September 10, 2014 at 13:40Review Zenfone 4
Today we continue to introduce you to the new line of smartphones called Zenfone. This time, the hero of today's review is Zenfone 4 - the youngest representative of the series. As the name implies, we have Zenfone with a screen diagonal of 4 inches, while the recommended price of the device is 4 thousand rubles. It is difficult to stand out among budget devices, but you should not bypass this smartphone; ASUS found a couple of trump cards in the sleeve, which I will discuss in this review.
Software: Android JellyBean 4.3 followed by an upgrade to Android KitKat 4.4.
Processor: Intel® Atom ™ Multi-Core Z2520 1.2 GHz Dual Core, Hyper-Threading Support.
Video: PowerVR SGX544MP2.
RAM: 1 GB LPDDR2.
Screen: 4 "800x480, LED-backlight, TFT, up to 10 simultaneous touches.
Built-in memory: 8 GB.
Communication: 802.11b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0, GSM / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/900 / 1900/2100, DC-HSPA + (DL / UL): 42 / 5.76 Mbps.
Navigation: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS.
Sensors: gyroscope, proximity sensor.
Interfaces: 3.5 mm mini-jack for headset, micro SD up to 64 GB, 2 slots for microSIM, micro USB (OTG support).
Cameras: front VGA F2.8, the main 5 MP with autofocus.
Battery: 1600 mAh, lithium polymer, removable.
Dimensions: 124.4 x 61.44 x 12.3 mm.
Weight: 120 g.
Colors: black, white, red, yellow, turquoise
Zenfone 4 comes in a compact box the size of the phone itself. As you can see, the same packaging design is used for the entire Zenfone series.
Perforation with pictograms indicating the main advantages of the apparatus is visible on the side face. This is 3G, Wi-Fi, 3.5 mm audio jack, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 5 megapixel camera.
The phone itself lies in the film, under it is a standard set of accessories: a power supply and a micro USB cable.
The power supply is quite powerful, 5.2 V and 1.35 A. There are no glossy parts on its case, everything is matte, respectively, it does not collect fingerprints.
The line of ASUS smartphones called Zenfone consists of 3 devices: these are Zenfone 4, 5 and 6.
Concentric circles at the bottom remind us of Zenbook laptops.
Zenfone 4 is the most compact representative of the series. The smartphone measures 124 by 61 mm and fits perfectly in the hand. Unlike the current trend to release large smartphones, ASUS does not forget about other users who are not so important large screen diagonal. The main advantage of small smartphones is its convenience, you do not need to get used to them, unlike 6-inch phones, and it is convenient to work with them with one hand.
The thickness of the smartphone is 12 mm, but it does not feel much, since the phone is thinning to the edges. Due to this geometry, the back of the smartphone repeats the grip of the palm, and the phone fits well in the hand.
The back cover of the smartphone is made of matte, slightly rough plastic. The coating is pleasant to the touch and does not collect fingerprints.
The lid covers not only the back, but also the side faces, i.e. volume and lock buttons are located on the panel itself. Such a solution creates the effect of solidity and inseparability of the smartphone. But the back panel is easily removable and gives access to a removable battery, microSD slot and two SIM-cards.
The panel holds tightly to a large number of latches, does not creak or stagger.
In addition to white, there are also models in other colors: black, red, yellow and turquoise.
Above the screen is the earpiece, covered with a metal mesh. The interlocutor is heard well, the volume is high. To the left of the speaker is an indicator for alerts. When you receive various alerts, for example, missed calls or messages, the indicator will blink green. Also, the smartphone will notify you of low battery capacity and the process of charging the smartphone. To the right of the front camera is a distance sensor to lock the screen during a call. Alas, we have before us a budget device and a light sensor, so brightness will have to be set manually.
Under the screen are the usual touch buttons: back, the main screen and the application manager. The sensor is sensitive enough, the buttons have no backlight. You can adjust the vibration in the system by pressing these buttons. By the way, the vibration is very strong and feels good even while walking.
On the right side is the volume rocker, a little higher - the unlock button. The location of the buttons is not the most convenient, with my grip the thumb rests just on increasing the volume and you have to get used to the fact that the unlock is higher. The buttons themselves have a corrugated texture and are pleasantly pressed.
The microphone is on the bottom.
Connector for charging and micro USB synchronization placed on the left side.
It supports OTG, i.e. You can connect flash drives and various peripherals. Unfortunately, the microUSB-OTG cable is not included, it will have to be purchased separately.
The standard 3.5 mm mini jack for the headset is located on the upper end.
After removing the back cover, we get access to the slots for two SIM-cards form factor micro-SIM. There is only one radio module, when talking on one SIM card, the second will be unavailable.
We also have a connector for connecting a micro SD card (up to 64GB) to increase the memory capacity of the smartphone.
