buying Asus Zenfone 5 or Zenfone 6. I have not used them but their comparison is as follows.

modelFeatures
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
MRP


Rs. 16,999

Rs. 9,999
Rs. 5,999



Rankings- my choice (Depends on your need)
# 1
# 3
# 2
Operating System
Android, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Android, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Android, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Features  compared to each

Light Weight
Bigger Screen
(Unique Features)
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)

145 grams
5 inches

Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)

115 grams
4 inches

Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)

196 grams
6 inches

Around 20% lighter than Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB). Light weight devices are easier to hold without tiring your arms.
Around 20% bigger screen than Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB). Reading, browsing internet and watching movies is more pleasing experience on a bigger screen.


Has Removable Battery
Better Camera Resolution
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
No
8 MP
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Yes
5 MP
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
No
13 MP
Remove the battery to switch off your device (Hard Reset) when it freezes. Also replace the battery or use a spare battery when device's battery performance is degraded.
Around 62% more mega pixels (MP) than Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB). More resolution generally means better picture quality, though it's not always necessary.



More Storage Capacity
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
8 GB
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
8 GB
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
16 GB
Around 100% more inbuilt memory than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). More memory allows you to store more songs, videos, photos and install more applications.



Bigger Battery
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
2110 mAH
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
1600 mAH
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
3300 mAH
Around 56% more battery capacity than Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB). With more battery size, device's battery can generally last more time, though it depends on various other factors too.



Longer Battery Standby Time
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
353 Hours
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
295 Hours
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
398 Hours
Around 12% longer Battery Standby Time than Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB). With longer standby time, device's battery can last more days without charging in idle condition.



Longer Battery Talk Time
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
1080 Minutes
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
720 Minutes
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
1680 Minutes
Around 55% longer Battery Talk Time than Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB). With longer battery talk time, you can talk on your device continously without charging.
Features Present In More Than One Device
Faster CPU

Faster CPU
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
1.6 GHz
1.6 GHz
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
1.2 GHz
1.2 GHz
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
1.6 GHz
1.6 GHz




Around 33% faster CPU than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). Faster CPU means more smooth experience.
Around 33% faster CPU than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). Faster CPU means more smooth experience.

More RAM

More RAM
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
2 GB
2 GB
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
1 GB
1 GB
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
2 GB
2 GB




Around 100% more RAM than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). More RAM means more applications can run at the same time, which makes the device faster.
Around 100% more RAM than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). More RAM means more applications can run at the same time, which makes the device faster.

Better Screen Resolution

Better Screen Resolution
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
720 x 1280 px
720 x 1280 px
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
480 x 800 px
480 x 800 px
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
720 x 1280 px
720 x 1280 px




Around 140% more pixels than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). More resolution means sharper and crisper screen.
Around 140% more pixels than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). More resolution means sharper and crisper screen.

Slimmer

Slimmer
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
10.34 mm
10.34 mm
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
11.5 mm
11.5 mm
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
9.9 mm
9.9 mm




Around 10% slimmer than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). Slimmer devices are easier to carry in pocket and look more fashionable.
Around 13% slimmer than Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB). Slimmer devices are easier to carry in pocket and look more fashionable.

Has Flash For Camera

Has Flash For Camera
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Yes
Yes
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
No
No
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Yes
Yes




Having a camera flash allows you to take photos in low light.
Having a camera flash allows you to take photos in low light.

Supports HD Video Recording
Supports HD Video Recording

Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 5 A501CG (8GB)
1920 x 1080 px
1920 x 1080 px
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
Asus Zenfone 4 A400CG (8GB)
1920 x 1080 px
1920 x 1080 px
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Asus Zenfone 6 A600CG / A601CG (16GB)
Unknown
Unknown




HD Videos are of higher quality and they look great on big TV screen.
HD Videos are of higher quality and they look great on big TV screen.

