Asus Zenfone 8 Review: Small and mighty

Verdict

By not following the blueprint of just about each different Android telephone, Asus has discovered a distinct segment for the Zenfone 8. When you’re after an iPhone 12-sized Android telephone with top-tier specs then this system is a superb choice.

Introduction

The Asus Zenfone 8 might have ended up being simply one other Android telephone in the identical ilk because the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, OnePlus 9 and so forth.

As an alternative, Asus has made a intelligent resolution to attempt to assist this stand out among the many different greatest Android telephones round. Not like its competitors, the Asus ZenFone 8 is small – as in iPhone 12-level tiny.

Design and Display screen

• The 5.9-inch display is likely one of the smaller choices
• OLED panel is of top of the range
• Comparable measurement system to the iPhone 12

Having a tool with a sub-6-inch show is uncommon within the Android area, and handsets which have been launched not too long ago (Pixel 4a, Pixel 5) can’t actually be classed as full flagship units as they use extra modest inner elements.

The Zenfone 8 isn’t being marketed as a ‘Mini’ or ‘Lite’ model of a bigger system – that is the true Zenfone flagship for the 12 months. It’s exceptionally pocketable, critically gentle at 169g and remains to be feature-rich.

This isn’t as compact a tool because the iPhone 12 Mini; it’s simply barely smaller than the iPhone 12. This can be a good transfer on Asus’ half, since going as small as Apple’s Mini telephone would have possible put extra individuals off than those that would have been enticed by the concept. The dimensions right here appears like an honest compromise, and the system ought to actually be of curiosity to anybody who feels Android telephones are usually too massive.

Dimension apart, the Zenfone 8 feels nice. The steel again is closely curved to nestle comfortably in your palm, and whereas it isn’t the thinnest system, there may be room for a 3.5mm headphone jack on the highest. There’s a USB-C port alongside the underside edge, and there’s a pop of color from a blue energy button. You even get a notification/charging LED subsequent to the USB-C port and an IP68 ranking.

It’s a easy design, nevertheless it seems sensible and refined.

The entrance is dwelling to a 5.9-inch flat show. It’s smaller than most, though I’ve discovered it greater than ample for gaming and watching movies. It’s additionally the best measurement for navigating with one hand, one thing that’s made even higher by the iOS-like one-handed mode that shunts the entire interface down.

Asus may need opted for a smaller display, nevertheless it hasn’t skimped on the tech powering the panel. The 1080p Samsung OLED E4 panel provides extensive HDR assist, Gorilla Glass Victus, a reported 1100 nits of brightness, an in-display fingerprint sensor and 120Hz refresh charge for easy scrolling and responsive gaming.

These are all prime of the road specs on a par, if not higher, than many of the different flagships I’ve examined this 12 months.

HDR content material from Netflix actually exhibits off the standard of the display, with that added brightness giving an additional pop to explosions and the like. I can’t see many shopping for a smaller telephone for video binges, however at the least the standard is there in case you do need to do this.

Whereas the show isn’t adaptive in the identical means because the panel that options on the OnePlus 9 Professional, you’ll be able to change between 60Hz, 90Hz or 120Hz, or have the system robotically change it for you.

I left the auto choice on for some time; nonetheless, the display by no means appeared to modify all the best way as much as 120Hz, as an alternative principally sticking at 90Hz. I’m a sucker for that easy 120Hz goodness, so I compelled it to stay to that on a regular basis out of behavior. If you wish to push the battery life longer, hold the auto mode on or drop it all the way down to 60Hz.

This is a superb display with a critically big selection of customisation choices for tweaking colors and gamuts in case you’re into that sort of factor.

Digital camera

• Two cameras on the again
• Zoom is only digital
• Able to taking pictures 8K video

The one space the place sacrifices have been made to maintain the scale of the unit down is the digicam set-up. There are solely two sensors on the again, with a zoom lens scrapped resulting from lack of area.

The primary digicam is a 64-megapixel Sony IM686 sensor with optical picture stabilisation (OIS), an f/1.7 aperture and 8K video recording. That is paired with a 12-megapixel Sony IMX636 ultra-wide sensor.

I’ve been taking pictures with the digicam for a number of weeks now and it may churn out respectable pictures. The colors are punchy, there’s loads of element and the app focuses rapidly. Nonetheless, there isn’t something of notice that stands out, with the digicam processing typically being a weak level for Asus. Generally colors in significantly shiny eventualities are oversaturated and look slightly garish – despite the fact that they regarded nice because the shot was being taken.

