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ASUS made numerous adjustments to its Zenfone sequence over the past 4 years, and the present iteration of the portfolio is all about dimension. Whereas different producers are turning to bigger and taller telephones, ASUS is doubling all the way down to ship a cellphone that is designed for one-handed use. That was the important thing differentiator with the Zenfone 9 final 12 months, and ASUS is constant down the identical path with the Zenfone 10.
Subsequently, the Zenfone 10 maintains the identical diminutive dimension as its predecessor, coming in a peak of beneath 150mm and width of beneath 70mm, giving it a definite edge over nearly each different cellphone I’ve used this 12 months. Whereas ASUS did not tweak the size, there’s wi-fi charging on supply right here — one of the vital requested options, based on the model.
And whereas gargantuan units just like the Galaxy S23 Extremely and Xiaomi 13 Extremely miss out on the function, you may discover a 3.5mm jack on the Zenfone 10. There’s additionally IP68 ingress safety — similar as final 12 months — and a decent-sized battery that manages to final properly over a day. There’s higher customizability to the software program as properly, and ASUS continues to ship a clear and uncluttered interface that is a delight to make use of.
The one factor lacking on the Zenfone 9 was a zoom lens, and I used to be holding out for ASUS to introduce that this 12 months. Nonetheless, that is not the case, and the Zenfone 10 retains a twin digital camera array that is largely unchanged from final 12 months; it seems like we’ll have to attend one other era to see noticeable upgrades on the digital camera {hardware} aspect of issues.
I used the Zenfone 10 for the higher a part of a month now, and I feel it’s the greatest small cellphone at present obtainable — there actually is not one other gadget that provides the identical feature-set in such a small dimension.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Specs, pricing, and availability
ASUS unveiled the Zenfone 10 on June 29, and the cellphone is now obtainable in choose nations in Europe, beginning at €799 within the area. It’s also debuting in Taiwan and Hong Kong, with a launch in North America slated for later within the 12 months.
The Zenfone 10 is out there in a number of storage configurations: the bottom model has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and there is an 8GB/256GB mannequin, together with 16GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB editions. Like final 12 months, there is no point out of whether or not the Zenfone 10 will make its debut in India, and that is a puzzling transfer contemplating the nation is one in every of ASUS’s largest markets.
Class | ASUS Zenfone 10 |
---|---|
OS | Zen UI 10 based mostly on Android 13 |
Show | 5.92-inch FHD+ (2400×1080) AMOLED, 120Hz (144Hz in video games), HDR10+, Gorilla Glass Victus |
Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 1 x 3.2GHz Cortex X3, 2 x 2.8GHz Cortex A715, 2 x 2.8GHz Cortex A710, 3 x 2.0GHz Cortex A510, Adreno 740, 4nm |
RAM | 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X |
Storage | 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 |
Rear digital camera 1 | 50MP f/1.9 Sony IMX766, 1.0um pixels, OIS, gimbal stabilization, 8K at 24fps, 4K at 60fps |
Rear digital camera 2 | 13MP f/2.2 wide-angle, 1.12um pixls |
Entrance digital camera | 32MP fastened focus, 1080p video |
Ingress safety | IP68 mud and water resistance |
Safety | Facet-mounted fingerprint module, face unlock |
Audio | Stereo sound, 3.5mm jack, AptX suite, 24-bit/192kHz audio |
Connectivity | International Sub-6 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC |
Battery | 4300mAh battery, 30W USB PD charging, 15W Qi wi-fi charging |
Dimensions | 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.4mm, 172g |
Colours | Inexperienced, Purple, Black, White |
ASUS Zenfone 10: Design
I actually favored what ASUS with the design of the Zenfone 9, so it is good to see that the model did not make any main adjustments to the general aesthetic with the Zenfone 10. The cellphone shares a design that is an identical to its predecessor, with the identical giant rings adorning the cameras on the again, and the identical polymer end on the again that feels nice to carry.