As already mentioned, a 4-inch screen is used here. This model is the most budgetary among Zenfone, and therefore received the usual TFT-matrix with LED-backlight.
But technology does not stand still, and TFT screens look better and better every year. Screen resolution 800 by 480 pixels, 223 dots per inch (PPI).
In the sun, the image is poorly visible and you have to set the maximum brightness. In general, the screen looks good, the colors are displayed correctly, the viewing angles are not too large, but we do not expect more from such a budget phone.
The screen has a protective coating, no scratches appeared during use. There is also an oleophobic coating, due to which the finger glides well and fewer fingerprints remain.
The screen supports up to 10 simultaneous touches.
The front camera has a small resolution and is useful only for video calls. The picture quality is satisfactory.
The main camera with a 5 megapixel sensor and an F2.4 aperture produces good average quality photographs. On the screen you can choose which part of the frame to focus on. The camera application allows you to use has many interesting modes.
Intelligent removal. Convenient mode when you need to take a photo in a crowded place. 5 photos are taken and moving objects are removed from the final image. The function really works, even in low light.
Everyone is smiling. Great tool for creating group photos. The camera takes 5 shots, after that for each person you can choose a good frame and glue everything into one photo.
Your picture. Selfie lovers take it to the next level. Now there is a convenient tool for taking pictures of yourself on the main camera. To begin with, the number of people (from 1 to 4) who will be in the photo is selected. After that, the camera goes into face search mode. If two faces are selected, then until the camera recognizes the second face in the frame, shooting will not happen. The whole process is accompanied by a sound indication, for example, if the second person did not fall into the frame, a signal will be given. After the photo is taken, you can choose a good frame from the three proposed. Next, you can immediately process the photo - adjust the tone, make your eyes larger or narrow your cheeks. In general, the girls will be happy.
Depth of field.Allows blurring the background, thereby shifting focus to foreground objects. The function is interesting, but it does not always work as it should.
Time control. Convenient mode for shooting children. After shooting, 31 photos will be offered taken within 2 seconds before the shutter is pressed and within 1 second after. Twisting the slider, you can choose a good frame with a little fidget.
Miniature. The so-called Tilt Shift. The objects in the photo become miniature. Such photos must be taken from a high point of view.
There are also modes that can be found in almost all modern smartphones with a camera: HDR, 360 degree panorama, night, low light, face enhancement, GIF animation.
Archive of photos taken on Zenfone 4.
The hardware platform of the smartphone is built on a mobile solution from Intel. The new 1.2GHz Atom Z2520 2-core processor has Hyper-Threading support, which adds two virtual cores. The amount of RAM is 1 GB. The PowerVR SGX544MP2 graphics accelerator does its job well, showing a high frame rate in games. There are no problems with rendering the interface; everything works smoothly.
Game launch video: Dead Trigger 2, Riptide GP2, Asphalt 8, Modern Combat 4.
The mobile Internet speed in the MTS network was about 5 Mbps. Also, the smartphone can distribute mobile Internet via Wi-Fi to other devices.
The combined navigation chip is capable of receiving signals from GLONASS and GPS satellites. Location is calculated quickly enough.
The Zenfone series received the new ASUS ZenUI interface, which was developed with an eye on maximum functionality, but not at the expense of aesthetics. It is easy to learn and intuitive, it looks nice, the icons have become simpler and follow modern trends in user interfaces. Standard applications were also redone to suit the general concept. In general, ZenUI has only good impressions.
The device is running Android 4.3, but ASUS promises to upgrade to KitKat version 4.4.
Screenshots of the interface.
The removable lithium-polymer battery has a modest 1600 mAh capacity, but this is enough for a small screen and an energy-efficient processor. In the settings, you can select various phone modes that will extend the operating time.
In power saving mode, the device will turn on wireless only with the active screen. Using the optimized mode, I did not notice any restrictions, everything works as usual. You can flexibly configure the backlight for videos or sites, set permissions for instant messengers to use the Internet.
In the evening, I fully charged the phone and left it overnight without charging. In the afternoon, I used Wi-Fi for a little over an hour to browse sites. Mobile Internet was also constantly turned on, messages were regularly sent to Viber and Gmail with auto-reception of letters, rather than checking the mailbox at a specific time. Voice calls were made for approximately 25 minutes. By 8 o’clock in the evening the phone was almost completely discharged.
In general, the result is very good, like most smartphones, the phone works one "light day".
So, in the ranks of budget smartphones appeared a landmark representative of this class. For 3990 rubles, we get a compact and convenient smartphone with good performance. Although the screen resolution is not so big, but for a diagonal of 4 inches this is enough, the picture looks good. It was also unusual to see the presence of a protective glass here. The new ZenUI shell is beautiful and works quickly, in general, only good feelings remain from the use. Of the shortcomings, a small battery can be noted, but it copes with its task, and the phone remains in touch until the evening.
