THE A-to-Z REVIEW : ASUS ZENFONE 5Z ZS620KL

DATE : Wednesday, 19th September 2018

Coming from Nokia 3210, Moto Razr V3x, Nokia E61, Nokia N78, Sammy P780, HTC HD2, iPhone 4, LeMoto S890, LeMoto P780, Alcatel Idol X, LeMoto K910, Sammy Galaxy Note 3, Sammy Galaxy S5, Huawei Honor 3C, Huawei MediaPad X1, ZTE Blade S6, Meizu M1 Note, ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE550ML, Xiaomi Mi4i, Ulefone Be Touch 2, Meizu M2 Note, Elephone P4000, Alcatel OneTouch Flash Plus, Huawei Honor 7, ZTE Zubia Z7 Max, Xiaomi Redmi 3, Xiaomi Redmi 3S, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro, Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime, Sammy Galaxy Note5, Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, ZenFone Max Pro M1, Pocophone F1 and my current daily driver the LeMoto P2.

As a start, I shall rename the Asus Zenfone 5Z, ZS620KL as the "5Z".

Obtained the Meteor Silver 5Z 6GB RAM/64GB UFS2.1 variant as 14-day trial period.

I have been using it since 4th September 2018 and will give my honest review and comparison to my previous smart devices, where applicable. The 5Z is being used as stock and no unlocked bootloader or rooting access permission are performed. At the current review state, the 5Z is having a firmware build number OPR1.170623.032.WW_user_80.30.96.80_20180820. Hence, future OTAs may improve certain functionality in general.

A = Android
Asus continues to improve their ZenUI skin on top of Stock Android. The latest ZenUI 5.0 comes with useful apps like Asus Calculator, Asus Clock, Asus Weather, Asus SelfieMaster, Asus File Manager, Asus WebStorage, Asus Mobile Manager, Asus Gallery, Asus Themes and Asus Data Transfer. These are not bloatware but very powerful useful apps which are more reliable than the ones in the PlayStore. Hence, we do not need to spend cash to buy 3rd party apps. Nevertheless, these in-house apps can be disabled, if you will. This is why I love  ZenUI compared to MIUI, EMUI, Color OS, Flyme OS and other skins in the Android world.

Android Oreo 8.0.0 is shipped out of the box which is sad if comparing to other flagships offering 8.1.0. The Android 8.0.0 has been massively tweaked with the Top 10 Best of "ZenUI" extra features like :
1) Double-tap-to-wake the screen; double-tap-to-sleep; and lift-to-wake the screen;
2) ZenMotion gestures when device is sleep;
3) Double-press power button to launch camera even when 5Z is sleep;
4) Sound enhancement via AudioWizard;
5) Battery management via PowerMaster;
6) Screen enhancement via Splendid;
7) Full-screen navigation bar gestures to be like Android Pie experience;
8) Assistive tools like Page Marker, Twin Apps, Game Genie, BeautyLive, ZeniMoji, ZenUI Safeguard, Kids Mode, Easy Mode and Fingerprint gesture;
9) Automatic Call Recording;
10) Artificial Intelligence (AI) features like OptiFlex, AI Charging, AI Ringtone, Smart Screen On and AI camera.

"OK Google" and Google Lens work as designed. Google's Project Treble is also fully supported (Pocophone please take note).

Overall experience is miles better than stock Android experience. ZenUI is like "Android on Steroid".
B = Body-Built
As a flagship of mid-2018, Asus never disappoint. Premium feels of edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front and back with oleophobic coatings which is already considered expensive. However, like many other full glass design, fingerprint fiesta is to be expected. But fear not, the back glass panel is finished by Asus's concentric  circular eye-catching texture which magically hides these fingerprint smudges. Now that is smart design. And with slim 7.7 mm profile, at 165 grams, the 5Z is not too slippery and grip is fine especially for small palms (ladies will like to "grip" the 5Z). Even though the 5Z is tagged as the flagship of 2018, Asus still provides free soft TPU transparent case as temporary measure for extra protection while preserving the beautiful circular wheel texture as a trademark of ZenFone series.

