2023-06-15 15:30:00
Small and compact with great battery, powerful and takes good pictures, does this phone exist? The latest smartphone from ASUS was launched in Brazil. In 2022 Zenfone became a compact smartphone, but it did not fail to please in several respects. It really is the best compact phone out there and I’ll show you why.
Zenfone 9 Review: Is it worth it in 2023?
In Brazil, the Zenfone 9 was launched on October 18 in Gramado, here in Rio Grande do Sul, we covered the launch event. With versions of 6GB, 8GB and 16GB, only the 6GB is being sold in Brazil, for now. The manufacturer has inserted a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, in storage we have 128 GB or 256 GB versions. The product we tested here is the most powerful, it has 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The Super AMOLED screen measures 5.9 inches with Full HD + resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate with Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
Unlike other models, the Zenfone 9 hits the market with only two cameras on the back: the main 50-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization, and the secondary wide-angle 12-megapixel camera. The front sensor, positioned in the small “hole” on the screen, delivers 12 megapixels.
The device’s battery adds up to 4,300 mAh with support for fast charging of 30 watts. The new top of the line from Asus also offers compatibility with 5G networks, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, USB-C port, IP68 water protection, stereo speakers with P2 connector and digital reader on the side.
Bodies
The screen is a strong point of the product. In addition to being beautiful, it has very vibrant colors and great sharpness. This 5.9-inch size, with almost zero edges, makes the Zenfone 9 a true compact smartphone. ASUS has done a great job building the product. The quality that the screen offers is too much. It has a maximum brightness of 1100 nitsin the sun this AMOLED screen shines well.
Performance
What to talk regarding performance. ASUS is passionate regarding performance, in recent years all its cell phones are equipped with the very best, it was no different with the Zenfone 9. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen1, with 16GB of RAM, made the smartphone take the first place in most from the synthetic benchmark tests we did. In the AnTuTu report, it was the first smartphone to pass 1 million points on average in three consecutive tests.
in games
To play, it was no different. In Asphalt 9, Call of Duty Mobile, Free Fire Max and Genshin Impact, yes even in the heaviest games like Genshin, Zenfone 9 ran all of them with 60 frames and 100% stability, with graphics at maximum. In the benchmark tests it warmed up much more than in the games, it was 19ºC of heating, in the games it warmed up by an average of 14ºC.
Then, my friends, you will have a real machine in your hands.
big cell phone battery
I don’t know, you know, but ASUS threw a 4300mAh battery into this size of cell phone, no other device with this size has such a large battery. Compact cell phones tend to suffer from autonomy, as is the case with the S22, but ASUS has bypassed this problem well. The fact is that the company dominates the motherboard market, this engineering experience made the internal construction of the Zenfone 9 possible to deliver the autonomy of a large smartphone in a compact one. Quite an achievement.
In the heavy and repeated tests that we put the smartphones to perform, the Zenfone 9 was able to keep the screen on for more than 7h45min, completing our cycle, having consumed 95% at the end of the test battery. By way of comparison, the Galaxy S22 Ultra with 5000mAh of battery, did 7h20min of screen time, the normal S22 with 3700mAh, considered the direct competitor of Zenfone, did only 7h05min of screen on.
- Final result: + 7 hours 45 minutes from the phone. Completed the cycle;
- Consumption: The battery is 95%;
- Loading: 1h20 minutes.
design and build
The Zenfone 9’s design can be controversial. There are two aspects that prove this theory of mine. The first, its size. People who like compact cell phones, others hate it, either because they have big hands, which really prevents comfortable use, or simply because they need bigger screens.
The second aspect was that ASUS left aside all the dogmas and conception concepts of the rear cameras and applied two big circles that hold the main and ultrawide sensors. When seeing it for the first time, it causes amazement. This strangeness comes precisely from something different, new. There are people who find it too beautiful, I confess that I didn’t like it that much.
