There are many smartphones available for the Indian market and it’s always good to put two similarly priced examples up against each other. The Zenfone 5 and BlackBerry Z smartphones both recently launched for India and have been gathering a fair amount of attention. With that in mind we’re looking at the Asus Zenfone 5 vs. BlackBerry Z3 in a specs face-off for India.

We recently shared a video review of the BlackBerry Z3 in which the Zenfone 5 was offered as an alternative, so we thought we’d give you a breakdown of these phones. We’ll highlight the key specs of each handset so that you can see how they compare and what they have to offer. Please bear in mind that we are comparing the Z3 with the 8GB version of the Zenfone 5 but it also comes in a 16GB option, and the Zenfone 5 is a dual SIM device while the BlackBerry Z is single SIM.

Processors
The Zenfone 5 has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom dual-core processor and PowerVR SGX544MP2 graphics. The BlackBerry Z3 has a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor and Adreno 305 GPU.

Display
The Zenfone 5 has a 5-inch IPS display with resolution of 1280 x 720 and 294 ppi. The BlackBerry Z3 has a 5-inch display with resolution of 960 x 540 and 220 ppi.

RAM and Storage
There’s 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage that’s expandable to 64GB via microSD for the Zenfone 5. Meanwhile the Z3 has 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable to 32GB.

Camera set-up
The Zenfone 5 has an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash, and 1080p video capture, as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The BlackBerry Z3 has a 5-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, and a 1.1-megapixel front-facing unit.

Battery
The Zenfone 5 has a 2110 mAh battery while the BlackBerry Z3 has a 2500 mAh battery.

Connectivity
Both phones support 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPRS, EDGE, and microUSB 2.0.

Operating System
This is a major difference as the Zenfone 5 runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean upgradable to 4.4.2 KitKat, skinned with the Zen UI. The Z3 runs BlackBerry OS 10.2.1.

Dimensions and Weight
The Zenfone 5 measures 148.2mm x 72.8mm x 10.3mm and weighs 145g. On the other hand the BlackBerry Z3 measures 140mm x 72.8mm x 9.3mm and weighs 164g.

Price
The Zenfone 5 launched at Rs. 9,999 for the 8GB version or Rs. 13,999 for the 16GB model. The BlackBerry Z3 price for India at launch was Rs. 15,990. Prices for both may vary according to retailer.

If you have a definite preference for either the BlackBerry or Android operating platform then your mind might already be made up between these two smartphones. Apart from that the difference in designs could be a deciding factor. As far as specs are concerned you can see from the above how they compare.

For example the Zenfone 5 has a faster processor, higher-resolution display, a higher level of expandable storage, a better camera set-up, and is lighter. However, the BlackBerry Z3 has more RAM, a higher-capacity battery, and is the slimmer handset, so it’s very much a case of swings and roundabouts. It’s worth remembering that the Z3 is the more expensive of the two though.

We always appreciate your comments so we’d like to hear from you if you’re trying to choose between these two smartphones. Will it be the Asus Zenfone 5 or the BlackBerry Z3?