Physical buttons are positioned properly so that when mounting the 5z onto car/camera holder, these buttons are not clashed with the car holder legs/brackets. Buttons are satisfactorily give good tactile feedback and sturdy too. No capacitive button is presence as navigation is via on-screen navigation gestures ala-iPhone X.

Camera lens bump is not a good design but can be overcome by the given TPU gel case. The ever-die-ing 3.5 mm audio jack is located at the bottom which is the preferred location (Pocophone please take note).

For other physical appearances, you can refer to online pix and YouTube vix. Overall, the 5Z is way above the quality in its price category which other competitors lacking of.
C = Connectivity
The major function of any smart devices. Call quality is above average with good signal reception. Rare disconnection issue so far even while taking calls inside an elevator; at par with other Huawei and Motorola call quality. Bluetooth 5.0 tech works as expected with extra ability to connect to two Bluetooth speakers simultaneously which other competitors disable this feature (Pocophone please take note). It does pair with my Sammy Gear S3 Frontier smart watch flawlessly with all notifications and call communications running thru the smart watch without hiccup, including my favourite Samsung Pay. The 5Z supports dual band Wi-Fi connections for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz ac/a/b/g/n. These Wi-Fi bands are sufficient for streaming 4K videos, high speed data transfer for drone and NAS. However, the Wi-Fi signal strength is mediocre (Pocophone has the best Wi-Fi strength). No infra-red blaster is offered but NFC is presence for convenience in pairing, using NFC Tags and also to enjoy Android Pay internationally.

Broadband data modules are compatible with all Malaysia telcos but local VoLTE support is yet to be discovered. Meaning, using the 5Z with Malaysia "YES" Telco is a big fat "NO". Bands for 4G are derived from FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28) & TDD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41). So, the 5Z is great for travellers without worrying Telco(s) compatibility, especially LTE connection.

Dual SIM feature has been enhanced to Dual-SIM-4G active mode. The 5Z is equipped with Qualcomm X18 LTE modem which is capable of holding 4G+4G simultaneously, something new in 2018 devices. The advertised 800Mbps download speed is supported by 4CA Cat15 protocol (Malaysia is adopting modem Version A). But as usual, only one SIM can accept data from cell towers but easily switchable in the ZenUI platform. In case in the future, carriers decided to terminate the 2G protocol, the 5Z is not into trouble. Both SIM slots are nano-SIM size and shared microSD expansion slot is available (2TB Max; supports exFAT format).

Wi-Fi Direct and vix Cast to smart TV is supported too. But MHL connection via the Type-C port to smart TV is not supported.

FM radio is a bonus if we are camping in the jungle without any broadband connection.

Overall, if one is expecting stellar versatile mobile connectivity, the 5Z should be in the finalist, especially the LTE modem.
D = Display
No Super AMOLED or IGZO panel (except Meizu M1 Note). It's just high quality 6.2" 1080 x 2246 pixels "Super" IPS Plus panel with above average brightness (550 nits) and color accuracy (96% NTSC) & supports DCI-P3 profile. Screen-to-body ratio is pertect 90% with love-or-hate notch and slim chin at the bottom.

The screen color can be adjusted like warm or cold and the availability of the blue-eye filter is a must feature for any flagship.

The 2.5D front glass panel is upgraded with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection with decent oleophobic coating to make the fingers glide effortlessly during typing/swyping/gaming. Tempered glass screen protector is a must in this case to ensure scratches and cracks prevention.

Viewing angle is good up to 170° on all corners. However, exceeding 30° angle will produce "shadow" effect, especially with white background, which is the "DNA" of any IPS panels. Direct sunlight readability is above average (Pocophone please take note). The auto-brightness sensor is working wonderfully unlike in my Zenfone Max Pro M1.

As this is non-AMOLED panel, AOSD (Always On-Screen Display) to view as table clock at night is to be missed.

