ASUS Zenfone 8 review: the best compact Android smartphone of 2022

Although ASUS' Zenfone line has been around for many years, it has never been hugely popular. Many people don’t even know about its existence, but the ASUS Zenfone 8 smartphone is worth paying attention to.

This time, ASUS focused on combining a compact design with powerful hardware and high battery life. And the manufacturer succeeded. Although prices for the new Zenfone 8 start at 50 thousand rubles, the smartphone really seems like a good option for purchase.

Specifications ASUS Zenfone 8

⇡#Hardware and performance

Both smartphones received the current flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform - there are no surprises here, no one would have understood any other choice, even despite the system’s cooling problems. Perhaps it was possible to debut with the Plus version, but it is apparently not ready yet.

Let us remind you what the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 is. The platform consists of eight Kryo 680 cores, made using a 5nm process technology: the main core is made on the basis of a redesigned Cortex-X1 and has a frequency of 2.84 GHz, it is complemented by three modified ARM Cortex-A78 cores with a frequency of 2.42 GHz and four energy-efficient modified ARM Cortex-A55 cores with a frequency of 1.8 GHz. The graphics subsystem is Adreno 660. The Spectra image signal processor and the sixth generation AI Engine have received improvements compared to their counterparts from previous versions of the SoC.

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip outperforms its brother in a significant part of synthetic tests, even though Zenfone 8 came to us in the most powerful version, with 16 (!) gigabytes of RAM. The difference is due to the larger device having a much better cooling system. However, in real, not laboratory conditions, I did not notice any problems with performance even in long gaming (and filming) sessions. The power of the platform is comprehensive, and current generation applications cannot stymie it.

The biggest problems for ASUS Zenfone 8 were created by a stress test based on the 3D Mark's Wild Life benchmark - both in the regular and Extreme versions. By the end of the test, the processor clock speed dropped by almost 50%, and the smartphone itself signaled overheating. This is still better than the Xiaomi 11/Xiaomi 11 Ultra, which failed this test due to overheating, but overall the result is so-so. Flip also heated up to more than fifty degrees, but at the same time recorded a more or less acceptable throttling rate.

Both smartphones passed the usual CPU Throttling Test stress test more confidently. During a 15-minute session, the Zenfone 8 processor frequency dropped to 85% of the maximum with an average performance of 212 GIPS, Zenfone 8 Flip - to 89% with 247 GIPS.

ASUS Zenfone 8 comes to Russia in two versions - with 8 GB of RAM (LPDDR5) and 128 GB storage (UFS 3.1) or with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB storage. There is no slot for a memory card, so it makes sense to think about paying the same ten thousand rubles for the difference between the versions. Zenfone 8 Flip exists only in the 8/256 GB version - and at the same time it offers a memory card slot, and a dedicated one, not a hybrid one.

Unpacking and packaging

The ASUS Zenfone 8 smartphone comes in a classic gray box containing traditional accessories, including a SIM card tray tool and documentation. The modular charger is adapted to today's fast standards, with a power of 30 W, to which we connect a USB-C to USB-C cable.

Another element of the set is a case with an unusual structure. The protector is made of plastic with a special texture that improves grip. The accessory does a good job of protecting the protruding camera and minimally protecting the front, although the edges remain exposed.

Communication and Internet

The communication interface of the review hero is rich. The manufacturer did not skimp on useful details. Zenfone 8 Flip boasts stable 4G LTE signal reception, a powerful dual-band Wi-Fi module and Bluetooth 5.2.

Smart can be used for contactless payment for purchases via NFC. Cards of any banks and payment systems are linked without problems.

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Design and appearance

Smartphones are getting bigger and bigger, which many people don't really like. Compact devices are more convenient to use, especially with one hand, although when creating them, manufacturers often cut back on other functions.

One of the main disadvantages of such smartphones is a weak processor. ASUS Zenfone 8 does not have this problem; here we get a powerful chipset and a large-capacity battery. This was made possible by reducing the printed circuit board, so it was possible to fit the Snapdragon 888 processor and a 4000 mAh battery inside the case.

The front panel of Zenfone 8 allows you to distinguish it from any other smartphone. It's not the size, but the cut edges that are always visible when you look at the phone from the front. Added to this is the characteristic border of the selfie camera, which, by the way, works well. The frames around the display are almost identical, so nothing hurts the eyes. At the top there is a speaker grille, which is part of the stereo system, which we will talk about later. The last element on the front panel is a fast fingerprint scanner built into the display.

