ASUS P525 Review - Design

The ASUS P525 is one of the pocket pc phones running Windows Mobile 5.0 that does not have a QWERTY keyboard on the front but a number keypad. This is a design you expect to find to non-windows mobile phones. The presence of the numeric number pad makes it easy to dial phone numbers and writing quick SMS messages. A similar windows mobile pocket pc with a number pad is the O2 XDA Stealth. As we spotted on the O2 XDA Stealth review the absence of a QWERTY keyboard makes excessive data entry difficult but this can be overcome with the use of the stylus and the virtual on screen QWERTY keyboard. The ASUS P525 also has a joystick (between the number pad), which makes it easier for navigation and menu selection

The overall external design of the ASUS P525 is excellent. The combination of the grey exterior and the metal finishing makes the device elegant and stylish. The dimensions of the ASUS P525 are 116.8 x 59 x 19mm. Compared to other similar devices (O2 XDA Stealth: 110 x 53 x 22.5 mm, HTC TyTN: 112.5 x 58 x 21.95 mm, HP IPAQ hw 6915 118 x 71 x 18 mm) the ASUS P525 is somewhere between the HP IPAQ hw6900 and the O2 XDA Stealth. Holding the device on your hand you get the feeling of a solid and well-built phone. The weight is about 160g, something reasonable for a device with a 2.8” display and a numeric keypad. The setup of the buttons and joystick makes it possible to operate the device using one hand only. It is convenient that the dedicated buttons for the camera, voice message and volume control are located on the side (as expected).

Above the number pad is the 2.8-inch bright QVGA display of the ASUS P525. The resolution of the display is the standard 240 x 320 pixels. This is more preferable, in our opinion, compared to the 240 X 240 resolution of the HP IPAQ hw6915. The viewing angle and performance of the display is really good making it a very good experience to work with the ASUS P525.

At the topside of the device there is the miniSD slot and on the opposite site (bottom) there is the USB port and 2.5mm audio jack. As with most of the pocket pc devices around the camera and speaker are located on the back.

ASUS P525 Connectivity Features

The ASUS P525 does not have 3G support neither does it have a built in GPS Receiver. Having said that the connectivity features of the ASUS P525 are the standard features for a respectable pocket pc mobile of our days. In other words it is GSM (Quad Band), with Wi-FI, Bluetooth 2.0 and infrared. The ASUS P535, which is not yet released, does have a built-in GPS receiver but it has a design similar to ‘traditional’ pocket pc mobiles rather than the design of the ASUS P525. The connectivity features of the ASUS P525 make the device suitable for those who want a stylish phone offering them the basic connectivity features of our days and nothing more.

ASUS P525 Camera

The camera is located on the back of the device. It is a 2 mega-pixel camera with flash and auto-focus. The maximum resolution the camera of the ASUS P525 can support for images is 1600 X 1200 pixels and for videos is 176 X 144 pixels. When talking about pocket pc mobile cameras (currently ranging from 1.3 – 2.0 mega-pixel) we tend to confuse the quality of the images taken from such cameras with the quality you expect to find on a professional camera. The quality of the images taken with the ASUS P525 camera is good enough to be used for viewing the images on a PC. If you want professional images, take them using a dedicated camera device, built for this purpose! Seriously, compared to the camera of other pocket pc devices we believe that the quality of the images produced using the ASUS P525 could be better especially when you take then at night. In addition the absence of reflective plates makes it very difficult to take photos of your self.

ASUS P525 Software

The ASUS P525 is running Windows Mobile 5.0. This means that by default the ASUS P525 includes all the applications that come bundled with Windows Mobile 5.0 (push e-mail, Word, Excel, PowerPoint). In addition the ASUS P525 “in the box” items includes a SKYPE installation CD.

Also in terms of software the ASUS P525 offers several applications that are very handy for the ASUS P525 users. We highlight the most important below:

UTILITY: ASUS STATUS: Select the CPU speed (choose between Auto-Turbo-Standard-Power Saving)

UTILITY: USB Speed : Active Sync (High Speed- Low Speed).

SECURITY: Password Protected Folder to store your private files, passwords etc.

WORK: Business Card Recognition: Software that ‘reads’ business cards using the built-in camera and automatically inserts the read data to the relevant fields in pocket outlook. Although this is a very good feature sometimes the data read need a bit of ‘fixing’.

ASUS P525 Performance

The ASUS P525 is carrying a respectable Intel Xscale processor at 416 MHZ with 128MB flash ROM and 64MB SDRAM. The performance of the device is very good. Taking into consideration that the ASUS P525 has the same processor as the HP IPAQ hw6915, we must note that in cases were we run similar applications the ASUS P525 was a bit faster.

The wi-fi functions of the device worked with absolutely no problems, with very good reception and straightforward connection to our wireless LAN

ASUS P525 Battery Life

When it comes to battery life of pocket pc mobiles we always say that you have to charge the device every other day. In the case of the ASUS P525 and due to the presence of the ‘ASUS STATUS ‘ feature, when you run the phone in power-saving mode the battery may go up to 3 days without charging. This is very good and helpful. Of course, as always, battery life depends heavily whether you have Bluetooth and WI-FI turned on all times.

Conclusion:

We will keep it simple, if you want a pocket pc phone with the minimum connectivity options, WI-FI and Bluetooth (no 3G or built-in GPS), and want a pocket pc mobile with the traditional numeric keypad and a very good display all packed in a stylish and solid device, then the ASUS P525 is one of the best choices around.

ASUS P525 Specifications

Specifications Comparison of ASUS P525 - O2 XDA Stealth - HP iPAQ hw6915