There is iPhone-like notch for the 19:9 aspect ratio display. Fortunately, it can be hidden in the setting. The 5Z has built-in intelligence to give options to maximize the landscape viewing experience while watching YouTube or playing mobile games. So, when allowing full view screen, the notch is hidden and we can enjoy "effective" 18:9 aspect ratio. This means that 1:9 ratio is dedicated to the notch. Bravo to the design team for giving the thought of "effective" 18:9 ratio.

The touchscreen sensitivity and responsiveness is always the ZenFone strength compared to others. Hence, the gaming experience is better when it comes to touch inputs and reaction outputs.

Overall, the "Super" IPS+ panel in the 5Z is well above average at this price range (Pocophone please take note) . 
E = Ergonomic
Size-to-weight ratio is almost perfect. The tall 19:9 aspect ratio of the screen is well balanced; not too slippery, the device is stable enough to be held when fast typing  but not comfortable enough to be used with one hand. The 165 grams with slim 7.7 mm profile with flat back makes it ergonomically difficult to pick-up when lay on flat surface. Minor sharp edges is presence between the aluminum frame and edge-to-edge glass panel makes the ergonomic experience less pleasurable. Overall, the 5Z is not going to challenge the Meizu M1/M2 Note (which has one of the best ergonomic design for one-hand usage on a 5.5" screen in my honest opinion).
F = Fingerprint
Asus claims the fingerprint sensor has 0.3 seconds unlock mechanism which is valid in reality. The rear fingerprint sensor is always in active mode, whereby, one just need to tap to unlock from idle/sleep mode. One can register up to 5 fingers in the setting. Overall, it is as fast and reliable as Huawei and Xiaomi counterpart. There is gesture support for notification shade but not in camera snaps. An OTA is expected allowing selfie snaps using fingerprint sensor. I'm suggesting customisation of fingerprint sensor like double-tap it to take screenshot, or automatic call recording if answering calls via fingerprint sensor.

In-display fingerprint tech will be cheap enough in year 2019.
G = Gaming
Other vendors like Raser, Xiaomi, ZTE, Lenovo and even Asus ROG themselves come out with dedicated mobile gaming devices which is a niche market, hence, a very high price for Snap800 series SoC. Heavy gaming titles like Asphalt 8, Modern Combat 5 and N.O.V.A. 3 not showing any micro-stutter at highest gaming settings. However, slight warm will be there if gaming beyond 30 minutes. This is due to slim 7.7mm profile and the absence of internal cooling system. Thanks to the new 10nm FinFET LPP (Low Power Plus) of Snap845, Adreno 630 GPU and 6GB LPDDR4X Double-Channel RAM at 1,866 MHz couple with 64GB UFS2.1 built-in storage, gaming experience is not disappointing. The built-in AI Booster in ZenUI is useful when dealing with extreme gaming engines. There is an Assistive Tool called Game Genie which can perform "macro mode" to ensure repetitive commands can be executed without fail. It's some sort of "cheat mode" in a game. Other features for Game Genie are:
1) Recording functions.
2) Prevent accidental touch to navigation bars (Lock Mode).
3) Pause all notifications (No Alerts mode).
4)  Change game resolution to preserve energy.
5) Disable microphone during live recording.

Please refer to various YouTube vix for more popular gaming titles like PUBG, Fortnite, Mobile Legend, etc.

With all the dedicated gaming features in the 5Z, it is worth the extra cash compared to cheaper options out there (Pocophone please take note).

H = Haptics
The sense of the vibration is firm while the device is in the pocket. Fortunately, one can customise the vibration intensity  if required higher haptics feedback. Overall, you can't miss any incoming notifications while watching cinema or in a noisy environment. The phone will vibrate in an adequate manner, even during gaming. An OTA is expected to allow customizing of vibration pattern just like in Sammy flagships.
I = Internals
With 6GB LPDDR4X Double-Channel RAM at 1,866 MHz couple with 64GB UFS2.1  built-in storage, shows the capability of the 5Z to handle enormous heavy websites without stutter scrolling. Snap845 & Adreno 630 SoC makes heavy lifting tasks possible without any lag and hiccups. Using Google Chrome to surf the web is a breeze. Opening multiple tabs is no issue and the support of all LTE bands for Malaysia telcos (except for "YES") is a plus. Overall, the 19:9 screen Super IPS FHD+ is enjoyable experience for day and night online surfing, gaming, shopping, entertainment and productivity purposes.

