Asus Zenfone 8 review: Going against the grain

Asus Zenfone 8: With one voice purchases

Asus Zenfone 8 in a nutshell

The Asus Zenfone 8 will clearly immigrate in three recollection installments: 8/128 GB, 8/256 GB, and 16/256 GB. According via the issuer, the US rate is still being finalized, but it will clearly rate somewhere in between $599 and $799.

$599 was the rendering queries rate of the OnePlus 8T once it was first let loose in October 2020. For that substantiation, Asus has no illusions that it has rated the Zenfone 8 in flagship stretch, albeit at a rate variable that also Xiaomi is unable to match via its Xiaomi Mi 11.

Yet the top emblematic/rate proportion is, abnormally sufficient, not the fulcra controversy that Asus pined to drive residence. Instead, the erector pined to focus on the petite kind variable of the Zenfone 8. Gone is the turn camera revolving component that took upwards too much discover, which is currently booked for its “Pro” model, the Zenfone 8 Turn.

Gone in addition are the virtually pointless camera sensing devices such as a 2 MP macro whose merely unprejudiced was to unnaturally blow upwards the specifications sheet. One of the weakens rendered to suit its miniscule kind variable? A super miniscule 4,000 mAh battery that is insufficient for a flagship in 2021 – at the super least on document.

In short, Asus has rendered some weakens once it comes to the equipment specifications in a overindulgence Android-powered smartphone. The Side has also related the Zenfone 8 as the Android indistinguishable of the iPhone 12 mini in its mull. I would clearly say that it is a in reality unparalleled Android flagship mobile phone handset that goes versus the grain.

A petite, sleek architecture that is reminiscent of Google’s Pixel

The Asus Zenfone 8 glimpses a caboodle favor a Google Pixel. It’s mildly less petite than a Pixel 5 (the Zenfone 8’s measurements are 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm and 169 grams while the Pixel 5 quantifies 144.7 x 70.4 x 8 mm and considers 151 grams). Yet it’s plainly lightweight versus the behemoths in the overindulgence Android sector that regulation the scales at 200 grams and extraneous.

I loved the:

• Diminutive and lavish architecture
• Responsive and well-matched 120 Hz AMOLED brandish
• 3.5 mm headphone jack
• IP68 certification

I did not favor the:

• Smaller sized brandish size that confiscates some fetching offered to
• Absence of increasing recollection
• Locale of the fingerprint viewers

The flat AMOLED brandish is penetrated by a punch-crater camera at the top disclaimed. Bordering by elbowed sides, the cautiously recognizable chin, matte glass ago, and the unassuming dual camera component, I located it straightforward to grip in my hand strongly merely favor the latest generation of Pixel handsets.

I’ve currently gained a caboodle about this disregard, but this layout certainly has the merit of rendering ideal utilization of the “obtainable discover” for your fingers, a reality that extraneous and extraneous suppliers confiscate into account also in their client interface. In short, the pointer is to facilitate one-handed utilization. For this disregard, Asus has hit the nail on the head.

As for the brandish itself, I’ll have to utilization it for a longer period of time, but the smoothness attained via the 120 Hz adaptive renew rate is super fantastic to the eyes, also on a “miniscule” brandish.

The Complete HD+ panel purchases a optimum lighting of 1,100 nits, which is not in reality miraculous, and a touch sampling rate of 240 Hz that is optimum for gaming. These are mulled over “usual” specifications within such a rate hodgepodge. I located the colors in default position to be a tiny particle dull but once I switched to perfunctory position, the colorimetry fulfilled me.

In basic, the Zenfone 8 lugs out hearken the footsteps of Apple once it comes to a petite smartphone kind variable. Yet this is a nice thing that no different other Android erector has implemented so far. Not web content via being petite, the Asus Zenfone 8 is in addition super opulent gawking via a took discover architecture, sporting an spick-and-expectancy headway, and a well-matched brandish that can be offered via one hand!

