The new Asus Zenfone 9 is a phone that packs a lot of the features you’d expect from a modern flagship… and some you wouldn’t. It has a 120 Hz FHD+ AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, and support for up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
But there are two features that truly help set the Zenfone 9 apart. The first is a camera system that features a 50MP Sony IMX766 primary camera with a gimbal-style stabilizer for steadier shots. The second is that with a 5.9 inch display, the Asus Zenfone 9 is on the small side by modern smartphone standards.
Of course, a few years ago a 5.9 inch phone would have seemed enormous. But times have changed. These days screens are taller, aspect ratios are wider, and bezels are slimmer. All of which means that a modern 5.9 inch phone isn’t much larger than an older model with a 5 inch screen.
Case in point. The Asus Zenfone 9 measures 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1mm, while the Google Pixel 2 (with a 5 inch display) is 145.7 x 69.7 x 7.8mm. All of which is to say that there’s a reason Asus is positioning the Zenfone 9 as a “compact” smartphone.
Despite that small(ish) size, the phone packs a 4,300 mAh battery and the aforementioned gimbal system which includes a 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer that allows the entire camera (including the lens and sensor) to stay steady even if the rest of the camera is shaking, which should result in fewer blurry shots, improved low-light photography (which involves longer exposure times), and better stability while shooting video.
The Zenfone 9 isn’t the first smartphone to feature gimbal-style image stabilization. But it’s still a pretty uncommon feature to find in a smartphone, and it could help the phone stand apart in an increasingly competitive market.
Prices are expected to start at around €799 for a model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage when the phone goes on sale in Europe soon. It’s also coming to North America eventually, but pricing hasn’t been announced yet.
Here’s a run-down on some more of the phone’s key specs:
| Asus Zenfone 9 Specs | |
| Display | 5.9 inches 2400 x 1080 pixels 445 ppi Samsung AMOLED 120 Hz refresh rate 112% DCI-P3 color gamut 151% sRGB color gamut Delta E<1 HDR10+ |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| RAM | 6GB / 8 GB / 16GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Cameras (rear) | 50MP Sony IMX766 (primary) with Gimbal OIS, PDAF, 2×2 OCL auto-focus 12MP Sony IMX363 (ultrawide) with dual PDAF 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer 8K video recording @ 24 fps 4K video recording @ 60 fps 1080p video recording @ 60 fps Audio HDR recording |
| Cameras (front) | 12MP Sony IMX663 with dual PDAF |
| Battery | 4,300 mAh |
| Charging | 30W (wired) |
| Wireless | WiFi 6E BT 5.2 NFC 5G |
| Audio | Stereo speakers 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Security | Fingerprint sensor (side-mounted) |
| Ports | USB Type-C 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Water resistance | IP68 |
| Software | Android 12 Asus ZenUI 9 |
| Dimensions | 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1mm |
| Weight | 169 grams |
| Price | 8GB / 128GB for €799 8GB / 256GB for €849 16GB/256GB for €899 |
Not touching anything but the “flip” version. I am so tired of notches, holes, and front cameras in general.
I really like the smaller 5.9 inch size. 6.4 inch or larger phones are just too darn big to fit in front pocket. Never gonna buy a massive behemoth like that. Even 6.1 inch phones are pushing my front pocket maximum size limit.
I appreciate the combination of a headphone jack plus waterproofing, and most of the rest of the specs seem generally decent for the price.
Do we know if it has a MicroSD slot? I kind of hate Sony, but they seem to be the only manufacturer still releasing high-end phones with expandable storage, so I might end up buying an Xperia next…
It doesn’t. Personally I’d have a hard time using up 128 GB of storage, but it’s nice to have the card as a backup device. Unless you’re encrypting your storage like you should, in which case that card will only work on that phone anyway.
What’s keeping me from buying it is of course the lack of a degoogled OS at the moment.
Personally, I like using an SD card because I configure my photos to do straight to SD, and every time I’ve broken a phone (to the point of it not powering on) I’ve been able to pull my SD out, and bring all my photos with me.
Glad to see this phone still has a headphone jack. I’m sticking with my LG V60 for a couple more years minimum but hopefully ASUS keeps up this trend in their flagship phones. When the time comes to upgrade from my V60, I may very well consider switching to a ZenFone.