Asus vs Xiaomi: Mi3 vs Zenfone smartphone war in India

Asus vs Xiaomi or Mi3 vs Zenfone smartphone war in India may not be that much intense. Nonetheless the Chinese and Taiwanese companies are working hard to get a foothold here.

Two new entrants in smartphone market in India are claiming victories. It is notwithstanding the fact that none of them have sold a large number of smartphones here in India. Nonetheless both are claiming great success in the Indian market.

While Xiaomi has reportedly sold as many as around 50000 units of its rather older but very exciting handset Xiaomi Mi3 (the company has already introduced its new flagship handset Xiaomi Mi4 in the international market) since its launch on FlipKart, the biggest online retailer in South Asia.

The company thought might have launched its wares in the Indian market in July, nonetheless its handsets are effectively available online for not more than four hours. It holds flash sales on Flipkart weekly and last time it put 20000 units on sale that were sold in less than five seconds. The same had happened to its previous sales a week ago as it took the company merely two seconds to sell 15000 units.

The response and enthusiasm is great. Nonetheless if the company continues to come up with so miniscule number of units this warmth will vanish and others with impressive handsets and low pricing will get people’s attention.

Another company that seems to have entered the Indian smartphone market around the same time is Taiwanese tech giant Asus. It had introduced a few decent low priced handsets in the Indian market and was able to sell the same number of units as Xiaomi in just four days.

Asus seems to be very excited about the chances of its smartphones in India. Asus Zenfone are doing very well in India. The Zenfone handsets that come in three sizes — four, five and six inches — with prices low price starting at just Rs 5,999. Peter Chang of Asus says, “We are overwhelmed by the response… as many as 40,000 units were sold out within the first four days of launch…The Zenfone series stocks have been refilled numerous times and are being restocked at regular intervals”.

Peter Chang says that his company by now has sold more than 100000 units of Zenphones in the country. He says that his company and Xiomi strategy was very different. “It is hard to define the sellout per week. But to match up to the potential of this series we are ensuring the availability of stocks in both online and offline mediums.”

On Xiaomi’s strategy, which has been very successful so far, Chang said: “We respect each brand’s strategy. We believe that every brand has its specific, defined fan engagement, product strategy and social media strategy crafted with much research and analysis, just like ours.” The best thing about Asus is the fact that they already have a massive service and after sale set-up in place across India. It is going to be in its favour in the long term.

Budget Battle: Moto G Vs Asus ZenFone 5

Considering the high-end segment is mostly dominated by Samsung and Apple, the Finnish brand Nokia (now owned by Microsoft) turned its attention to the budget smartphone market. Similar strategy worked wonders for Motorola, and now the latest company to follow the suite is Asus. By pricing its feature-packed ZenFone 5 aggressively, the Taiwanese company is planning to take on the Moto G. Let's find out how they stack up against each other.

Construction And Aesthetic
As far as the sturdiness is concerned, both the Moto G and ZenFone 5 offer excellent quality for the price. These phones can easily withstand a few (accidental) drops. The materials used in construction are also top-notch. In terms of looks, the stylish ZenFone 5 fares better than Motorola's clunky phone. As mentioned in its review, Asus has "borrowed" the design elements from HTC's premium handset, One, but we are not complaining since it looks nice.

Display
The ZenFone 5 as its name suggests sports a 5-inch screen, while the Moto G settles for a 4.5-incher. Both these panels are IPS type so the colour reproduction and viewing angles are good. These screens are covered by Corning's Gorilla Glass 3. Since the Moto G packs in HD resolution in a relatively smaller size, you get higher pixel density. It's 325 ppi Vs. ZenFone 5's 294 ppi to be precise. However, it doesn't make much of a difference. So I think it's a tie in the screen department.

Software
Moto G supports the latest Android 4.4 Kitkat, which is a great thing at this price tag. The stock Android interface looks much better than what Samsung, Sony, LG, Lenovo, and Gionee offer. On the other hand, Asus offers highly-modified ZenUI. Thankfully, it looks and performs very well. Plus, it's more consistent and cohesive compared to Google's design language. However, as far as the version number is concerned, Asus lags behind Moto with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Coming to the subject of future updates, Moto G has a clear advantage. It's eligible for Android L, while the ZenFone 5 hasn't even got Kitkat yet.

