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<keyword id="139648" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="ASUS">Asus</keyword> is a brand that has been long associated with PC gadgetry like graphic cards and motherboards. They have moved on to end-user gadgets like tablets and mobile phones, in the recent years. The latest to join its arsenal of mobiles is the Asus Zenfone 5, which we got over for a quick test. We took it out to play and we must say it is a very decent companion that lasts for a day, then asks for a recharge. 
 
Design The design of the ZenFone 5 is nothing out of the ordinary. We have seen similar designs before. It does look a bit similar to the 2013 edition of <keyword id="16129" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="HTC">HTC</keyword> One. However, subtle differences give this phone a distinct identity. As soon as you take this phone out of the box, you feel its lightness. This mobile has a very nice grip and is not very heavy to hold. 
 
Dressed in matte black ZenFone 5 has a 5-inch touch display that is great to work with. One can manage everything on the screen even if you are wearing gloves. So for all of you who stay in the mountains or extremely cold climates, this phone is an option. 
 
The rear of the phone has an 8 MP camera with flash, which is excellent by-the-way (more on that later) and a single grille at the bottom that hides the speaker. On the right, users get the marked power buttons and volume rocker key. 
 
Performance and interface Now for the fun stuff. ZenFone 5 is not a quad core, but that does not mean it is a slow runner. It has the <keyword id="28115" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Intel">Intel</keyword> Atom 1.6 GHz dual-core processor along with 2 GB RAM to run apps and games smoothly. For graphics Asus has given this phone PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU. We ran few mid to high-end games on it to check the performance. While less resource hungry games such as plants vs zombies ran very well, the phone fought hard to keep up with high-end ones. 
 
To store files the ZenFone 5 has 8 GB memory (out of which 3 GB is blocked for system files). The users end up getting a little over 4 GB for personal files, apps, images, movies and games. Yes, there is the option to expand the memory further, but that will just add to the costs. ZenFone 5 is still on the old <keyword id="6355645" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="android">Android</keyword> 4.3 Jelly bean OS and not the KitKat. Hopefully when this phone finally gets launched in India in the coming weeks, the OS would be KitKat. Asus has added the usual container of apps that are required for daily work and utilities. These include power saver, webstorage, file manager and more. 
 
The home screen has 3 panels where the users can add widgets or app icons according their own tastes. There are many widgets available on-board with the option to get more. The 13MP camera is one of the high-points of this phone. The camera quality is excellent. We got crisp clear images even in low light. 
 Audio quality of the loudspeaker on this phone is not bad either. Voice call capabilities are on the better side too. All in all, we quite liked the ZenFone 5, but we are not going to give the final verdict here as the price is still undecided. But <keyword id="1281501" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="FIRST-IMPRESSIONs">first impressions</keyword> are not bad at all. Asus should price it below 18K for it to be a serious contender in the Rs 15,000 smartphone category. 
 
 Update: The price has been revealed of the phone. The <keyword id="2388901" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Zenphone-5">Zenphone 5</keyword> can be picked up for Rs 9,999, which is incredible for this device.

Asus ZenFone 5 Is An Absolute Delight To Work With, But Will
The Price Justify The Features?

Festive season is here and most of us are happier about the festive sales that are going to break out than the festival itself. Most of the e-commerce websites are gearing up to make the most out of this festive season. Like all the other rivals, <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> too is all set to grab as much as it can. 
 So as to be all prepped for 2017, Snapdeal has announced its Unbox 2017 sale and is offering heavy discounts on mobile phones. The e-commerce platform is offering the older version of <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword> <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword>, 5S for Rs 18,999 while <keyword id="3983056" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="asus-zenphone">Asus Zenphone</keyword> 3 and LeEco Le2 are up for grabs at Rs 12,999 and Rs 11,999 respectively. 
 
The e-commerce platform is also allowing customers to opt for exchange of old phones with the new ones. 
 
The website is also offering a huge sale on segments like clothes, home, electronics, and luggage are the ones with the biggest discounts with some brands even offering as far as 80% on their products. 
 Few brands in the travelling category are offering up to 80% discount. <keyword id="624" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Women">Women</keyword> can shop for footwear and handbags and get upto 70% of the discounted stuff, parents can buy clothes for their children for 70% less on some of the top brands while even toys and games category has items with 60% discounts. 
 The e-commerce player has also set up the ways to fight the affect of demonetisation. Snapdeal has tied up with e-wallets and banks to dole out further attractive offers. For instance, shoppers can avail a further 10% cashback on payments through FreeCharge or the same discount on paying with <keyword id="6355975" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Axis-Bank">Axis Bank</keyword> cards.

Here’s what you can look out for in Snapdeal’s end of the year sale

Taiwanese tech giant <keyword id="139648" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ASUS">ASUS</keyword> on Monday launched in its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ASUS+">ZenFone </a>Max - a 4G-enabled smartphone with a powerful 5,000 mAH battery in India.
 

	The pre-booking of the smartphone, which is best suited for people who demand a long-lasting battery life, opened at noon on Monday on e-commerce websites Amazon.in and Flipkart.com.
 

	"Timed perfectly with the new year, ZenFone Max combines a powerful battery with an innovative camera making it the perfect utility product for users who demand performance at all times," Peter Chang, Region Head - South Asia and Country Manager for ASUS India said in a statement.
 

