Xiaomi has just revealed the official price of the Poco F1 here in the Philippines. The device’s local pricing was impressively affordable, and we can’t say that we were surprised.
This device came from a sub-brand of Xiaomi, a technology company known for their feature-packed products at rock bottom prices. The Pocophone F1 is a testament to their mantra of bringing a smartphone with the best possible features at an incredibly reasonable price.
However, the premium midrange smartphone market has been saturated with different offerings from tons of brands. One of those devices is the ASUS Zenfone 5 2018, a handset that also has its own share of enticing features to lure in consumers.
Launched in the Philippines back in April, it became a huge hit for those people who are looking for a chic-looking smartphone for under Php20,000. It also has tons of camera prowess for mobile photographers.
In our Poco F1 versus ASUS Zenfone 5 2018 specifications and features comparison, we’re about to see which between these two devices is the right smartphone for you. So, without further ado, let’s start!
| Poco F1 | ASUS Zenfone 5 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo MIUI 9.6 Poco launcher | Android 8.0 Oreo ZenUI 5.0 |
| SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby Hybrid | Dual SIM Dual Standby Hybrid |
| Display | 6.18-inch FHD+ IPS 2246 x 1080 pixel resolution ~403ppi 19:9 aspect ratio | 6.2-inch FHD+ IPS 2246 x 1080 pixel resolution ~401ppi 19:9 aspect ratio 96% NTSC color gamut |
| Processor | 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core LiquidCool cooling system | 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core |
| RAM | 6GB/8GB | 4GB |
| GPU | Adreno 630 | Adreno 509 |
| Storage | 64GB/128GB/256GB UFS expandable via microSD up to 256GB | 64GB expandable via microSD up to 2TB |
| Front camera | 20-megapixel f/2.0 | 8-megapixel f/2.0 |
| Rear Camera | 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel f/1.9 PDAF AI scene detection LED flash | 12-megapixel (f/1.8) + 8-megapixel (120-degree wide-angle) 4-Axis OIS AI scene detection LED flash |
| Security | Fingerprint scanner Infrared Face Unlock | Fingerprint scanner Face Unlock |
| Audio | Stereo Speakers Headphone Jack | Dual speakers DTS Headphone:X virtual surround |
| Connectivity | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo,QZSS FM Radio USB Type-C | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFI 802.11 ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS FM Radio NFC USB Type-C |
| Dimensions | 155.5 x 75.3 x 8.8mm | 153 x 75.65 x 7.7mm |
| Weight | 180g | 155g |
| Colors | Steel Blue Rosso Red Graphite Black Kevlar (Armored edition) | Meteor Silver Midnight Blue |
| Battery | 4,000mAh non-removable Quick Charge 3.0 | 3,300mAh Fast-charging |
| Price | 6GB/64GB: Php17,990 6GB/128GB: Php19,990 8GB/256GB: Rs.28,999 (~Php22,000) 8GB/256GB: Rs. 29,999 (~Php23,000) | Php19,995 |
The Poco F1 clearly steals the win on this one. Xiaomi definitely puts a lot of focus on the device’s hardware and performance, which easily makes it the most powerful smartphone in its category.
What ASUS did with the Zenfone 5 2018 was to allocate some of its resources to the other extra features of the device. To give them some credit, let’s list some of the things that the ASUS Zenfone 5 has done better over the Pocophone F1.
The most obvious one is the design. This thing has a shiny finish thanks to its glass back, while the F1 settles for a polycarbonate body. The ASUS Zenfone 5 2018 also has a stereo speaker setup and much better rear cameras.
ASUS used a 12-megapixel sensor on the back, with an extra 8-megapixel sensor and a wide-angle lens. It also boasts an optical image stabilizer, which is a rare find in devices under this price point.
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But other than that, it’s pretty much a solid win for the Poco F1. Probably he biggest contributor to its triumph is its Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, a chipset that we never imagined to come in a midrange device such as this. Its performance is absolutely miles ahead of the Snapdragon 636 chipset of the Zenfone 5 2018.
The Xiaomi Pocophone F1 also comes with an extra 2GB of RAM for the base model, and an ultra-fast UFS 2.1 storage. These features are really important since most consumers shopping in this price range do care about the smartphone’s performance a lot.
Also, the Poco F1 has a large 4,000mAh battery to complement its hardware. On the other hand, the competition only has a 3,300mAh battery.
The ASUS Zenfone 5 2018 might have the better primary cameras, but the Poco F1 does have a more pixel-packed 20-megapixel selfie camera, while the latter only has an 8-megapixel sensor.
Lastly, Xiaomi’s new smartphone comes with a newer version of Android. It runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with MIUI 9.6, dressed with Poco’s dedicated launcher for a smoother user-experience and customized look.
The most interesting part about this comparison is their prices. Despite being the winner, the Poco F1 is actually cheaper than the ASUS Zenfone 5 2018. It has a starting price of Php17,990 here in the Philippines, while the latter retails for a price of Php19,995. For the Zenfone 5’s price, you can already get the 6GB/128GB model of the Poco F1 which costs for Php19,990.
The only problem is, the Poco F1 is not available until September 6. Considering all the attention that it’s getting, we expect it to go immediately out of stock hours (or even minutes!) after it becomes available in stores. That’s not an issue with the ASUS Zenfone 5 2018, as it’s widely available in the Philippines across ASUS concept stores, kiosks, and authorized dealers nationwide.
true. asus zenfone has a weaker internet connection wether wifi or data.
Nice comparison. Asus Zenfone 5 was my initial choice before Honor Play and this Poco F1 arrived. I really like the build of Asus Zenfone 5 and how premium it looks. They say that Zenfone had unstable mobile network connectivity, that is one of the reason why I have to set Asus Zenfone 5 aside.