Everything is smooth at the back, only the Asus Zenfone inscription stands out on the matte panel. Of course, there is also a module with two cameras. The manufacturer decided not to use a lot of lenses, because most people probably won’t use them. The lenses protrude a little, but do not interfere with everyday use.

The back cover of the case has a 2.5D rounded edge, the device lies comfortably in your hands, and the surface is made of aluminum. A nice design element is the blue power button. In general, different colored keys have become a trend among smartphones lately - like the orange button on the Pixel 4 or the mint green button on the Pixel 4a. Compared to the all-black Zenfone 8, the blue key really stands out.

Design

The phone has no sharp corners, harmony and smooth contours reign here. Aluminum frame, glass front and back. Moreover, the kit comes with additional protection - a plastic pad will protect the surface if it falls.

This is what the phone looks like in the included protective case.

And this is an additional accessory to protect the case. The display is protected by wide sides in the case.

We have also added water protection; at the height of the summer season we will definitely be able to test the function.

It’s a pity that they didn’t “play” with the design of the camera block: it looks too simple and not expressive. The block merges with the black panel, so we get a faceless design style: you look at the phone and don’t understand whether it costs 10 or 70 thousand rubles.

Smartphone display

Based on specs alone, the ASUS Zenfone 8's screen isn't the most impressive. But in reality it is very colorful.

This is an AMOLED panel from Samsung with a diagonal of 5.9 inches, a resolution of 2400x1080 pixels with an aspect ratio of 20:9. The refresh rate reaches 120 Hz, and the sensor layer polling rate is 240 Hz. Ideal performance for gaming.

Since Samsung is the manufacturer of the AMOLED matrix, any shade looks great. The maximum brightness reaches 1100 nits, more than enough for use even on a sunny day.

⇡#Display and sound

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip has the same screen as the Zenfone 7 Pro: AMOLED with a diagonal of 6.67 inches and a resolution of 2400 × 1080 pixels (20:9 format). Pixel density - 395 ppi. ASUS Zenfone 8 also has an AMOLED display (Super AMOLED matrix) with the same resolution, but with a diagonal of 5.9 inches, thanks to which the pixel density is higher - 446 ppi.

ASUS Zenfone 8

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip

The display of the formally younger “Zenfon” is, of course, inferior in diagonal (if competition is at all appropriate here), but it received a 120 Hz refresh mode, while the Zenfone 8 Flip has a maximum frequency of 90 Hz. I wouldn't say that the difference is dramatic - the picture scrolls about equally smoothly. Both smartphones have a special mode for reducing flicker due to resolution - those who are sensitive to PWM will find it useful to use a smartphone with minimum screen brightness.

But in terms of brightness, Zenfone 8 is inferior to Flip: 476 cd/m2 versus 591 cd/m2 - you can use both smartphones in the sun, but the older one is certainly more comfortable. Moreover, its brightness level is close to a record for mobile OLED screens. The small “eight” also wouldn’t say that it performs poorly, it’s just not so impressive against this background.

Traditionally, ZenUI has many on-screen settings available: you can choose not only the already mentioned fonts, animations and display refresh rate, but also the color mode from several presets, with the ability to adjust the white balance for each of them manually. A mode for setting the color saturation yourself is also available - up to the ability to make the screen of your Zenphone black and white. However, I did not test the Zenfone 8 Flip screen in detail, choosing the default mode - there are no differences from the Zenfone 7 Pro, there is no point in going deeper. I tested the Zenfone 8 display in both default mode and cinematic mode.

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip, gamma in default mode. Yellow line – Zenfone 8 Flip performance, dotted line – reference gamma

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip, color temperature in default mode. Blue line – Zenfone 8 Flip performance, dotted line – reference temperature

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip, color gamut in default mode. Gray triangle – DCI-P3 coverage, white triangle – Zenfone 8 Flip coverage

In standard mode, the Zenfone 8 Flip's screen displays a cool and rich picture with a color gamut exceeding DCI-P3 - everything as stated. The average gamma is slightly increased - 2.33; the curves behave stably. Color temperature is above normal - ranges from 7,000 to 8,000 K with a standard of 6,500 K. The average deviation DeltaE for the extended Color Checker palette (grayscale + a wide range of color shades) is 3.97 (with a standard of 3 and a standard of 2) . I note that in general the picture is adjusted more accurately than in the Zenfone 7 Pro in the same mode.

