Asus Zenfone 4 Unboxing

Asus has launched its Moto E competitor in the market, the Asus Zenfone 4 A500CG. It comes with excellent specs for the price of just Rs. 5999. You get a 4-inch WVGA display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection, a dual-core Intel Atom Z2520 processor with Hyper Threading enabled, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB ROM with a 5 MP Auto Focus rear camera. With these specs its easily one of the best phones you can buy below Rs. 7000. But before we give any verdict let’s have a look at the new Asus Zenfone 4 in our unboxing.

Unboxing Video

In the Box

The box for the Asus Zenfone 4 is pretty barren, apart from the phone and battery you just have user manual, USB Wall Charger and the micro-USB cable for data syncing/charging.

Box Contents

• Asus Zenfone 4 A500CG
• 1600 mAh battery
• USB Wall Charger
• USB Data-cable
• User Manual

A headset would have been nice, but we do understand this cost-cutting measure even if we don’t like it.

Hardware Overview

Coming back to the specs, the new Asus Zenfone 4 A500CG is a dual-SIM 3G smartphone in which you can use any of the two SIM slots for your 3G SIM. It runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean but is upgradable to Android 4.4 KitKat. You have a 4-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) IPS display which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and supports 10-points of touch.

The Zenfone 4 is powered by an Intel Atom Z2520 1.2 GHz dual-core processor with Hyper Threading enabled which makes Android see this as a quad-core processor. There’s 1 GB RAM and 8 GB of expandable storage on board (up to 64 GB). A 1600 mAh battery rounds up everything inside the phone.

You have a 5 MP AutoFocus Rear Camera and a VGA front facing camera is also available. You also have a notification LED just above the display alongwith Proximity sensor.

Build

Coming to the build, the first thing you notice about the phone is the metallic chin with concentric circles just below the display. It is unique to the Zenfone series. There’s a 4-inch display in the front just below which you have capacitive buttons for back, home and recent apps.

Just above the display, you will find the VGA front camera, proximity sensor, notification LED and main earpiece. The entire front panel is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass which makes the front really reflective and prone to fingerprints.

Moving to the left you would find the micro-USB slot for charging and data-transfer alongwith a space to open the backcover. On the right you have both the power/lock button and the volume rocker. Both are sturdy, made of metal and are textured for better grip. The entire device is black in color which does give it a very elegant look.

At the top you have a 3.5 mm audio jack while the bottom houses the primary microphone of the device. Its only the position of the micro-USB port that I find a bit odd.

The backcover has a matte rubber-like coating which makes the phone very pleasing to hold. There is a slight curvature to the back as well which makes it fit great in the palm of your hands.

There’s a 5 MP camera at the back sans flash alongwith a secondary noise-cancellation microphone. The camera module sits a bit lower than the back-cover keeping it safe from scratches. You also have the speakerphone to the right of the camera module.

Then you have several logos at the back including Asus, Zenfone and Intel Inside (something I would be proud of on a PC.)

On opening the backcover you are greeted to two micro-SIM card slots on the right, microSD card slot on the top just beside the camera and the battery compartment in the middle. The backcover doesn't blend or flex much especially when on the phone moreover its quite hard to open. Overall the construction of the Zenfone 4 is very rigid without any flex or creaking anywhere. There are no gaps either.

First impressions

The Zenfone 4 brings in a new entrant to the budget Indian market. The Moto E reigned supreme in this price bracket, but now it seems Asus has found a way to undercut the competition. The display has good viewing angles but it does seem a bit dull and colors look a bit pale. The camera is able to focus quickly but there is a slight delay in saving videos, moreover you can record videos in 1080p.

The build of the device is solid without any creaking or flex. Corning Gorilla Glass adds that extra layer of protection on top and the phone, even though is a bit chunky feels great to hold in the hand.

The Asus Zenfone 4 has everything going for it, including design, performance and camera. But it remains to be seen how it is in gaming, general use and how long does its battery last with the Intel Z2520 chipset inside.

Unboxing Image Gallery