13 April,2015 08:01 AM IST | | Hassan M Kamal
Despite decent specs within 6K, Asus Zenfone C might struggle to woo the customer, courtesy its predictable styling and tough competition in the budget segment
Rating: 6/10
Design: The Zenfone C is another replica of the Zenfone design statement that Asus seems to have become too fond of. It has got the same back panel and metal finish at the front like in the Zenfone 4, 5 and 6, but it doesn't suit the Zenfone C.
Asus Zenfone C
The back panel doesn't fit well. The Zenfone C is a tad too tall for a 4.5-inch device, but it's also where its appeal lies. Thanks to its height, Asus has managed to place separate menu buttons (but without backlighting), thus offering a slightly larger screen space to its users.
Rating: 7/10
Display: With Zenfone C, Asus has managed to offer a decent value-for-money display. The 4.5-inch screen, with 480x854 resolution (and 218 ppi pixel density), doesn't have Gorilla Glass 3 protection and is inferior as compared to the Moto E, but offers larger screen space and better clarity while reading text. However, the screen is prone to smudges.
Rating: 7/10
Hardware: The Zenfone C is neither fast nor good looking, but it manages to do justice to the '5,999 tag (however, I would advise to pay a grand extra and get the Xiaomi Redmi 2). The 1.2 GHz dual core Intel Atom Z2520 processor gets the job done, offering enough processing power to fulfill all your tasks, but sadly the 1GB RAM falls a little short, causing lags during multi-tab browsing.
Luckily, though, the internal ROM has been upgraded to 8GB unlike the Asus Zenfone 4. The dual-sim device offers 2G and 3G connectivity along with Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi Hotspot and Cast to Screen (wireless display). The 2,100mAh battery does a decent job lasting a full day with regular usage. The device also supports external storage upto 64GB.
Rating: 6/10
OS: The Zenfone C runs on Android Kitkat 4.4.2 with ASUS ZenUI. While users would enjoy elements like caller, calling screen and integration with memory booster utilities, the UI is not suited for a 4.5-inch device. The icons on the drop down settings menu are too big.
Besides, it comes with lots of vendor apps that are of no use. They eat into the RAM as well as internal storage, thus slowing down the device. Replacing the built-in Asus keyboard with Google Keyboard and using Google Now Launcher seem to make it more appealing.
