Nokia came last year with Nokia 3310, Nokia 5, Nokia 3, etc. With the 18:9 display trend and the dual rear camera trend Nokia got the Nokia 7 Plus. With the same trend, Asus launched the ZenFone 5z. Both the phones are priced really well around the 30,000 INR price tag. Although both the devices don’t fall in the same segment as ZenFone 5z is a flagship from ASUS while Nokia 7 Plus is a mid-ranged device still we are going to compare the two side by side. It will help you to decide on the better one to put your money.
Nokia 7 Plus vs Asus Zenfone 5Z Comparison
Design
Both the devices come with the new 18:9 ratio display. Nokia has used the copper-gold color to garnish the phone which makes the phone stand out in the competition. Asus has used the glass back along with their circular CD like the design on the back which again gives it a distinctive look. Both the phone has the dual rear camera, a flash and fingerprint scanner at the back of the device. Placements of the units are a bit different rest are same. On the front, we have the display and camera unit.
On the ZenFone 5z, we have a notch which houses the camera, sensors and the earpiece. While on the Nokia 7 Plus we get the sensor and earpiece and the camera on the top bezel. While there is an asymmetrical bezel at the bottom also. We also have a Nokia branding on the top right corner which gives it a unique and upmarket look to the phone. On the front of the ASUS ZenFone 5z, we get no bezels just a notch.
Both the phones feel premium in hand with the premium builds. Nokia looks better with its color of choice. While ASUS looks more or less like the iPhone X which also makes it look better and stand out in the ground.
Display
Talking about the display of the device both the phone comes with an IPS LCD Panel. The size of the Nokia 7 Plus is 6.0 inches while on ZenFone 5z we get a 6.2-inch display. The excess size actually hides the notch and the notch from the settings can even be hidden fully. Both the displays are quite crisp and up to the mark as per the standards.
Color reproduction on the Nokia 7 Plus is a bit better with overall sharpness and contrast being better and much better contained. Asus ZenFone 5z despite being a better phone falls behind on the display with the Nokia 7 Plus. Both the phones are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
ZenFone 5z comes with tons of AI involved in the display unit which constantly keeps a watch and displays the most accurate color as per the surrounding which is the best feature of the phone and the most unique also. Nokia 7 Plus lacks any such features and falls behind due to the same.
Performance
Nokia 7 Plus comes with the Snapdragon 660 SoC which is the top of the line SoC for mid-ranged mobile phones. Whereas the Asus ZenFone 5z comes with the top of the line Snapdragon 845 SoC, this makes the ZenFone 5z the second phone to offer the processor in India. Nokia 7 Plus is launched with the Android One badging which means it is rocking the Stock UI, while the ASUS ZenFone 5z comes with its own customized ZenUI which is integrating AI in most of the places.
Both the phone comes with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, and this does help them to perform similarly. Although ZenFone 5z have a better processor still Nokia 7 Plus have identical performance due to the UI. Day to Day performance of the phone is good and we are not able to see any lag in multitasking and gaming on either of the devices. In Heavy gaming, Asus’s ZenFone 5z have an edge due to its AI boost and powerful SoC.
The Nokia 7 Plus has a 3800 mAh battery while the Asus ZenFone 5z comes with a 3300 mAh unit. This makes it again head to head for the battery life. Nokia 7 Plus due to stock operating system delivers a better performance, while the Asus ZenFone 5z uses the AI system to maximize the battery it stays well behind due to the more power consuming CPU and a lesser battery size.
Camera
Asus ZenFone 5z comes with dual cameras at the rear, the first one uses a 12MP sensor equipped with OIS while the second one uses an 8MP sensor which is typically fitted with a 2x zoom lens. The Nokia 7 Plus utilizes a 12 MP sensor and a secondary 13 MP sensor. Nokia uses EIS to bargain for the shakes on the phone. For the front Nokia comes with 16 MP sensor while the ZenFone 5z comes with 8 MP sensor.
Both the units are good and capture some great images. Images from both the devices are vibrant and have good contrast. The ZenFone 5z excels especially in the low light situations where it uses its AI-based features to capture stable shots. Both the cameras on both the phones are good and perform really well. Nokia 7 Plus comes with Carl Zeiss options which are the major plus point for the Nokia 7 Plus in the camera department.
Pricing
Nokia offers the 7 Plus for 25,999 INR which is a really good pricing for the phone. ZenFone 5z is offered at a higher price tag at 30,000 INR, although the pricing is for the base model. Keeping the specifications in mind the ZenFone 5z is price more competitively while Nokia is a priced a bit on the higher side.
Verdict
Both the phones are head to head in terms of performance, although theoretically and practically to a bit ZenFone 5z performs better. Hence if you are looking for a true performer then ZenFone 5z is a better phone. While if you think about value for money then the Nokia 7 Plus have to be a better pick. Usually choosing the device, at last, is up to you, you must also read the Nokia 7 Plus review and the Asus ZenFone 5z review. Do let us know in the comments about what do you think about the two phones, and which one will you take from the two.