Firepower
The Moto G is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 chipset. Based on ARM's tried-and-tested Cortex A7 architecture, the SoC (System on Chip) is clocked at 1.2 GHz. Then, there's 1 GB RAM and Adreno 305 GPU to handle gaming. On the other hand, the ZenFone 5 is based on Intel's Atom platform. This particular handset runs a Dual-Core Atom Z2560 chipset clocked at 1.6 GHz. It features 2 GB RAM and PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU. That's more than enough to handle all the popular Android games including Real Racing 3. In terms of performance, Asus' device is as good as the Moto G.

Camera
The ZenFone 5 sports an 8 megapixel camera. It comes with PixelMaster enhancement, which let's you snap decent photographs in low-light conditions. In well-lit environments, the ZenFone 5 produces quality images. Compared to it, Moto G's 5 megapixel camera module disappoints with its performance. Forget night-mode, even in normal conditions, Motorola's handset produces grainy pictures. So if you're into photography, ZenFone 5 is a much better option than the Moto G.

Miscellaneous Features
Contrary to Motorola, the Taiwanese brand Asus duly covers all the essential accessories such as a wall charger, USB cable, and decent earphones. Another area where Asus takes the lead is the expandable storage. It supports up to 64 GB microSD card slot. On the other hand, you're stuck with limited space to store your music and movies on the Moto G.

Price
The Moto G (16 GB) costs Rs 14,000. There's no point in buying an 8 GB version, as the Moto G lacks a microSD card slot. In comparison, priced at Rs 10,000 (8 GB + microSD slot), the ZenFone makes the Moto G look overpriced. For us price conscious Indians, that makes a lot of difference. So the aggressive pricing clearly puts the Asus' product ahead of the Moto G.

Top Smartphones Under Rs 10,000 (July, 2014)

A couple of years ago, budget smartphone catalogue was only limited to domestic players such as Micromax, Karbonn, and LAVA. Now with biggies such as Nokia and Motorola looking to grab some market share, users are spoilt for the choice. Today, you can get phones from top-tier brands without crossing the Rs 10,000 mark. Now if that’s your budget, here’s the list of handsets you should consider buying.

Nokia Lumia 630 (Single SIM)
Street Price: Rs 9700
The Lumia 630 offers sturdy build and trendy looks in an affordable package. It features a 4.5-inch IPS screen with 480x854 pixels. The display features ClearBlack polarisation filter for better sunlight legibility. Plus, the Gorilla Glass 3 protects it against scratches. The phone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 (quad-core) chipset. Apart from the 8 GB internal storage, the phone features a microSD card slot. There’s a 5 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, and 1830 mAh battery. What's missing here is a front-facing camera. The 512 MB RAM looks under-whelming on the paper, but thanks to the optimised Windows Phone 8.1 OS, the phone runs very smooth.



 

Asus ZenFone 5
Street Price: Rs 10,000
If Windows Phone is not your cup of tea, then the ZenFone 5 is your best bet. This budget handset from the popular laptop-maker Asus, packs in a crisp 5-inch IPS screen. Thanks to a 1.6 GHz Dual-Core Intel Atom Z2560 chipset, the ZenFone offers zippy performance. Plus, 2 GB RAM and PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU ensure good gaming experience. The 8 megaixel camera is much better than what most Android phones in this category offer. Other features, include 8 GB internal storage, microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, A-GPS, and 2110 mAh battery. Unlike Motorola and Nokia, the Taiwanese manufacturer Asus has been generous enough to offer a 2 megapixel front-facing camera as well.

Motorola Moto E
Street Price: 7000
The Moto E is the only handset under 10k to offer lag free Android experience. The phone offers a 4.3" IPS screen with 540x960 pixels, which looks quite sharp. It's one of cheapest smartphone to feature Corning's Gorilla Glass. The phone runs Android Kitkat out-of-the-box. The device is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor and is coupled with 1 GB of RAM. There's 4 GB of internal memory, plus a microSD card slot that supports up to 32 GB expansion. The camera quality and craftsmanship are not up to the mark. But, I'm sure most people won't complain about it due to the affordable pricing. All in all, if you’re looking for an entry-level Android smartphone from a reputed brand, the Moto E is your best bet.

XOLO Q700s
Street Price: Rs 10,000
The Q700i is yet another 4.5-incher in this list. XOLO has done very good job in the design department. This dual-SIM phone from the domestic manufacturer is powered by a 1.3 GHz MediaTek MT6582M chipset. The screen is IPS type supporting 854x480 pixels.