The experience of using it was very pleasant, I like compact smartphones. Ah, it has IP68 protection, so don’t worry regarding getting the device wet, it can handle it.
cameras
Let’s talk regarding the cameras? The Zenfone 9 has two sensors on the back, a normal 50MP and another 12MP, the selfie camera is also 12MP, all sensors are from Sony. I leave the complete gallery below, then you can look at my points and analysis.
main camera
The main camera during the day has great dynamic range, ok sharpness and colors that this time are not so saturated, at least during the day. The cell phone manages to compensate the shadows well, the clipping is good if it is far from the background. When bringing the person closer to objects, the clipping starts to get a little lost.
Ultrawide
The 12MP ultrawide can deliver similar quality. Despite having less sharpness, the colors are very close to those of the main sensor, showing balance and consistency.
Selfies
Selfies have particularities. When well lit, the sharpness displayed is great, now the light is not favorable, the face looks blurry. The colors, however, follow the same pattern as the main camera, which I like. I don’t want to see photos of different aspects using the same cell phone.
nocturnal
The night photos, the sharpness is very good. When the cell phone does not need to expose for a long time, the colors are good, now when there is a need to capture more light, the colors go to space. In this photo you are seeing, the trees are not all blue, in fact, not even close to being that blue.
Another perception I had with the purple hue. This photo in front of the Hard Rock Café, I took one with the old iPhone 11 to show that the colors were much closer to what I was seeing. The lighting on the steps has turned a violet, the red of the logo is a little pinkish.
If there is no blue light in the photo, the colors look great, like this night at the AABB headquarters here in my city.
videos
Stop everything now and look at that video stabilization. Running following my son with my phone in hand, using the ultrawide lens in 4K at 60 frames. The second video, also running with both, see that the Zenfone can do something I had never seen on a smartphone.
Another video making embassies, look at the colors, look at the smoothed camera movement, with great sharpness.
The ultrawide of the camera is not so ultra, the main camera already has a more open tone, which for me is not so cool. I had already said this in the Motorola Edge 30 Fusion test as well. The front camera, on the other hand, has a very close view to make videos, holding it with your hand, it is difficult for you to frame your face without cutting your head in horizontal videos.
Competitor: Galaxy S22
The main competitor of the Zenfone 9 is the Galaxy S22. Two compact, powerful and top-of-the-line cell phones. Side by side, they are pretty similar in specs. Both have Snapdragon 8 Gen, Zenfone 9 being the Plus version, which delivers slightly more performance. We have a 50MP main camera on both, 12MP for ultrawide on both, and an S22 with a 3x more telephoto.
The Zenfone has a bigger and longer-lasting battery, has a P2 headphone jack. The two are close in price, it depends on you having a preference for the brand. The screens on both are great, the Zenfone’s sound is better, it sounds better. Samsung will take the S22 up to Android 16, with four promised updates, while ASUS up to Android 14, two updates.
In my opinion, the Zenfone 9 will give you something fundamental, battery. This aspect is important in a device of this level. The S22 has much weaker autonomy, but if you don’t use the cell phone that much, the S22 will deliver cameras that, in my opinion, take better finished photos.
Is it worth buying the Zenfone 9 in 2023?
ASUS Zenfone 9
- Bodies
- Performance
- compact design
- long-lasting battery
- IP68 protection
- Night shots losing colors
- Heating in constant use.
ASUS is not a well-known brand in the cell phone market, there was a movement on the part of the company to make the product better known, but this gradually diminished to the point of having almost no more launches, this strategy belongs to the manufacturer itself, which seems to me to have left the area of cell phones a little aside.
Regarding product quality, the Zenfone 9 brings constant improvements that have evolved a lot since the Zenfone 6, where ASUS has focused a lot on cameras. The strategy of bringing just one Zenfone this year, focusing on the compact market, might be a niche solution. The fact is that the Zenfone 9 is the compact cell phone that delivers the benefits of a large smartphone in a small body.
My price assessment for the 6GB version is around R$3,200, which is a fair value. By the way, ASUS brought it with a very attractive price.
Zenfone 9 review
The scores that the Zenfone 9 received in our review:
- Note 9.0 for cameras
- Note 8.3 for battery
- Note 10.0 for performance
- 9.5 in design and construction
- Note 9.5 on screen.
- Overall RESULT Note 9.3.
With this result, the Zenfone 9 takes the 3rd position in the ranking of the best cell phones analyzed here at Oficina da Net, show de bola ASUS.
Where to buy?
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