Asus Zenfone 4 is the new mid-high-end smartphone presented by the Taiwanese company. Good processor, renewed UI, a lot of attention to design and dual cameras!
Maximum attention to design and plays of light
Asus Zenfone 4 is made entirely of glass and aluminum. The back panel, not very oleophobic and very slippery, offers plays of light thanks to the reflection on the protective glass. The company has focused heavily on the design of its new smartphone, paying maximum attention to details such as the presence of a double camera flush with the rear panel and absolutely not protruding. In general, the aesthetic lines are not very different from those of many competitors, the difference certainly lies in the care of the construction details and in the selection of used materials.
It's not a borderless display, but the fingerprint reader is well positioned
The new smartphone from Asus keeps the upper and lower edges, but the convenient front positioning of the fingerprint reader justifies its presence. For the rest, a display with a standard 16: 9 ratio stands out on the front. It is a screen from 5,5" IPS LCD with resolution Full HD. Very bright, and clearly visible in all situations, the automatic brightness adjustment helps to constantly optimize the performance of the display. In addition, you can also adjust your preferred color suite and font size from the settings.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, a balanced processor in every respect
The Asus Zenfone 4 data sheet is characterized by the presence of a heart of excellence: the excellent processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 630. A powerful octa core (maximum frequency 2,2 ghz), able to control energy consumption. In support, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
The integrated GPU in the Soc is Adreno 508, which guarantees interesting gaming experiences and no problems in the use of multimedia content. Thanks to the stereo sound, not of the highest quality, but quite high.
Zen UI 4.0, finally a more streamlined and fluid interface
Asus Zenfone 4, at the operating system level, is equipped with Android Nugget 7.1. The famous user interface of Asus smartphones arrives on Zenfone 4 in version 4.0. The biggest news in ZEN UI 4.0, to the delight of users, is theelimination of the many bloatware (i.e. pre-installed and not always eliminable applications) that normally invaded any device of the Taiwanese company.
The UI has also been "updated" resulting more pleasant, as well as fluid. During my test, I received an update of important dimensions that helped to reduce the lag that I occasionally encountered while using some applications (in particular the official Facebook app).
Large battery, but not enough for the moment
Asus Zenfone 4, while quite thin, has a built-in battery from 3300 mAh. It would seem sufficient to guarantee the smartphone a good energy autonomy, especially considering that the display is "just" 5,5 ".
In reality, the device did not allow me to cover a day of intense use (push mail and a lot of social activity) if not taking advantage of the different forms of energy saving. In this case, the support of the Power master application helped me a lot to balance energy consumption in the absence of a power bank! Fast charging, however, reduces waiting times before the smartphone is charged again.
Asus Zenfone 4 is not a camera phone
Asus Zenfone 4 focuses a lot on the photographic sector, but it is actually not comparable to current camera phones. The device boasts the presence of a dual sensor for the main camera (12 + 8MP). The main sensor - with focal aperture f / 1.8 is equipped with double stabilization: more electronic optics. To him, the burden of getting the perfect photo. The second not only performs a support function, but also guarantees depth of field.
Asus Zenfone 4 is also one of the very few smartphones on the market to boast a sensor with wide angle. An opening of 120%, to be able to capture a greater amount of field of view, without excessive distortion. The shots, in this sense, are quite valid.
Despite the presence of optical stabilization, Zenfone 4 manages to offer good quality photographs only in the presence of optimal lighting conditions. Despite the presence of the LED flash. It is difficult to obtain interesting macro or panoramic views if the light is not favorable. For this reason, the device is not in my opinion classifiable among the camera phones of the moment. The shots are certainly sufficient, but often noisy depending on the environmental conditions.
However, I particularly liked the portrait function. When we take a photo of a subject, the depth of field of the second camera shows the muscles. Together with the software work, the bokeh effect is guaranteed.
The videos are shot with maximum resolution 4K, fairly stabilized thanks to the presence of EIS and OIS.
The 8MP front camera gave me good selfies, even in this case the lighting conditions count a lot, but it is justifiable.
Sensors and connectivity
From the point of view of sensors, Asus Zenfone 4 is quite complete. A good fingerprint reader placed on the front, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, brightness / proximity.
In terms of connectivity, the modem offers 4G data connection and reception is absolutely superb in most situations. Also present is the dual band Wifi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, the Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and GPS (with A-GPS and Glonass). In no case did I encounter any connection problems.
Asus Zenfone 4, an interesting mid-range that can be improved
Asus Zenfone 4, summing up, is therefore a interesting mid-range with room for improvement in various aspects, such as energy autonomy. I would have expected more from the photographic sector, but an applause must still be made to the bokeh effect and wide-angle photographs.
The current official selling price is approx €500. Surely, a lower stree price could make Asus Zenfone 4 certainly more appealing to the user looking for a good mid-range.
