Asus ZenFone 5 (2018) was launched at MWC 2018 in Barcelona, Spain in late February this year, alongside the ZenFone 5z and ZenFone 5 Lite. The phone is one of Asus' first to sport an iPhone X-like notch and an 18:9 display with a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. There is a dual camera setup at the back, with a 12-megapixel primary and an 8-megapixel secondary sensor. Months after the launch, reputed camera rating firm DxOMark has gotten around to publishing its review of the ZenFone 5. Termed an "excellent mid-range option", the ZenFone 5 has received a decent overall score of 90 - 93 in photo and 86 in video.
Let's talk about photo performance of the Asus ZenFone 5 (2018). The review notes that the smartphone performs really well in bright and natural light but the difference between it and other flagships like Huawei P20 and Google Pixel 2 comes to light in low light photography (pun unintended). Flash images lack detail and texture, and show vignetting, notes DxOMark. As for zoom shots, the ZenFone 5's rear camera seems to lack detail while "coarse luminance noise" is a common occurrence. Bokeh mode on the camera blurs the foreground along with the background providing for a more natural portrait shot.
With 98 points, autofocus is one of the biggest strengths that puts ZenFone 5 in the leagues of the Pixel 2 and Huawei P20. Focus is reportedly reliable in bright and low light shots alike. Even exposure and dynamic range are extremely good, and colour reproduction is on par with high end handsets. In terms of weaknesses, however, texture in the clicks is sub par and there is a lot of visible noise especially while capturing dark blue skies. With a score of 27, zoom capabilities on the ZenFone 5 are poor and users are better off getting closer to the subject.
A combination of factors such as autofocus, exposure, texture, noise, artifacts, stabilisation, and colour give the Asus ZenFone 5 (2018) a video score of 86 that is decent for mid-range smartphones.
To conclude, DxOMark notes, "It [Asus ZenFone 5] might not be for you if you rely on good-quality zoom images, but it comes with an excellent autofocus system, and delivers good image quality with excellent dynamic range in bright light across all shooting situations." It is also claimed that the smartphone's wide-angle lens does not have any impact on the final scores.
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