It’s additionally not essentially the most succesful digicam in lower-light conditions. There’s a devoted evening mode that mixes a number of exposures collectively to drag out extra brightness from a shot and that is nice for landscapes, nevertheless it falls down when there’s an excessive amount of motion.

The digicam right here isn’t miles away from the Pixel 5 in common lighting, nonetheless if digicam high quality is a key characteristic and also you need a smaller telephone, then Google’s providing would possibly nonetheless be a more sensible choice.

The secondary digicam takes good ultra-wide pictures and it’s good for some added versatility, though there’s a noticeable color shift between the digicam sensors.

The dearth of any type of zoom – except for the digital choice – is a disgrace however hardly a shock. The similarly-sized iPhone 12 lacks telephoto zoom and also you received’t discover it on the Pixel 5 both.

Efficiency

• Critically highly effective for the scale
• Snapdragon 888, as much as 16GB RAM
• 5G assist

Probably the most stunning facet concerning the Zenfone 8 is simply what number of top-end specs Asus has crammed inside its tiny body.

It’s traditional for smaller telephones to stint on the internals, providing mid-range chipsets – however this isn’t the case right here. Powering the telephone is a Snapdragon 888 platform with 5G and as much as 16GB LPDDR5 RAM. Whereas there’s no expandable storage, the 256GB UFS 3.1 storage must be enough for many. It even has wonderful sounding, front-firing stereo audio system that sound higher than many pricier telephones.

I’ve been utilizing the telephone for various weeks now and it’s critically quick in all conditions, whether or not that’s gaming or simply day-to-day enterprise. As with every system that’s powered by this chipset, any recreation from Google Play runs with ease. I’ve seen that the telephone can run scorching when enjoying significantly demanding video games, one thing I haven’t seen too typically with Android telephones.

Just a few fast benchmarks again this actual world use, with Geekbench 5 scores of 1119 (single-core) and 3689 (multi-core) evaluating properly to different high-end telephones.

It’s been a number of years since I’ve correctly used an Asus telephone over an prolonged interval and I can’t say I used to be too enthused concerning the software program again then. It’s a unique story now, with the UI right here packing most of the design parts usually known as ‘inventory Android’. It’s clear, with an emphasis on Google’s personal apps and companies however with an added layer of depth that you simply simply don’t see on the model’s Pixel telephones.

You may have deep management of the show, efficiency and there are even customisations on provide for the button on the facet. It’s the same story for the battery, too. There are alternatives to restrict charging to a sure share to eke out extra life from the cell.

Asus has stated the Zenfone 8 will obtain an extra two years of Android updates together with the accompanying safety patches. Two years of updates are, in fact, higher than one (or none, which is pretty widespread) nevertheless it falls under the three provided on flagship telephones from the likes of Samsung.

Battery life

• Good battery life, however removed from the most effective
• 30w charging
• Charger included

The Zenfone features a 4000mAh battery with 30W quick charging (and an included energy brick). Wi-fi charging is lacking, although.

4000mAh may appear small when in comparison with a number of the different greatest telephones round, nonetheless with the smaller show, it may nonetheless maintain its personal.

Throughout testing, I’ve discovered that the Zenfone 8 will get me comfortably via a day with between 5 to 6 hours of display time. I’d class this as fairly heavy use, so in case you’re a lighter consumer then you definitely shouldn’t wrestle in any respect to go from morning till evening with out reaching for a cable.

That is lower than what you’ll discover with bigger telephones, the place screen-on time can typically hit eight hours, nonetheless it’s higher than an iPhone 12, and much superior to the 12 Mini. The Zenfone 8 is way from a battery life champion nevertheless it’s nonetheless greater than succesful.

Asus has built-in various neat battery modes too. You possibly can decrease efficiency to get slightly extra juice or solely enable the battery to cost to a sure share to hopefully give it extra life. I haven’t spent sufficient time with the telephone to evaluate whether or not these make any worthwhile distinction however the choices are at all times good to have.

By way of charging, there’s a 30w plug included that obtained me a full cost in 61 minutes. A faster cost to 50% was accomplished in round 25 minutes.

Greatest Gives

Take a look at comparability title

Full specification title