Asus Zenfone 9 long-term review

11 January 2023


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  • M
  • 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.

    • M
    • Me
    • 33I
    • 12 Jan 2023

    rizki1, 12 Jan 2023Flagship phone but not on level with S22 Ultra, 12S Ultra, ... moreSpeak for yourself. 6 inch screen is more than enough for a phone. Buy a tablet if you want bigger screen.

      While using a large screen specially for watching videos its difficult to return to a small one though this phone packs lots of flagship level still it fall short on software updates n camera department other than that it's very good feature rich wish the flagships would return to the headphone jack n implement an IR blaster they're very useful

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        • Vonas
        • dSV
        • 12 Jan 2023

        Lolipop, 11 Jan 2023How can this even compete with iphone 13?? Same size but a... moreWell in MKBHD's blind cameratest with millions of users voting without having any idea which photos were by which phone, the "Skoda" ended up 3rd losing only to 2 pixel phones, while the iCrap ended middle of the road... Here's something to think about...

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • M0X
          • 12 Jan 2023

          rizki1, 12 Jan 2023Flagship phone but not on level with S22 Ultra, 12S Ultra, ... moreAsus is the only one on the market to offer a compact flagship, I'd say a lot of people need it.

            • Z
            • Zuider zee
            • vxL
            • 12 Jan 2023

            rizki1, 12 Jan 2023Flagship phone but not on level with S22 Ultra, 12S Ultra, ... morePlease. To each his own. Stop demanding things you want but not others. Small phones have their niche.

              • M
              • Modipa
              • txF
              • 12 Jan 2023

              rizki1, 12 Jan 2023Flagship phone but not on level with S22 Ultra, 12S Ultra, ... moreIncorrect opinion, ppl actually waiting for compact flagship.

                • M
                • M
                • nxd
                • 12 Jan 2023

                "and set an absolute charging limit to a specific battery percentage, although this makes no sense. Sure, if you do this, and, say, set it to 80%, after 800 charge cycles your Zenfone's battery won't be down to 80% of its initial capacity like most phones' cells - but who cares, since you never took advantage of that extra 20% anyway, by having the setting at 80% to begin with? "

                I mean.. Wow, that is some lack of thought and understanding right there!

                  Flagship phone but not on level with S22 Ultra, 12S Ultra, Xiaomi 13 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro etc. this phone is like Xiaomi 12T, Galaxy S21 FE or something like that. Asus need push more, forget this compact.. no one need.

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                    • Bob
                    • gE7
                    • 12 Jan 2023

                    Nice story, thanks! I'm a fan of compact phones, that's why I love zefone9 too, though the price is counterproductive here I guess. You can almost get 2 iphone 12 minis for the money. I kind of miss the times when you could get a compact android for about 150 euros, good camera, waterproof and all (like moto g3). Now it seems you have to pay hefty premium for compactness - strange really, because manufacturers kinda suggests that everyone wants huge drawn-out phones today. How come they put such a prive tag on smaller phones then?

                      • T
                      • Takimara
                      • KZK
                      • 12 Jan 2023

                      Johnny Romania, 11 Jan 2023I can't understand why this phone was so well reviewed... moreDesign is more of a subjective topic and i can understand why you prefer Samsung S22, but I personally prefer the looks of the Zenfone 9.

                      Not only that, the Zenfone 9 had better performance (Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is more power efficient than Snapdragon 8 Gen 1), better battery life (thanks to the power efficient chipset + 4300mAh battery), and it has a headphone jack which to me, it's still a fundamental feature that should exist on all smartphones in these days (because having the option to choose to listen is always best).

                      Other things that the Zenfone 9 doesn't have telephoto camera which i get it, and no wireless charging, but then you do get the charger included in the box. The cons that the Zenfone 9 has feels more like a tradeoffs that some people like me are okay to deal with.

                      The only thing that i wish is extended years of software support and security updates for the Zenfone 9, because 2 years is just bad (even Sony had 3 years for their Xperias), but if you okay with not getting much new features down the road and just want a great all round compact smartphone, then the Zenfone 9 is the only one (well at least to me)

                        Johnny Romania, 11 Jan 2023I can't understand why this phone was so well reviewed... moreBattery life is one big factor, if you go to S22 forum / youtube thats the number 1 deal breaker for that device.

                        Aesthetics is very subjective and maybe 2nd / 3rd priority compared to functionality of device. Zenfone9 is not that bad, just little bland and not that shiny.

                        You can stomach a little bland design, but probably not if the flaw is very bad Battery life and really affecting how you use the device overall.

