With Asus finally getting its pricing right this time around with the Zenfone 5Z, Oneplus’ title of flagship killer is for the taking. Both the Oneplus 6 and the Asus Zenfone 5Z are great devices with their respective fan following and lots of great features at somewhat similar pricing. Today we pitch the mighty two against each other in the Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z comparison!
Design and Build Quality – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
We are gonna get to it straight – both the smartphones have quite similar looking front fascia with little notches up top in the vastness which is the screen. There are no side bezels on both the smartphones but the chins are noticeable. Both the smartphones have a premium feel with a glass metal sandwich build, OnePlus 6 is also available in a matte finish which takes away a little shine but sure makes the smartphone less prone to fingerprints.
OnePlus 6 has a vertically stacked camera housing, placed at the horizontal centre of the rear, followed by a flash and rounded rectangular fingerprint scanner. Asus Zenfone 5Z has a vertically stacked dual camera arrangement followed by a flash and a circular fingerprint scanner at the centre. Both the smartphones are quite similar in grip, and in gloss.
OnePlus 6 is slightly heavier at 177grams compared to 155grams of Zenfone 5Z. The aluminium rim on the OnePlus 6 provides a bit of reinforcement and the smartphone looks a bit sturdier. Both the smartphones are quite sleek and of course fingerprint magnets, there is no escaping those smudges.
Both the smartphones retain the 3.5mm jack which is quite pleasing with Zenfone 5Z featuring DTS sound via headphones, powering rich, balanced sound for a satisfying listening experience. There is no formal IP rating for any of these smartphones but OnePlus 6 is said to be splash proof. We’ve had the (mis)fortune of using our Oneplus 6 in the Mumbai rains and can vouch for that water sealing!
The chamfered metal below the glass on Zenfone 5Z looks refreshing and razor-sharp stunning. In all, both the smartphones don’t fall an inch short of premium and feel so too in hands. So, for this round, it is a tie when comparing the design and build quality of the Asus Zenfone 5Z vs OnePlus 6.
Winner: Tie – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Display – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Things are not really far apart in this department as well as both the devices sport a great screen to body ratio on their respective fronts.
For the record, Asus Zenfone 5Z features a 6.2 inch, IPS LCD Panel with a resolution of 1080 x 2246 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18.7:9, thanks to that notch. The math gives a pixel density of ~402 PPI which is quite fair for the flair this display shows with deep blacks, nice contrasts, plenty of brightness, crisp, punchy colours and legit sunlight readability, yeah Its not an OLED panel but we really don’t miss is that much as the panel is quite a satisfying experience.
While the OnePlus 6, has a 6.3-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels at 19:9 aspect ratio, with a pixel density of ~402 PPI. Since Its an OLED panel, the contrast levels are amazing and the colors just feel so natural and crisp. Also, this display goes super bright and gives solid sunlight readability. The reading mode on the Oneplus 6 is an added benefit and we found reading ebooks or online articles much less eye straining and much more battery saving than the 5Z.
Frankly, there is not a staggering difference between the display on both the smartphones but for what Its worth the OLED panel on OnePlus 6 is better than the IPS LCD on Zenfone 5Z. The AMOLED panel on the Oneplus 6 also means that using a dark theme/black wallpaper will save precious battery. And therefore in the display comparison of the budget flagships, we will give OnePlus 6 an edge.
Winner: Oneplus 6 – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Hardware and Performance – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Both the smartphones pride themselves on being low-cost ‘flagships’ and the spec sheet aligns with this claim. Asus Zenfone 5Z, as well as OnePlus 6, have the beast of highest order drivign them, namely Snapdragon 845, which is an octa-core SoC with 4×2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold cores & 4×1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver cores. OnePlus 6 is available in three configurations boasting 6 and 8 GB of RAM along with 64 GB / 128 GB/ 256 GB of storage respectively. While the newly launched Zenfone 5z comes in three variants 6GB/8GB RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB memory. While the Oneplus 6 starts at Rs 34,999 the 5Z is more pocket friendly starting at Rs 29,999. However Oneplus has tried to make things even by giving timely discounts and benefits to its buyers. We don’t need to highlight the fact that you won’t find a better spec sheet at the price and that is probably the most delightful aspect of these smartphones.
The ‘flagship’ grade performance can be felt in everything you throw at these smartphones, whether it be tons of apps, intense multitasking or even hours of heavyweight games, Snapdragon 845 can take it all.
You won’t be complaining about the performance of these smartphones let alone little issues like stutter or lag even after a couple of years, they are going to age well. So, If you wanted to see some fight in the performance segment, well both the smartphones have similar internals and there is not really a difference in real life performance either, so this round is quite easily a draw.
For what Its worth, OnePlus 6 scores a whopping 274200 on AnTuTu 7 while Asus Zenfone 5Z seems to shatter skies with 260908 points on AnTuTu. So the performance is similar and this round of comparison between Asus Zenfone 5Z vs OnePlus 6 is a tie.