Nevertheless, AR Core features are not supported at the moment even though the internal is capable to perform AR tasks. However, ZeniMoji is a fun new 5Z feature that lets users animate cute avatars using their own voice, facial expressions and head movements. Uniquely, ZeniMoji avatars can be used in video chats or live-streaming, as well as in text chats, to make them more entertaining.

J = Juice
The 3,300 mAh sealed unknown brand of lithium-ion cell obviously cannot dethrone "The Best Energy Consumption Smartphone of 2016/2017/2018" which still belongs to LeMoto P2. Claimed talk-time, stand-by time, etc. are beyond achievable for dual-active-nano-SIM LTE phone. Getting beyond 4 hours of Screen-on-Time is GUARANTEED even under extreme usage. Stand-by overnight rate is 0.7% per hour which is fair.

5Z comes with a power adapter that emits 9V-2A (18W), supports PD 3.0; bundled in the box. The 5Z is fully compatible with Qualcomm's Quick-Charge 3.0/4.0 technology but only QC 3.0 will be used all the time. Using the stock charger and cable, re-energising the 5Z from 15% to 100% (while device is idle/on), requires 1 hour 30 minutes waiting time to fill-up the whole 3,300 mAh lithium-ion battery capacity. No significant difference with certified Qualcomm QC 3.0 adapter. Testing with Xiaomi 10,000 Pro Slim powerbank takes a shy to a shy of 2 hours from 10% to full. Wireless Qi charging will only presence in "super"-flagship territory which Asus has not dive into yet. Thanks to Apple for introducing "Super-duper-hyper" flagship pricing.

One important feature in the ZenUI which other vendors should learn is the AI Charging. Finally, we can let the 5Z charged overnight (say from 10pm to 8am) without worrying battery capacity deteriorating over long period of ownership. This feature is not activated by default but once turn on, we'll be glad to know it's there so that after 2 years of ownership the 5Z will perform like 6 months old phone in terms of energy consumption.
K = Keys
No hardware capacitive navigation keys for Back/Home/Recent is available. Hence, only the on-screen navigation or iPhone-like gestures is allowed. Volume and power buttons are sturdy. However, the supplied gel case will "sunken" these keys and hopefully next version of gel case will overcome this quirk.
L = Lights
Notification LED lights is presence with either red, amber, white or green. But they are not customisable in Android Oreo 8.0.0. An OTA is expected to give flexibility to control the LED notification lights.

The phone also embedded with single LED flash (rear only) for low light pix & vix as well as emergency flashlight when entering the movie theater hall.
M = Multimedia
This is actually another strong offering of the 5Z but not many realize its potential. Media contents consumption is phenomenal for 6.2" FHD+ accompanied by effective stereo speakers (Pocophone please take note). What is surprising in the 5Z is that the speaker is very loud (1.5 watts to generate >85dB for sure) with the aid of built-in 5-magnet speaker with dual NXP Smart Amp for louder, deeper and less distorted sound effect. The 3.5mm audio jack is able to play audio files up to 192 kHz / 24-bit. Dolby 5.1 sound is replaced by "DTS X" Sound engine, which is more than sufficient for great audio experience and customisation. Ensure to plug-in high quality headset/earphone to enjoy lossless audio quality. And the good news is that Asus is generous enough to supply the "ZenEar Pro" earphone which comes in the 5Z box as that does support High-res Audio profiles (Pocophone please take note).

As for bonus, the FM radio is hidden in the notification shade panel and the reception is good even when heavy downpour.

In general, the multimedia experience in the 5Z is excellent minus the 4K HDR Super AMOLED screen panel.
N = Navigation
GPS is working as expected. Locking more than 5 satellites within 10 seconds from cold start with 5 meters accuracy distance. Waze, Google Maps and HERE Maps are working normally, even indoors and in aeroplane mode. Driving above 100 km/hr does not lost any GPS signal. Only luke warm heat after 1 hour of continuous navigation. Energy consumption is average so ensure to bring along powerbank that supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 right after leaving your car.

