ASUS ZenFone 9 - 2 Week Review! Should You Buy? 

It's perfect phone with perfect size.

Yes becuse so cute for hand 🥰

do you think the camera can get better overtime via software updates?

I've had an samsung s9 for 3 years and ready for new phone. What do you recommend for best under 800 🇺🇸 dollars ? Would like a SD port also. Camera is not to important and i dont game. Please help

the phone is perfect for my hand 🔥🔥🔥 but the price is 👎👎

Yeah great Size, must have great personality too 👍

@@mahmoodkhan4255 LAMO💀

@@mahmoodkhan4255 personality? are you sure you've used the right word there...did you mean battery perhaps 🤔

True. I still love my S10e

​@@mcmechanic864 You must not be fun around parties.. 😅

Only lack it has to me is the only 2 years of updates. If the iPhone 13 has 5 years of updates the iPhone is way cheaper in comparison. But yeah I agree iPhone is also lacking those stuffs :(

If the battery is that good, you should only need to charge it once per day, so it's not that much of a sacrifice, in theory!

But S22 which 8s more cheaper than S22 plus, also have same sensor but with better camera quality then this Zenfone 9, both phone have almost same price now since S22 been released for quite a while now and always on sales

@@pudinichigo91 this is my dilemma, Zenfone 9 vs S22, I'm leaning towards the former because I don't take that many pictures.

@@Ascii89 you should choose based on you usage & preference which one is your priorities, I really like this Zenfone 9 with high end soc, compact size, flat display and good battery life and planning to upgrade to this phone, but now I'm using S22 so apart from good battery life & new soc, its look like more downgrade to me from my S22 in term of camera, build quality and software support, so I probably will skip and wait for another compact phone

its simple. just wait for s23 with sd8+ g1

@@rixyrohaizie will that be available for all the regions?

I am asking honestly, why is it important to you to get android updates? I tend to find updates more irritating than helpful… am I missing something?

Phones generally get replaced every 2-3 years anyway so don't see why everyone is crying.

How about the Sony Xperia 5? Similar size and money (£650 in the UK), has headphone jack and expandable storage.

@@fuzzyduck5668 it literally came out in 2019, what are you even talking about?

@@pambinobequeno5062 Xperia 5 iii

I think Asus might have actually stated that if the phone sells well, software support could be extended. At least I read this somewhere.

it's just oversatured really , you can achieve the same on any phone by using a vibrancy filter , but capturing real life colors like the iphone, that's the harder to do

@@Adrian-ep4qm yes and no, the iPhone is also guilty of this in the past, ultimately I want my pictures to look good, not just real haha

@@sebastiandk9575 i'm not talking about the past i'm talking about this particular video, you can oversaturate a good photo but you can't reverse the saturation of a shitty photo so the iphone wins by a lot here

Colors you can recalibrate and fix. Resolution and app optimization, not so much. Betting 90% of people who would take photos on the zenfone are just going to post it on social media. The question tho is, how’s the quality once uploaded to third party soc med apps? Is it still good?

Wow! It even is on par with the 13's ois!

dust and water resistance in a smaller form factor is the main practical reason the replaceable battery had to go away

I 100% agree

I 100% agree

The 13 and 13 pro are exactly the same length but the pro is heavier

xperia 5iii is the best

i hate how long and tall phones have gotten. i don't mind a bigger screen, but the aspect ratios are ridiculous. 16x9 should be standard, or 18x9 (2:1) as LG did way back with the G6, and even xiami did with the mi max 3. 2:1 at least serves a purpose. when opening two apps they are exactly square and maintain everything regardless of landscape or portrait orientation.

@@rokko_fable agreed if my Samsung s10e was the same width but 16x9 it would be a couple of cm shorter and be the perfect size

@@manzfishing6531 is that a compact phone? how is the xperia 5iii relevant here?

For 2022 flagship that is just unacceptable... Even most Chinese brands offer longer software support for their flagships. :/

@@hopeinen5287 I agree. Kinda disappointing because I'm actually looking for a new phone in 4 years and I don't think I really see too many great options

@@hopeinen5287 headphone jack > 2 more years of updates

Who cares about more than 2yrs+ updates over here, xda developers will sort it all out. For the price, this phone is lit!

Agreed! When spending flagship type money we want assurance that the phone is not obsolete (doesn't have to be a near top performer still, but should be close to what was advertised) for at least 5 yrs... 8 yrs would be perfect.