Though ASUS did not change the design, there are delicate tweaks right here: the rings across the cameras have a cleaner design, and there is not as a lot textual content on the again, resulting in a extra minimalist look. The ASUS Zenfone branding is now situated beneath the digital camera housing, and also you get a stylized monogram brand on the backside to have a good time ten years of the Zenfone sequence. I just like the adjustments because it makes the Zenfone 10 look a bit of extra elegant.
ASUS is sticking with the identical set of shade combos as final 12 months — black, blue, pink, and white — and is introducing a vibrant inexperienced mannequin that appears fabulous. The again of the cellphone retains the bio-based polycarbonate again, and ASUS notes it went this route as there are fewer CO2 emissions versus an ordinary glass again. Moreover, the packaging itself is made out of recycled supplies and sues soy-based inks.
As for the in-hand really feel, the Zenfone 10 is in a league of its personal. The cellphone weighs 172g and has a peak of146.5mm and width of 68.1mm, and that results in a tool that feels good. ASUS nailed the load distribution as properly, and coming from the Xiaomi 13 Extremely, the Zenfone 10 looks like a breath of contemporary air.
On that notice, there is a 3.5mm jack right here, and also you get IP68 mud and water ingress, giving the Zenfone 10 the power to climate the weather. ASUS eschewed the usual in-screen fingerprint module for a side-mounted sensor, and it does a fantastic job in every day use. This time round, the ZenTouch button picks up numerous further options, together with the power to tug down the notification pane with a gesture, and even YouTube playback controls. However extra on that later.
There’s little to fault on the design entrance of the Zenfone 10. The scale of the cellphone mixed with the hanging shade choices, aluminum mid-frame, and IP68 ingress safety means the Zenfone 10 is not lacking out in any key areas, and it’s the most suitable choice if you need a small cellphone.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Show
ASUS is utilizing the identical panel as final 12 months, and as such you get a 5.9-inch Samsung AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh. You may manually set the refresh price to 60, 90, or 120Hz, and there is an overclock possibility that kicks it as much as 144Hz, however that is solely obtainable in video games.
Like final 12 months, the display itself is vibrant and has no points with outside visibility or distinction ranges. Auto mode was greater than ample in my use case, and there is a respectable quantity of customizability with regards to adjusting the colour stability. There is a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus protecting the display, and having examined its efficacy on the Zenfone 9 to a fantastic extent final 12 months, I can say with some confidence that it does a stellar job in defending the AMOLED panel.
What I like probably the most in regards to the Zenfone 10 is that it allows you to play video games at 144Hz; there are not any limitations such as you get with most Chinese language telephones — the place video games are locked to 60Hz whatever the {hardware} — and ASUS’s Recreation Genie utility has an in depth set of options to get probably the most out of the {hardware}.
One other space the place ASUS does issues properly is audio; you get a 3.5mm jack and stereo sound with an identical channels. The sound is tuned by Dirac, and the AudioWizard utility is among the many greatest with regards to configuring the onboard audio, providing vary of presets in addition to a 10-band EQ. You additionally get the total suite of AptX codecs, and the onboard sound is nice for taking part in video games or streaming content material.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Efficiency and battery
Like the very best Android telephones, the Zenfone 10 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Qualcomm made a number of adjustments to its platform this 12 months, and the result’s that the 8 Gen 2 consumes much less energy whereas delivering significantly better efficiency in nearly any state of affairs.
As you’d think about, the Zenfone 10 has zero points on the efficiency entrance; the software program is optimized to take full benefit of the {hardware}, and I did not see any slowdowns in anyway within the month I used the gadget. As famous above, the Zenfone 10 is especially nice for gaming, and you will not run into any body price limitations on this cellphone. That is nice to see on such a small gadget, and whereas you do not get a large display, it would not miss out on any {hardware} options.
On that entrance, the Zenfone 10 has 256GB of storage as commonplace, and there is a 16GB/512GB mannequin on supply this time round. All storage configurations function UFS 4.0 modules as commonplace, and that is one other constructive for the model.
Switching to the battery aspect of issues, the Zenfone 10 has the identical 4300mAh battery as final 12 months, and I did not see an entire load of distinction by way of battery longevity. Contemplating I bought over a day’s value of use out of the Zenfone 9, that is factor. There’s zero want for any battery nervousness in anyway, and even on days with heavy use, I by no means needed to fear in regards to the battery operating out earlier than I bought to mattress.
