Asus Zenfone 9 long-term review

11 January 2023


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  • J
  • Johnny Romania
  • ajW
  • 12 Jan 2023

BlahBlah, 12 Jan 2023People liked Zenfone 9 more then S22 mostly because of two ... moreYour comment is so damn good, kudos to you!

I was making exactly the same points in K60 Pro's page, trying to convince someone (who described himself to be a power user) to get an S23 Ultra instead of K60 Pro or IQOO 11.

But still, someone who buys zenfone 9 or S22 would be perfectly served by 8 Gen 1, 8+ Gen 1 or Exynos 2200.

8+ Gen 1 is indeed superior in the long run (not that one would actually notice, no matter what you do with your phone, but for the peace of mind and knowledge of the user I totally agree)

If I was to buy one of these, I would definetely go with s22. For whatever gain would 8+ Gen 1 give me in the long run, I couldn't stand seeing that ugly zenfone 9 design 999.999 times a day

    Kratos-, 12 Jan 2023While using a large screen specially for watching videos it... moreI tried watching the obi wan series on my iphone 13 and it wasn't pleasant. I went back to my ipad even if its from 2017.

      • H
      • Hazet
      • gnw
      • 12 Jan 2023

      > "But also because everyone on the Internet...seems to love them, and yet - sales numbers for the petite handsets out there generally vary from unimpressive at best to downright catastrophic. Just ask Apple about the iPhone 13 mini, see how that conversation goes."

      You're comparing fundamentally different products. The 13 Mini, according to your own specifications, is 5.4", where the ZF9 is a half inch larger. A much more apt comparison would be the iPhone 13/13 Pro, which is only 0.2" larger and were the most popular iPhone models, which are nearly identical otherwise. 6" is what the people want.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • j}r
        • 12 Jan 2023

        I was really interested in the power-button swiping feature until I learned it could only do Home/End, and not Page Up/Down. Wish the latter was an option too.

        Anyway, thanks for the detailed review! I hope Asus continues making great small(ish) flagships with headphone jacks, as well as gaming monsters.

          "Just ask Apple about the iPhone 13 mini, see how that conversation goes."

          Ask Apple about the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, each of which did worse than the 13 mini.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • KAp
            • 12 Jan 2023

            R.I.P 💮 Small phones don't exist anymore and The ones that do are in niche and hard to find or with limited regional availability

              Mylow, 12 Jan 2023I got the Zenfone 9 for 1,5 months now. I had an S22 before... moreI agree here. I drove both an S22, One Plus 10 Pro, and iPhone 13 pro for two weeks and found the chip on the S22(4hr SoT)/OnePlus (5 hr SoT) were terrible (especially with standby drain). The Gen8 + seems to of fixed a lot of these issues caused by Sammy's faulty fabrication at the time of the Gen 1 8 chip. As TSMC has the Gen 2 chip, I'm more positive that the next lineup of phones will be much more efficient. (these phone were used exclusively on 5g to provide comparable daily use scenarios)

                • N
                • Necrus
                • 3PA
                • 12 Jan 2023

                I was really into that phone. My S10e was perceived by me as a perfect size for a phone. Went for S22 but returned it after 3 days when I saw it's performance on battery (it couldn't last even 3/4 of a day - that's a no-go for me). I was very interested in Zenfone 9 as it is similar in size and offered 16GB RAM version what seemed for me as security for a future, when the Android will be growing, and more RAM will be needed. But I didn't buy it for one simple reason - Android support. Asus launched it with Android 12, while Android 13 was very close. They also promised only 2 major updates. SO in fact buying this phone now guarantees you only one major update in the future. So in fact after one year if you want to have regular updates you need to think about new model :( Yes of course - I've read that Asus may re-think their update policies and maybe, just maybe, they will change it and Zenfone 9 will receive more updates, but this is not confirmed. SO in fact you are buying new flagship, in a fliagship price range and what can you expect? - only one year of full support. This is sad :(

                  • S
                  • Sandile
                  • Sby
                  • 12 Jan 2023

                  rizki1, 12 Jan 2023Flagship phone but not on level with S22 Ultra, 12S Ultra, ... moreNo, some of use are still stuck on the S10e because we want compact phones. If Zenfone 10 comes out less than 6 inch, I'm getting it without hesitation.

