Asus has gone through a lot of strife to launch its 2019 flagship smartphone — the Asus 6Z. Originally, this phone wasn’t supposed to be called this, instead, like all its phones to-date in India they would’ve carried the ZenFone branding. But then last month, out of nowhere Zen Mobiles, an erstwhile Indian company which used to be a big name in local mobile phone scene filled an IP infringement case against the Tawianese manufacturer. Gone was the ZenFone branding and somehow it has scrambled to launch the ZenFone 6, as the Asus 6Z. And as it launches the 6Z, after using it for a couple of days, I’ve come to the conclusion that this could be the unexpected phone that’s going to be the party pooper for the seemingly unstoppable OnePlus 7 which just launched around 20 days ago. So let me tell you how.
- Firstly you’re getting more bang for your buck. Sure, we’re talking about more or less the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 and 6/8GB RAM, but you get the baseline 64GB version for lesser at Rs 31,999 and it goes all the way up to a 256GB version which will cost Rs 39,999.
- This phone also offers expandable memory card support which is non-existent on the OnePlus 7. On the Asus 6Z, you can expand upto 2TB of storage which is insane considering you’re already getting up to 256GB of storage. But this is nice feature to have for someone getting the base 64/6GB model who can upgrade the memory further if it doesn’t suffice.
- OnePlus phones usually have an upper hand on performance even when its competition is using more or less the same specifications like the Asus 6Z does. OnePlus tends to win on software thanks to its super refined Oxygen OS. But Asus’s phone running stock Android, this is actually a tie. Both phones feel equally fast.
- The dual camera system on the Asus 6Z is slightly better than the OnePlus 7 thanks to the fact that it has a wide-angle camera as a secondary sensor which makes this camera system more dynamic. The main 48-megapixel sensor is the same as the OnePlus and their performance is neck and neck, so there is very little to choose.
- The flip over camera mechanism also means that the same rear dual camera system gets used for selfies which gives it one of the best selfie cameras around — matching even the likes of the Pixel 3. The OnePlus 7 is left behind in the dust. It also works well for wide angle shots which the OnePlus can’t deliver as well as a better bokeh for selfies.
- It’s 5,000mAh battery is humongous compared to the one on the OnePlus 7. It is a true 2 day battery phone which the OnePlus isn’t. The OnePlus 7 counters this by providing 20W warp charge technology, though Asus comes quite close with its 18W charger. If you’re looking for flagship phone with the best battery life it’s a tie between the Asus 6Z and Huawei P30 Pro, that’s how good this phone is.
- As headphone jacks are becoming extinct thick and fast, this is one of the last phones around to have the headphone jack, coupled with a nice DAC that Asus is known to provide. If you use wire-headphones, OnePlus 7 isn’t meant for you as it has abandoned the jack. In addition, you also get nifty ear buds in the package that have been tuned by 1MORE.
- When it comes down to biometrics — both phones have a fingerprint scanner and a front camera based face ID system. That being said, Asus uses a more traditional rear mounted scanner which is safer than the optical in-display scanner on the OnePlus. It also works faster.
- If tactile feedback is important, then I believe the Asus 6Z also comes with a better vibration motor than the OnePlus 7. It’s not in the same league as the OnePlus 7 Pro but definitely the best scanner you can get on a phone south of Rs 40,000 which isn’t a Pixel.
- Asus 6Z also has better stereo speakers while the OnePlus 7 just has a mono speaker. This is driven by the same amplifier that drives the headphone set up. If you watch movies on your phone a lot, or use it like a loudspeaker, then the Asus 6Z will hold you in good stead.
The only areas where the OnePlus 7 is stronger is that it has a nicer and more power efficient OLED display and overall as a phone looks nicer. One can also say that its primary camera is better; its DXOMark rating is 10 points higher than the Asus 6Z despite using the same hardware which means Asus can achieve better results through software tuning. The OnePlus 7 may be the fashionable choice, the Asus 6Z will be the logical one for many.
