We like to keep an eye on the latest budget phones for suitable options available to all users, regardless of financial circumstances.  The Zenfone 5Q (known in some regions as the Zenfone 5 lite) is reasonably spec’ed and priced in the lower mid-range.

We spent a very short time with the 5Q and quickly found that it’s unsuitable due to one glaring design error: it isn’t compatible with polarized glasses if held in normal portrait orientation.  In other words, you can’t see the image displayed if you’re wearing polarized glasses and holding the phone as you normally would.

Typically, display manufacturers align the polarized output of a display to a 45 degree angle for devices (like phones and tablets) that are commonly rotated between portrait and landscape orientations.  Or, in the case of laptops they may align it to best suit the more common landscape orientation.

We’re surprised this design error wasn’t identified by Asus earlier, and corrected, as it affects all users, not just those most sensitive.