Mobile photography has taken great strides this year, and both the OPPO R17 Pro and ASUS Zenfone 5Z are a testament to that. While other smartphones are being decked with more lenses, these two phones shifted its focus on camera performance through AI-enhanced features. But these two phones prove that they’re more than just their cameras. Today we’re pitting the R17 Pro against the latest flagship from the Zenfone line which is the 5Z.
Design & Construction
The R17 Pro is a guaranteed showstopper with its mesmerizing gradient design. However, the 5Z isn’t falling behind with its less fussy yet interesting sand-blasted back panel. Both phones score notched displays although the R17 Pro gets a point for having a smaller notch that only houses its front camera. Though, in terms of design alone, I prefer the 5Z’s rear-mounted fingerprint sensor which responds and unlocks the device faster than the R17 Pro’s in-display sensor.
Display
In terms size and quality of the display, I’d say the R17 Pro has an advantage over the 5Z. Its 6.4” AMOLED touchscreen definitely wins against the 5Z’s 6.2” IPS LCD screen. Though both phones have the same level of sharpness and clarity with a pixel density of 402ppi, an AMOLED screen is preferable as it’s less likely to cause eyestrain with prolonged use. The R17 Pro has a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340, and the 5Z has 1080 x 2246 px.
Camera
Though it may seem like the R17 Pro will win this round by a landslide, the 5Z’s cameras aren’t to be dismissed. The R17 Pro overpowers with its triple rear camera setup (12MP+20MP+TOF) that includes as TOF Stereo Camera that captures detailed 3D information about a subject. In addition to this, the R17 Pro also has better camera performance in low-light conditions–something that sets it apart from all its competitors.
The 5Z, on the other hand, has a much more modest 12MP+8MP dual rear camera but is packed with AI features. Aside from just the usual AI scene detection present in other phones, the 5Z also has AI photo learning capabilities which anticipates your needs and remembers your preferences. This, in turn, can lead to photos automatically curated according to your signature shooting style.
Performance
This round definitely belongs to the 5Z, as it carries the latest Snapdragon 845 chipset present in powerful gaming phones such as the ASUS ROG Phone and Pocophone F1. Part of why the 5Z didn’t need cameras with a higher MP, the processor is already making up for it. Coupled with an Adreno 630 GPU, the 5Z ensures amazing graphics processing speed and capabilities. This also makes the 5Z great at gaming, especially that it’s available in an 8GB RAM variant. The only downside so far is that the phone has a fairly average battery capacity at only 3,300mAh.
Meanwhile, the R17 Pro still has competitive specs as it is powered by a Snapdragon 710 processor with an Adreno 616 GPU. Since it has a large RAM at 8GB, it can still handle graphics-heavy games as well.
In conclusion, the ASUS Zenfone 5Z may have bowed down to the R17 Pro on some categories but overall offers better value for your money. It currently retails for Php 29,995 and definitely delivers flagship quality in terms of performance. The OPPO R17 Pro is way pricier, as it retails for Php 38,990, but has unparalleled camera performance.