                    First of all.
                    People use pinch to zoom for zooming in camera. A LOT, not the toogles, specially if they think that 2x is not enough.
                    Second; you have no idea of how MANY people I see on FB posting close up out of focus because their phones can't focus that close.
                    So I do know how you made your assumptions that "nobody does this" "is a niche thing".
                    You can't blame on "is a hidden feature" or something, but the "nobody's doing it" it's a very cheap excuse and totally unprofessional from this site.

                      Ok, I'm a lover of compact phones, I've been using my XZ1 Compact since 2017 and couldn't be happier. Before that I was buying a new phone every 2 years, but since 2018 there's not been a *single* compact android phone with similiar dimensions more or less. I'm not talking about budget models on android go or some japan only phones.

                      The question for me is: Why should I get a $600+ "small compact" phone with a huge (for me) 6 inches display if I don't play games on it or watch videos? I don't need all that screen estate and top end processor at that price. Why should anyone like me get it? Or are nearly everyone playing games on their phone and regularly watching videos for long? I genuinely wonder. For playing games I have game consoles like Playstation. For watching videos, movies, work I have a TV and a laptop. Guess I'm just in the total minority

                        Mylow, 12 Jan 2023I got the Zenfone 9 for 1,5 months now. I had an S22 before... moreCorrected. I have pleasant experience too with Zenfone 9. Fabolous Phone.

                          rizki1, 12 Jan 2023Flagship phone but not on level with S22 Ultra, 12S Ultra, ... moreHaters like you just doing one thing in life, Hate for No Reason. LOL.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • Lkg
                            • 12 Jan 2023

                            potato4k, 12 Jan 2023The phone is less than a year old. How is that long term? Because they know many of readers even get new phone in less than 12 months, when it should be at least 30 months.

                              • h
                              • hangoo
                              • pqP
                              • 12 Jan 2023

                              Compact phones are a true need for people that put their phone inside pockets or use it one handed.
                              People are addicted to screens, and big ones even more.. there is no need for a heavy huge brick in your pants if a compact size can do what all other smartphones do.
                              it even features a 3.5mm headphone jack, I would definitely buy it if it was a bit cheaper in price..
                              Not everyone follows the mass trends, there is still people that think on their true needs, such as ergonomics..

                                The phone is less than a year old. How is that long term?

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 3pU
                                  • 12 Jan 2023

                                  for people saying no one wants small phones, I want a small phone. the only reason I haven't bought the past two zenphones is because they are not available in my country so i had to buy an S22 which is the next best thing. We need smaller phones please!

                                    The into of the article is kind of funny. Yes, a lot of people would prefer a smaller device but the few devices of that size are either too expensive being marketed as high tear devices (but not always with high tear hardware) either they are equipped with poor hardware and/or battery size. There aren't any in the category of, let's say, Xiaomi redmi 10, Moto G..., or better said, the "capable budget category". I would love to see for example a Moto G with a 5.8 to 6 inch screen with decent quality and sharpness, a decent chipset and certainly a decent battery size. I know only one "small" devices that tics all these boxes except for the price and that is the Sony Xperia 10 V. All the other, the pixel 6A included have smaller batteries that will barely get you through the day and/or are not affordable. Some will argue that putting a 5000 mAh battery will make the phone thick which is true and then I would reply "so what"? If that is the price to pay to have a one handed operable device then I would gladly pay of it.
                                    So to all you OEM's out there, please deliver a device in the €200-250 price basket with hardware like SD 4gen1, Mediatek G99 or U900..., maybe an amoled screen as well and a 5000mAh power-bank.

                                      • O
                                      • Ocramavaf
                                      • 0ZA
                                      • 12 Jan 2023

                                      rizki1, 12 Jan 2023Flagship phone but not on level with S22 Ultra, 12S Ultra, ... moreIt's not meant to compete with any of the phones you mentioned, this phone is a pixel 7, galaxy s22 or xiaomi 12/13 competitor

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                                        • Mylow
                                        • L6U
                                        • 12 Jan 2023

                                        I got the Zenfone 9 for 1,5 months now. I had an S22 before, and Zenfone 8 before that. S22 was terrible in battery life, and had a lot of issues (probably faulty unit) with hard time finding online solutions. Zenfone has a very good community around it. I loved my Zenfone 8, but the Zenfone 9 is a big step up especially in those areas Zenfone 8 didn't excel much. Battery life and general look and feel. For me - a compact phone lover heavy user - this is THE PERFECT phone.

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