Asus Zenfone 9 Review: Small but Mighty Leave a comment

There’s no scarcity of massive telephones today. Apple even went as far as to nix a successor to final yr’s iPhone 13 Mini and as a substitute changed it with the iPhone 14 Plus. Small telephones are exhausting to come back by, but they are not utterly extinct but. If you are bored with straining your fingers to achieve components of a display screen, then the Asus Zenfone 9 is your buddy.

I’ve to say just a few main caveats earlier than you learn any additional. This Android smartphone is obtainable within the US, but it won’t work on Verizon’s community in any respect. It works finest on T-Mobile and AT&T. Asus additionally does not assist its smartphones for a very long time. Most Android cellphone makers now supply three to 5 years of software program assist, but Asus is sticking with a paltry two. Get with the instances! It’s a disgrace, as a result of the Zenfone 9 has perks which might be exhausting to seek out: a compact display screen with flagship performance, plus a headphone jack. That’s tremendous uncommon. 

Small but Mighty

It may not seem like a glitzy flagship cellphone, but there are quite a lot of goodies on this little bundle. It all begins with its dimension—at simply 5.9 inches, it is easy to wrap my fingers round. It’s not as small because the iPhone 13 Mini (5.4 inches), but it is nonetheless one of many smallest screens on the market right this moment. 

This AMOLED show by no means felt too cramped with on a regular basis duties, but it did really feel limiting once I watched episodes of Love, Death & Robots whereas on the train bike on the gymnasium. I needed to convey the cellphone near my eyes to catch particulars within the “Night of the Mini Dead” episode (becoming). Otherwise, the display screen is sharp, seems colourful, and manages to get simply shiny sufficient to make use of on sunny days. The 120-Hz refresh rate is a deal with too, and a function you will not discover on the iPhone 13 Mini—each swipe and scroll feels easy.

Size is not the one factor that makes this cellphone so good to carry; it is also the feel Asus makes use of on the again of the system. It’s smooth and feels form of just like the rubber mats on a playground. I like when cellphone producers mess around with designs and textures (RIP LG)—props to Asus for making this cellphone really feel distinct, unlike its predecessor. Just know that this rear materials can scuff up; it is easy to scrub, but you may nonetheless see some gentle marks.

There’s a side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded within the energy button, and it is a fast and dependable strategy to unlock the system. A headphone jack sits on the prime should you favor to wear corded earbuds—this port is a rarity on flagship phones today—and the Zenfone 9 has stereo audio system that get loud and sound fairly nice. It additionally packs a near-field communication (NFC) sensor so you may make tap-to-pay funds. The display screen is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus, and it has IP68-rated water and mud resistance, which is pretty much as good as you may discover on most high-end telephones today. 

What’s lacking? Wireless charging. You can solely recharge this cellphone with a cable, but there’s excellent news right here too: Asus is likely one of the few cellphone makers today that also consists of a charging adapter together with the USB-C cable. (It even comes with a case, although it isn’t terribly protecting.) Speaking of charging, Asus has managed to suit a 4,300-mAh battery into this small cellphone, which comfortably lasts a full day. Actually, it often will get me by means of a day and a half with common use. It’s fairly nice!