The XDA-Developers site has released a review of the new flagship Asus Zenfone 9. The author of the article, Ben Sin, says that this small smartphone is better than the iPhone 13 Mini. The review was translated and the most important was selected from it.
The Zenfone series hasn’t always been compact. Until a couple of years ago, the Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro had a 6.7-inch screen. But this does not apply to last year’s Zenfone 8. Asus specialists had the task of releasing a device with a width of less than 70 mm. Why this particular number? This is the maximum comfortable distance to work with the phone with one hand. Perhaps it is precisely because of this characteristic that almost all technical publications called it the best among small Android smartphones: nothing else comes to mind.
But the Zenfone 9 is much more interesting: a great design, an improved main camera with a miniature stabilization system, a completely new flagship Snapdragon chip. Therefore, it will appeal not only to connoisseurs of small devices, but also to those looking for a flagship at a good price: its starting price is $699.
By the way, I don’t think the Zenfone 9 is for those looking for a “small Android phone”. I think that this is the best compact smartphone, even if you take into account Apple devices.
Recognize the profession of a tester and pay after the practice
REGISTER!
Stuffing and design
- The 5.9-inch screen allows one-handed operation, but it’s not too small (compared to the screen of the iPhone 13 Mini);
- Visually more appealing than the Zenfone 8;
- Very good battery life for a small phone.
Asus engineers recently noted that building a compact flagship in 2022 is much more difficult than ten years ago, with top-end mobile components taking up more and more space. For example, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip used in the Zenfone 9 is 10% larger than last year’s Snapdragon 888, and the Zenfone 9 camera system is 40% larger than the Zenfone 8 system.
Despite this, the Zenfone 9 is actually the same size and weight as the Zenfone 8. It measures 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1mm and weighs 169g. Reaching the top corners with your thumb is a bit awkward, but this, in principle, is not necessary. There is no need to swipe from the top right corner (which is not the case with the iPhone).
Such dimensions of the smartphone became possible because Asus engineers used a polycarbonate (plastic) back cover (it is lighter than the glass one that was last year) and a slightly different shape for the device.
Small but not quite tiny
I’m generally a fan of large devices, where it is convenient to watch content or crop photos. In a word, I am ready for inconvenience for the sake of a larger screen. But the Asus Zenfone 9’s 5.9-inch display is the perfect little phone: anything smaller is already inconvenient. Compared to the 5.4-inch screen of the iPhone 13 Mini, you will not be comfortable using modern applications there. For example, social networks: they all provide a lot of photos that you can’t look at too much on such a screen.
The plastic cover is really good
I love this polycarbonate back cover. It has two large lenses in the upper left corner. There is also some text and strange arrow marks, which, however, do not spoil the overall look. I had a regular black model, but there are more interesting options – blue and red.
The edges of the aluminum case are slightly chamfered (not like the iPhone 12 or 13), so the corners are not tactilely uncomfortable. On the right side is a touchpad and a 3.5 headphone jack. I have been using Bluetooth for a long time, but some users complained about the lack of this port, so they were heard.
Screen
In terms of specs, the Zenfone 9’s 5.9-inch, 120Hz OLED panel falls just short of the level of other high-end flagship screens. The Zenfone 9 screen is not an LTPO panel, so we have to choose between a 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz refresh rate (or let the phone auto-switch); 1080×2400 resolution contains fewer pixels than WQHD+ screens, and 800 nits maximum brightness is not too impressive compared to the screens of the Galaxy S22 Ultra or iPhone 13 Pro. However, the Zenfone 9 is 30-40% cheaper than all the other models I just mentioned.
Other hardware components
Asus Zenfone 9 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor. It has very good power efficiency. This, combined with a 4300 mAh battery, delivers surprisingly long battery life for a compact smartphone. On the iPhone 13 Mini and Pixel 4a, I could not work all day, but on the Zenfone 9 it sometimes works. It comes with a 30W charger. There is no wireless charging.
There are options with 8 or 16 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of built-in storage. I had 16 GB, but I think that performance would not have deteriorated even at 8.
cameras
- The 50 MP main camera, with a miniature stabilization system, really creates better videos;
- Colors can sometimes be too contrasting;
- The ultra-wide camera isn’t bad.
