My wife, who has small hands, found the LG G3‘s wide girth uncomfortable. So I suspect there’s an underserved market – people with small hands, those who aren’t crazy about phablets but would like something more decent than tide-over-this-will-do-even-though-it-looks-and-feels-so-cheap 4 to 4.3 inch phones.
The ASUS ZenFone 4 can probably address that niche market need, and today we unbox it for you. Our review unit doesn’t come with a pair of earphones, but we’ve been assured that the standard package includes one. Anyway…
The ZenFone 4 shares the same packaging design (and gives the same unboxing joy) as that of the ZenFone 5. But unwrapping tiny phones – probably a bias of mine – reduces expectations as to what this baby can do. But that’s for the full review.
For a 4 incher, the ZenFone 4 looks rather long, with the forehead and chin responsible for much of that length. But upon gripping it and pocketing it and pulling out and powering it on, the longish profile makes sense. It’s easier to hold.
If you hold this to your ear for a call, the ASUS branding is incredibly obvious. White is also a dirty finger tip smudge magnet. Something to keep in mind when choosing a ZenFone, which comes in various colors.
For a bit of context, here’s what two 4 inch phones look like, side by side against the ZenFone 4 (above left). The Nokia X (middle) is shorter and squarish. The Cherry Mobile Ruby is round-edged and is just as long as the ZenFone 4, but looks and feels every bit as a super budget phone. The first two are going toe to toe in build quality, tactile feel, and looks. Too bad the Nokia X has been discontinued.
And that’s it for our unboxing and first impressions. Stay tuned for the full review. Meanwhile, here’s our unboxing of the ZenFone 5 and the here’s the rest of the ZenFones.