ASUS Zenfone 8, gamma in default mode. Yellow line – Zenfone 8 indicators, dotted line – reference gamma

ASUS Zenfone 8, color temperature in default mode. Blue line – Zenfone 8 indicators, dotted line – reference temperature

ASUS Zenfone 8, color gamut in default mode. Gray triangle – DCI-P3 coverage, white triangle – Zenfone 8 coverage

The Zenfone 8's screen is set up in a similar way. True, the color gamut here is a little narrower - it roughly corresponds to DCI-P3, but almost does not exceed it. At the same time, the gamma is slightly lower and close to the standard - 2.25. The color temperature is absolutely the same - increased, but not too much. The average deviation of Delta E is 4.22.

ASUS Zenfone 8, gamma in cinematic color mode. Yellow line – Zenfone 8 indicators, dotted line – reference gamma

ASUS Zenfone 8, color temperature in cinematic color mode. Blue line – Zenfone 8 indicators, dotted line – reference temperature

ASUS Zenfone 8, cinematic color gamut. Gray triangle – DCI-P3 coverage, white triangle – Zenfone 8 coverage

In cinematic mode, the colors become much warmer, approaching the standard of 6,500 K, but otherwise the screen behaves approximately the same: identical gamma, DCI-P3 coverage, the average deviation Delta E goes even further from the standard and is 4.48. We can say that the Zenfone 8 screen is configured acceptable, but not perfect. Flip is doing better in this regard.

In terms of sound data, Zenfone 8 is superior to Flip - for one reason, which is immediately clear. It has a mini-jack - I won’t describe the advantages of the analog connector, this is far from critical in our time, but is still a very popular element. In other respects, both new “Zenphones” are very close: stereo speakers, in which the main speaker works in tandem with the main one; wireless data transmission via Bluetooth 5.2 with support for the most important profiles for music lovers (LDAC, aptX Adaptive); DIRAC Sound technology, which helps “pull up” the digital audio source to a higher level.

Zenfone 8 cameras

For many years, the weak point of ASUS smartphones was the camera, but Zenfone 8 broke this stereotype. The shooting quality here is not the best among flagships, but it is very good.

The ASUS Zenfone 8 phone received two main cameras on the back surface: a 64-megapixel main lens and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. The second lens also serves as a macro lens.

The main camera takes excellent photos if the lighting is okay. Alas, problems begin in the dark. The ASUS smartphone doesn't have a Night mode as good as the Pixel 5 or Galaxy S21. However, many will be pleased with the ultra-wide-angle sensor – especially when it comes to macro photography.

We also have access to Pro mode = for photos and videos. If you are a photographer and know how to adjust shutter speed and ISO, Zenfone 8 will allow you to take really high-quality photos.

In general, the photos are good, but not flagship. Tonal range is limited and results often have distorted contrast. As a result, photos lack vibrancy and often have poor depth. Software correction is certainly useful.

The quality of shooting on the front 12 MP camera is very mediocre. In my opinion, it is worse than OnePlus, which has the same sensor. But, the lens copes quite reasonably in good lighting conditions. Problems and shortcomings appear when there is less light. However, this is not a hopeless lens, suitable for casual selfies or video calls. Its advantage is the presence of phase detection autofocus.

As for video, the device shoots:

• HD at 480 frames
• FullHD at 120 and 240 frames
• 4K@120fps
• HD (720p) at 30 frames
• FullHD (1080p) at 30/60 frames
• 4K at 30 and 60 fps
• 8K at 24 fps.

You won't be able to use a wide-angle lens in 8K. In the case of 4K and 60 fps, you cannot switch to the wide-angle lens if recording started from the main sensor. What is important is that any resolution supports electronic image stabilization. There's no shortage of optical image stabilization, and audio quality is handled by three microphones.

⇡#Camera

ASUS, in fact, left the same camera system as in the Zenfone 7 Pro: on the Flip there are no changes at all, on the regular “eight” – reduced to a double unit, minus the zoom module. There are no “quantity” cameras in these smartphones; all modules are used for shooting at different focal lengths, and the portrait mode functions quite normally even without a “depth sensor”.

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip, cameras

ASUS Zenfone 8, cameras

The main module in both smartphones is based on the Sony IMX686 sensor (Quad Bayer, 64 MP, sensor size – 1/1.73″, pixel size – 0.8 microns), which works with a lens with an equivalent focal length of 26 mm and aperture ƒ/ 1.8. Autofocus is phase detection, there is optical stabilization on four axes. The wide-angle module contains a Sony IMX363 sensor (12 MP, sensor size – 1/2.55″, pixel size – 1.4 microns) and a lens with an equivalent focal length of 14 mm and an aperture of ƒ/2.2. There is phase detection autofocus, which allows you to use this camera both for landscapes and, for example, for group self-portraits (face detection works) or macro photography, accessible thanks to a minimum focusing distance of 4 cm. The third camera on the Flip is responsible for a three-fold zoom - this is an 8-megapixel module with an 80 mm EGF lens and aperture ratio ƒ/2.4; There is autofocus and optical stabilizer.

The use of a Quad Bayer sensor allows you to count on zoom in Zenfone 8 - but 2x and hybrid, with losses in image quality. But the losses, as you can see from the shooting examples, are insignificant. You can safely use the zoom in daylight. In the dark - with limitations, but I wouldn’t say that the 3x optical zoom available on the Flip handles low-light situations much better. The wide-angle camera is very pleasing - not only does autofocus allow you to rely on it not only in landscape scenes, but also the picture quality (in normal lighting) is excellent. In the dark there are already problems with detail, but the pictures are still suitable for publication on social networks.

In general, there are no complaints about the level of shooting of the Zenfone 8 - the smartphone may not be impressive with its capabilities, but in terms of color rendition, dynamic range, and in terms of freedom to use the main module in the dark, its level is quite flagship. However, there are some issues with the software processing, which allows for errors - pay attention to how the image appears double in the example of shooting with zoom above. Gluing HDR (enabled by default) using neural networks usually helps to “stretch” the quality of the picture, but sometimes leads to unpleasant artifacts. Let's hope that this will be fixed in future firmware.

There is practically nothing to add about the Zenfone 8 Flip, except to note the presence of a 3x optical zoom, which does not cope very well with shooting in low light - not necessarily at night, but even at dusk. It's a bit of a shame, given the presence of a stabilizer. But the rest is still the same even, good level.

At the same time, despite the absence of this option among the basic ones available in the application, Zenfone 8 Flip is not without an additional, 2x zoom in the manner of Zenfone 8. It works exactly the same. Well, of course, the main highlight of the device has been preserved - a movable module that allows you to shoot from different angles, and not just from the rear or front position. You can “steer” the camera using a virtual joystick or the volume key (by default in the camera application it is responsible not for releasing the electronic shutter, but rather for moving the module) manually, or you can select one of three intermediate positions - to speed up the process and more accurately guidance From these positions, firstly, you can choose unusual angles for shooting, and secondly - and this is the most important thing - you can shoot unnoticed by others, which can be invaluable for genre photos or videos. Automatic panorama shooting is also available due to the movement of the module itself, and not your hand. If you like panoramas, this is probably the easiest way to do them, but you need to be prepared for the fact that when you pass a full circle, either you or your hand will definitely appear in the frame - the module still “turns” to the frontal plane.

By default, shooting is carried out in a resolution of 16 megapixels, but you can also turn on the 64-megapixel mode - doing this, however, is very inconvenient, you have to go into the detailed shooting settings and select the format and resolution there.

Both Zenfone 8 have a special mode for night photography with stitching together frames taken in a few seconds - and it only works with the wide-angle and main cameras. It is no longer available for zoom, which limits the use of the third camera at night. At the same time, both at a wide angle and, of course, with the main camera, you can shoot freely in low light - the night mode greatly draws out the shadows and produces a very rich, detailed picture. The examples above are on both Zenfone 8 and Flip. No difference. I note that the Zenfone 8/8 Flip has an unobtrusive “artificial intelligence” that can recognize the scene and adjust the image according to its internal instructions - it is disabled by default, and if you turn it on, it does it so unnoticeably that you can tell the difference when viewing frames with AI on and off, I simply couldn’t.

Portrait mode is available on both Zenfone 8s. Despite the absence of a special camera working for it, blurring is carried out correctly, and smartphones draw artificial bokeh well. There is a very powerful beautifier that allows you to correct various parts of the face and tone the skin. Bokeh is adjustable. But, alas, as in previous Zenfones, portrait mode with background blur is only available when shooting with the main camera. As a result, the camera is better suited for half-length and full-length portraits, as well as selfies in the case of Flip (for which distortion of proportions is generally characteristic), and close-ups are much worse for the smartphone due to incorrect geometry.

The camera interface in Zen UI is unchanged from what we saw on the Zenfone 7 Pro (and ROG Phone 5). Navigation is clear, changing focal lengths is implemented conveniently, the main shooting modes are in place. There are, perhaps, only small complaints about the Russification of submenus with additional modes - the designers were unable to move the fonts to the second line, which is why some of the writing disappeared.