The Asus Zenfone 9 dual camera system consists of a 50MP main (wide-angle) camera with f/1.9 aperture and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. And then there is a miniature three-axis stabilization system that gives excellent results. Of course, you should not expect miracles: this is not a stabilizer in a real camera, it will not completely eliminate vibrations. But it does stabilize better than the regular OIS system. Actually, here is a video example of how stabilization works in Zenfone 9:
A few of my conclusions: there is some compensation for the jitter caused by the movement of the phone back and forth; I get incredibly good panoramic shots (even holding the phone with one hand). But the up and down movement is still visible, especially when climbing stairs. At night, stabilization works a little worse. But in general I am very pleased with the video.
Photos of immovable objects
When the lighting is good, photos from the main camera look great, with vibrant colors, great sharpness, and some genuine bokeh.
But at night I have to freeze, otherwise the pictures will be blurry. The result of an evening walk with friends was as follows: more than 100 photos, 25 of them were spoiled. The color contrast is also sometimes too strong.
The same experience with the ultra-wide camera and the selfie camera: not bad, but lose out to more expensive flagship phones. The ultra-wide camera does a great job during the day, but in low light there is too much noise and mediocre sharpness. If I take a selfie in these conditions, then there is a good chance that the face will be blurry.
Software
- Many gestures for quick access;
- UI design is very convenient for one-handed use;
- Fast smartphone.
Asus Zenfone 9 runs on Android 12 with a proprietary ZenUI shell. I like that it is possible to set up different options for completing tasks. For example, the previously mentioned touchpad can be configured to perform certain actions when you swipe, or the power button can perform certain tasks when you long press or double press. You can double-tap to lock the screen, and you can take a photo by swiping down with three fingers on the screen.
The smartphone is great for one-handed operation. For example, apps in a folder open at the bottom of the screen, so you can easily reach them with your thumb. Very logical, but for some reason most brands haven’t thought about it. For example, Apple had to make the Mini too small to compensate for iOS being awkward to use with one hand.
photo 36-37
Performance and battery life
- Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 is very power efficient;
- This is one of the smoothest devices I have ever tested.
The Asus Zenfone 9 is one of the first smartphones to feature the all-new Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 from Qualcomm. The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 features an advanced Qualcomm Kryo processor with a 3.2GHz Cortex-X2 main core, three 2.8GHz performance Cortex A710s, and four 2.0GHz performance Cortex A510s. Qualcomm claims the upgraded CPU is 10% faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and delivers 30% better power efficiency.
Battery life and charging
Asus Zenfone 9 is equipped with a 4300 mAh battery. The smaller screen and more efficient chipset allows for a fairly long battery life: I used the smartphone for about 8 hours. If you take a lot of photos or videos, you will have about 5-6 hours of screen time.
In my opinion, this smartphone has almost the best performance when compared with other models of the same generation. The screenshot above is a full day of phone use when I spent most of the day outside.
To be honest, I was not thrilled with the battery life of devices with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. But Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 is much better in this regard.
The only problem I have with battery life and charging is inconsistent charging times. Also, there is no wireless charging. I used the official charger: it took more than an hour, even almost an hour and a half. I tried using the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro 65W charger but got the same result.
Is this smartphone worth buying?
Worth it if:
- You need a smartphone that can be easily used with one hand;
- You shoot a lot of photos and videos and good stabilization is important to you;
- Want to get a de facto flagship phone, but at a good price.
Not worth it if:
- You need a camera that performs well day and night;
- Do you like the photo zoom feature;
- It is difficult for you to read small texts (in this case, it is more convenient to use the phone).
In short, Asus Zenfone 9 is the best compact model for today. But even if size doesn’t matter to you, the Zenfone 9 has another advantage: a great price. For $699, you get the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, better stabilization, and a brighter screen.
Peculiarities:
- Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen1;
- Very small in size;
- Gimbal camera system.
Pros:
- It is very convenient to work with one hand;
- The gimbal camera system really works;
- Fast and intuitive software.
Minuses:
- No zoom lens;
- No wireless charging;
- The colors on the main camera are not always correct.
