Asus 6Z review: A flipping genius

We’ve seen Samsung do something similar with its Galaxy A80, but Asus is taking things to an all new level. 6Z’s motorized flip-up camera module can be used at any position in between ( two end stops), and you can control angle manually in software or using physical volume rocker. or smartphone can do that just yet. And I doubt that any or smartphone will ever will.

Mechanical moving parts always carry a durability risk – wear and tear may take better of m sooner or later. Asus says flip-up module in 6Z is made of liquid metal which is four times stronger than steel – and setup is designed for 100,000 flips at least. Also, module auto-retracts as and when it detects free fall, much like any or phone with a pop-up mechanism.

But in interest of full disclosure, because flip-up module in 6Z is larger (and a lot more mobile, because it’s t just popping up and down, but doing a full flip on its axis) leaving a huge cavity when in use, I am really interested to see how this thing holds up to everyday scrutiny - than more conventional pop-ups. I am t a big fan of screeching sound it makes when obstructed, just so you kw. Also, it’s a fraction of a second slower at doing its thing than your usual pop-ups. But chances are, you might t even tice that – thing’s so cool to watch after all!

6Z has a stepper motor with a gearbox plus a girmous 5,000mAh battery inside (plus rest of smartphone stuff) – which means that those looking for paper-thin dimensions should look elsewhere. 6Z is a big, chunky phone – bigger and chunkier than last year’s ZenFone 5Z. But if it’s any consolation, it’s t any bigger, or chunkier, than competing products like Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro or OnePlus 7 Pro. At least, Asus has done a good job in ergomics. 6Z isn’t as unwieldy as its paper specs would have you believe (9.1mm, 190 gram), especially for a 6.4-inch phone.

And Asus has done a good job at everything else too. 6Z has a glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 6) and metal sandwich design – that seems greatly inspired by its much more expensive ROG phone – with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner that’s fast and accurate. power button and volume rocker on right offer good tactile feedback – plus re’s a new Smart Key for quick shortcuts, that could have been placed slightly lower, but oh well! left side has a dedicated slot for two SIM cards and a micro-SD for stor expansion. re’s a headphone jack and dual stereo speakers to complete pack.

Although 6Z is a pack deal in more ways than one, if re’s one area where it really cuts some corners, it’s in display. 6Z has an IPS LCD display with a 1080p+ resolution and while it supports DCI-P3 and HDR10 standards, it’s simply match for OLED-toting phones like Redmi K20 Pro and OnePlus 7 - blacks aren’t as black, and brightness levels leave a lot to be desired.   

Camera(s)

6Z has a 48MP primary rear camera with Sony’s IMX586 sensor with f/1.79 aperture. re’s also a secondary 13MP ultra-wide camera on back with a 125-degree field-of-view. Camera quality is good, if t great. This is because unlike last year when ZenFone 5Z had little competition, its successor, 6Z has lots – both in terms of quality and versatility. On one side, re’s a phone called Google Pixel 3A that does so much more with just one lens, and on or, re’s Hor 20 that brings four high-quality rear cameras at around same price. re’s also Redmi K20 Pro with its triple camera setup that’s quite a steal deal at an even lower price.

re’s one size fits all solution anymore, if you ask me. It’s all about what you want, and what you need. If you must absolutely have to have best still camera, Pixel 3A is what you should be looking at. If you want more cameras, Hor 20 should be your go-to choice. If you’re looking for cheap and best, Redmi K20 Pro should serve you well.

Where does that leave Asus 6Z. Well I’d say it’s a jack of all trades – unless you also want a dedicated telephoto lens. 48MP main sensor (that shoots 12MP photos by default) can capture some good-looking photos with good detail and good dynamic range in well-lit situations. By default (and auto HDR enabled), 6Z shoots photos with more pleasing and a neutral colour palette, with little or metering issues. re’s also an option called HDR Enhanced, should you be looking to bump up saturation in photos. 6Z really takes a tumble in tricky and low light scenarios though – photos come out soft and mushy, with level of ise gradually increasing as intensity of light goes down furr. Asus’ long-exposure night mode helps shoot brighter, more detailed photos in such cases, but we’ve surely seen better.

As for wide-angle camera, it offers a wider perspective so you can capture a lot more of your subject. quality may t be as good as primary camera, but at least you get option. Also, Asus’ distortion correction works well most of time, something that t many ultra-wide camera phones have been able to crack.

I may have had mixed feelings about 6Z’s cameras in terms of still photography, but Asus has an ace up its sleeve - same cameras are used for taking selfies, because, y flip! Which invariably means that Asus 6Z is best selfie camera phone that money can buy at its price point. fact that it lets you shoot ultra-wide selfies is eugh to attract attention, but real star of show is that main camera that shoots some outstanding selfies with lots of detail and natural colour tones. While HDR Enhanced helps shoot visibly better selfies in challenging light scenarios, especially indoors. same is true about portrait shots – 6Z does well to isolate subject with background generating a creamy blur that doesn’t look as forced or artificial as ones produced by rival phones.

6Z is one of few phones that lets you capture 4K UHD selfie videos at 60 fps with EIS on main camera sensor, and at 30 fps on secondary camera (with EIS).

flip-up dual cameras, in addition, also let you shoot 180-degree paramas, just in case. re’s also a feature called motion tracking that lets flip camera follow a subject if it moves across frame – during videos.  

Performance and battery life

Asus 6Z is powered by a top-of--line Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor paired with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB stor (which is also expandable). re’s a massive 5,000mAh battery under hood with support for 18W fast charging through USB Type-C – Asus is bundling an 18W fast charger in box. software inside is ZenUI based on Android 9.0 Pie.

w that we have that out of our way, let’s talk basics

-- Asus 6Z is quite literally a performance powerhouse breezing through everything you can potentially throw at it without breaking a sweat. It can get warm when you’re stress-testing it, but it’s also quick to cool down.

-- software inside is near stock Android with a few Asus tidbits thrown in – that remain largely unticed unless you really want to put m to use.

-- It really helps that Asus has been able to well optimize software with hardware. 6Z is easily fastest Asus phone I have ever tested - and while phones like OnePlus 7 will feel faster, 6Z can get close.

-- 6Z has outstanding battery life – this is easily a one and a half-day phone even for most demanding users.

Should you flipping buy Asus 6Z?

6Z may be straight out of future, but it’s also a firmly grounded phone that sticks to basics like its predecessor. And it gets se basics right – that's its main USP. I am talking about build quality, display, all-round performance, cameras, and battery life – 6Z nails m all.

And it’s very aggressively priced too, much like its predecessor. Asus has launched Asus 6Z in India at a starting price of Rs 31,999 for base variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB stor going all way to Rs 39,999 for top-end variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB stor. Asus 6Z is also available with 6GB RAM and 128GB stor for Rs 34,999.

Phones like OnePlus 7 and Redmi K20 Pro may give you slightly more bang for your buck, but n Asus 6Z is a flipping genius – unlike any smartphone you’ve seen before.

(Photos by Saurabh Singh)