Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification
Quick Verdict
The Asus Zenfone 9 is a small phone with a headphone jack that can easily fit in a pocket but that's about where the positives end which is a shame as there's a definite market for compact smartphones but they do need to offer more than just a small size. If you can look past the small display and underwhelming camera performance, you might opt for the Asus Zenfone 9 simply because it's a small phone but for most, the price will be too much of an ask.
The Asus Zenfone 9 is a compact smartphone with interesting on-paper specs but with an almost £800 price tag, can it stand up against the heavy hitters from the likes of Samsung, Apple, Google and OnePlus?
ASUS Zenfone 9 Features
The Asus Zefone 9 is a compact smartphone which features dual rear cameras, up to 8K video capture, several camera modes and a rare headphone jack. It's dust/water resistant, has a 4300mAh rated battery and is available in 4 colour options (on test we have Moonlight White). It's priced at £729.99 and is available now on Amazon UK.
Asus Zenfone 9 Specs:
- 50MP f/1.9 (24mm) wide camera with PDAF and gimbal OIS + 12MP f/2.2 (14mm) ultrawide camera with Dual Pixel PDAF
- 12MP f/2.5 (28mm) selfie camera with Dual Pixel PDAF
- Video up to 8K @ 24fps + EIS
- Pro Camera and Pro Video mode
- Portrait Mode, Panorama, Light Trail, Night, Time Lapse and Slo-Mo
- 5.9-inch Display
- 4300mAh battery
- IP65/IP68 rating
- Dimensions: 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1mm
- Weight: 169g
ASUS Zenfone 9 Handling
The Asus Zenfone 9 bucks the trend of most smartphones as it's compact, comfortably fitting in the hand and can be navigated easily. For those who don't really like the larger smartphones from the likes of Samsung, the Asus Zenfone 9 could be the perfect size measuring 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1mm and weighing under 170g. On test, we have the Moonlight White version which has a plastic back but it's textured making the phone rather grippy and it doesn't slide off surfaces easily. The frame is made from aluminium and on the front is Gorilla Glas Victus. It doesn't look as expensive as some smartphones we have reviewed with the frame and finish giving the overall design a less expensive feel but buttons/controls fall exactly where you need them to and it operates fine. On the back, the two rear cameras sit in their own circular frames rather than a joint modular housing which protrudes quite a way from the frame so it does have a tendency to rock when on a desk or other surface. On the bottom is a USB-C port and up top a headphone jack which is a rare sight nowadays.
The display measures 5.9-inch and even though the Zenfone 9 measures a similar length to the iPhone 14, it just feels smaller in use and this is down to it not being quite as wide. The screen is perfectly usable, with decent brightness levels and sharpness but the width just makes everything feel a bit small and not ideal for watching videos or playing games. For capturing images, however, it's perfectly fine. The front-facing camera is cut out of the screen top left and doesn't distract in any way.
We're used to seeing a multitude of cameras on smartphones released but the Asus Zenfone 9 cuts back on this, only offering two rear cameras - 50MP f/1.9 (24mm) wide camera with PDAF and gimbal OIS and a 12MP f/2.2 (14mm) ultrawide camera with Dual Pixel PDAF. For the price, we'd expect a bit more camera technology built-in and with it only having 2 cameras, it does mean it struggles to stand out against the likes of Samsung and OnePlus. We know Google also bucks the multi-camera trend but performance-wise, it can compete with the other brands in ways the Asus Zenfone 9 simply can't (we go into more detail on this in the performance section). Another problem we had when testing the camera was its reaction time from us hitting the shutter button to it capturing an image which, when we forgot about the shutter lag, resulted in blurry images of us putting the smartphone away.
The camera app looks and performs as any camera app does with modes and shutter button where you expect them to be and the digital zoom operating as all digital zooms do. A few creative modes are built in which include a portrait mode, Panorama, Light Trail, Night, Time Lapse and Slo-Mo.