ASUS Zenfone 8

Asus Zenfone 8 Flip

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According to the video, Zenfone 8/8 Flip has everything at a modern level. Smartphones can shoot video in 8K resolution (frequency up to 30 frames per second), in 4K a frequency of up to 60 frames per second is supported - in this case, digital stabilization already works. There is also a shooting mode with enhanced stabilization - maximum in Full HD resolution, but at 60 frames per second. It is possible to shoot with motion tracking, when the smartphone tenaciously “leads” a given object, which is especially useful when trying to capture animals and children on video. Slow motion is rated at 4K at up to 120 fps, Full HD at up to 240 fps, or HD at 480 fps. While shooting on Flip, you can move the module, thereby creating additional dynamics in the frame. There is a “professional” mode, in which, in addition to the usual manual settings, there are several unusual options - control of wind noise suppression, sound recording direction (you can choose one of three built-in microphones or a surround sound effect), as well as digital zooming of the selected area. But the problem of the seventh Zenphone with increased heating of the body when shooting video has not gone away - both smartphones suffer from this, which can lead to a decrease in picture quality.

ASUS Zenfone 8 received a front camera with a 12-megapixel sensor, an ƒ/2.5 lens and autofocus. A successful module that allows you to take normal self-portraits in various conditions. Flip, of course, thanks to the rotating camera, plays in its own league - there is nothing to say here, it has no competitors, the ideal smartphone for bloggers.

Software

At the beginning of the development of the Zenfone line, ASUS made a lot of changes to the ZenUI shell on Android, which many users did not like.

Fortunately, the company has gradually changed this approach - Zenfone 8 runs almost pure Android. If you are a fan of Pixel smartphones, you will definitely like this model. However, ASUS has added a number of interesting features of its own. For example, you can slide the screen down to reach items at the top, just like on the iPhone. Simply swipe at the bottom of the screen and it will go down halfway.

ZenUI 8 also worked on energy saving. You can optimize power consumption for each application. The appearance of the battery indicator at the top of the screen is also changeable. There are also many interface settings, now it is convenient to customize fonts, colors of different elements, icon shapes and animation speed.

Several functions have also been carried over from ROG Phone gaming smartphones. The main one is the Game Genie mode, which allows you to block notifications, calls, prevent brightness changes and much more.

Overall, the ASUS Zenfone 8 software is implemented at the highest level. The interface is fast and intuitive, which is what you want from good software. The only possible problem is updates; ASUS has never been famous for good support for their smartphones. Therefore, it is unknown whether Zenfone 8 will switch to Android 12 while the gadget runs on Android 11.

A compact giant that feels amazing in the hand

The new product is made of metal (frame), tempered glass Gorilla Glass Victus (front panel) and Gorilla Glass 3 (rear panel). The last point surprised me, because I did not tactilely feel the glass panel from behind.

It rather resembles expensive plastic; this impression is created by the matte finish . To some, this solution may seem like a disadvantage, but personally, I like it even more than if there was clear glass that tends to slip out of my hand. There is no such thing here, the flagship lies securely in the hand and does not try to “escape” anywhere. And in general, I already miss such sensations.

Speaking about the size of the smartphone, it should immediately be noted that it is really quite compact: 148x65.8x8.9 mm and weighs only 169 grams. To understand, it is slightly longer than the iPhone 12, but narrower. The width is somewhere between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.

I don’t know why, but the “extra” 5 grams compared to the “two-piece” feel good. Of course, we can’t say that this is a heavy smartphone, but it is heavier than Apple’s 6.1-inch flagship. Together with the matte finish, an additional feeling of reliability and confidence is created that the device will not go anywhere.

I especially liked that the camera block only protrudes slightly from the body. Due to this, the device practically does not wobble on the table while typing or quickly responding to a notification.

The power button also stands out on the body; it is painted blue. However, I would not say that this greatly affects the recognition of the device; the back panel already looks standard for Android devices.

On the bottom edge of Zenfone 8, in addition to the USB-C port, there is a light indicator indicating the presence of missed notifications. In general, I never saw the point in it; everything has been shown on an AMOLED display for a long time, so I disabled this option almost immediately (fortunately, it is provided here).

On top, the manufacturer carefully left a 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones. So you can normally listen to lossless music on Apple Music from your smartphone. The main thing is to have suitable headphones. This was achieved thanks to the Qualcomm Aqstic DAC codec with an integrated digital-to-analog converter .