The Q700s packs in an 8 megapixel rear camera with LED Flash, 0.3 megapixel front-facing snapper, 1 GB RAM, 4 GB internal memory, microSD card slot, and 1800 mAh battery. The phone ships with Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean).

Asus ZenFone 5 review: An eyeball grabber with high-end features, low price tag

Budget smartphones are in demand these days — no surprises here. They come with advanced functions and user-friendly applications, not to mention an affordable tag, and are therefore high on the priority list of both the consumer as well as the device makers. Especially in a price-sensitive market such as India, they seem to simply fly off the shelves of the retail stores. If you desire to purchase them online, you are greeted with an ‘out of stock’ message.

Spotting an opportunity, Asus has debuted its ZenFone 5 phone. But does the Taiwanese device maker’s latest device (ZenFone 5) have what it takes to stand out among the stiff competition? Let us find out.

At first look, the ZenFone 5 is tempting. Its simple, classic design, array of features and budget price tag are attractive. The device combines a spacious high resolution, high-definition (HD) display with a highly portable design. It has a 5-inch IPS panel that delivers pretty impressive high definition 1280 x 720-pixel resolution—and in an attractive design that tapers to just 5.5 mm at its thinnest edge. The phone retails for Rs 9,999 for a 8 GB variant. It is available in four colours—Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, and Champagne Gold.

Out of the box, the ZenFone 5 comes across as a stylish and sturdy phone with a pretty good build quality. From an ergonomics point of view, there’s little to criticise about the design and handling of the ZenFone 5. It sports a slightly curved, soft-touch rear that feels great in the palm of our hands. Its matte texture also helps to give a better grip of the device, especially for consumers who find the 5-inch form factor a little too large to hold in one hand.

The fit and finish is great and it has a comforting weight to it that feels substantial but not heavy. The 5-inch Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen provides scratch resistance and durability. At 720p screen resolution, the display was sharp and clarity was not an issue when watching videos. As mentioned earlier, the curved plastic back makes the phone comfortable to hold.

Closer inspection revealed that the ZenFone 5 runs on Android Jelly Bean 4.3 and is powered by an Intel Atom Z2560 processor that runs at 1.6 GHz. The 2,110 mAh non-removable battery could last a day with average usage: surfing the internet, listening to music or watching videos in moderate use. Once the device is switched on, it gives a highly responsive and optimised touch experience.

The flat icons and clean layout of its user interface are easy on the eye. What’s Next is also a standout among the new features: Information, such as appointments and weather updates, are presented on the lock screen, home screen and in the notification drawer, making it easy to see what is going on at a glance.

The overall user interface is good and almost the same as any high-end mobile phone. Innovations such as PenTouch and GloveTouch technologies increase ZenFone 5’s display sensitivity, making it possible to use the device with any stylus or even a gloved hand—so frustrations about how and when users can interact become a thing of the past.

ZenFone 5 has a fast, energy-efficient Intel Atom Z2580 processor running at 2 GHz and also benefits from a brilliant 8-megapixel PixelMaster main camera with image stabilisation. This couples a backside-illumination (BSI) sensor and wide-aperture f/2.0 lens with exclusive Asus PixelMaster technology to capture digital photographs that more than match those snapped by many dedicated digital cameras. Its 2-megapixel front camera takes sharp selfies too.

PixelMaster’s Low-Light Mode measures the available light and intelligently adjusts the pixel size to increase light sensitivity by up to 400% —meaning ZenFone 5 snaps great low-lights shots and videos even without the built-in flash. The phone, which has an internal storage of 8G and a microSD card slot that can take up to 64 GB, also supports dual SIM cards.

Overall, the ZenFone 5 is a respectable budget smartphone worth considering. It is packed with interesting features and has the looks to go with it.

SPECIFICATIONS

* Display: 5-inch, 1280 x 720 IPS Panel

* Processor: Intel Atom Dual-Core Z2560 1.6GHz

* Operating system: Android JellyBean 4.3 (will update to 4.4 KitKat)

* SIM type: Dual Micro SIM card

* RAM: 2 GB RAM

* Storage: 16/8 GB

* Camera: 8 MP (rear); 2 MP (front)

w Battery: 2110 mAh

* Estimated street price: Rs 9,999 (8 GB)

40,000 Units of Asus Zenfone Smartphones Sold in 4 Days

Easy-on-pocket Android smartphones have always been a huge hit in the Indian Smartphone market. Recently Asus launched 3 devices in their Zenfone series starting from Rs. 5,999 to Rs. 16,999 and they have announced that 40,000 devices have already been sold within 4 days of its launch. Those three smartphones were Asus Zenfone 4, Asus Zenfone 5 and Asus Zenfone 6 and the exact sales figure for each of those devices has not been revealed in their press statement.

