Asus is betting a small phone will make a big impact. It bills its new midrange ZenFone 8 as the « ultimate compact phone. » The ZenFone 8 …
Asus is betting a small phone will make a big impact. It bills its new midrange ZenFone 8 as the « ultimate compact phone. » The ZenFone 8 has a crisp 5.9-inch AMOLED display, respectable battery life, dependable cameras, stereo speakers, and powerful internals that by some measures rivals the $1,200 Galaxy S21 Ultra’s performance. All this is crammed into a lightweight and slender chassis, making it one of the most compact 5G phones around. Based on my experience with the ZenFone 8, Asus delivered on exactly what it set out to do, guided by its design mantra of creating something that’s « big on performance, compact in size. » The ZenFone 8 is clear about what it is and what it is not. But the ZenFone 8 doesn’t have everything. Asus removed the microSD slot for expandable storage in the ZenFone 8. Last year’s ZenFone 7 lineup had expandable storage up to 2TB. There’s no support for wireless charging, either, and it’s not as petite as the iPhone 12 Mini. ZenFone 8, which has been launched in Europe, starts at 599 euros (roughly $730, £510, AU$930). A US rollout is in the cards too, where pricing is expected to be somewhere between $599 and $799. US prices have not yet been finalized, however. Remember the ZenFone 7 and 7 Pro? The two phones, released by Asus last year, made headlines for their cool camera module that flipped over the top of the phone. Compared to Asus’ bold effort last year with the ZenFone 7 lineup, the ZenFone 8 feels like an especially safe play, even though I recognize the effort Asus made to make a slender yet powerful phone. To be clear, Asus didn’t get rid of the cool flipping camera entirely — the ZenFone 8 Flip has an upgraded version. That device will likely not see a US release, however, and I was sent the base version for review. This year, the camera bump does not flip. Like many phones, it’s in a fixed position on the upper left corner of the device, housing two lenses, a flashlight and a microphone. There’s also some subtle Asus branding slapped onto the device’s frosted glass rear. On the front, you’ll find a crisp 5.9-inch AMOLED screen with relatively chunky bezels for a phone in 2021, and an inconspicuous punch-hole camera on the upper right. On the right side, there’s a volume rocker and a power button that can be customized to access system features and apps.
