Asus is back with a big battery, top-of-line processor, and series of other mighty features in its ZenFone. Read the complete Asus ZenFone 8 Review to learn why it is called an “ultimate mighty small phone”.
Asus smartphones, including ZenFone and ROG phone series, have started building Asus’s reputation among the top players in the affordable smartphone segment. It has been a long time now since Asus announced the first-gen ZenFone at Consumer Electronic Show 2014.
In addition to Intel Atom, Qualcomm Snapdragon, and MediaTek Processors, and Android OS, a few series of ZenFone features the Zen UI, an exclusively designed UI from Asus. Asus ZenFone is an ultimate compact phone with a crisp 9-inch AMOLED display, big & better battery, dependable 64-megapixel camera, and some powerful measures against rival Galaxy S21 Ultra.
In this Asus ZenFone 8 Review, we will cover all the aspects to give you an insight into this small mighty feature-packed phone.
Asus ZenFone 8 Review: Testing Its Design & Durability
Compared to the Asus ZenFone 7 & 7 Pro: two phones released last year, ZenFone 8 comes with a better, compact design. Similar to its laptops, the ergonomics of the ZenFone 8 are quite better due to its compact, small design. Additionally, the curved back glass and the rounded metal frame of the phone offer an excellent in-hand feel.
Asus ZenFone 8 Review: An Impressive Display In Small Package
Asus ZenFone 8’s screen measures 5.9 inches over the diagonals and offers a Full HD+ resolution in a 20:9 aspect ratio. This Samsung manufactured AMOLED Display features a 120Hz refresh rate. The most amazing feature that comes here is, its capability to dial back the refresh rate to 90Hz or 60Hz to preserve the battery life.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has the same, but the refresh rate adjustment feature is exclusively in Asus ZenFone 8. Although it is not a WQHD display, we don’t think it will make any difference.
Asus ZenFone 8 Review: Dependable Dual Camera
It brings an excellent double-duty dual-camera in a smaller package. The Asus ZenFone 8 offers a dual camera on the back and a powerful single selfie snapper. The primary camera is doing double duty – the 64MP rear shooter acts as a telephoto with 2x lossless Zoom, meanwhile the 12MP ultrawide can do macro shots due to its autofocus capabilities. Its night mode is really appreciable which can automatically detect and brighten the lighted area.
Asus ZenFone 8 Review: Excellent Performance At $720
All-new Asus ZenFone 8 is powered by a top-of-the-line processor — Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, along with 12GB RAM or 16GB in its superior variant with 256GB of storage. But the performance is not just about numbers. When putting the Asus ZenFone 8 through its paces, the ZenFone 8 packs dual speakers that are loud and produce excellent sound. It has a headphone jack (if you still have not tried the best wireless headphones under 2,000.)
In a 3D Benchmark Test, it performed similarly to iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 12, but we know — “all that glitters is not gold”. The Asus ZenFone 8 is available in two colors: Obsidian Black and Horizon Silver. With more features, including IP68 Rating and 5G Rating, it comes among high-end small phones in 2021. You can buy it at a price of $720 (approx 599 Euros, £520, AU$930). Learn more about its specifications below.
Asus ZenFone 8 Review
Screen Size | 5.9 inches |
CPU/Processor | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680) |
Storage | 128GB/6GB RAM and 256GB/16GB RAM |
Primary Camera | 64MP Wide-angle and 12MP Ultrawide |
Secondary Camera | 12MP |
Battery | 4,000 mAh |
Release Date | 13 May 2021 |
Price | $720 |
Display Type | Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
Size | 5.9 inches, (~82.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
Screen Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~446 ppi density) |
Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Main Camera | |
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Type | Dual Camera 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.73 12 MP, f/2.2, 112˚, 14mm (ultrawide) |
Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama |
Videos | 8K at 24fps: 4K at 30/60/120fps, 1080p at 30/60/240fps; gyro-EIS |
Selfie Camera | |
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Types | Single 12 MP, f/2.5 |
Video | 1080p at 30fps |
Operating System (OS) | Android 11, ZenUI 8 |
Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
CPU | Octa-core |
GPU | Adreno 660 |
Dimensions | 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm |
Weight | 169 g |
Card Slot | No |
Internal | 64GB/128GB and 256GB |
Speaker | Stereo speakers |
Type | Li-Po 4,000 mAh, non-removable |
Charging | Fast charging 33W |
WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
Bluetooth | Yes, 5.0 A2DP |
GPS | Yes, dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS |
NFC | YES |
USB | Yes, Type-C 2.0 |
Sensors : | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |