Unboxing and Hands-On Review: Asus Zenfone 5 Q

As we're about to dive into the world of mid-range smartphones, I'm Michael Josh and you're watching Gadget Match. We're here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where Aces launched its entire Zenfone 5 lineup. While the standard base Zenfone 5 turned most heads for not so many reasons, this particular model, which we'll be reviewing today, might just end up being one of the most popular.

Before we begin, let's get some clarification out of the way. This is the Zenfone 5 Q, and it's one level below the baseline Zenfone 5 in Europe. In South America, however, it's referred to as a Zenfone 5 Light, which might leave you wondering what exactly makes this device unique. That's where I come in – to bring you an unboxing and hands-on review of this intriguing smartphone.

Sliding off the sleeve that reveals the actual box, we see Asus keeping its slogan from last year: "We love photo." This is indeed a camera-centric device, and as we lift the lid further, we're greeted by the Zenfone 5 Q in midnight black. Honestly, black is getting a bit boring, and we were hoping for either the red or white model that we saw in Barcelona – those two colors are much more exciting.

Looking at the box contents, we have a microUSB cable, unfortunately still not USB-C (but that's a topic for another time!), a wall charger, a pair of headphones, and some extra ear tips. Once we've taken everything out of the box and removed the plastic and sticker, you'd be forgiven if you thought this was just another mid-range smartphone – but don't be fooled.

The back of the Zenfone 5 Q is made of reflective glass, which gives it a premium feel that's quite uncommon at this price point. Unlike its sibling model, the Zenfone 5, this one doesn't feature the concentric circle design that Asus usually reserves for more premium devices. However, we do appreciate the non-concentric circle version – it adds to the overall aesthetic of the device.

Now, let's talk about the headline feature of the Zenfone 5 Q: its quad camera system. As you might expect, this means there are two cameras on the back and two up front. First things first, let's power on the phone and take a look at the spec sheet as expected from Asus. We have two variants – one powered by Snapdragon 430 and another by Snapdragon 630. The model we're reviewing today is, of course, the latter.

The SAR rating is an important consideration for any smartphone, especially in regions with high levels of electromagnetic radiation. Fortunately, this device has a lower SAR rating compared to some other smartphones at its price point – a welcome feature indeed.

Moving on to the physical build quality, we have a triple card slot that accommodates two nano SIM cards and one microSD card. There's also a micro USB port, speaker grilles, a top microphone, and a headphone jack. That new default wallpaper Asus has implemented makes a big difference in how the UI feels – it's more in line with Google's material design, which definitely enhances the overall user experience.

One of the most interesting features of the Zenfone 5 Q is its Android Nougat out-of-the-box experience. We're already seeing updates for devices from last year, and Asus promises that this device will receive the Oreo update sometime in the third quarter of this year – thanks to its taller 18 by 9 aspect ratio. This feature alone sets it apart from some other mid-range smartphones.

Let's take a look at the camera capabilities. We have two cameras on the back and two up front, with the second lens at the back being an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera. As you might expect, these cameras work individually, capturing distinct photos that are quite impressive for a device in this price bracket.

There's one thing we would've loved to see on the Zenfone 5 Q: an AI camera that can detect objects and adjust settings accordingly. That's a feature that's becoming increasingly common in smartphones at higher price points. However, this is undoubtedly a front-runner in the mid-range segment with its quad camera setup and premium design.

The Zenfone 5 Q retails for just under ten thousand Taiwanese dollars – which translates to approximately four hundred US dollars. Considering what we're getting at this price point, it's hard not to feel excited about this device.