How about the Sony Xperia 5? Similar size and money (£650 in the UK), has headphone jack and expandable storage.

@@fuzzyduck5668 stop spamming the comments, bozo

@@pambinobequeno5062 Just responding to people's comments. No need for name calling, we are not kids (unless you are).

So do the Sony Xperia 5 and 1. They also have expandable storage. The 5 is a similar size and money.

@@fuzzyduck5668 and it's also 3 years older

@@fuzzyduck5668 Xperias are very hard to find in my country. Also, I'm not really a fan of their very slim 21:9 screens.

@@fuzzyduck5668 size? Are you sure? They are taller, really much tall than this.

@@pambinobequeno5062 the mark iii series is not 3 years old and also they might drop another one this year.

you're forgetting screen to body ratio here.

I get your point. However, screen to body ratio makes all the difference. Back then 5 inch phones were bigger than most 6 inch phones today.

Probably the image sensor module is bigger as it has Autofocus built in too hence shifted slight left.

Was he satisfied with the main camera?

@@viacheslavspitsyn2995 To be honest it's not a superb camera like s22 ultra.But it does the job and good for some family or nature pics .

@@viacheslavspitsyn2995 Use GCAM tho.

​@@veryinterestingpersonaliti8321 Does it up Zenfone to top level?

presumably it will also be able to use the Google pixel camera app thing

@@subspaceanomaly gcam? Nice if so, debating between One Plus 10T but loss of OP alert slider is a bummer

@@kiddcisco asus can. Most of the snapdragon phones can use gcam. I use gcam in my rog2

How about the Sony Xperia 5? Similar size and money (£650 in the UK), has headphone jack and expandable storage.

@@fuzzyduck5668 Sony pulled it's phones from the Aussie market several years back, so Xperia phones aren't available here. Looking at the size of the Xperia 5 using Phone Arena's size comparison tool, it looks like the Xperia 5 is much taller than the Zenfone 9 and Pixel 3 anyway.

They're not approaching 1500. Gs22 is $800 and lower with trade in and same at best buy.

@@RealShaktimaan Yeah, sure. But they're trying to sell the Ultra to compete with the iPhone Pro Max. Next year's versions of those will be $100 more, and the year after and so on. The Sony XPerias are going in the same direction.

Bruh only the top end phones are 1500 u don't have to get that. Samsung apple and Google all have options from 500 which are actually worthy of getting

@@mpumelelogumede6557 This phone is not on competing with ultra and iPhone pro max. It's competing with regular iPhone, s22, pixel 6 pro etc

@Carl Gunderson Try South African rands, it's five figures. LOL!

What about the Pixel 6a?

S23 will come with 13 and will get 14, 15, 16 and 17 (3 more) plus a year of security....

I've had several zenfones over years, currently have zenfone 7pro, it has upgraded to android 12 thus far and 2 generations old now

Agreed. I really want to like this phone enough to buy it now! But the very limited OS and security updates are holding me back!

and an exynos....oh wait id rather go with the non Crapsynos phone

@@Faraonqa Unless your gaming , these basically no difference

Sometimes companies design products that are remarkable and unique but if there isn't enough demand or appreciation for them they sadly drop them.

@@brainactivity737 It was very popular, in fact, never in stock. I don't know why ASUS drop that unique design.

Same, I also thought the zenfone handled lighting way better.

Me too

the s22 is an actually pretty good phone, only problem is it's battery, beside that it has a better camera, wireless charging, a better display, 4 years of android updates and some other stuff you don't have on the ZenFone

@@rafflbraun95 my brother used that abomination of a phone and it overheats even when idle, has the worst performance when compared to similarly specd phones including when being used for gaming or emulation, very unstable, build quality is junk and it’s very expensive so value for money is bad

@@HoodHussler wtaf, i have the exact same phone right here on my desk, i never had such problems with it, software is super stable, camera is pretty good, it's overheating a bit, but not as terrible as you're telling me, the build quality is top of the line, both sided gorilla glass victus+, aluminium frame and ip 68 rating, since i got the phone i just love it

@@HoodHussler but i'm from europe, so i actually have the exynos processor inside, maybe it's the reason for more stable os and less overheating

@@rafflbraun95 he refunded it and got the ROG phone difference was day and night except the camera but performance, battery life, etc…was a pure monster especially in emulation and gaming I don’t think he’s ever going to return to scamsung

Everything was fine if it had great cameras

Everyone say the same when nothing phone released with midrange chipset, they demand for high end flagship chipset with SD 8 series, but now when they got good phone with high end chipset, then they ask for midrange chipset 😂

@spc3mky The S22 has more compact body despite the bigger screen thanks to it's smaller bezels.

