Asus Zenfone 9 unveiled: still small, but faster, longer lasting and with a better camera

28 July 2022
There is no larger Flip model, at least not this year. But for fans of small phones, this is one of the few Android flagship options.

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  • d
  • dan
  • 8rK
  • 27 Feb 2023

Ive bought this phone. the speakers are very bad

    asustecho, 29 Jul 2022it would have been forgivable if they included wireless cha... moreIndeed. Asus Zenfone 8 was a good deal since for about 600 USD/EUR you get pretty much an all-rounder compact flagship even though its launch was a bit late into the SD888 party. They nailed it with the last gen flagship so the fact that this phone failed to impress is beyond me.
    It is still a good phone though, but this is as if Asus marketed a flagship-killer phone for a flagship price

      • R
      • Russel
      • sSM
      • 31 Jul 2022

      Anders, 31 Jul 2022I never said "no one should have it". I said ther... moreYou can comment about that in seekingalpha or motley fool.
      We're not talking about what's popular or what would earn them more sales.
      You're holding on to your argument while missing that whole point.
      The whole point about this phone is that it is compact and there are no real compact android flagships anymore.
      This discussion would make no sense if you aren't here for a compact phone.
      You've got plenty of options if you're looking for something big.

        • Z
        • Z8user
        • vaS
        • 31 Jul 2022

        IpsDisplay, 31 Jul 2022My argument against the SE is that there is a market for th... moreScreen size was not the main attractor but it not being a detractor either somehow shows that even phones with screen that small can be popular for the right price.

        Apple has discontinued their mini variant because they determined that there was not enough profit for it. Fair enough because the manufacturer gets to decide what's profitable for them and what's not.

        Whatever the sales figures of this Zenfone 9 will turn out to be is for Asus to decide whether or not it's profitable. Again, it's the manufacturer who gets to determine that for their own product (not other manufacturers and certainly not random strangers). But right now, Asus clearly decided that the Zenfone 8 they released last year was profitable enough that they made a successor.

        Besides, 5.9 inches on this is actually much closer in screen and overall phone dimensions with the vanilla S22 (6.1") and iPhone 13 (6.1") than the iPhone 13 mini (5.4") so it's more directly competing with those vanilla flagships (which have a "large healthy market").

          • R
          • Russel
          • sSM
          • 31 Jul 2022

          IpsDisplay, 31 Jul 2022My argument against the SE is that there is a market for th... moreMate.
          Your argument would make a lot of sense, if this were a website where you discuss stock value of Asus or about the sales.
          Here, we have a phone that's compact, less than 69mm wide, when most manufacturers don't seem to care about people with smaller hands.
          This phone is aimed at that specific section of people.
          And here we have someone that's dismissing the same because of 'sales' and 'not going to be popular' reason.

          I don't think we need any further explanation here.

          I love the Mini for it's size. I would've loved the SE had it actually been like the 6s with a real physical home button.
          And I like IPS screens because I find PWM to be a pain.
          I like the 3.5mm headphone jack as an option, an SD card slot too.
          When you search for something that ticks all those boxes, you'd find nothing, Zenfone 9 might be the next best option. And someone is saying that no one should be provided with unpopular options.

            Z8user , 31 Jul 2022Let's see if you are better at receiving responses tha... moreMy argument against the SE is that there is a market for the cheapest iPhone possible

            The size of the screen is passive and not in anyway an attractor at least not a primary one

            The mini is equal in or close to quality of the main product line and people were not picking it and by people I mean majority

            When it is said there is no market the meaning is of there is enough people to profitably support it and on that regard it is not profitable

            And I go as even go as far as saying the se eats away market from the mini and in a sense proves it's about money and not screen size

            Again you can have 3 customer and technically claim a market but the reality is out in the real world with the masses there isn't a large healthy market

            Infact customers.. the majority have a perception that smaller screens equal a lower quality product

              Z8user, 31 Jul 2022Example of this are people with the mentality, "I don&... moreI never said "no one should have it". I said there's no meaningful market for it. That is fact. If you and the other 4 people who want a sub 6" smartphone want to buy this POS then that is entirely your choice.