Well, the last thing that can be added about the case is that it is protected from water according to the IP68 standard. That is, it can be under water at a depth of up to 1 meter.

Component Performance

I tested the most powerful version of ASUS Zenfone 8 with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, powered by a Snapdragon 888 5G processor.

As you'd expect from powerful hardware, the performance here is incredible. The smartphone copes well with any games - there are no lags, but the body heats up at maximum loads.

Naturally, Zenfone 8 copes with everyday tasks flawlessly. I'm glad that the operating system doesn't try to aggressively limit the running of background applications. However, this is not required - 16 GB of RAM is enough for everything, and almost pure Android is not resource-hungry.

The device is ideal for mobile entertainment. There is no game on the Play Store today that could cause Zenfone 8 any problems. PUBG, Asphalt 9, Call of Duty Mobile or Real Racing 3 ran at maximum speed and without brakes.

Shoots great during the day, but at night...

But at night it’s not so great.

The smartphone has only two cameras:

▪️ 64 MP wide-angle Sony IMX686 with optical stabilization, 1/1.7-inch matrix, f/1.8 aperture, phase detection autofocus and Quad Bayer technology (combines the matrix pixels into cells of 4, increasing their size from 0.8 microns to 1.6 microns, which increases light sensitivity, but reduces resolution to 16 MP)

▪️ 12 MP ultra-wide-angle Sony IMX363 with 1/2.55-inch matrix, 113-degree viewing angle, f/2.2 aperture, phase detection autofocus, electronic stabilization and support for real-time distortion correction

During the day, the camera copes with its surroundings just fine. It correctly sets the white balance, focuses on objects very quickly and correctly details the scene.

All lines are clear, nothing is blurry

The contours of objects are almost perfectly preserved

The camera interface is similar to that of the iPhone, although in fact there are more options here

The latter, however, often happens thanks to built-in algorithms, since a telephoto module is not provided here.

However, due to the fact that the camera shoots in 64 MP resolution, a large amount of detail is preserved when zooming in.

2x zoom

At dusk and poor lighting, the situation is no longer so rosy, although quite tolerable. Noise appears that the algorithms do not try very hard to hide, but rely on compensating for hand tremors.

At the same time, at some points the image details may be blurred , but nothing critical.

The resulting photos are pleasant to look at, although there is nothing outstanding about them.

Biometric security

Modern smartphones use a fingerprint scanner or facial recognition to secure access; in the Zenfone 8 ASUS we get both options.

To be honest, ASUS failed to implement both of them at the highest level. Face unlock only works in half of the cases, we can only hope that the problem will be resolved in a future update.

Things are much better with the fingerprint scanner. I would like manufacturers to start making larger scanners or dedicating the lower third of the screen to them, as Vivo did. In this case, you can unlock without having to find a small area of ​​the display with your finger each time.

120 Hz display - my respects

The first thing that captivates you about this smartphone is the presence of an ultra-smooth AMOLED display with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz . There are three operating modes: 60, 90 and 120 Hz. Not only the sensations depend on this, but also the operating time, which I will discuss in more detail below.

I’m still waiting for something like this to appear on the iPhone, and I sincerely don’t understand why Apple won’t implement the technology into its screens. And all because using such a device is a complete pleasure. The image moves so smoothly that even if some microfreezes appear in applications, you don’t even notice them. It seems that the smart one works even faster than necessary.

At the same time, the flagship screen is very clear: a resolution of 2400x1080 pixels, an aspect ratio of 20:9, there is support for HDR10+ , and the response time is only 1 ms , which is often inherent in gaming monitors.

There are 5 color image display modes. The display is best calibrated, as for me, in “Standard” and “Cinematic”. In the first case, it provides a color gamut slightly larger than standard sRGB, and in the second, more than DCI-P3.

It's enough for watching movies and TV series. Even though the display is only 5.9 inches.

Haters of OLED screens may also like the new product, since the smartphone can enable DC Dimming technology, which reduces flickering at low brightness. Well, traditionally there is an Always-On-Display function for displaying notifications and time on the locked screen.

An optical fingerprint scanner is hidden under the front panel. It works very quickly , although not as lightning fast as the ultrasonic one in modern smartphones. In general, I have no complaints about this point: the scanner is fast, and coupled with face unlocking, you don’t even notice that something happened when you took the smartphone out of your pocket. I took it out and it was already unlocked.

