ASUS recently unveiled at MWC 2018 a new smartphone belonging to the ZenFone 5 family, the ZenFone 5 Lite. It sports a 6-inch 18:9 display, octa-core chipset, up to 4GB RAM, and quad-cameras. However, there’s another smartphone in the market with similar specs and has become a crowd favorite as well, the Huawei Nova 2i. Let’s find out which one looks good on paper in our specs comparison below.
| ASUS ZenFone 5 Lite (ZC600KL) | Huawei Nova 2i |
|---|---|
| 6-inch Full HD+ (2160 x 1080) IPS 18:9 display, 402ppi | 5.9-inch Full HD+ (2160 x 1080) IPS 18:9 display, 409ppi |
| Front and rear 2.5D-contoured glass | 2.5D Curved Glass Display |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, 14nm, 64-bit octa-core, or Qualcomm Snapdragon 430, 28nm, 64-bit octa-core | HiSilicon Kirin 659 2.36GHz octa-core processor |
| Adreno 508 or Adreno 505 | Mali-T830 MP2 |
| 4GB LPDDR4 (SD630) or 3GB/4GB LPDDR3 (SD430) | 4GB RAM |
| 32GB/64GB eMCP storage | 64GB storage |
| microSD up to 2TB (dedicated slot) | up to 256GB via microSD (uses SIM 2) |
| 16MP f/2.2 main + Secondary 120-deg wide-angle, LED flash | 16MP+2MP rear cameras, f/2.2 with LED Flash |
| 20MP Sony IMX376 f/2.0 main front + Secondary 120-deg wide-angle, Softlight LED flash | 13MP+2MP front cameras, f/2.0 |
| Dual-SIM (nano) | Hybrid Dual-SIM (nano) |
| 4G LTE Cat13 up to 400Mbps (SD630), or 4G LTE Cat4 up to 150Mbps (SD430) | 4G LTE |
| WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (SD630), or WLAN 802.11 b/g/n (SD430) | Dual-band WiFi b/g/n |
| Bluetooth 4.1 | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| NFC | |
| GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BDS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS |
| Fingerprint scanner | Fingerprint scanner |
| Face Unlock | Face Unlock |
| microUSB | microUSB |
| 3.5mm audio port | 3.5mm audio port |
| Gyroscope | |
| FM Radio | FM Radio |
| 3,300mAh battery | 3,340mAh |
| Android 8.0 Oreo w/ ZenUI 5 | Android 7 Nougat w/ EMUI 5.1 |
| 160.62 x 76.16 x 7.8 mm | 156.2 × 75.2 × 7.5 mm |
| 168.3 g | 164 g |
| Midnight Black, Rouge Red, Moonlight White | Graphite Black, Prestige Gold, Aurora Blue |
Summary of advantages
ASUS ZenFone 5 Lite:
* Slightly larger screen size
* Option for entry-level or mid-range models
* Dedicated microSD card slot
* Higher front camera resolution w/ LED flash
* NFC
* Gyroscope
* Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box
Huawei Nova 2i:
* Higher screen pixel density
* Updated Bluetooth
* Slightly larger battery
* Slimmer and lighter
The new ZenFone 5 Lite looks like a better alternative to the Nova 2i. It has a dedicated microSD card slot for those who need to use two SIM cards and expand their storage at the same time.
Both have quad-camera setups but the ZenFone 5 Lite has a higher front camera resolution and LED flash which should appeal to users who are fond of selfies. In addition, it has other features like NFC and a Gyroscope – things the Nova 2i doesn’t have.
Lastly, ASUS is offering an entry-level and a mid-range option with different CPU, RAM, and storage options. These factors could influence the pricing and make it more accessible to users with limited budgets.
We have to give credit to Huawei as well as they have already released the Nova 2i last year and has already satisfied plenty of users. It is still the mid-ranger to beat with its slightly higher pixel density, larger battery, and a slimmer and lighter build. It runs Android Nougat out of the box, but the company is already working on an Oreo update.
As for the price, the Nova 2i is already in stores for Php14,990. As for the ZenFone 5 Lite, local SRP and availability are yet to be announced.
What do you guys think? How much do you think ASUS should price the ZenFone 5 Lite to make you consider it? Let us know in the comments below.
