ASUS Reveals the All-New Zenfone 9

[TheLostSwede]

ASUS today revealed the all-new Zenfone 9 smartphone at a virtual launch event. Zenfone 9 is a totally redesigned compact 5.9-inch device with high performance and exciting new features. Powered by the latest flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform, it's the most powerful Zenfone ever released. This latest generation Zenfone 9 has been totally redesigned to give it a premium, sleek look and feel, with four eye-catching new colors, a tactile new high-grip texture, and IP68 certification. The modern design features a massively upgraded dual-camera system with a 50 MP Sony IMX 766 main camera featuring a new 6-Axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer, electronic image stabilization (EIS) and ultrafast autofocus technology for sharp, shake-free photos and videos. There's also a 12 MP IMX 363 ultrawide camera, and a 12 MP IMX 663 punch-hole front camera for crystal clear selfies and video chats.

As Zenfone 9 fits perfectly in one hand, the ASUS ZenUI 9 (Android 12) interface has been optimized for one-handed use. There's also the unique ASUS ZenTouch, a multifunction side-mounted power button incorporating a fingerprint sensor for hassle-free unlocking and support for convenient gesture controls. The new Connex Case accessory allows users to attach the Connex Card Holder or Connex Smart Stand, and there's also a new Smart Backpack Mount for safely attaching Zenfone 9 to a backpack's strap.




Compact Size. Big Possibilities.
The 5.9-inch Zenfone 9 is incredibly compact, and incredibly powerful. It's powered by the flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform, with up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 ROM storage to deliver smooth and responsive performance, for any task.

Zenfone 9 also runs cooler—and faster—than ever, with a totally revamped cooling system. It now uses a high-tech vapor chamber instead of heat pipes, and there's an advanced heheatspreaderhat uses copper, graphite sheets and thermal paste.

With its upgraded 4300 mAh battery and power-efficient components, Zenfone 9 lasts longer than ever. It charges quickly too, thanks to its powerful 30-watt HyperCharge adaptor and fast-charge technology.

The advanced 120 Hz AMOLED display offers incredible Delta E < 1 color accuracy and ultra-smooth scrolling, along with a wide 115% sRGB and cinema-grade 112% DCI-P3 color gamuts for ultravivid colors in any conditions. Collaboration with leading visual-processing company Pixelworks brings the excellent visuals even further with world-beating color accuracy. The gorgeous display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, so it shrugs off unexpected knocks and scratches to keep it looking good for longer.

Big on personality
We've created four eye-catching new colors for Zenfone 9: cool Moonlight White, exciting Sunset Red, gorgeous Starry Blue and classy Midnight Black. The feel of the phone is truly amazing, thanks to a newly-developed textured surface material that's really tough and comfortable yet grippy. This advanced material additionally helps reduce the weight of the back cover by 36% compared to the previous-generation Zenfone.

For worry-free use indoors and outdoors, Zenfone 9 is also IP68 certified for protection against dust and water ingress.

Big on photography
Zenfone 9 has a massively upgraded 50 MP Sony IMX766 main camera that lets users take perfect photos in even the darkest places. The brand-new 6-Axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer keeps everything blur-free and shake-free, even when the camera is moving. This fantastic new gimbal OIS monitors Zenfone 9's every movement, in every direction, and uses that information to adjust the whole camera module in real time. It can compensate for shifts of up to +/- 3 °, so it can help smooth out even the wildest action, without optical distortion or 'ghosting'. Combined with the ultrafast autofocus technology—which focuses quickly and reacts smoothly to changes—and new EIS anti-shake algorithms, Zenfone 9 delivers super-smooth, professional-looking action shots, whatever the subject.

There's a new Light Trail (Beta) mode in addition to the Night, Pro, Panorama, Slow Motion and Timelapse modes, so users can be sure of perfect shots and video under any conditions.

Audio recording is taken to the next level in Zenfone 9. Audio HDR lets users capture every sound from the quietest to the loudest, just like the human ear. 3D Surround captures breathtakingly accurate spatial sound in natural-sounding high fidelity. And outdoors, the Wind Noise Reduction feature captures crystal-clear recordings in less-than-ideal conditions. Zenfone 9 is still equipped with a standard 3.5 mm audio jack, so users don't need to worry if they don't have wireless headphones.

Zenfone 9's hand-friendly size and lightweight design make it effortless to use for any task, anywhere.

The new side-mounted ZenTouch multi-function power button makes everything easy—with just one hand! As well as one-touch unlocking with the built-in fingerprint sensor, it allows users to swipe their thumb up, down or double-click for different functions including voice-to-text, open notifications, refresh a web page, move to the top/bottom of the page, and media control.

The latest ASUS ZenUI 9 interface for Android 12 is better than ever, and has been fully optimized for one-handed use. The camera tool panel allows easier navigation of basic phone settings, and there's also an Edge tool that lets users find their favorite apps easier. A double-tap on the back can be configured to take a screenshot, open the camera, illuminate the flashlight, turn on the sound recorder, open Google Assistant, or control media playback. There's also a zoom bar scale that makes zooming in and out faster and easier.