Sound quality

Due to its small size, you shouldn't expect incredible sound quality from the ASUS Zenfone 8. However, the smartphone presented a pleasant surprise.

Even at the lowest setting, the volume is impressive, and at high there is no distortion. Moreover, the sound here is surround, thanks to stereo speakers: main = at the bottom and conversational at the top. Unfortunately, the lower one is not in the best place; it is easy to close it with your hand.

Zenfone 8 also has a headphone jack. This is one of the few top-level smartphones to which you can still connect wired headphones, for which special thanks to ASUS. The sound quality over the wire is excellent.

Price

In Russia, ASUS ZenFone 8 costs 63,990 rubles. What else can you buy? Yes, a lot of things. For example, Samsung Galaxy S21 for the same money. But Samsung is larger, albeit not by much, but the difference is still noticeable.

Illustration: Svetlana Chuvileva / Wylsacom Media

You can take the iPhone 12 mini - but the base only has 64 GB of memory, which is not enough. If you don't mind the exotic, you can find the Google Pixel 5. Yes, the hardware is not the best, but there is no overheating, and the camera is just super.

Autonomy ASUS Zenfone 8

Given the small screen and 4000 mAh battery capacity, you can expect long battery life from the Zenfone 8.

But here the smartphone is a little disappointing. One battery charge will last for 7–8 hours on the screen, no more. Of course, a few years ago such a result would have seemed impressive, however, now batteries have become much larger and processors are more energy efficient. However, the ASUS Zenfone 8’s energy reserves will definitely be enough for a full day of work.

Supports phone and fast charging. The kit includes a 30 W adapter that can regenerate up to 60% of the battery in 30 minutes, and a full charge will take less than 1.5 hours. Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging.

A kit that makes iPhone 12 jealous

ASUS did not fall for current trends and filled the Zenfone 8 kit with everything necessary.

In the box with the device, the user will find a set of standard documentation, a USB-C cable and a powerful 30 W power adapter , which charges the smartphone very quickly (but more on that later). The last accessory is especially pleasing, given that now everyone is following the “Apple way” and removing the charger from the kit.

Well, yes, in the best Android traditions, the packaging also carefully included a plastic cover for those who are worried about the integrity of the device. And this step here looks quite justified due to the material in which the rear body of the smartphone is made.

Packaging – 50 shades of gray

So, inside the gray box we find the smartphone itself, a black 30W charging unit and a black USB Type-C cable, as well as a black TPU case. The kit also includes a screen film (not black) that needs to be glued. Adherents of the Redmi brand have probably already forgotten how to do this. Is it worth mentioning the presence of a user manual and a needle for the SIM card slot? The case itself has a pleasant texture, due to which the phone “sits” well in your hands and will not get dirty quickly.

Hardware performance

We already know what the top 888 dragon from Qualcomm is capable of, since it is responsible for the operation of the smartphone. This is a crazy machine gun that you still need to be able to curb, otherwise it will burn your fingers.

So, something is wrong here. Most likely, the manufacturer failed to carefully work out the cooling and under high load the case gets noticeably hot. At the peak, the device showed 50ºС. But that's not all. The sad thing is that at this temperature you will see a significant drop in performance due to throttling! In demanding games such as ShadowGun Legends or Genshin Impact at maximum graphics settings, you will get an average of 44 fps. Of course, the level is higher than that of mid-budget smartphones, but a modern flagship, and even on such a horse, should be a little ashamed of its performance.

But another question is also important here: who will play these games with such a display diagonal? This is a compact, and those who will buy it will most likely do so for other purposes. These dimensions are pleasant to use in everyday tasks: making calls, communicating in instant messengers, scrolling the news feed... But even in ordinary scenarios, the smartphone will heat up to a warm state. In short, it’s not clear why a Snapdragon 888 was installed in such a compact. Its price would be an order of magnitude lower with a simpler chip.

Autonomy and interface

Let's start right away with the sad. Our stallion lives very short. In our proprietary autonomy test, it took an “honorable” 132nd place, lasting just over 6 hours. Yes, the battery here is of small capacity, only 4000 mAh, but there is a mega-voracious processor and an increased screen refresh rate. Everything is logical. We can see that the iPhone 12 mini “live” about the same amount of time, and the iPhone SE 2022 is actually an insect compared to them. Don’t be lazy and look at the autonomy rating on the right.