That's all for now from our hands-on review of the Asus Zenfone 5 Q. We hope you enjoyed watching Gadget Match, and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, like our Facebook page, and follow us on social media.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi I'm Michael Josh and you're watching gadget match three weeks ago at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona aces launched its entire zenfone 5 lineup and while it's standard base zenfone 5 turned the most heads for not so many reasons it's this model which we think might end up being the most popular this is our Asus zenfone 5 Q unboxing and hands on before we begin some clarification is in order this is the zenfone 5 Q it's one level below the baseline zenfone 5 in Europe it's called a zenfone 5 light and in South America the zenfone 5 selfie confused its Asus get used to it ok let's get on with it sliding off this sleeve reveals the actual box Asus is keeping its slogan from last year we love photo let's take this out so this is the zenfone 5 Q we have it in midnight black honestly black is getting boring we were hoping for either the red or the white model which we saw in Barcelona those two colors are much more exciting also in the Box microUSB cable unfortunately still not USB see USB wall charger a pair of headphones and extra ear tips now that that's done disappear let's take off the plastic and the sticker this being the light variant of the zenfone 5 series you wouldn't think it would look and feel this premium but the back is made of this reflective glass and unlike the zenfone 5 this one doesn't have the concentric circle design I know that's supposed to be Asus signature and supposed to be something reserved for the more premium models but we did like the non concentric circle version the headline feature of the zenfone 5 Q is its quad camera system meaning two cameras on the back two in front okay first let's power on the phone and roll spec sheet as to be expected from Asus the 5 Q will come in at two variants one that's powered by Snapdragon 430 and another by Snapdragon 630 the one we have is the Snapdragon 630 variant but an important SAR like this on the right volume rocker and power button on the left a triple card slot for two nano SIM cards and a micro SD card on the bottom a micro USB port and speaker grilles and a top microphone and headphone jack I must say the new default wallpaper on the zenfone 5 series makes a big difference in how the UI feels it's more in line with Google's material design and makes the phone look and feel more modern notification shade looks like this swiping right reveals the Google now launcher and swiping up brings you to the app drawer now let's dive into settings you'll find that these in phone 5/q runs Android nougat out-of-the-box wait what in 2018 the zenfone 4 is already getting or your updates Asus says the zenfone 5 queue will get the oriole update sometime in the third quarter of this year since the phone sports a taller 18 by 9 aspect ratio the fingerprint sensor is now found at the back of the device even if the bottom chin is still thick enough to fit a physical home button also unlike the zenfone 5 the zenfone 5 Q 6 inch display is not free and personally we love that another comparable phone with a quad camera setup is Huawei's know what to I but unlike that phone whose secondary 2 megapixel lenses are only for background blur these n phone 5 Q squad cameras actually work individually the second lens at the back is 8 megapixels and is a wide-angle camera as is the secondary lens up front here are what photos look like the only thing that we would have loved to see on the zenfone 5 queue is that AI camera that aces put on the zenfone 5 which can detect the object that it's taking a photo of and adjust settings accordingly so is the asus zenfone 5 q your gadget match you'll have to wait for our review and we're already working on it but we'd love you to help contribute so let us know in the comments section below what you'd like to see and what questions you'd like answered but we feel that the zenfone 5 Q is already a front-runner in the mid-range segment with its quad camera setup and its premium design in Taiwan it retails for just under ten thousand Taiwanese dollars that's about just under four hundred US dollars and that was our zenfone 5 Q unboxing and hands-on for more videos like this one make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel like our Facebook page follow gadget match on social media and make gadget match calm your daily habit until the next one I'm Michael Josh thanks for dropping by youhi I'm Michael Josh and you're watching gadget match three weeks ago at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona aces launched its entire zenfone 5 lineup and while it's standard base zenfone 5 turned the most heads for not so many reasons it's this model which we think might end up being the most popular this is our Asus zenfone 5 Q unboxing and hands on before we begin some clarification is in order this is the zenfone 5 Q it's one level below the baseline zenfone 5 in Europe it's called a zenfone 5 light and in South America the zenfone 5 selfie confused its Asus get used to it ok let's get on with it sliding off this sleeve reveals the actual box Asus is keeping its slogan from last year we love photo let's take this out so this is the zenfone 5 Q we have it in midnight black honestly black is getting boring we were hoping for either the red or the white model which we saw in Barcelona those two colors are much more exciting also in the Box microUSB cable unfortunately still not USB see USB wall charger a pair of headphones and extra ear tips now that that's done disappear let's take off the plastic and the sticker this being the light variant of the zenfone 5 series you wouldn't think it would look and feel this premium but the back is made of this reflective glass and unlike the zenfone 5 this one doesn't have the concentric circle design I know that's supposed to be Asus signature and supposed to be something reserved for the more premium models but we did like the non concentric circle version the headline feature of the zenfone 5 Q is its quad camera system meaning two cameras on the back two in front okay first let's power on the phone and roll spec sheet as to be expected from Asus the 5 Q will come in at two variants one that's powered by Snapdragon 430 and another by Snapdragon 630 the one we have is the Snapdragon 630 variant but an important SAR like this on the right volume rocker and power button on the left a triple card slot for two nano SIM cards and a micro SD card on the bottom a micro USB port and speaker grilles and a top microphone and headphone jack I must say the new default wallpaper on the zenfone 5 series makes a big difference in how the UI feels it's more in line with Google's material design and makes the phone look and feel more modern notification shade looks like this swiping right reveals the Google now launcher and swiping up brings you to the app drawer now let's dive into settings you'll find that these in phone 5/q runs Android nougat out-of-the-box wait what in 2018 the zenfone 4 is already getting or your updates Asus says the zenfone 5 queue will get the oriole update sometime in the third quarter of this year since the phone sports a taller 18 by 9 aspect ratio the fingerprint sensor is now found at the back of the device even if the bottom chin is still thick enough to fit a physical home button also unlike the zenfone 5 the zenfone 5 Q 6 inch display is not free and personally we love that another comparable phone with a quad camera setup is Huawei's know what to I but unlike that phone whose secondary 2 megapixel lenses are only for background blur these n phone 5 Q squad cameras actually work individually the second lens at the back is 8 megapixels and is a wide-angle camera as is the secondary lens up front here are what photos look like the only thing that we would have loved to see on the zenfone 5 queue is that AI camera that aces put on the zenfone 5 which can detect the object that it's taking a photo of and adjust settings accordingly so is the asus zenfone 5 q your gadget match you'll have to wait for our review and we're already working on it but we'd love you to help contribute so let us know in the comments section below what you'd like to see and what questions you'd like answered but we feel that the zenfone 5 Q is already a front-runner in the mid-range segment with its quad camera setup and its premium design in Taiwan it retails for just under ten thousand Taiwanese dollars that's about just under four hundred US dollars and that was our zenfone 5 Q unboxing and hands-on for more videos like this one make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel like our Facebook page follow gadget match on social media and make gadget match calm your daily habit until the next one I'm Michael Josh thanks for dropping by you\n"