New smart accessories
Zenfone 9 is the first phone to use our brand-new Connex modular case system. Users can start with the Connex Case, and clip Connex accessories to the pegboard-like lower half—there's a Connex Smart Stand with a kickstand that launches an app or game of your choice when you open it, and there's also a Connex Card Holder for business cards.

The Smart Backpack Mount secures Zenfone 9 to a backpack shoulder strap at the perfect height and angle for use as an action camera. Users can pop their phone in or out of the magnetic holder in just a second—there's a safety cord too—and just like Zenfone 9 it's optimized for single-handed use.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[ZetZet]

Interesting, quite small for a flagship, people have been starving for smaller phones.

 

[Firedrops]

Like this freshness... but the lack of mention of wireless charging...

 

[TheLostSwede]

Like this freshness... but the lack of mention of wireless charging...

It doesn't have wireless charging.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Interesting, quite small for a flagship, people have been starving for smaller phones.

It ticks every box to me, this is the first time the Zenfone series caught my eye since their bold (and sadly failed) attempt of making Intel-based devices, if the 256 GB/16 GB RAM version is priced competitively with the iPhone 13 mini 256 GB, I might not abandon Android after all

 

[TheLostSwede]

It ticks every box to me, this is the first time the Zenfone series caught my eye since their bold (and sadly failed) attempt of making Intel-based devices, if the 256 GB/16 GB RAM version is priced competitively with the iPhone 13 mini 256 GB, I might not abandon Android after all

The starting price is unfortunately €799.
At least Asus managed to finally add USB 3.0 support.

 

[Dristun]

Interesting, quite small for a flagship, people have been starving for smaller phones.

Not really, it's almost exactly the same size as normal iPhone 13 and Galaxy S22. The only actually small flagship phone on the market is still the iPhone 12/13mini. Which is a shame - I quite enjoyed my years with Sony's Xperia Compacts and would love another android flagship of that size.

 

[LabRat 891]

Don't see anything of value.
Might as well just get a used OnePlus since no near-flagship or flagship has the long-lost feature set once considered necessity for a mobile.

 

[bonehead123]

Nice little phone w/some nice color choices, but at ~$800, the lack of wireless charging is disappointing and will probably hold it back sales-wise....

hope they didn't make a gazillion of them right off the bat

 

[P4-630]

a gazillion of them

Will make them cheaper in the end.

 

[Chaitanya]

Interesting, quite small for a flagship, people have been starving for smaller phones.

Its a real shame that we find phones with 5.9" screen small these days. Real shame we dont have 4.5 to 5" sized phones anymore(other than single Apple phone).

 

[brutlern]

Disappointing. A new gimmick for the camera. That's it. Why would I want to upgrade from my Zenfone 8?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Disappointing. A new gimmick for the camera. That's it. Why would I want to upgrade from my Zenfone 8?

Aren't most phones these days much of a muchness?
We get slightly better cameras, faster processors, but hotter processors that seems to use more power to do pretty much the same things.
There hasn't been anything revolutionary when it comes to phones in years.
I recently got a Pixel 6, before the rumours of this, as I had a Zenfone 6 prior to that. Wasn't interested in the 8 due to lack of USB 3.0 support, which is a must if there's no memory card slot.
Doesn't really feel all that different in daily use, the only good thing is that Google promises decent software support for their kit, which other companies don't always. Asus has been so so software support wise.

 

[Darksaber]

If this had Vanilla Android 12 with 3 years of updates included, I would be all in. But bloatware + only 2 years of updates kills this unfortunately. I wish there was a Vanilla Android phone out there that is both compact and with an excellent screen.

It doesn't have wireless charging.

Ah well, that just killed it for me anyways.

 

[Tomorrow]

The starting price is unfortunately €799.
At least Asus managed to finally add USB 3.0 support.

Sales volume of compact phones is low. Thus they need to be expensive to justify themselves. That's what it think anyway.

Not really, it's almost exactly the same size as normal iPhone 13 and Galaxy S22. The only actually small flagship phone on the market is still the iPhone 12/13mini. Which is a shame - I quite enjoyed my years with Sony's Xperia Compacts and would love another android flagship of that size.

Compare Samsung Galaxy S10e vs. Asus Zenfone 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22 5G - GSMArena.com

www.gsmarena.com

Don't see anything of value.
Might as well just get a used OnePlus since no near-flagship or flagship has the long-lost feature set once considered necessity for a mobile.

This phone is about size/performance not performance/value.

Its a real shame that we find phones with 5.9" screen small these days. Real shame we don't have 4.5 to 5" sized phones anymore(other than single Apple phone).

It's not the size of the screen that make a phone small or large. It's overall dimensions, bezels and most notably width.

If this had Vanilla Android 12 with 3 years of updates included, I would be all in. But bloatware + only 2 years of updates kills this unfortunately. I wish there was a Vanilla Android phone out there that is both compact and with an excellent screen.