On this achievement, Peiter Chang Region Head, South Asia and Country manager said, “We are overwhelmed with the response received within just 4 days of the launch. The reaction from the Indian masses has been astonishing owing to our partnership with Flipkart and our offline channels. It is surprising to see that the product has reached to 300 cities immediately post launch. We believe that we have come much closer to delivering as per our users’ needs and wants. Aesthetically crafted Zenfones have been successful to touch the heart of Indian tech lovers and we are affirmative that we are going to witness greater response in the near future.”

The online purchase of these devices can be done only via Flipkart. This is another achievement on the part of Flipkart, which took the sales to Motorola Moto G, Moto X and Moto E to a different level by their fluent distribution channels and unique marketing strategies. Let us give you a brief idea about the specifications of those devices.

Asus Zenfone 4 has been priced at Rs. 5,999. It is available with the display of 5 Inches with WVGA resolution. It uses an Intel Atom processor Z2520, which has two cores and operates at the frequency of 1.2 GHz. It comes with a primary camera of 5 MP and a secondary camera of 0.3 MP (VGA). Though it will come with Android 4.3 pre-installed but you will be upgrade it to Android 4.4 Kitkat.

Asus Zenfone 5 has been prices at Rs. 9,999. The OS seems to be the same but it has got a better processor Intel Atom Z2560 processor (Dual Core operating at the frequency of 1.6 GHz). It comes with a better primary camera of 8 MP and a secondary camera of 2MP.

The top most Smartphone in this series is Asus Zenfone 6, which has been priced at Rs. 16,999 and comes with the display of 6 Inches with HD resolution. The processor and GPU are same as mentioned above in case of Asus Zenfone 5 but its primary camera is really good, which is 13 MP with an LED Flash accompanied by a secondary camera of 2 MP.

High on features, low on price

Asus ZenFone 5 is a sure-shot eyeball grabber with its classic design, high-end features and an affordable price tag

Budget smartphones are in demand these days —no surprises here. They come with advanced functions and user-friendly applications, not to mention an affordable tag, and are therefore high on the priority list of both the consumer as well as the device makers. Especially in a price-sensitive market such as India, they seem to simply fly off the shelves of the retail stores. If you desire to purchase them online, you are greeted with an ‘out of stock’ message.

Spotting an opportunity, Asus has debuted its ZenFone 5 phone. But does the Taiwanese device maker’s latest device (ZenFone 5) have what it takes to stand out among the stiff competition? Let us find out.

At first look, the ZenFone 5 is tempting. Its simple, classic design, array of features and budget price tag are attractive. The device combines a spacious high resolution, high-definition (HD) display with a highly portable design. It has a 5-inch IPS panel that delivers pretty impressive high definition 1280 x 720-pixel resolution—and in an attractive design that tapers to just 5.5 mm at its thinnest edge. The phone retails for R9,999 for a 8 GB variant. It is available in four colours—Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, and Champagne Gold.

Out of the box, the ZenFone 5 comes across as a stylish and sturdy phone with a pretty good build quality. From an ergonomics point of view, there’s little to criticise about the design and handling of the ZenFone 5. It sports a slightly curved, soft-touch rear that feels great in the palm of our hands. Its matte texture also helps to give a better grip of the device, especially for consumers who find the 5-inch form factor a little too large to hold in one hand.

The fit and finish is great and it has a comforting weight to it that feels substantial but not heavy. The 5-inch Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen provides scratch resistance and durability. At 720p screen resolution, the display was sharp and clarity was not an issue when watching videos. As mentioned earlier, the curved plastic back makes the phone comfortable to hold.

Closer inspection revealed that the ZenFone 5 runs on Android Jelly Bean 4.3 and is powered by an Intel Atom Z2560 processor that runs at 1.6 GHz. The 2,110 mAh non-removable battery could last a day with average usage: surfing the internet, listening to music or watching videos in moderate use. Once the