Sure, Apple didn’t have any sort of official presence at this year’s MWC, but this was the week the iPhone X really came into its own. The company’s premium flagship was everywhere in spirit, through the designchoices from the competition. For some it was the mere legitimization of the notch — for others, the inspiration was a bit more unabashed.With Huawei’s P20 still over the horizon, theAsus Zenfone 5the biggest and likely best iPhone X knockoff of the show. While it’s true that smartphones have looked more orless the same for several years now, the inspiration is undeniable — but for most users, that most likely won’t matter.It’s an opportunity to pick up an Android version of last year’s hottest phone, on the cheap (not to mention with the headphone jack). The 5Z, which is the higher end version of the handset (due mostly to the inclusion ofthe Snapdragon 845), starts at $499. Not crazy cheap, but notably half the price of the phone from which it clearlydraws so much inspiration and a couple of hundred bucks less expensive than the standard Galaxy S9.I’m not sure I’m ready to say “the notchis here to say,” as I’ve heard uttered many times up and down the halls of Barcelona’s Fira this week, but we’re certainly going to be living with it until someone comes up with a better way to deal the whole front screen/camera clash. Or hey, maybe we can all just stop taking selfies.I’d be pretty okay with that, too, if I’m being totally honest.Granted, that last bit isn’t super likely. After all, the similarly named Zenfone 5Lite (which will be the 5Q here in the States) differentiates itself withtwofront-facing cameras, including one wide angle. It also retains a fuller upperbezel.The other big selling point for the handset is, naturally, AI. That’s AI in theLG V30S ThinQ sense of AI, mind. In other words, the system is working to determine what it’s shooting in order toget a better of idea of how to adjust its setting.We’re still waiting on word about availability here in the States.