Winner: Tie – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Camera – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Anyone can stuff a smartphone with lots of RAM and the best SoC but one thing that is not that easy to master is cameras and that’s where these so-called ‘affordable flagships’ usually fall behind the not so pocket friendly flagships like iPhone X or Pixel 2.
Getting out camera specifications before proceeding ahead – Asus Zenfone 5Z packs a vertically stacked dual camera setup with a primary 12 MP (f/1.8, 24mm, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, PDAF) sensor with a secondary 8 MP (f/2.0, 12mm, 1/4″, 1.12µm), gyro EIS, and dual-LED (dual tone) flash. OnePlus 6’s camera housing, on the other hand, is built of a primary 16 MP (f/1.7, 27mm, 1/2.6″, 1.22µm, gyro-EIS, OIS) with a secondary 20 MP (16 MP effective, f/1.7, 1/2.8″, 1.0µm) and dual-LED flash.
Jumping to what these numbers actually translate to in real life – Zenfone 5Z’s camera performs quite impressively in daylight and natural lighting conditions but the noise is quite observable in low-light conditions and the pictures lack detail in such conditions. Autofocus is forte of this camera unit and it works amazingly well, but zooming into a scene quickly leads to a lot of shaking! Overall, It is a decent mid-range camera, which is quite far from what we expect in a device touted as a flagship.
Coming to the OnePlus 6, the camera is an improvement over the OnePlus 5T. The amount of detail in the images is immense, the colours are vivid but not oversaturated. Low light performance is quite better and the noise is not over the top, It is still away from toppling iPhone X or Pixel 2 for that matter but its a pretty impressive offering at the price. The OIS does wonders to video capturing even at 4k @60fps and the dynamic range is quite amazing.
Selfie game has become quite an integral part of our lives and OnePlus brings a 16 MP (f/2.0, 25mm, 1/3″, 1.0µm), gyro-EIS, Auto HDR capable sensor which takes stunning selfies and is quite decent in low-light as well. Asus Zenfone 5Z packs an 8 MP front sensor (f/2.0, 24mm, 1/4″, 1.12µm), gyro EIS which captures beautiful selfies but the level of detail, sharpness and clarity is not as much as OnePlus 6.
Summing it up, OnePlus 6 takes a clear lead over the Asus Zenfone 5Z as far as the camera is concerned. OnePlus 6 convincingly outperforms Zenfone 5Z in camera comparison, so if a better camera is your priority, One plus 6 is the way to go.
Winner: Oneplus 6 – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Software – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
When the fight is so close, Software can be the defining factor for a smartphone. And It is not only about that, a neat and snappy software experience can be quite the cherry. Both the smartphones run on the latest Android Oreo with Asus Zenfone 5Z running ZenUI and Oneplus running its extremely popular Oxygen OS.
While ZenUI is snappy and responsive, Oxygen OS is ahead by leaps and bounds. ZenUI does come with some bloatware, apps which you can not remove, OxygenOS is mostly free of such boundations. So while the hardware is similar on both the devices, the Oneplus 6 definitely feels more snappy due to its lighter software. Features like face unlock are equally quick on both devices but Oneplus 6 definitely has better RAM management. No matter how many apps we kept open, the Oneplus 6 always had all of them in memory while the 5Z had to refresh quite a few of them.
Winner: Oneplus 6 – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Battery & Charging – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Asus Zenfone 5Z contains a non-removable 3300mAh battery which is well enough for a day but if you are a heavy user, keeping a charger is a wise option. There’s fast charging via USB-C port on the bottom of the device.
OnePlus 6 has a similar story with a 3300mAh battery which easily for a day thanks to that OLED panel which saves a lot of power. OnePlus’ famous Dash charging is onboard with a USB-C based port. We have said this a million times and will do so again, nothing in the market right now can beat the Dash (Warp?) charging on the Oneplus 6. Literally a tiny little bathroom break can top of your device like 20 percent!
Winner: Oneplus 6 – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Pricing – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
This is the category which seems to be of utmost importance to most Indian consumers. Oneplus 6 is priced at Rs 34,999 for the 6GB/64GB model and Rs 39,999 for the 8GB/128GB model. There is also an Avengers Edition with some cool goodies priced at Rs 44,999 for the 8GB/256GB model.
The 5Z starts at Rs 29,999 for the 6GB/64GB variant and further goes to Rs 32,999 for the 8GB/128GB and Rs 36,999 for the 8GB/256GB variant.
It is after a long time that Asus has got their pricing right and undercutting the Oneplus 6 pricing has only helped its cause.
Winner: Asus Zenfone 5Z – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Conclusion – Oneplus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z
Both the Oneplus 6 and the Asus Zenfone 5Z are exceptionally good devices, priced at almost half the amount one would spend on an iPhone X or the Pixel 2XL. They sport almost the same hardware and the main differentiating factors are the Snappier UI, AMOLED screen and better camera on the Oneplus 6. If These are of utmost importance to you then paying a little more for the Oneplus 6 is advisable. BUT, if they are not, then the Asus Zenfone 5Z will still give you 90% of what Oneplus 6 gives at a much pocket friendly price.
