Asus ZenFone 4 Pro vs OnePlus 5: Which one should you buy?

The new ZenFone 4 series of phones has finally launched and among the new entrants of the new generation of the ZenFone line, the ZenFone 4 Pro seems to be the most well-endowed of the lot. The phone, with its specifications and pricing, will be the people’s champion against the bigger flagships of the year, but before that, it needs to go head to head with the current people’s champion – the OnePlus 5. Here is a comparison to see, which one is better.

Display

In terms of display, both phones are identical to each other. Both feature AMOLED technology and 5.5-inch screens, with equal 70.3% screen-to-body ratio. As the ZenFone 4 Pro is fairly new, the verdict on the display quality is still out, considering that the OnePlus 5 has a well-known issue with its own display, that causes a certain ghosting or rubber band effect when scrolling, owing to the upside-down orientation of the display on the phone. Both phones’ displays are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. Even their screen resolution is the same, pegged at 1080p.

Specifications

Internally again, the phones are very similar. Both feature the Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of RAM and dual-SIM capabilities. Storage options come at either 64GB/128GB each. The key differences are, that OnePlus 5’s 128GB variant comes with 8GB of RAM and the Asus ZenFone 4 Pro’s 128GB variants still comes with 6GB of RAM, which is still more than enough. The 4 Pro is also capable of memory expansion via a microSD card through its SIM memory card hybrid compartment, while the OnePlus 5 isn’t. In terms of battery power, the ZenFone 4 Pro offers better backup at 3,600mAh while the OnePlus 5’s 3,300mAh unit will leave users wanting for more. Both phones also feature front-mounted fingerprint sensors as well and run Android Nougat 7.1.1.

Cameras

Both phones boast dual-camera modules at their rear, with slight differences in their configurations. The OnePlus 5 features a 16MP sensor coupled with a 20MP sensor. The ZenFone 4 Pro comes with a 12MP sensor coupled with a 16MP sensor. Both phones’ main sensors feature an f/1.7 aperture and dual-LED flash. The 4 Pro shines here, as it comes with optical image stabilization, while the OnePlus 5 does not. Asus’s offering also features 2x optical zoom, while the OnePlus 5 features 1.6x optical zoom. OnePlus 5 has a beefier secondary camera at 16MP while the ZenFone 4 Pro’s is an 8MP snapper. The difference should not be felt as much as it will be felt on the main cameras however. Images captured by the OnePlus 5’s are also of higher resolution at 4616×3464 pixels, compared to ZenPhone 4 Pro’s image resolution output of 4000×3000 pixels.

Verdict

The OnePlus 5 has not gotten its flagship killer status by fluke, as the company behind the device has ensured the maximum ROI for a phone at budget specifications, not compromising on performance or build. The ZenFone 4 Pro, is still new at this game at this stage, featuring Zen UI, which can be flawed at times, compared to the more reliable and update-friendly OnePlus 5 Oxygen OS. OnePlus has given attention to detail with the OnePlus 5, offering features such as faster networking speeds, larger RAM capacities, fully equipped front-facing camera with EIS and auto HDR, all in a lighter package weighing in at 153gms versus the ZenFone 4 Pro weighing in at 175gms.

While Asus does not have a track record for keeping up with its flagship promises and maintaining a steady stream of updates, OnePlus has been doing it right through all of its previous four phones and still remains the undisputed champion of the people, through experience. If buyers should be faced with the choice and the ZenFone 4 Pro is sold cheaper, the OnePlus 5 will still be the right choice.

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