ASUS Zenfone 9 revealed: still small, but faster, longer lasting and with a improved camera | iTechzilla

 

There are a lot of large things on this little phone – the ASUS Zenfone-9 is really a bit smaller than the Zenfone 8, but it brings a larger camera-sensor, larger-battery, large-VC for the chipset and so on.

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The 9-series phone measures 146.6 x 68.2 x 9.5-mm and weighs 165-g, make it one of the smallest Android flagships. It is not a mini, but it does pack quite a punch. It is power-driven by the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and Asus replaced the heat pipe of the Zenfone 8 with a large vapor chamber to keep it cool.

There are three memory conformations: 8/128GB, 8/256GB and 16/256GB (LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage). There is no microSD card slot (there was not one last year either). The phone introductions with near stock Android 12 (now running on Android 13) and will receive 2 major OS updates and at least 2 years of security patches.

Going back to the body for a bit, the mid-frame is complete out of aluminum. The back is made out of a polymer substantial that is harder to scratch than plastic and more shatter resistant than glass. The phone is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, the front is guarded by Gorilla Glass Victus.

The 5.9” display uses an HDR10+ OLED panel from Samsung with 1080 x 2400px resolution (20:9, 445ppi). It has 120Hz refresh rate (with 90 & 60Hz options) and 240Hz touch sampling rate. It is a bright display, peaking at 1100 nits and offering 800nits at 100% APL (i.e., an all-white display).

The Zenfone-9 uses three Sony sensors for its cameras. The main module on the back is armed with the 50MP IMX766 (1/1.56”, 1.0µm-pixels). This module has a 6-axis hybrid gimbal preservative that is three times as effective as regular OIS. Here is no telephotograph lens on this phone, but the IMX766 can do 2x loss-less zoom (at 16-MP resolution).

The secondary camera is a 113°-ultra wide module based around the 12MP IMX363 (1/2.55”, 1.4-µm). This one also has autofocussed so it can take macro shots (at 4cm) and it also has advanced EIS for hyper-Steady stabilization. The main cam can record video at 8K 24-fps with EIS and 4K at 60-fps with EIS. The 12-MP front-facing camera (IMX663, 1/2.93”, 1.22-µm) also has autofocus, Dual PDAF in fact, thus it can capture sharp selfies and 4K video at 30-fps (or 1080p at 60-fps).

Asus takes audio extremely so it combined Qualcomm hardware with Dirac tuning. There are two-speakers on board. The bottom one has a 7-magnet design (12x16-mm), the top one is a 3-magnet speaker (10x12-mm). Each has a Qualcomm Aqstic-amp (WSA8835). There is a 3.5mm headphone jack on board, but if you favor to go wireless, aptX HD and Adaptive are supported, as well as LDAC & AAC. You have access to four audio styles by Dirac & a 10-band equalizer. Bespoke formation data is available for most Asus headphones so that you can get the best audio out of the phone and headphones.

As assured, the battery is quite large, at 4300-mAh it has 300-mAh more in its tank than the Zenfone-8 battery (also, the similarly-sized Galaxy-S22 has a 3700-mAh battery). This gives you the freedom to not use all of it – you can set the thoroughgoing charge at 90% or 80%. The latter will reduce battery degradation, only 7% after 500 cycles as an alternative of 15% if you charge it to full.

There is more you can do for the battery. The phone comes with a 30-W Hyper-Charger (it supports USB Power Delivery 3.0-PPS), but you can closure Steady and Ultra Steady modes, which limit the charge power to 18W & 10W, respectively. This lowers temperatures and additional stretches out the battery longevity. Asus promises closely 2 days of battery life and this is with a lot of phone calls (90-min), hundreds of text messages, flowing music for over an hour, viewing YouTube and TikTok videos, gaming for an-hour - taking some photos and recording videos each day.

The Zenfone-9 transfers the fingerprint reader from under the display to the side of the phone. This lets it to act as a smart button. For example, you can scroll to the top or bottom by taking up or down. You can also set custom actions for a dual press or a long press.

The phone takings a page out of the ROG playbook with Game Genie. It lets you block notifications, but it also leases you have any app floating over the game if you need to respond or check something. The Genie can show game-FPS, estimated battery life lasting, system temperatures and more. It can also purgative background apps from RAM if needed. It has a built-in screen recorder to record your gameplay and it can help you too with a macro function that can automate a compound sequence of touch actions. If you are really stuck, you can too do an Internet search or browse YouTube for a guide, all deprived of leaving the game.

Asus has put organized an above average retail package. You get the 30-W Hyper-Charge adapter and cable, plus a plenteous case. The package is made out of recycled papers with soy ink and uses a non-adhesive design.

Okay, how much? The Asus Zenfone-8 will start at €-800 for the 8/128GB model (exact pricing rest on local VAT). It will be accessible in Europe, Hong Kong & Taiwan first, then it is headed to North America, Japan, Indonesia & parts of South America.

Here is no Flip model, at least not up till now – if you want something bigger, there is always the ROG-Phone-6.

Previously we wrap up, Asus also revealed a series of cases dubbed the Connex accessories set. These permit accessories to be attached to them, e.g., a kick stand that is programmed to robotically launch YouTube when it is opened (you can change to a different app from the settings). There is also the Connect Card Holder, which holds business cards.

Here is also the Smart Backpack Mount. This confers to the shoulder strap of your backpack and keeps the phone steady (thanks to a magnetic base) so that you can use it as an action came. If you essential to check the map or something, the phone is on a retractable lanyard, so you can pull it, use it and let it transfer back to your shoulder.