              The SE wasn't popular because it's small. It was popular because it was the cheapest way for people to get that picture of a half eaten apple on their phone. iPhones are fashion accessories first, and phones second

                Note7 owner, 31 Jul 2022"Walking naked Butt in prison", is this from your... moreNo, it's just common sense. You can try it out if you doubt me though.

                  salarx, 29 Jul 2022Glass sucks. It's slippery, fingerprint magnet and bre... more"Walking naked Butt in prison", is this from your own personal experience?

                    Looks interesting but an Android phone with only 2 yrs software support is a No No in 2022.

                      • Z
                      • Z8user
                      • vaS
                      • 31 Jul 2022

                      Unb1453d, 29 Jul 2022I hear ya. There are literally 2 a$$ hats here (or more to ... moreYes, there are some here who are too egotistical they think that people who prefer small phones don't exist just because they personally don't like small phones.

                        • Z
                        • Z8user
                        • vaS
                        • 31 Jul 2022

                        Anders, 30 Jul 2022George Carlin said it best when he said "Think of ... moreExample of this are people with the mentality, "I don't want it so no one should have it." I just hope you are not as dismissive of the minorities around as you are dismissive of the minority (people who want a small phone) here.

                          • Z
                          • Z8user
                          • vaS
                          • 31 Jul 2022

                          IpsDisplay, 30 Jul 2022They won't listen Let's see if you are better at receiving responses than the other guy.

                          A lot of people read the article because they are literally interested in that particular phone size. Then that guy who clearly isn't into small phones still opened the article and made a dismissive statement that there is no market for phones this size, which denies the existence of those exact same readers. Not much logic in that, is there?

                          The iPhone mini argument. If we're talking about iPhone as basis then, may I present to you their other sub 6" line, the SE that has had multiple successors and still hasn't been discontinued yet. There is a market for smaller phones. Is it big enough worth catering to? That's ultimately up to the manufacturers, isn't it? Unless you are actually trying to dictate how a company should run their business, which is just another level of feeling entitled.

                          There are people who want a small phone because it's more pocket friendly and easier to hold especially when going out. If they are going to just be glued on their screen, then they'd stay at home and use their tablet, PC/laptop, and TV for multimedia consumption.

                            IpsDisplay, 30 Jul 2022They won't listen George Carlin said it best when he said

                            "Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

                              Anders, 28 Jul 2022Yes as I said in an earlier article hyping this phone up an... moreThey won't listen

                                • S
                                • S Yu
                                • vU9
                                • 30 Jul 2022

                                Nick Tegrataker, 30 Jul 2022Not gonna lie, I really wish ASUS gave its flagship phones ... moreHmm, I was referring to the hardware because I really don't care about software updates.

                                  Mampara, 29 Jul 2022Would have been a great fone if it had SD card add on. Size... moreTrue, this is way too expensive for a phone with 2 years of OS updates, most people spending this much would at least keep their phones for 4 years, especially with such a powerful chip, 2 + 1 year of security updates is not enough.
                                  Instead a $300 cheaper Zenfone 9 with 778G+ or the 7 Gen1 would have been a much better option especially with 2 yrs of OS updates and better battery life with less power hungry SOC. Cameras and rest of the feature set could have stayed the same especially since they are not the highest end.

                                    Anonymous, 29 Jul 2022>Too small By what standards? >Only 1080p display ... moreI will give you credit for your thorough response and even agreeing with me on several points. Certainly the most intelligent and reasonable response I have had

                                      S Yu, 30 Jul 2022Asus gives the impression that their team is about 2-3x mor... moreNot gonna lie, I really wish ASUS gave its flagship phones at least 3 years of OS upgrades on top of its fairly quick and reliable update schedules.

                                        • S
                                        • S Yu
                                        • vU9
                                        • 30 Jul 2022

                                        Asus gives the impression that their team is about 2-3x more efficient than Sony Mobile's responsible for updating the Xperia 1.

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