An fascinating addition this 12 months is wi-fi charging, with the Zenfone 10 providing 15W charging over the Qi protocol. I am not an enormous fan of the function because it takes too lengthy — over two hours on this case — however there’s clearly numerous customers that want the function, and it is nice to see ASUS including it on the gadget. The wired charging tech is unchanged, and also you get a 30W charger within the field together with a set of software program options to extend battery longevity.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Cameras
Just like the design, ASUS is not making many adjustments to the cameras, and the Zenfone 10 has the identical 50MP Sony IMX766 f/1.9 lens on the again. It is joined by a 13MP wide-angle lens with a 120-degree FoV, and on the entrance, you now get a 32MP digital camera with 1.6um pixels. The gimbal stabilization tech that debuted final 12 months has been tweaked for this era, with ASUS noting higher stabilization whereas capturing movies.
There’s additionally AI-based scene recognition this time round, and the function mechanically adjusts the colour stability based mostly on the situation. Rounding out the adjustments, you get OZO audio recording, a real-time stabilization mode that dynamically adjusts the sector of view based on shakiness of the scene, and the Mild Path mode can now be used handheld.
The 32MP digital camera on the entrance options an RGBW module with significantly better mild consumption, and ASUS is touting vital positive factors on this space — significantly in low-light conditions. That mentioned, the module misses out on autofocus, and there is no autofocus on the wide-angle lens as properly. I actually wished to see a zoom lens on the gadget, however ASUS says there wasn’t sufficient room so as to add one, and that it needed to stability consumer necessities when it got here to designing the cellphone, so it omitted the zoom lens and went with a bigger battery and three.5mm jack.
The digital camera interface itself hasn’t modified, with all of the capturing modes arrayed in a ribbon and toggles for the lenses, evening mode, results, flash, and Google Lens simply accessible. The Professional mode allows you to unlock higher management over pictures, and there is a comparable mode this time geared toward movies too.
The IMX766 has been a mainstay on telephones for properly over three years in the past, and whereas there are newer and higher sensors obtainable, it has confirmed to be a dependable workhorse. For its half, the Zenfone 10 manages to take vibrant photographs in daylight eventualities, providing loads of element and dynamic vary with out oversaturating the colours. ASUS made tweaks to its digital camera algorithms with this era, and it makes the Zenfone 10 take higher photographs in nearly any state of affairs over its predecessor.
That mentioned, it tends to be a bit conservative with publicity ranges in low-light conditions, and this could possibly be a measure to restrict noise in scenes with little to no synthetic lighting. You continue to get usable photographs in difficult eventualities, but it surely is not fairly on the identical degree because the Pixel 7a. The wide-angle lens is respectable sufficient in its personal proper, but it surely misses out on autofocus with this era, and that makes it rather less versatile.
The addition of a zoom lens would have made the Zenfone 10 that rather more engaging, however because it stands, you get a good set of cameras. Certain, it is not going to win any awards on this space, but it surely has confirmed to be a dependable shooter, and in the event you want a cellphone with best-in-class cameras, there are different selections obtainable.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Software program
The Zenfone 10 runs Zen UI based mostly on Android 13, and it has a clear interface with none overt customization. ASUS did a terrific job preserving all of the options Google launched in Android 13, and also you get an identical set of Materials You styling choices as a Pixel cellphone. On prime of that, ASUS has a set of unique options that find yourself being fairly helpful, together with the likes of the ZenTouch button.
You may simply pull down the notification shade by sliding down together with your finger on the facility button, and also you get the power to launch the digital camera, take a screenshot, make a name, toggle Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or on off, and a lot extra. The sheer quantity of options obtainable right here makes the button much more versatile than the usual energy key you may discover on most telephones, and ASUS deserves credit score on this space.
In an identical vein, you may discover loads of gesture shortcuts, a sidebar that slides out from the sting of the display, a one-handed mode that shrinks the display even additional, and a again faucet gesture that is significantly helpful for screenshots. In brief, there’s a lot to love right here, and utilizing Zen UI jogs my memory of the legacy days of OxygenOS; the interface itself is as near vanilla Android as potential, and also you get an enormous suite of customization choices tailor-made for energy customers — extra of this, please!