More evidence at :

O = Optimisation
With the ever-improving ZenUI engine, Asus is doing a fine job in optimising the 5Z in terms of performance, energy consumption, stability and reliability. The Android Oreo Doze feature kicks in almost instantly after the screen is turn off (provided Wi-Fi is off too). Hence, there is no need to root this device in order to install 3rd party energy-saving tool(s) to "greenify" certain apps/services. No wakelock issue. No bloat-wares disturbing the Doze Mode. Incoming push notifications work as intended without the need to tweak the battery performance (Xiaomi devices are famous to miss push notifications in WhatsApp due to aggressive power saving mode). No overheating during heavy gaming, long hours navigation and high resolution of  pix/vix sessions. The supplied 6GB LPPDR4X dual-channel 1,866 MHz RAM is keeping at most 6 heavy apps/games running in the background.

Each OTA received is reliable and stable so far (Pocophone please take note). Overall, it is performing better than a few flagships out there.
P = Photography
Many is awaiting for this part of the review and the Taiwanese company is betting high on this function until giving Zenfone series special logo and motto "We luV Photo". Well, the 5Z is borned in this planet for hardcore photography fans, ESPECIALLY NIGHT SHOOTING!!!. We can use the output for commercial use or professional events. The 5Z is equipped with the Sony flagship IMX363 12MP dual pixel image sensor - 1/2.55" large sensor size, 1.4µm large pixel size is completed with F/1.8 aperture & 24mm equivalent focal length in 35mm film camera.

As for low light images, the 5Z has 4-axis, 4 stops Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) which is usually presence in "super"-flagship category.

For fast immediate snap, the 5Z is armed with 0.03 seconds phase-detection autofocus which is blazing fast even in extreme low light environment.

No lag while snapping pix; even the HDR mode produces high quality images despite hand-held method.

The Asus-branded PixelMaster camera app has tremendous built-in "Smart/AI" mode. Auto mode camera snapshot is beyond expectations. HDR has dramatic effect. Macro shots are acceptable to the nearest 2 inches distance. Low light image is the best in class while the "Pro" mode to tinker with focus point, shutter speed and ISO are extraordinary. The PixelMaster's trademark of 49 Megapixel "Super Resolution" Mode is always there for printing purposes.

Bokeh/potrait/depth/variable aperture mode is captured by secondary rear 8MP OmniVision OV8856 sensor having 120° wide-angle camera allowing 200% wider view for more friends and scenery in the frame. It is at F/2.0 aperture good enough to produce bokeh effect. Overall output is above average with good edge detection and separation and the blur effect can be adjusted in real-time mode.

Selfie pix and vix is driven by 8MP OmniVision sensor OV8856 F/2.0 with 1.0µm capturing at 84° field of view; which is above average. The front softlight IPS panel as a flash does help a bit in pitch dark pix and vix. Selfie bokeh and face unlock are also using the same camera sensor. Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) is also supported up to 1080P res. Unfortunately, 4K selfie videography is not supported.

Back to the "back" cam (sorry for the pun intended), OIS is only for 1080P vix @ 30 and 60 fps. 4K Ultra HD @ 30 fps is stabilised with OIS but not 60 fps. Slow-Mo is offered at 1080P @ 240 fps; while the unlimited Time-Lapse can be captured at whopping 4K Ultra HD resolution. Imagine attaching the 5Z at drone to capture scenery till our heart's content. Please refer to YouTube channels for vix quality.

As shown above, focus "hunting" issue is present in FHD and 4K UHD vix at night shooting. Hopefully, an OTA can remedy this as it is not present in any flagship or "Super" flagship devices.

Overall, if photography and videography is one of your top 3 reasons to get this device, you will just say "Oh Wow!".