The recommended price is 3990 rubles.
Specifications
Software: Android JellyBean 4.3 followed by an upgrade to Android KitKat 4.4.
Processor: Intel® Atom ™ Multi-Core Z2520 1.2 GHz Dual Core, Hyper-Threading Support.
Video: PowerVR SGX544MP2.
RAM: 1 GB LPDDR2.
Screen: 4 "800x480, LED-backlight, TFT, up to 10 simultaneous touches.
Built-in memory: 8 GB.
Communication: 802.11b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0, GSM / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/900 / 1900/2100, DC-HSPA + (DL / UL): 42 / 5.76 Mbps.
Navigation: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS.
Sensors: gyroscope, proximity sensor.
Interfaces: 3.5 mm mini-jack for headset, micro SD up to 64 GB, 2 slots for microSIM, micro USB (OTG support).
Cameras: front VGA F2.8, the main 5 MP with autofocus.
Battery: 1600 mAh, lithium polymer, removable.
Dimensions: 124.4 x 61.44 x 12.3 mm.
Weight: 120 g.
Colors: black, white, red, yellow, turquoise
Equipment
Zenfone 4 comes in a compact box the size of the phone itself. As you can see, the same packaging design is used for the entire Zenfone series.
Perforation with pictograms indicating the main advantages of the apparatus is visible on the side face. This is 3G, Wi-Fi, 3.5 mm audio jack, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 5 megapixel camera.
The phone itself lies in the film, under it is a standard set of accessories: a power supply and a micro USB cable.
The power supply is quite powerful, 5.2 V and 1.35 A. There are no glossy parts on its case, everything is matte, respectively, it does not collect fingerprints.
Appearance
The line of ASUS smartphones called Zenfone consists of 3 devices: these are Zenfone 4, 5 and 6.
Concentric circles at the bottom remind us of Zenbook laptops.
Zenfone 4 is the most compact representative of the series. The smartphone measures 124 by 61 mm and fits perfectly in the hand. Unlike the current trend to release large smartphones, ASUS does not forget about other users who are not so important large screen diagonal. The main advantage of small smartphones is its convenience, you do not need to get used to them, unlike 6-inch phones, and it is convenient to work with them with one hand.
The thickness of the smartphone is 12 mm, but it does not feel much, since the phone is thinning to the edges. Due to this geometry, the back of the smartphone repeats the grip of the palm, and the phone fits well in the hand.
The back cover of the smartphone is made of matte, slightly rough plastic. The coating is pleasant to the touch and does not collect fingerprints.
The lid covers not only the back, but also the side faces, i.e. volume and lock buttons are located on the panel itself. Such a solution creates the effect of solidity and inseparability of the smartphone. But the back panel is easily removable and gives access to a removable battery, microSD slot and two SIM-cards.
The panel holds tightly to a large number of latches, does not creak or stagger.
In addition to white, there are also models in other colors: black, red, yellow and turquoise.
Interfaces
Above the screen is the earpiece, covered with a metal mesh. The interlocutor is heard well, the volume is high. To the left of the speaker is an indicator for alerts. When you receive various alerts, for example, missed calls or messages, the indicator will blink green. Also, the smartphone will notify you of low battery capacity and the process of charging the smartphone. To the right of the front camera is a distance sensor to lock the screen during a call. Alas, we have before us a budget device and a light sensor, so brightness will have to be set manually.
Under the screen are the usual touch buttons: back, the main screen and the application manager. The sensor is sensitive enough, the buttons have no backlight. You can adjust the vibration in the system by pressing these buttons. By the way, the vibration is very strong and feels good even while walking.
On the right side is the volume rocker, a little higher - the unlock button. The location of the buttons is not the most convenient, with my grip the thumb rests just on increasing the volume and you have to get used to the fact that the unlock is higher. The buttons themselves have a corrugated texture and are pleasantly pressed.
The microphone is on the bottom.
Connector for charging and micro USB synchronization placed on the left side.
It supports OTG, i.e. You can connect flash drives and various peripherals. Unfortunately, the microUSB-OTG cable is not included, it will have to be purchased separately.
The standard 3.5 mm mini jack for the headset is located on the upper end.
After removing the back cover, we get access to the slots for two SIM-cards form factor micro-SIM. There is only one radio module, when talking on one SIM card, the second will be unavailable.
We also have a connector for connecting a micro SD card (up to 64GB) to increase the memory capacity of the smartphone.
Screen
As already mentioned, a 4-inch screen is used here. This model is the most budgetary among Zenfone, and therefore received the usual TFT-matrix with LED-backlight.
But technology does not stand still, and TFT screens look better and better every year. Screen resolution 800 by 480 pixels, 223 dots per inch (PPI).
