The Asus Zenfone 2 could be the alternative everyone's been waiting for. Then again, the Xiaomi Mi4 could give it a run for its mid-range market money.
It's the Asus Zenfone 2 versus the Xiaomi Mi4.
The Zenfone came out March 2015, while the Mi4 came out August 2014 but both are within the same price range. The Xiaomi Mi4 is available for about US$300, while the Asus Zenfone 2 could be had anywhere from $190 to $370, depending on the configuration.
Newer does not necessarily mean it's better, does it?
The Asus Zenfone 2 - Specs
The newest smartphone from Taiwanese multinational electronics company Asus has specs to be proud of. The Asus Zenfone 2 has two models, the ZE550ML and the ZE551ML. The Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML has 2 RAM variants: a 2GB and a 4GB model, as well as 3 internal storage variants: a 16GB, a 32GB, and a 64GB model.
The 4GB RAM model has an Intel Atom Z3580 chipset powered by a quad-core 2.3GHz CPU and a PowerVR G6430 GPU. The 2GB RAM model, on the other hand, has an Intel Atom Z3560 chipset with a quad-core 1.8GHz CPU and the same GPU as its counterpart. Both are have expandable storage of up to 64GB via microSD.
Aside from having the same GPU, all the other parts are the same as well. It's a 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9mm, 170g unit with dual micro-SIM dual stand-by support.
The Asus Zenfone 2 also has Android 5.0 Lollipop OS, a 5.5-inch (1080 x 1920 pixels) IPS capacitive touchscreen display, a 13MP main camera and a 5MP front camera. It has a non-removable 3,000 mAh Li-Po battery.
Meanwhile, the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE550ML has the same specs as the ZE551ML's 2GB RAM-16GB Storage variant.
The Xiaomi Mi4 - Specs
On the other hand, the Chinese manufacturer's offering is not about to be left behind. The Xiaomi Mi4 has some pretty decent specs to show off as well.
It has a lower W x H x D dimension of 139.2 x 68.5 x 8.9mm, and is lighter at 149g with micro-SIM support. The unit has a 5.0-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen display, with the same resolution as that of the Asus, and a non-removable Li-Ion 3080 mAh battery (which has a quick charge function - 60% charge in 30 minutes).
The Xiaomi Mi4 has the Android 4.4.3 Kitkat OS out-of-the-box, although recently there has been some rumors that it could receive either a Lollipop update or even a Windows 10 update. The device is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 chipset containing a Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU and a Adreno 330 GPU. It has an non-expandable internal storage of either 16GB/64GB, and 3GB RAM. The Xiaomi Mi4 also has an 13MP main camera and an 8MP front camera.
The Verdict
According to a review of the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML, it actually gives the competition a run for their money. With a pretty decent set of specs and mid-range pricing, it beats out devices HTC Desire 820Q, Lenovo S90 Sisley, and Xiaomi Mi4 -- all of which are within the same price range, both in the hardware and the software department.
Even the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE550ML edges out the Xiaomi Mi4. It would be better to wait for next iteration of the Mi.
Despite that, the Xiaomi Mi4 has similar raves as well, mostly for its physical design and for its quick charge function.
That's not gonna be enough for the Xiaomi Mi4 to beat the Asus Zenfone 2, though.
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