Yep. 2 years of updates is not competitive anymore regardless of price class. Samsung offers double that for half the price.
Plus it lacks MicroSD card slot and only has up to 256GB onboard storage. 256GB is decidedly midrange these days.
An odd pairing with top of the line SoC.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Aren't most phones these days much of a muchness?
We get slightly better cameras, faster processors, but hotter processors that seems to use more power to do pretty much the same things.
There hasn't been anything revolutionary when it comes to phones in years.
I recently got a Pixel 6, before the rumours of this, as I had a Zenfone 6 prior to that. Wasn't interested in the 8 due to lack of USB 3.0 support, which is a must if there's no memory card slot.
Doesn't really feel all that different in daily use, the only good thing is that Google promises decent software support for their kit, which other companies don't always. Asus has been so so software support wise.

Still waiting for a "stunning and brave" phone company to take the leap of courage and introduce a phone with no camera hump and a larger battery!

 

[Dristun]

Compare Samsung Galaxy S10e vs. Asus Zenfone 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy S22 5G - GSMArena.com

www.gsmarena.com

Didn't quite understand what you tried to say here, sorry. By the way - I currently do own a Galaxy S10e, but it's 3.5 years old at this point and I don't even consider it a flagship device anymore. And it's still bigger than I want - I'd happily plump a 1000$ for an android flagship that's the size of iphone mini or old xperia compacts but nobody wants to make one, lol.

 

[Dr. Dro]

The starting price is unfortunately €799.
At least Asus managed to finally add USB 3.0 support.

That pricing is absurd! You can buy a Motorola Edge 30 Pro with 256 storage, 12 GB of RAM, 144Hz AMOLED screen, triple camera and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 platform for roughly the same price as the third generation iPhone SE 256 GB here in Brazil. Or even a ROG Phone 5s if you are willing to dial back to the Snapdragon 888+ platform.

At 799 euros I would expect ASUS to release Android 17 for this device, and we both know lucky if you get two years out of it.

My Galaxy S10+ Exy version is practically worthless these days. It's a laggy mess that resembles a low end phone and it's practically abandoned now.

 

[Niceumemu]

I'm still using my OnePlus 5T and can't really see a reason why I'd want to upgrade it. These new phones don't really improve much.

 

[Denver]

This design is really weird. Someone was paid handsomely to create this. lol

 

[Dr. Dro]

This design is really weird. Someone was paid handsomely to create this. lol

And I like it! That price is a no-no, though.

Shame because I really like this phone, but if it starts at 799 euros I can easily see it costing about the same as an iPhone 13 Pro here in Brazil, the configuration with 16 GB of RAM is going to be unacceptably priced, even more so considered it is an Android device with extremely poor software maintenance support. I don't wanna blow a stack on a phone and rely on homebrewed ROMs from the XDA forums.

 

[TheLostSwede]

If this had Vanilla Android 12 with 3 years of updates included, I would be all in. But bloatware + only 2 years of updates kills this unfortunately. I wish there was a Vanilla Android phone out there that is both compact and with an excellent screen.


Ah well, that just killed it for me anyways.

Asus only has a very light skin on Android, most things are vanilla. My 6 had zero bloatware.
How do you know the 9 will only get two years of updates?

 

[Firedrops]

And I like it! That price is a no-no, though.

Shame because I really like this phone, but if it starts at 799 euros I can easily see it costing about the same as an iPhone 13 Pro here in Brazil, the configuration with 16 GB of RAM is going to be unacceptably priced, even more so considered it is an Android device with extremely poor software maintenance support. I don't wanna blow a stack on a phone and rely on homebrewed ROMs from the XDA forums.

imo the price would be acceptable if they just had wireless charging. it'd be a great value proposition of being almost the Sony Xperia IV at almost half the price. personally, couldn't care less about fancy schmancy cameras, ram amounts (as long as over 8gb), or fast charging, but not having any level of wireless charging would be a dealbreaker for a lot of people.

 

[TheLostSwede]

And I like it! That price is a no-no, though.

Shame because I really like this phone, but if it starts at 799 euros I can easily see it costing about the same as an iPhone 13 Pro here in Brazil, the configuration with 16 GB of RAM is going to be unacceptably priced, even more so considered it is an Android device with extremely poor software maintenance support. I don't wanna blow a stack on a phone and rely on homebrewed ROMs from the XDA forums.

It seems to start at around €650 in Taiwan. The €799 price includes European VAT.
Asus delivered two OS updates and in general monthly security updates for my 6, but then they just dropped the ball at one point. Nothing wrong with the device as such.

imo the price would be acceptable if they just had wireless charging. it'd be a great value proposition of being almost the Sony Xperia IV at almost half the price. personally, couldn't care less about fancy schmancy cameras, ram amounts (as long as over 8gb), or fast charging, but not having any level of wireless charging would be a dealbreaker for a lot of people.

I don't get wireless charging. It's inefficient and slow. Is it really that hard to plug in a cable?

 

[Firedrops]

I don't get wireless charging. It's inefficient and slow. Is it really that hard to plug in a cable?

Charging a mobile phone for an entire year, daily 0-100%, would cost far less than $1 in electricity fees (forgot which city, but it was in the USA). Inefficiency is not a concern for such tiny power draws.

I just like to leave it on the charging pads in the office, at home, at night. Whenever I need to be out and about, it's always topped up. Saving 3 seconds finicking with cables 5 times a day really adds up.