The power of the Snapdragon 888 SoC

Favor every different other Android flagship in 2021, the Asus Zenfone 8 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. In this hands-on, Asus loaned me the highest-expire model which lugs 16 GB of LPDDR 5 RAM and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage!

I loved the:

• Raw power of the Snapdragon 888 chipset
• Aptitude to finalize versus bigger and extraneous pricey flagships
• Instinctive arcade menu that was obtained from ROG Handset 5

I did not favor the:

On document, the Zenfone 8 exceeded its direct rivals favor the OnePlus 9 or the Xiaomi Mi 11 in stipulations of unmixed benchmark rankings. Unsurprisingly, the smartphone will clearly be able to handle with one voice kinds of utilization, from productivity to gaming, without any kind of pertains to.

I ran the Rabid Life and Rabid Life Humdrum Check-up benchmarks from 3DMark which mimicked an intense gaming session of 1 and 20 mins, respectively. Provided that I began this mull, the smartphone benefited from a software agenda modernize that would clearly affect the last expire results. I, subsequently, reoccured my check-up protocol that was composed of of 3 sessions for each benchmark that was spaced about fifteen mins each in order to prearrangement sufficient time for the smartphone to funky down in in between.

In the 1-min check-up, the Zenfone 8 did not warmth upwards at with one voice, keeping a structure rate that was always above the 30 FPS mark on usual.

In the 20-min check-up, the smartphone warmed upwards a caboodle, hitting the 50 °C mark. I couldn’t grip it in my hand for extraneous than a couple of seconds at that variable. Long lives saw a plunge in the 2nd fifty percent of the check-up. As shortly as gaining earn earn utility of of of it for longer gaming sessions, I did not alert such a level of gaining too hot, but carry out no pitfall about it – the Zenfone 8 lugs out warmth upwards after 15 mins of gaming.

I assume it is a disregard of the kind variable. The Snapdragon 888 is well-accredited to warmth once it is pressed to its constraints, and the Zenfone 8 merely doesn’t have sufficient discover within the pod architecture to dissipate warmth sufficiently.

In basic, my impression of the practicality of the Asus Zenfone 8 lingers optimistic. I was deliciously fascinated to checkup it outperform extraneous pricey rivals in stipulations of raw power. Singularly, the rate at which it overheats deliciously lingers a dealbreaker if you are a heavy obligation mobile phone player.

A dual 64+12 MP camera component that’s a tiny too conservative

It’s not merely in stipulations of architecture that the Zenfone 8 glimpses favor a Pixel. Favor Google’s smartphones, the Asus Zenfone 8 renders carry out via 2 lenses – sporting a wide-angle and ultra wide-angle crescent. The merely exemption is, Google has far extraneous specialization in this discover, of which I located the camera confound to be rather marginal via the Zenfone 8. My complete mull did not create me to confound a transition in my first impacts of what at some point is, a rather conservative camera installation in the Zenfone 8.

I loved the:

• Ultra wide-angle images were not distorted too much
• Adequate magnification practicality without a telephoto crescent
• Commendable night position practicality

I did not favor the:

• Absence of adaptability
• Absence of a telephoto crescent
• Displeasing ultra wide-angle practicality

Zenfone 8 wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle images

Throughout the day and under nice lights ailments, the acute sensing tool purchases a nice level of nicety, a wide vivid hodgepodge, and rather herbal colorimetry.

Yet things start to go wrong once you snap images via the ultra wide-angle crescent. The ultra wide-angle crescent has too marginal a FOV and the distortion at the sides is recognizable. I noticed a scarcity of nicety on the most movie movie theater basics of my inoculations so far (foliage lingers super blurry). The vivid hodgepodge is in addition rather incorrectly juggled, via the fifty percent of the first image being too luminous while the hubby is widely overexposed.

I in addition position that the 2 sensing devices scarcity color correspondence. I have the impression that the saturation is extraneous telltale in ultra wide-angle. In reality, it is too telltale compared to the acute sensing tool in my opinion. Lastly, it must be said that the 113 ° area of sight is well listed underneath what its rivals prearrangement at about 120°.

