ASUS Zenfone 8 series includes compact flagship and flip camera

Now that the ROG Phone 5 is on the sidelines, ASUS can finally focus on refreshing its main line of smartphones for the general public – especially those who are particularly fond of the company’s unique. “flip camera“The good news is that the freshly announced Zenfone 8 Flip from ASUS still offers this handy feature, but the Zenfone 8 doesn’t. Better yet, it’s a compact flagship, which is a feature. rare in today’s mobile market.

The new leadership of ASUS here may come as a surprise to some. Sony had a long time abandoned the flagship compact strategy, and according to reports, Apple iPhone 12 mini not doing so well either. However, the Taiwanese company says that a large market segment aspires to such a package, hence its dual flagship strategy this year.

Starting with the Zenfone 8, we’re looking for a palm-friendly body with a matte aluminum midframe and curved frosted glass back. Its footprint is 148 x 68.5mm, with its width falling somewhere between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini. The set weighs 169 g (5.96 oz) and offers IP65 and IP68 protection against dust and water – a first for an ASUS smartphone, finally.

I find that this smaller form factor allows for easier grip with less pressure on my fingers, which is a nice change from my usual handling of larger smartphones – the ROG Phone 5 and the LG Wing, more recently.

The Zenfone 8 packs a lot for its size, thanks to a tech hack using a two-layer logic board connected to an interposer connector board. You’ll find a 5.9-inch 2400 x 1080 AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and built-in fingerprint reader, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G processor, 4000mAh battery (with 30W charging) ) and triple microphones, as well as a powerful stereo system. speakers and even a 3.5mm headphone jack – both powered by audio specialist Dirac.

You also get up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of storage, plus a 64 MP main camera (Sony IMX686 sensor) with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), an ultra-wide 12 camera. MP (IMX363) and a 12 MP punch-hole selfie camera with autofocus (using the new IMX663). Needless to say, the Zenfone 8 is a true flagship phone, albeit relatively small.

As for the larger Zenfone 8 Flip, it’s actually just a slightly refreshed Zenfone 7. And I mean the Zenfone 7, not the Zenfone 7 Pro, as the Zenfone 8 Flip inherited the lack of OIS from the former on its main camera. With the exception of the new Snapdragon 888 processor, the new 256GB storage option, and the new integrated fingerprint reader (as opposed to the old capacitive reader on the power button), the hardware is otherwise largely identical to its predecessor – even in dimensions and heavy weight of 8.11 oz (230 g).

Here’s the familiar-looking spec sheet: 6.67-inch 2400 x 1080 AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, 5000mAh battery (with 30W load), 8GB RAM, a three-camera flip module, stereo speakers, a slot for three microSD cards and two nano SIM cards) and three microphones as before. For those who care, there’s still no 3.5mm headphone jack here, which is a shame considering the much smaller ZenFone 8 has one.

The Zenfone 8 Flip shares the same main and ultra-wide cameras as the Zenfone 8, but the former has an additional 8 MP telephoto lens (OmniVision OV08A sensor) with 3x optical zoom. As for the durability of the flip module, ASUS claims that its lifespan has increased from 200,000 flips to 300,000 flips, which translates to over 5 years of use if you perform 150 flips per day.

And if you want extra protection, you can get a RhinoShield SolidSuit case that offers a sliding cover for the flip camera. This sturdy case allows you to turn on the camera instantly when you slide the cover down when the phone is in standby.

On the software side, the ASUS ZenUI 8 (based on Android 11) adds new camera features, namely automatic bracketing (3 shots in one click with EV), document mode (automatic cropping and PDF export option), a customizable watermark (using text and emoji) and more. The Zenfone 8 Flip adds a unique feature: the self-explanatory object focus mode, which is ideal for show-and-tell vlogging.

Just like its predecessor, the Zenfone 8 and Zenfone 8 Flip will eventually arrive in the US, but there is no information yet. But if you’re in Europe, the Zenfone 8 will start at 599 euros (around $ 725) with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the Zenfone 8 Flip will be available for 799 euros ($ 965) with 8GB of RAM. with 256 GB of storage. We will keep you posted on availability in the United States.