In this showdown, we shall compare between Huawei Mate 10 Pro (Kirin 970), 5Z and Pocophone F1. The main reason to do this comparison is to judge how good (or bad) the 5Z pix performing side-by-side with "Super" flagship and "budget" flagship devices. All pix are taken hand-held with point-and-shoot method (not tap-and-shoot). All devices is using Auto-HDR mode with AI features turned on. To disable AI in pix for the 5Z, just use Pro Mode with Auto settings for all protocols. The 5Z has also Wide-View shots from it's 8MP 120° secondary lens.

As for Pocophone, its Portrait Mode is faulty for my unit. The Pocophone camera freezes when launching Portrait Mode (even after updated to latest OTA and hard reset; Pocophone please take note). The white balance in Pocophone also has either blue or yellow tint depending on lighting condition.

Enjoy the journey...

Sample pix and vix at ZenTalk Forum
Q = Quirks
Well... for the price you pay, absolutely nothing solid to command 5Z to go back to the drawing board. Maybe the monthly Android Security Patch can be improved. There will be hope for Android  "Q"uaker Oats in the future as previous Zenfone flagships are getting without fail. And please include "Dark Mode" for ZenUI universal interface. Don't wait for primitive Apple iOS to include Dark Mode...#Black-is-the-new-White!

As 5Z is not categorised as "Super" flagship device, so no wireless charging and Ingress Protection Marking (IPM) in its final price. No infra-red blaster like in Xiaomis could be a deal breaker for minority.

The subjective notch and chin display will annoy majority purchasers but that's the trend right now. Luckily, the notch can be hidden in ZenUI. Maybe next year the 6Z will have 95% screen-to-body ratio with notchless-chinless panel. Vivo and Oppo is the king in this area.

Hybrid nano-SIM with microSD slot is not special anymore. Dedicated triple slot is the future. Well, e-SIM is the true future...as for now, can use the nano-SIM extender to get all three slots working simultaneously.

MHL connection to external monitor/TV is not supported. Can we have something like Sammy Dex or Huawei EMUI Desktop next year?

When charging while the 5Z is off, there's no battery percentages showing the refill status. An OTA is expected to improve later.

Camera bump is a bad design. The same goes for the location which is at the corner of the body. This location resulting our fingers to easily smudging the lens and blocking the view when shooting; compared to top-centre of rear panel. And if we drop the phone, guess what will happen if the first impact is at this camera corner? This is where iPhone  design is bad which Asus followed but Pocophone F1 deviates and excels.

VoLTE and VoWiFi is not implemented for any of Malaysia's telcos. Why? In this segment, Apple & Huawei-Honor is the ultimate champion in Malaysia.

The Wi-Fi signal is the weakest compared to other competitors. An OTA is expected to remedy this problem immediately. Pocophone F1 is the ultimate champion in this category.

The lowest screen brightness is still too high compared to the Pocophone. An OTA is expected to rectify this annoyance.

Talk about the screen, the glare on the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 is a bit too much. Perhaps next year, we can enjoy Corning Gorilla 6 with matte finished. For the time being, a proper screen protector is sufficient to reduce the glare.

Finally, in multi-window mode, the border between two windows cannot be adjusted. Pocophone & Sammy devices can do so. But majority vendors can't seems to tweak this successfully.

These quirks should not be a deal breaker to ordinary user who knows what to expect from this "ordinary" flagship device. Hopefully, Asus Product Dev Team will consider all these quirks as a challenge for the next 6Z flagship/ "Super" flagship.
R = Rooting
Flash-a-holic geeks will not be happy in this department. One-Click root is definitely a Big-Fat-No-No because the Bootloader is Locked.

To-date, the 5Z is in the development of TWRP as discussed in XDA forum. This shows that the 5Z is not for modding community.
S = Sensors
All major sensors including magnetometer/e-compass and gyroscope are presence making sure auto-brightness, GPS navi, EIS vix, Virtual Reality & 360 vix are working as designed.

RGB sensor is presence for colour control when taking pix & vix.

Asus claims the fingerprint sensor has 0.3 seconds unlock mechanism which is valid in reality.

Face unlock is achievable but not in pitch dark room. This is where Pocophone excels in general.

Earpiece/receiver is crystal clear with triple internal microphones with ASUS Noise Reduction Technology is working as intended. The opposite party can hear our voice clearly with "subtle" background noise while we can hear the opposite party's voice without issue.

