With the Zenfone 8, ASUS really stressed the smaller size, and all of the R&D they did to make a good phone, small. Now with the Zenfone 9, they’ve actually made it smaller, somehow. The Zenfone 8 was 148mm x 68.5mm, while the Zenfone 9 is now 146.5mm x 68.1mm. But it is also thicker now. It’s smaller than its predecessor but somehow has a bigger battery, bigger thermal material, and bigger cameras. Talk about a feat.
ASUS Zenfone 9 specs
Here are the specs for the new ASUS Zenfone 9.
Battery life is supposedly impressive
According to ASUS, the battery life on the Zenfone 9 is supposed to last almost two days. In their testing, it lasted about 1.9 days. Their testing included mixed usage of phone calls, text messages, live streaming music, YouTube, TikTok, gaming, taking photos and recording video. Of course, your mileage will vary here, and we’ll find out in the full review how this 4300mAh capacity battery really stacks up.
ZenUI 9 is now even faster
With the Zenfone 9, ASUS is debuting ZenUI 9. Which is the latest version of its software that lays over top of Android. As expected, this is based on Android 12. Seeing as Android 13 has not yet formally launched. ASUS has made it easier to use the Zenfone 9 with one hand. Of course, the smaller size definitely helps there. There is also new sound controls, along with better battery UI, and enhanced display features. Material You is also available on Zen UI 9, which should look amazing with this display.
Improved cameras, and camera modes
ASUS has never had incredible cameras, they’ve always been okay or good. But never great. That might change with the Zenfone 9. The Zenfone 9 has a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor on-board. It has also debuted new pro photo and pro video modes with these cameras. So you can change the settings for focus, ISO, shutter speed, EV and white balance. And you can also shoot in RAW. Also new is the Light-trail mode, which is currently in beta. This mode allows users to use the manual shutter or preset shutter time to capture moving scenes such as traffic trails or light graffiti.
Coming to the US, soon
As of right now, there’s no word on when the Zenfone 9 will come to the US. But we do know that it is coming, and it will likely only be available as an unlocked smartphone. We also do not know pricing for the US, but since it is €799 in Europe, we’d expect it to be between $800 and $900 in the US. That puts it up there with some other pretty pricey smartphones. But the Zenfone 9 might be able to compete at that price.