General

Sim Type (only micro SIM)
GSM+GSM
GSM+GSM
GSM+GSM
Dual Sim
Yes
Yes
Yes
Device Type
Smartphone
Smartphone
Smartphone
Release Date
January, 2014
January, 2014
January, 2014
Design

Dimensions
148.19 x 72.8 x 10.34 mm
124.4 x 61.4 x 11.5 mm
166.9 x 84.3 x 9.9 mm
Weight
145 g
115 g
196 g
Display

Type
Color IPS screen, 16M colors
Color TFT screen, 16M colors
Color IPS screen, 16M colors
Touch
Yes, with Multitouch
Yes, with Multitouch
Yes, with Multitouch
Size
5 inches, 720 x 1280 pixels
4 inches, 480 x 800 pixels
6 inches, 720 x 1280 pixels
PPI
~ 294 PPI
~ 233 PPI
~ 245 PPI
Memory

Internal
8 GB inbuilt, 2 GB RAM
8 GB inbuilt, 1 GB RAM
16 GB inbuilt, 2 GB RAM
Card Slot
Yes, upto 64 GB
Yes, upto 64 GB
Yes, upto 64 GB
Connectivity

GPRS
Yes
Yes
Yes
EDGE
Yes
Yes
Yes
3G
Yes, 42.2 Mbps Download, 5.76 Mbps Upload
Yes, 42.2 Mbps Download, 5.76 Mbps Upload
Yes, 42.2 Mbps Download, 5.76 Mbps Upload
Wifi
Yes, with wifi-hotspot
Yes, with wifi-hotspot
Yes, with wifi-hotspot
Bluetooth
Yes, v4.0
Yes, v4.0
Yes, v4.0
USB
Yes, microUSB v2.0
Yes, microUSB v2.0
Yes, microUSB v2.0
Camera

Camera
Yes, 8 MP with autofocus
Yes, 5 MP with autofocus
Yes, 13 MP with autofocus
Features
Geo tagging
Face detection, Panorama
Geo tagging
Video Recording
Yes, 1080p @ 30fps
Yes, 1080p @ 30fps
Yes
Flash
1 Flash

1 Flash
Front Camera
Yes, 2 MP
Yes, VGA (0.3 MP)
Yes, 2 MP
Technical

OS
Android, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Android, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Android, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat)
CPU
1.6 GHz, Dual Core, Intel Atom Z2560 with Intel Hyper Threading Technology Processor
1.2 GHz, Dual Core, Intel Atom Z2520 with Intel Hyper Threading Technology Processor
1.6 GHz, Dual Core, Intel Atom Z2520 with Intel Hyper Threading Technology Processor
GPU
PowerVR SGX544MP2
PowerVR SGX544MP2
PowerVR SGX544MP2
Browser
Yes, supports HTML
Yes, supports HTML
Yes, supports HTML
Multimedia

Supports
MMS, Instant Messaging
MMS, Instant Messaging
MMS, Instant Messaging
Email
Yes, with Push Mail
Yes, with Push Mail
Yes, with Push Mail
Music
MP3, WAV, eAAC+
MP3, WAV, eAAC+
MP3, WAV, eAAC+
Video
MP4, H.264, H.263
MP4, H.264, H.263
MP4, H.264, H.263
FM Radio
No
No
No
Document Reader
Yes
Yes
Yes
Extra

GPS
Yes, with A-GPS Support
Yes, with A-GPS Support
Yes, with A-GPS Support
Sensors
Accelerometer, Compass
Accelerometer
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass
3.5mm Headphone Jack
Yes
Yes
Yes
Battery

Type
Non-Removable Battery

Non-Removable Battery
Size
2110 mAH, Li-Po Battery
1600 mAH, Li-Po Battery
3300 mAH, Li-Po Battery
Standby time
14.7 days on 3G
12.3 days on 3G
16.6 days on 3G
Talk time
18 hours on 3G
12 hours on 3G
28 hours on 3G

I hope this review will be helpful for you. All comment are welcome.

No comments:

Post a Comment