This customizability extends to different areas of the interface as properly; you’ll be able to select between the Android 13 power-off menu or the ASUS possibility, which switches to the older structure. The identical is true with the notification pane as properly, with the power to decide on between the bigger rounded tiles that Google launched with Android 12, or going again to the Android 11-esque six-tile structure. These are all small issues, however they make a tangible distinction whereas utilizing the cellphone.
Elsewhere, the gallery now makes use of on-device machine studying to ship higher search outcomes, and it surfaces highlights based mostly on content material saved on the gadget. ASUS additionally made adjustments to the always-on mode, introducing new clock kinds and the power to make use of your individual picture or textual content. To spherical issues off, there’s now a scrolling screenshot mode baked into Zen UI.
As you’ll be able to in all probability inform, I actually like what ASUS has performed with Zen UI, and it’s one in every of my favourite Android interfaces for the time being. The one downside on this space is the software program replace state of affairs; the Zenfone 10 will solely get two platform updates and 4 years of safety updates, and that simply would not reduce it in 2023. Most Android producers have made tangible positive factors on this space over the past 12 months, and we’re at some extent the place most telephones on this class will get no less than three assured Android OS updates.
ASUS says it is not capable of present long-term updates to its telephones because it has restricted software program sources, however that excuse would not work when you think about the state of the business and the way a lot the Zenfone 10 prices. Certain, there are price range Android telephones that also solely get two Android OS updates, however most telephones that retail for over $500 are getting long-term updates, and I am unable to assist however really feel that the Zenfone 10 is hobbled by this transfer.
ASUS Zenfone 10: The competitors
There aren’t many selections if you need a small cellphone in 2023. The usual Galaxy S23 is a good sufficient possibility, and whereas it is not fairly as small because the Zenfone 10, you get a tool that feels extra premium in-hand, and it’ll choose up double the variety of platform updates.
There’s additionally final 12 months’s Zenfone 9 to contemplate. The cellphone continues to be going sturdy a 12 months after its launch, and contemplating the shortage of main adjustments on the Zenfone 10, the Zenfone 9 could be the higher possibility provided that it has the identical design and cameras.
I additionally just like the Pixel 7a, and whereas Google would not cater to the small cellphone market, there is no denying that the 7a is an absolute beast of a cellphone.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Do you have to purchase it?
You can purchase this if:
- You desire a small cellphone that does not miss out on any options
- You want all of the extras like wi-fi charging and ingress safety
- You desire a clear interface with a excessive diploma of customizability
You should not purchase this if:
You want long-term software program updates
ASUS is not reinventing the wheel with the Zenfone 10. The cellphone makes use of the identical basis as final 12 months’s mannequin, however you get a number of tweaks that give it a slight benefit. You are still getting the identical nice display, cameras, and battery life, all in a package deal that is designed for one-handed use.
Whereas ASUS did a stellar job retaining the Zenfone 9’s greatest options, its shortcomings are intact as properly. The software program state of affairs hasn’t modified to any significant diploma, and that places the Zenfone 10 at a transparent drawback over its Android rivals. Most Chinese language manufacturers made big positive factors on this space over the past 12 months, and in consequence, we’re now in a state of affairs the place the Zenfone 10 will get fewer platform updates than most different telephones in its class.
ASUS actually wants to vary its place on long-term updates, as a result of the {hardware} itself can simply final over 5 years. There isn’t any limitation on that entrance in anyway, and the truth that the gadget will solely get two assured Android OS updates takes the shine off an in any other case faultless package deal.
Nonetheless, there actually is not an alternate in the event you’re out there for a small cellphone — except you choose up final 12 months’s Zenfone 9.
It is easy to sum up the Zenfone 10; that is the very best small cellphone you may get for the time being, so in the event you want a tool that is designed for one-handed use, it’s the apparent selection. For the second 12 months in a row, ASUS did a powerful job retaining all of the options of a flagship in a small chassis.
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