The ZenUi interface can be praised for its smoothness and stability - there were no comments during testing. A nice bonus will be the ability to record calls in the standard dialer. There are many settings, especially regarding the screen, sound, etc. The power button has expanded functionality: a double press opens Google Assistant, and a short press opens the camera app. The camera application itself is implemented in its own way in the Asus corporate style, but this is not for everyone.

And the bun with raisins

Without a case, the smartphone looks relatively discreet and even rustic, and in this it differs little from a gray mass. He doesn’t shout: “Look, I have the biggest camera” or “I have Harman Kardon stamped on the bottom of my ass.” Everything here is without unnecessary pathos and any glitter. There is a feeling that the manufacturer wanted to say: “You don’t look at the appearance and inscriptions, but hold it in your hands, use it...”

The back panel is made of frosted glass, which in turn is good - there will be no fingerprints on the case. The block of cameras, of which there are only 2, has already become boring to us after the Samsung A51. One gets the impression that the design of this model was developed a long time ago, and was released only now.

The rear panel is offered in 2 variations: silver and black (the Asus website also lists a white color, but it is not yet available). It has rounded edges. In the middle of the back cover you can see the Asus Zenfone inscription. Number "8" is nowhere to be found. What makes the smartphone stand out at first glance is the blue power button on the right side. At least something should make him stand out. The frame itself is made of aluminum, but it’s not “cheap” after all. What’s also unusual: the model has wide openings on the front panel above and below the display: on top for the speaker, and on the bottom for the main microphone.

A notification indicator was unexpectedly placed at the bottom end. A slightly controversial decision: on the one hand, it is convenient when the smartphone is lying “face” down, but on the other hand, if it is lying with the wrong end facing you, then you will not see it. There is also a slot for SIM cards and a hole for the speaker at the bottom.

What the user will immediately notice when he picks up this smartphone is its dimensions. Zenfone 8 has quite compact dimensions - 148 mm in height and 65.8 mm in width. But it cannot boast of thinness; the thickness of the case is almost 9 mm. Separately, we can note the flagship water protection class IP68 (not all flagships from the Chinese have it).

Design and ergonomics: ZenFone 8 Flip has shortcomings

Compared to the previous generation, ZenFone 8 Flip has hardly changed at all. The smartphone is still relatively heavy and even large. Structurally, everything here is like the others: a regular glass sandwich, the back panel is slippery with large bends on the sides. The chassis is made of aluminum with an anodized finish, and it stands out nicely in the overall design of the ZenFone 8 Flip. The front panel uses Gorilla Glass 6 protection glass, and the back panel uses Gorilla Glass 3.

ZenFone 7 Pro (left) and ZenFone 8 Flip (right)

Let's move on to the main feature of ZenFone 8 Flip. We did not see any changes in the flip camera from a design point of view. The electric motor makes the same sound when opening and closing the module. There are additional system sounds, but none of them sound as cool as the actual engine sound. The rotating part itself is made of liquid metal, a stronger and lighter material (compared to standard aluminum alloys). The edges of the camera are noticeably sharp and the block sticks out much more than the average in modern flagships.

The most important innovation of the ZenFone 8 Flip PTZ camera is an improved engine. Now it can automatically detect the rotation angle (up to 0.5 degrees) using an integrated angle sensor. In addition, ASUS claims that the output shaft has been strengthened by 50%, which has increased the overall durability of the flip system. The chamber will withstand at least 300,000 openings and closings or about 5 years of standard operation at 150 half-turns per day. In the event of a fall, the G-sensor will detect free flight and the smartphone will understand that the camera needs to be closed urgently. It will close until landing.

Similar to the ZenFone 7 Pro, the ZenFone 8 Flip's bezels aren't exactly flagship-class. But again, the design gets bonus points for having a large and clean display without implementing any notches. The classic microphone is placed at the top, the sensors are hidden under the screen. From below, a thick chin catches your eye - perhaps the only shameful moment that slightly spoils the impressions of the ZenFone 8 Flip. By the way, there is also an LED for notifications - a convenient thing and a rarity today.

The control keys have good, clickable feedback. They're conveniently located within reach of your thumb, and the same goes for the fingerprint scanner. The latter moved from the side edge under the screen, where it belongs. There are no problems with finger recognition; the height of the fingerprint is optimal for the size of the smartphone. Overall, the ZenFone 8 Flip feels solid in the hand due to its premium materials, but the new flagship feels wobbly, slippery, thick and heavy in handling. The rotating camera has seriously increased the weight and tilts the body forward, disrupting the comfort of grip and lying in the hand. The rear glass also picks up a lot of fingerprints (at least in the light color variant).