Auto-brightness is working as usual. The screen will be at maximum brightness of 550 nits when facing direct sunlight which Pocophone cannot challenge. But the lowest brightness needs improvement. In pitch dark room, the lowest brightness is still too bright compared to Pocophone.

Overall, the vital sensors are well equipped and reliable.
T = Texting
Stock Google keyboard is supplied. No need to install other 3rd party keyboard apps as one will get the best typing/"swiping" experience on screen. The 6.2" oleophobic protection makes our fingers glide happily during typing or playing games. Overall, the slim profile and well distributed weight in portrait and landscape position makes texting and gaming experience even more pleasurable even for prolong period of time.
U = USBs
Type-C is standard for flagship. However, it does not support reverse charging. OTG is supported but not for MHL.
V = Virtual Reality
Google VR support is presence. But Google ARCore is definitely not supported. Gyroscope is presence to view 360-degree YouTube vix. Overall, it is a good option for beginners to explore VR contents before committing to full fledged immersive AR/VR experience. Combining with loud external 5-magnet dual speaker, experiencing VR for the first time is well above expectations.
W = Warranty
1) General device components = 1 year local manufacturer warranty.
2) Battery = 3 months.
3) Power adapter and cable = 3 months.
4) Earphones = 3 months.

There is no options to extend the warranty like what Sammy is offering today. So, if one is expecting to keep the device after 1 year warranty lapsed, the cost of repair is yet to be discovered. If the screen replacement is above RM400, it is not worth to pay for; unless we cannot get second hand 5Z at 50% of current SRP.
X = X-factors
1) Pix and vix output with DxOMark of 93 thanks to Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and 120° wide-angle secondary cam and 84° field of view selfie cam. RAW format also supported. And the magical 49 MP "Super Resolution" Mode is always fun to exploit.
2) ZenMotion intuitive controls/gestures navigation.
3) Loud external 5-magnet speaker with effective dual stereo channel.
4) Comes with "ZenEar Pro" earphone that supports high-res audio.
5) Connecting to two Bluetooth speakers simultaneously via Bluetooth 5.0 protocol.
6) Game Genie enhancement.
7) Integration of AI in CPU, UI, Gallery, Charging, Display, Ringtone & even Face Unlock.
8) Thin and lightweight suitable for ladies, especially the rear concentric circle texture.
9) Build quality similar to "Super" flagship smartphones.
10) NFC for extra convenience.
11) 3.5 mm audio jack with decent hi-res audio output.
12) Up to 2TB microSD card supporting exFAT format.

Y = Yesterdays
Similar devices competing in the same price segment should be (in no particular order) :
1) OnePlus 6.
2) Huawei Mate 10.
3) Huawei Mate 10 Pro.
4) Huawei P20.
5) Pocophone F1.
6) Honor 10.
7) Honor Play.
8) Huawei Nova 3.
9) Xiaomi Mi8.
10) Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S.
11) Samsung Galaxy S8.
12) And many other yesterdays' devices that you are holding to right now.

Z = Zero-figure
Based price at Malaysia Ringgit RM1,899-point-zero-zero (RM1,699 at some online retailers) is a worthy long-term investment with current Snap845 (6GB RAM/128GB UFS2.1) and well developed ZenUI skin. Build quality, camera and multimedia is 5Z's best offerings compared to other competitors. Mobile gamers should also consider this unit as the Game Genie tool, true dual stereo speakers and screen responsiveness is very important during gaming. If Asus Malaysia can offer 64GB UFS 2.1 at RM1,488 or less, it will make Pocophone buyers cannot sleep like a baby every night...LOL...if Oppo can have online sub-brand under RealMe; Huawei can diversify with Honor; Xiaomi with Pocophone; when will we get Asus-Alpha to offer 6Z (Snap855) at RM1,488 to dethrone Poco F2...?

Thanks for your time to read my lengthy review and stay tuned for more details and updates...

regards,

azhar75 @ lowyat.net

p/s : for more complete and updated reviews, please browse to ZenTalk Forum