The Asus Zenfone 9 may be one of the smallest Android flagship smartphones that will be announced in 2022 but its price is unlikely to be as small. The upcoming Zenfone 9 will be announced on July 28 as Asus' second flagship of 2022. Earlier in July, it launched the ROG Phone 6 series, the latest entry in its gaming smartphone line.
The Zenfone 9 will cater to those who want a smaller phone, and one that skips on the elaborate design of the ROG gaming line. Also, unlike the ROG Phone 6, there won't be a Pro model. This is a bit surprising considering Asus launched two Zenfone 8 models last year, although the second sold as the Zenfone 8 Flip and had a motorized triple-rear-camera setup that flipped to serve as the front-facing camera.
An early listing by a Norwegian online retailer (via GSMArena) highlights the key details of the phone including its pricing, revealing that the compact flagship will cost a pretty penny. The Zenfone 9 will reportedly start at NOK 8,000 for the base model with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. That converts to about $808/€798, a few dollars more than the Galaxy S22 with the same configuration. A second configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will retail for NOK 8799 (~$888/€878) while the most expensive model will sell for NOK 9499 (~$959/€948) and will have 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Zenfone 9 Costs More Than Its Predecessor
The Zenfone 9 will offer a 5.9-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus protection. It will also have a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor under its hood. The listing confirms a 50MP sensor paired with a 12MP ultrawide angle camera, support for 8K video recording, 6-axis gimbal-level optical image stabilization, and electronic image stabilization. Asus will ship the phone with a 12MP front-facing camera with support for Face Unlock.
In addition, the phone will have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that doubles as a trackpad, an audio jack, stereo speakers, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Wi-Fi 6E, and dual SIM (nano). As previously reported, the Zenfone 9 will have a 4300mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging, and the listing has revealed that Asus will ship it with a power adapter. It also confirms the IP68-rated phone will run Android 12 and is set to receive guaranteed OS updates until August 2024 at least. This checks out with an earlier report that said the phone will be supported for two years. The Zenfone 9 will be available in Midnight Black, Moonlight White, Starry Blue, and Sunset Red.
The Zenfone 9 costs significantly more than its predecessor, the Zenfone 8, which launched for €670 in Europe and $629 in the United States for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Asus even offered an early bird price of $599 in the US and €600 in Europe. While Asus will justify the price increase with the upgraded chip, battery, and main rear camera, it remains to be seen if it will be enough to convince people to buy it over other phones. The Zenfone 9 will be facing serious competition in form of the Galaxy S22 which packs a slightly bigger display, smaller battery, and slower processor but offers superior display technology, better cameras, and longer software support for the same $800 starting price. Another strong contender in the compact smartphone space is the Xiaomi 12, albeit with a bigger display and a slightly weaker chipset. It is not only cheaper at $749 but it packs a larger battery, charges significantly faster, and also has better software support than the Zenfone 9.