It'll be great next year when the price is lower

Ayooo😬😬

It actually reminds me of the Pixel 5 that I have now a bit, which I am afraid to move on from with all the glitches 6 is having.

Is this phone still worth it in 2024? Or do you think I should get a Samsung S23 instead? I really like the Zenfone 9 size, but it will no longer receive new updates. What has your experience with this phone been like?

@@denishoffmann6533 Samsung S23 will be much better, it have better performance and camera

Yea I feel like the bare minimum should be 3 years of major updates +1 year of security updates. Asus is lacking in the software department, even their ROG phones get the same treatment

And again, what is the likely cost (rough estimate) of the Zen 9 after the Zen 10 is released? I'm trying to decide whether to look more at the Pixel 6, or 6a, to buy now, or wait for the Zen 9 to be discounted. We are getting close to a new year, after all. I'd just buy the Pixel 6 now if it had similar battery life as the Zen 9. Battery life is definitely a priority for me, especially with camping and boating on the river. I don't game at all, and I rarely take pics. I read lots of news articles, watch informative videos like this one, listen to a little music, take a few pics, and talk and text with a phone.

Hope it doesn't happen with this one🤞

Time to move out of India then..

@@Peter-eo5kh honestly nobody cares if they do

That's their marking strategy. It's a sub 6 inch display so compact phone, but in reality it's the same dimensions as s22. But the real usp of Zenfone is the jack and bigger battery, the small display is just the icing on the cake.

I live in Europe, that's why I bought in february Zenfone 8, not s22. Battery and Snapdragon.

Get the zen9, s22 battery is proper shit. Or wait until s23 releases and see if they improve on battery. You also got to remember that battery life gets worse over time, so it’s better to start with a superb battery compared to just a decent enough one.

They'll take some time fine tuning the sensor. Mind that phone is yet to go on sale and the review units are given early to identify and fix bugs before release.

The S22 is a great phone and in much comparisons better than the Zenfone. But with exactly one big problem: The battery. And so it is no alternative for a lot of people. And the Asus has everything I want: Headphone Jack

if you're busy being a wall hugger by the electrical outlet? how useful is the phone? that's the problem with the S22.

That's a very good point. I forgot how much of an issue that was.

better my ass with its mediocre battery life

It’s really the software that is the differentiator for me. The closer to stock the better.

Yeah It's OnePlus-level of camera (and also price)

Your maths is wrong. Rog 6 is $999 dollars and costs 72k here. So considering this is $699dollars, I expect it to cost around 50k in India it they launch it.

sadly that doesn't get mentioned as much. You get freedom with a Zenfone to choose your Custom Rom, so 2 years or 3 years of software updates hardly matters. Not for an average person who can't unlock bootloader and install Roms, but then again your average person doesn't want a compact phone with 3.5mm jack. Asus is still targeting a niche market here, and if your googling and instructions following skills are good, this phone is the one of the best out there in terms of longevity. Definitely not for those who measure time in terms of dollars, for them unlocking bootloader and installing Roms is waste of dollars. But for enthusiasts out there, this one is a great deal.

@@SahilKumar-zp8fx It's really as easy as following instructions for asus phones, that's how i got into customizing my phone ! Plus after the official updates stop, you really have nothing to lose, but a lot to learn ! A shame reviewers never mention bootloader and open source availablity...

Same I can say about Folding phones and a phone with longer Software support.

Indeed! Even the Nothing Phone has it (and it's 1/2 the price). To be fair, there will always be compromises with smaller form factor phones

@@Thetechchap yeah I agree there will be compromise with them , but I think wireless charging is those ones you can't really remove now! I personally use wireless charging alot and couldn't imagine a phone without it!

It's a nice to have but if I recall correctly, it's quite difficult to design a compact phone with the ability to both rapid charge and wirelessly charge. If I have to pick between the two, I'd always prefer rapid charge. I really don't think it's a deal breaker.

@@nfsdanz that's fair enough, I guess it all depends on your use case, for me , wireless charging is something I'd expect/ want on a phone at this price point personally

I love it. Notifications are distracting and kill my productivity. And if I really need them for whatever reason I just enable vibration notifications.

cuz with the efficency of current snapdragon chips, the phone will die in half a day of normal use.