I have long been an Apple girl, and am never far from an iPhone or iPad. But I am always willing to try something new in the name of research, and so we were delighted to be sent the Asus Zenfone 5 LTE – the new android smartphone on the block.
Having a new phone to play with is always fun isn’t it? I spent a happy hour setting things up, playing with the new functions and investigating the camera. Here’s what we discovered:
Call and sound quality
Very good. There is no interference when making a call, either to a landline or another mobile. The other sounds are clear and crisp too, with a wide range of tones for calls, texts, emails and social media notifications. The volume control is on the side of the phone and can be flicked up and down with your thumb.
Screen
The touch screen is incredibly responsive. You don’t have to put any pressure on to get what you want, and it even works well with temperamental touch screen gloves. Most of the apps and everyday functions are on the home screen, which you access with a swipe. It is easy to organise apps and buttons into the order you want them to be, again by simple press and swipe movements. It is a similar home screen set up to an iPhone in looks, and the way it is organised, and there are lots of wallpapers to choose from. The screen has a toughened glass too, so you don’t have to worry too much if toddler hands get hold of it!
Charging and battery use
As with all phones, you need to do a full charge before first use, although you can of course use the phone during the charge. It charges quickly, and can be powered with a mains plug or a USB lead. The phone holds the charge for a long time, compared to my iPhone – it will easily last you a day or 2, depending on use, and we had the wi-fi on constantly – the box actually says the phone can manage a standby time of 395 hours.
Camera
The camera is where the real beauty of this phone lies – it almost replaces the need to carry a big DSLR with you on a day out. For the techy people amongst us, it has a front 2 mega-pixel, F2.4 Aperture, rear 8 mega-pixel, auto focus, LED flash, F2.0 Aperture, PixelMaster. For those who are less techy, it has several pre set modes, from selfie mode to low light mode – which has been perfect for this time of year. Activating the low light mode makes it really easy to take photos in the dark winter light, and also captures Christmas lights and sights perfectly.
It’s such an easy camera to use, and the low light setting is simple – you just tap a small owl face at the bottom of the camera screen and it adjusts the light setting for you automatically, to get the best image. There are also some really great editing tools on the phone, so you can add filters, special effects and more to your pictures. You can see just how well the phone camera managed to capture Christmas lights, a cheeky toddler wrecking the tree, and a day out at Santa’s Grotto. I love the photo of Gemma, and really don’t think anyone would know it was taken on a phone.
The only thing the camera really struggles with is fast moving images – for example a toddler running away, or spinning in circles, but to be honest I think that’s fairly standard with most point and shoot options. For capturing moving images, there is a really good video function, and there is 16GB of memory, so you should have plenty of room for storage of everything too.
You may have guessed from my review that I am not the most techy person, and reviewed this phone as I found it – how easy it is to use, which bits I liked, and how it fit into our everyday life. For an altogether more technical look at the Asus Zenfone 5 LTE, take a look at this review from the resident geek at We’re Going on an Adventure.
Overall? We loved it. Kevin could get to grips with it from the start, as he uses an Android phone on a daily basis. It took me a bit longer – things are laid out slightly differently that an iPhone, but it didn’t take long. I love the big, responsive screen, the ease of use, the sound quality and the fantastic camera, which puts the iPhone to shame. I also really like the colour options available – Charcoal Black/Pearl White/Cherry Red/Twilight Purple/Champagne Gold. As a die hard Apple fan, I don’t think it would replace my phone and DSLR camera combo, but it certainly comes close!
We were sent this phone free of charge for the purpose of this review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
The photo quality is amazing, it looks like a lovely new phone.
#Tried/Tested
fashion-mommy recently posted…Portable North Pole spreads Christmas Cheer
I only got my first smartphone (an iPhone) 6 months ago so not looking for a new phone yet but this looks good #triedtested
Yet Another Blogging Mummy!!! recently posted…Making a laurel headdress
I’m so impressed with the picture quality on this, it’s something I’ll bear in mind when I’m upgrading #triedtested
hodgepodgedays recently posted…Seasonal Scents from Febreze
Wow! That phone takes great pictures! #TriedTested
The Mad Mommy recently posted…This House Needs A Mouse!
Ooh I’ve heard lots of great things about this phone, particularly the camera/ We’re getting my eldest a phone for christmas this year so we’re madly reading up on reviews! x x x
Wow it looks fab. I too am an apple convert but I would definitely be swayed by this 🙂
Farmers wife and mummy recently posted…Christmas gift ideas for babies and preschoolers
I love my iPhone too and don’t think I would swap to another make of phone but this looks great and we have an asus tablet for my daughter which is brilliant and this phone looks even better then her tablet, the photos you have taken on it are gorgeous x #TriedTested
lindsay @ Newcastle family life recently posted…Review: Bright Starts Nest ‘n’ Sing Pots
Wow, the camera really does take excellent photos doesn’t it? We have an Asus product (a T100 tablet) and are very pleased with it too 🙂
Looks fab, I too am an Apple Girl but like the look of the Camera
Sarah christie recently posted…Portable North Pole
Sounds like a great phone! The only thing that I really don’t like about my current phone (about to go out of contract though, yippee!) is the camera – having something like this that takes reliably good pictures would be perfect. I do take a lot though – does this phone have expandable memory? I think it’s a definite contender if it does.
Lauren recently posted…Review: Open Goaaal
I’ve had iPhones for years and when I switched to an Android briefly I ended up returning it for another iPhone. This does sound good though and I actually think with you not being tech minded it is on a level that most can connect with! x
Emma TheMiniMesAndMe recently posted…Chocolate Brownie Christmas Trees
I too am a die-hard Apple fan, but this does look like a great alternative – the photos are so crisp and clear!! #triedandtested
Ooooh this looks fab! Mummy is a huge Apple fan too, but is trying a new Sony phone. Great review, I’ll tell Mummy! 😉 #TriedTested
Ickle Pickle recently posted…Milestones now I am two!
Looks like a good phone. A camera is one of the things I look at when buying a new phone as I’m always snapping. I did have an iphone but got an android phone at my last upgrade. #triedtested
Mummy Melton recently posted…Christmas Decorations are up
This looks like a good phone , i myself normally switch between apple or samsung
Great review! Good camera is a very important (dare I say crucial) element of a phone for me
#triedtested
Joanna @mumbalance recently posted…There’s a fish in my bath! – Christmas the Polish way
I’m a die hard Android fan and this really does look a good phone
Stacey Guilliatt recently posted…Favourite & popular blog posts of 2014