	ZenFone Max's lithium-polymer battery offers 37.6 hours of 3G talk time, that is equivalent to 32.5 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing or 72.9 hours of music playback or 22.6 hours of video playback, when fully charged.
 

	The 5.2 mm thin chassis of the ZenFone Max, which will be available at ASUS exclusive stores and other retailers from the second fortnight of January, packs a 13-megapixel primary and 5-megapixel front PixelMaster camera.
 

	The primary camera has f/2.0-aperture lens with ultra-fast laser auto-focus that ensures crystal clear and stunning images and enables the phone to capture up to 400 percent brighter photos in low light conditions.
 It uses the latest 4G LTE technology for high mobile data speeds and comes with a <keyword id="104695" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Qualcomm">Qualcomm</keyword> 8916 (Snapdragon 410) quad-core processor assisted by a 2 GB RAM and a 16 GB internal memory with an optional expandable memory of 64GB. 

	ZenFone Max also combines durability with a stunning display as it comes with ASUS TruVivid technology for the best clarity, brightness and touch response.
 

	The ZenFone Max smartphone is priced at Rs. 9,999 in India.

ASUS launches ZenFone Max in India for Rs 9,999

The last quarter of 2014 was a correction phase wherein the Smart Phone market declined by 4% while the Feature Phone market plummeted by approximately 14% over Q3 2014.The overall mobile phone market stood at 64.3 million units in <keyword id="44708" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Q4">Q4</keyword> 2014, which reflects a sequential drop of 11% over Q3 2014 and an annual drop of 5%. 
 The study conducted by <keyword id="668267" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="International-Data-Corporation">International Data Corporation</keyword> (<keyword id="6377157" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="IDC">IDC</keyword>) India Smart Phone market observed shipment contraction in Q4 for the first time ever (quarter on quarter basis). This was largely owing to a high channel inventory at the beginning of the quarter amongst general trade which in turn was caused by the surge witnessed in online sales during festive season. 
 
Feature Phone to Smart Phone migration trend is clearly visible. Smart Phones formed a healthy 35% of the overall mobile business in Q4 2014, which is up by 13% from a year ago i.e. Q4 2013. 
 
“Smart Phone vendors are quick in gauging the consumer demand for 4G handsets. In percentage terms, 4G handsets are still in single digit. But vendors who are not yet ready with the 4G portfolio are likely to miss the next wave of Smart Phone growth story.” says Karan Thakkar, Senior Market Analyst, IDC India. 
 Shipment contribution from vendors like Asus, Microsoft and <keyword id="16129" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="HTC">HTC</keyword> has witnessed traction in the recent past. Asus’s growth is somewhat linked to the handset vendor itself. The Zenphone series is always in demand &amp; often the product is out of stock at the retail counter. On the other hand, Microsoft and HTC has more aggressively priced product to offer. 
 
“In the current market scenario there is a drive in demand for products pitched with high specification at low price points. This trend is likely to continue over the next 4 to 6 quarters, post which consumers are expected to turn back to the handset vendors who charge premium for quality,” added Thakkar. 
 
<keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword>: Samsung maintained its leadership position in Q4 2014. Apple posted stiff competition to Samsung during this time. “Online exclusive” brands are hurting the brand in the value for money category. 
 
Micromax: The brand witnessed an inventory correction in Q4 2014 owing to high inventories pumped into the channels during the previous quarter. 
 
Intex: Intex did not feature in the top five Smart Phone vendor list until Q3 2014, but the swift pace at which brand has clinched on to 3rd spot is commendable. The retail presence of the brand has seen more than a twofold increase. Focused product launches and media advertisements worked well for the brand. 
 
Lava: Lava has slipped to the 4th spot. However, the brand remains consistent and stable with a good amount of visibility of its distributors. 
 
Xiamoi: Xiaomi’s “online only” strategy has paid off well. Q4 was the first complete quarter for the brand. Even with minor hiccups like temporary ban on a particular handset model, the brand made it to top 5 Smart Phone vendor list. 
 
The overall mobile phone market shrank by 11% qurter on quarter. The steep fall can be attributed majorly to the feature phone category. While Karbonn did not make it to the top five vendor list in Smart Phone category, it continues to remain strong in the Feature Phone segment. 
 
A quick look at the overall vendor share shows the strong presence vendors have in the feature phone market to make it in the top five list at an overall level. 
 
 IDC further anticipates a sluggish Q1 2015. However few global vendors which were in the inventory correction phase until now are likely to exhibit big shipment numbers starting Q1. 
 “Operators are gearing up for 4G network rollout. For vendors and ecosystem partners, greater emphasis on 4G enabled handsets at competitive price points will be the order of the day. End-users’ desire to upgrade and keeping abreast with the latest technology, will continue to drive a strong growth for the Smart Phone market in CY 2015,” says <keyword id="26776" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Kiran-Kumar">Kiran Kumar</keyword>,Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

You Searched For "Zenphone 5" and got 4 results

Asus ZenFone 5 Is An Absolute Delight To Work With, But Will The Price Justify The Features?

Sulabh Puri

Here’s what you can look out for in Snapdeal’s end of the year sale

BI India Bureau

ASUS launches ZenFone Max in India for Rs 9,999

Samsung leads smartphone market with 43% in last quarter of 2014

BI India Bureau

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