Magnifying images of Zenfone 8

As shortly as it comes to magnification practicality, the Zenfone 8 is robbed of a committed telephoto crescent and so it boils down to cropping your image or going via a digital magnification procedure via the acute camera sensing tool. Purely, we must not suppose miracles past the 2x mark, via a optimum magnification level of 8x.

Yet the images that I was able to squeeze were far from ravaging. Not surprisingly, it is usual that Asus confiscates care of to limit the loss of top emblematic at such low magnification levels. Yet much better to retain a miniscule oath than destructive a hefty one!

The ideal magnification expire results that I attained once treading about, theorizing I acquire chummy sufficient to the subject, permitted me to acquire 8x magnification images such as the statuary of King of Prussia Frederick William IV that is situated in front of the antiquated national gallery or this painstakingly carved face at the side of the Neptune water fountain in Berlin.

Even in 8x, I located that the images retained a particular level of sharpness, although there were pertains to in the smoothing as can be watched in the decorative cherubs that overlook the access to the Berlin Place.

Zenfone 8 images at night

At night, the Zenfone 8 spoofs specifically favor the ROG Handset 5. Its night position kicks in immediately, whereby it turns on itself based on the bordering lights ailments (although you can deliciously decide to have it mobilized by hand).

You have the serviceability in between 2 shutter rates of 4 or 7 seconds. By default, night images via an behavior time of 4 seconds elucidate the scene super well. The flare result of metropolitan lights is sufficiently marginal, leaving the behavior to be well-well uninfluenced while keeping a satisfying level of nicety.

In basic, the Zenfone 8’s camera practicality is plainly not its ideal advertising and advertising variable. We gently position ourselves marginal by this camera component that scarcities magnification practicality and via a tight ultra-wide angle. The expire results are satisfying or also nice in some shells, but I was disclaimed unfulfilled at the expire of it with one voice. I located it to be lacking in adaptability and rather too monotonous in stipulations of client confound. Yet I plainly intended also worse!

A tiny 4,000 mAh battery

The Asus Zenfone 8 has a 4,000 mAh rechargeable battery that fines gaining earn earn utility of of of a 30-Watt battery charger. This is a cautiously miniscule battery for an Android flagship in 2021, of which we must bear in mind that it has to coddle the power-hungry last notices of a Snapdragon 888 processor in addition to a high renew rate brandish.

In real-life utilization, I was able to have the Zenfone 8 last for over 24 hours, ending up a Brandish On Time (SOT) of 4 hours and 45 mins at a renew rate of 120 Hz. This is a honorable practicality, but it drops short of what different other Android flagships tackle their bigger opportunity batteries.

Yet for a usual client who lugs out not dabble galleries for extraneous than 2 hours daily and lugs out not utilization the smartphone as the acute video clip moving equipment, a complete day of battery life is extraneous than sufficient.

Favor the ROG Handset 5, the Zenfone 8’s battery utilises the STP (Details Tab Procedure) technology which fines the battery from the middle to the exterior of the cell and not from expire to expire. This cheapens impedance and feverishness apex during the dump procedure, better cheapening the confound of fires.

Asus warranties that its 30W HyperCharge battery charger can recharge the Zenfone 8’s battery from 0 to 60% in 25 mins, from 0 to 80% in 38 mins, and from 0 to 100% in 1 hour 20 mins. The ideal time that I attained was 1 hour 22 mins, which is chummy sufficient for me to ponder it falling well within the enumerated claims.

As shortly as once more, Oppo, OnePlus, and also Xiaomi certainly carry out much better in this division. Asus itself lugs out much better via its ROG Handset 5. The battery life of the Zenfone 8 is plainly wholly nothing incredible, but it is not unrequested either. Singularly, we must admit that it lugs out not seem to represent the usual “flagship” battery life ranking.

Asus Zenfone 8: Geeky Requirements

Verdict: Going versus the grain

Asus Zenfone 8

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