In the sun, the image is poorly visible and you have to set the maximum brightness. In general, the screen looks good, the colors are displayed correctly, the viewing angles are not too large, but we do not expect more from such a budget phone.
The screen has a protective coating, no scratches appeared during use. There is also an oleophobic coating, due to which the finger glides well and fewer fingerprints remain.
The screen supports up to 10 simultaneous touches.
Camera
The front camera has a small resolution and is useful only for video calls. The picture quality is satisfactory.
The main camera with a 5 megapixel sensor and an F2.4 aperture produces good average quality photographs. On the screen you can choose which part of the frame to focus on. The camera application allows you to use has many interesting modes.
Intelligent removal. Convenient mode when you need to take a photo in a crowded place. 5 photos are taken and moving objects are removed from the final image. The function really works, even in low light.
Everyone is smiling. Great tool for creating group photos. The camera takes 5 shots, after that for each person you can choose a good frame and glue everything into one photo.
Your picture. Selfie lovers take it to the next level. Now there is a convenient tool for taking pictures of yourself on the main camera. To begin with, the number of people (from 1 to 4) who will be in the photo is selected. After that, the camera goes into face search mode. If two faces are selected, then until the camera recognizes the second face in the frame, shooting will not happen. The whole process is accompanied by a sound indication, for example, if the second person did not fall into the frame, a signal will be given. After the photo is taken, you can choose a good frame from the three proposed. Next, you can immediately process the photo - adjust the tone, make your eyes larger or narrow your cheeks. In general, the girls will be happy.
Depth of field.Allows blurring the background, thereby shifting focus to foreground objects. The function is interesting, but it does not always work as it should.
Time control. Convenient mode for shooting children. After shooting, 31 photos will be offered taken within 2 seconds before the shutter is pressed and within 1 second after. Twisting the slider, you can choose a good frame with a little fidget.
Miniature. The so-called Tilt Shift. The objects in the photo become miniature. Such photos must be taken from a high point of view.
There are also modes that can be found in almost all modern smartphones with a camera: HDR, 360 degree panorama, night, low light, face enhancement, GIF animation.
Archive of photos taken on Zenfone 4.
Performance
The hardware platform of the smartphone is built on a mobile solution from Intel. The new 1.2GHz Atom Z2520 2-core processor has Hyper-Threading support, which adds two virtual cores. The amount of RAM is 1 GB. The PowerVR SGX544MP2 graphics accelerator does its job well, showing a high frame rate in games. There are no problems with rendering the interface; everything works smoothly.
Game launch video: Dead Trigger 2, Riptide GP2, Asphalt 8, Modern Combat 4.
Benchmark results.
The mobile Internet speed in the MTS network was about 5 Mbps. Also, the smartphone can distribute mobile Internet via Wi-Fi to other devices.
The combined navigation chip is capable of receiving signals from GLONASS and GPS satellites. Location is calculated quickly enough.
Software
The Zenfone series received the new ASUS ZenUI interface, which was developed with an eye on maximum functionality, but not at the expense of aesthetics. It is easy to learn and intuitive, it looks nice, the icons have become simpler and follow modern trends in user interfaces. Standard applications were also redone to suit the general concept. In general, ZenUI has only good impressions.
The device is running Android 4.3, but ASUS promises to upgrade to KitKat version 4.4.
Screenshots of the interface.
Battery and Runtime
The removable lithium-polymer battery has a modest 1600 mAh capacity, but this is enough for a small screen and an energy-efficient processor. In the settings, you can select various phone modes that will extend the operating time.
In power saving mode, the device will turn on wireless only with the active screen. Using the optimized mode, I did not notice any restrictions, everything works as usual. You can flexibly configure the backlight for videos or sites, set permissions for instant messengers to use the Internet.
In the evening, I fully charged the phone and left it overnight without charging. In the afternoon, I used Wi-Fi for a little over an hour to browse sites. Mobile Internet was also constantly turned on, messages were regularly sent to Viber and Gmail with auto-reception of letters, rather than checking the mailbox at a specific time. Voice calls were made for approximately 25 minutes. By 8 o’clock in the evening the phone was almost completely discharged.
In general, the result is very good, like most smartphones, the phone works one "light day".
Conclusion
So, in the ranks of budget smartphones appeared a landmark representative of this class. For 3990 rubles, we get a compact and convenient smartphone with good performance. Although the screen resolution is not so big, but for a diagonal of 4 inches this is enough, the picture looks good. It was also unusual to see the presence of a protective glass here. The new ZenUI shell is beautiful and works quickly, in general, only good feelings remain from the use. Of the shortcomings, a small battery can be noted, but it copes with its task, and the phone remains in touch until the evening.
The recommended price is 3990 rubles.