Asus ZenFone 5 Gets Dual Camera Bokeh Function, Improved Face Unlock, and More With First Major Update

Asus had launched three new smartphones in the ZenFone 5 lineup in January, at MWC 2018. The ZenFone 5Z, ZenFone 5, and ZenFone 5 Lite were announced with AI-based features, "all-screen" 18:9 displays with 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, dual camera systems, and ZeniMoji. And now, the company is pushing out the first major update for the Asus ZenFone 5. While the update does not bring massive changes, it is claimed to improve a few key functions.

As per information shared by Asus in a Zentalk thread, the update with software version 15.0615.1803.60 is currently available over the air. The official changelog mentions the major changes in the latest update, including 'add dual camera bokeh function', 'add AI related function', 'camera performance improvement', and Face Unlock performance improvement.

The Asus ZenFone 5 sports a dual rear camera setup, with a 12-megapixel sensor and an 8-megapixel sensor. However, the bokeh effect on images was not present available earlier. Now, the smartphone users will be able to use the feature to capture images in portrait mode.

As the latest update will be rolled out via OTA, all ZenFone 5 smartphones will get the download notification in a few days. Alternatively, you can look for a manual update by going to Settings > System > System updates.

To recall the specifications, the Asus ZenFone 5 is a dual-SIM handset that runs ZenUI 5.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo. It sports a 6.2-inch full-HD+ (1080x2246 pixels) display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, paired with 4GB or 6GB of RAM and the Adreno 509 GPU.

In terms of optics, the Asus ZenFone 5 sports a dual rear camera setup, with a 12-megapixel Sony IMX363 sensor and an 8-megapixel sensor. At the front, there is an 8-megapixel camera. Both the front and rear cameras come with 3-axis EIS, Face Unlock feature, and real-time beautification features. The phone comes with 64GB inbuilt storage expandable via microSD card (up to 2TB).

Connectivity options in the Asus ZenFone 5 include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, GPS/ A-GPS, FM radio, USB Type-C, and 3.5mm headphone jack. It is fuelled by a 3300mAh battery that supports AI Charging tech. It comes in Midnight Blue and Meteor Silver colour options.

We discussed whether Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is a Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro killer on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.