Unusual and immemorable. This is how I would describe the Zenfone 8, the latest Asus Android smartphone. That’s not to say it’s a bad phone. It has a high-end processor that can quickly run any application I want, with a compact design that makes it easy to use with one hand. It also doesn’t cost a thousand dollars. Depending on the configuration, it ranges between $ 599 and $ 799 (although Asus says the price is not final).
However, there is no style behind the substance. There are very few perks that set the Zenfone 8 apart from its peers. If I looked at boring in a dictionary, I would expect to see a photo of this phone. This is therefore drab, which is surprising considering it’s from the same company that made the flashy ROG Phone 5. But hey, sometimes generic wins.
Delivery of goods
Compare the specifications of the Zenfone 8 with the more expensive phones from Oneplus and Samsung and it’s easy to be impressed. It packs the same flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip, with 8 gigabytes of RAM and 128GB of storage (a 256GB model is also available). Support for Universal Flash Storage 3.1 also means it can match its counterparts in read / write speeds for faster application and game load times.
That kind of power and speed isn’t easy to find at $ 599. You never have to worry about your favorite games stuttering or lagging when switching between apps. You even get a high touch sample rate of 240Hz (the measure of how quickly the touchscreen registers the tap of your finger). Coupled with the 120Hz screen refresh rate (the number of times the screen refreshes to show you a new image), scrolling through apps like Twitter and reading headlines like Oddmar feels smooth and responsive.
Better yet, if today’s phones are too big for you, then the Zenfone 8 will be fine. It’s no iPhone 12 Mini, but it’s about the same size as Google Pixel 5. I can reach all parts of the 5.9 inch screen with my thumb. It’s special because there aren’t many small Android phones these days, not to mention the flagship performance ones.
Speaking of the screen, the AMOLED panel is crisp and colorful, although I wish it could be slightly brighter on the outside. It is protected by Corning’s ultra-resistant Gorilla Glass Victus, and the back is Gorilla Glass 3. You definitely need a case because you will drop this phone; the matte texture on the back is super slippery! Fortunately, the glass coating has proven to be surprisingly durable. I’ve dropped the phone three or four times now, and there are hardly any scratches or visible signs of damage. I still wouldn’t be in a hurry for my luck without a break.
There’s a 4000mAh battery cell in the Zenfone 8, and that usually gets me through a full day, but barely. If you’re on TikTok for hours, you’ll probably need to log in before bed. (These results are obtained with the always-on display and the 120 Hz screen on; turn them off and you could extend battery life until the morning of a second day.)
It doesn’t charge as quickly as other flagships, but you can get just over 50% in 25 minutes with the included 30-watt plug-in charger. I like that Asus has included some of its battery-focused features in the ROG Phone 5 here like the ability to charge the phone at a slower rate and limit the charge to 80 or 90 percent – which over time will help lengthen battery life.
Asus also uses its Game Genie software here. While playing a game, swipe right from the edge and a slide-out menu will let you do gamer friendly things like turn off notifications and calls, capture highlighted videos, better optimize RAM , create better controls and activate a screen recorder.
The premium features don’t end there. The Zenfone 8 contains two speakers that produce sound and sound, a headphone jack (!), Support for the Wi-Fi 6 standard and an IP68 water resistance. There is also 5G support, although you are limited to the lower type of 5G called sub-6; There’s no millimeter wave for super-fast 5G speeds. Honestly, millimeter waves are still rare in the United States, so you don’t miss much.