Camera Specs:
- 50MP f/1.9 (24mm) wide camera with PDAF and gimbal OIS
- 12MP f/2.2 (14mm) ultrawide camera with Dual Pixel PDAF
- 12MP f/2.5 (28mm) selfie camera with Dual Pixel PDAF
- Video up to 8K @ 24fps
- Pro Camera and Pro Video mode
- Portrait Mode, Panorama, Light Trail, Night, Time Lapse and Slo-Mo
Battery life - The 4300mAh battery might seem small but it easily lasts a full day of average use. If you do plan on watching a TV series or capturing photos/videos for most of the day, you will need to top the battery up.
ASUS Zenfone 9 Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
ASUS Zenfone 9 Sample Photos
Sample Photos - When the cameras performed well, we captured some lovely images but this was very hit-and-miss with most photos looking flat and under-exposed. When they didn't look dull, some had over-saturated colours, particularly green which made certain areas of the image stand out more than others. All of the shots captured do have plenty of detail, though, and are sharp (if a little over sharp on occasion). Plus, good dynamic range can be captured in the right conditions. Bokeh is nice, too, with some lovely out-of-focus background detail allowing foreground interest to take centre stage.
Samsung Galaxy S23+ Lens test images
Lens Performance - There's no optical zoom so you're going to have to use digital zoom or move your feet to get closer to subjects. Having said that, 3-5x digital zoom actually performs ok and we'd use them online. Detail starts to fall off at 10x but it's not terrible, however, avoid 20-30x. The ultra-wide and wide cameras perform well with little to no edge distortion and minimal purple fringing.
ASUS Zenfone 9 Digital filters
Digital Filters - Plenty of digital filters are built in which can be applied in-camera before you capture your shot. They range from vintage and black & white to sketch and paint effects.
Panoramas - Panoramas are stitched well but they do appear darker than what the eye sees when captured resulting in a slightly underexposed image.
Video - You can capture video in 8K, 4K and 1080p at various frame rates with gyro-EIS and even a Pro mode built in.
Value For Money
The Asus Zenfone 9 is priced at £729.99 on Amazon UK which is expensive considering its specs and performance. In comparison, you can pick up the OnePlus 11 5G for the same price point and the Google Pixel 7 Pro isn't that much more expensive either. The Samsung Galaxy S22 range is also a bit less expensive than it was as the new Galaxy S23 range is now available so this is worth considering, too, as is the Apple iPhone 14.
For more options, have a look at our 'Best Smartphones For Photography' top list or we have a 'Best Budget Camera Phones For Photography' list you can also peruse.
ASUS Zenfone 9 Verdict
The Asus Zenfone 9 is a compact smartphone that, on paper, has a lot of interesting features that grab our attention but when we actually got it in our hands, it didn't impress quite as much as we expected it to. The compact size makes it easy to use one-handed and it easily fits in a pocket but the display feels a bit too small when in use. You only have 2 cameras on the rear, too, which if they were brilliant, we'd not mention but the results are hit-and-miss with some shots appearing flat and a bit lack-lustre and others having over-saturated greens. There's no optical zoom either and we're just not the biggest fans of digital zoom. When the camera did perform well, you do get decent images but it's just not consistent enough with most photos appearing too dark. Bokeh is rather lovely, though. The final negative about the camera is the speed it captures images as it does take a while to react and capture once you have pressed the shutter which, if you don't wait, will result in a blurry shot as you move the smartphone. You do get a headphone jack, though, which is something of a rarity on newer smartphones nowadays.
The final barrier the Asus Zenfone 9 faces is the price as £729.99 is expensive and when you compare it to other smartphones at this price point, its performance and specs don't quite match up. It's a shame as compact smartphones are few and far between nowadays and you also get a headphone jack which is another feature we hardly ever see. If you really want a compact phone, you might consider the specs and think they're OK but we think most will, unfortunately, look elsewhere.
Own this product? Let us know what you think of it in the EQDB.
Spotted a mistake? Let us know in the EQDB.