                        P.S. I'm long time Samsung user (S21U currently) and even try to get S22 but backoff because of battery issue. Unfortunately Zenfone9 is not locally available to my country, even I want to

                          Probably because the market isn't promoting one handed phones. Even Apple haven't made too many headlines in that 6 inches of yesteryears isn't the same as 6 inches of today since aspect ratio has played a big part of making a seemingly big smartphone small.

                          The only size that's pretty much fits smartphone usage, if they're willing to do it, is 6.1 to 6.4 inches. But since all flagship has hit that 6.7 to 6.9 inch mark, it's hard to remind everyone to step back from that.

                            Not sure if I just didnt read other Long Term reviews, but this one is very comprehensive, detailed and really depicts what it like using the device for such long period. Awesome job on that!

                            Well probably part of the reason is Zenfone 9 is quite good device that you really want to use it long term, making it not a bother to do extended Long term review.

                            This could be difficult if you hate the device, probably just put it to shelves and come back / check after 6-9 months if it gets any better then call it long term review 😅

                              • B
                              • B
                              • pL5
                              • 12 Jan 2023

                              Anonymous, 11 Jan 2023Are you comparing a device from 8 years ago to today’s standards?No. He is saying he will stick to small phones.

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                                • Up North
                                • R3B
                                • 12 Jan 2023

                                I never post stuff but for this...I make exception. The battery on my OnePlus6T was starting to get a bit sketchy. Ok, 4 years what do I want? Fits in most pockets, newer SOC, good battery, nice screen, decent cameras...I like Asus stuff...so I bought it. Had concerns about the camera's but right before I got it, I saw the MKBHD blind camera online poll vote. Okay, feel a bit better. I get it. Charge it, updates, transfers, blah, blah, blah...and I didn't have to charge it FOR THREE DAYS!!! Now I am one of those OCD, close all apps people...but three days??? My usage is light, maybe 3 to 4 hours of screen time a day, a little OCD with the background apps, etc but it ticked all the boxes. As a regular person not always with a new device (non reviewer LoL) any short comings this phone may have, I'll never notice. What I did notice was weird. I could use this phone with either hand. After about two weeks, I blindly pick it up with my non dominant hand, it's unlocked and I'm burning away on the phone within a second and I haven't flinched with whatever I was doing with my dominant hand. (*Insert sly jokes here*) That type of use wasn't really a thing with my last phone but for a device to become THAT intuitive, THAT fast really speaks to the device's strengths. So, from random comment guy from Up North to Asus, KUDOS, well done. Anyone leaning towards this phone, just do it. I have no regrets, only a phone that I'm able to use in ways that I never never thought of using with past devices. 4.75/5 because nothing's perfect.

                                  • B
                                  • BlahBlah
                                  • LiQ
                                  • 12 Jan 2023

                                  Johnny Romania, 11 Jan 2023I can't understand why this phone was so well reviewed... morePeople liked Zenfone 9 more then S22 mostly because of two reasons.

                                  1. Every phone in S series in Europe is getting Samsung made Exynos and in this case of S22 it's Exynos 2200 chipset which is inferior in almost every way then Snapdragon line of chisets of the same generation. While Zenfone 9 was selling with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 made by TSMC on all markets. S22 was sold on some markets with Snapdragon version of chipset too, but that one was unfortunatelly made by Samsung who already made a pretty negative reputation with lagging behind TSMC factory that even Snapdragon's design didn't help Samsung to achieve better performance and overall efficiency.

                                  2. Compare them on this site side by side and look for battery size of each phone and their respective endurance ratings difference. Zenfone 9 have a great battery life, even better then some much bigger phones running midrange chipsets.

                                  Design wise, there's no doubt Zenfone's front side look kinda old school by today standards, so you're probably right about that, but from all other sides, that's highly subjective.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • 5nu
                                    • 12 Jan 2023

                                    Glass has the advantage of being resistant to scratches by various types of dust, in addition to its "premiumness". Have you tested the durability and dirtiness of the Zenfone 9's plastic back panel? (I'm not claiming that the Zenfone 9 is soft and easy to get dirty.)

                                      Anonymous, 11 Jan 2023Are you comparing a device from 8 years ago to today’s standards?No, I'm comparing the reviews and how drastically things and tone changed. Not for the better, if you ask me

                                        smallphoneloverboy, 11 Jan 2023i still use my xperia xz1 compact from 2017 but when it is ... moreYou better hold on to it cause those new "compact" phones will feel huge compared to xz1c

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