Asus Zenfone 8 Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Asus Zenfone 8 is a compact powerhouse that packs a punch. With a sleek design and a glass front and back, it exudes elegance and durability. The 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display offers stunning visuals with its 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, it delivers exceptional performance for all your tasks and gaming needs. The dual-camera setup captures stunning photos and videos, while the 12MP selfie camera ensures crisp and clear self-portraits. The Zenfone 8 also boasts a long-lasting 4000mAh battery and supports fast charging. With its IP68 rating, it can withstand water and dust. Available in Obsidian Black and Horizon Silver, the Zenfone 8 offers a premium smartphone experience at a competitive price.

Design and Build Quality

The Asus Zenfone 8 boasts a sleek and compact design, offering a refreshing break from the current trend of larger smartphones. With dimensions of 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm and weighing just 169g, it is designed to fit comfortably in one hand and provide excellent one-handed usability. The device features a glass front and back, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, with an aluminum frame that enhances its premium look and feel. The IP68 dust and water resistance adds an extra layer of durability to the phone.

The 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display dominates the front, with slim bezels and a 120Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth and immersive visuals. The use of HDR10+ technology enhances the color and contrast, providing a visually pleasing experience. The back panel houses a dual-camera setup, consisting of a 64 MP wide lens and a 12 MP ultra-wide lens, complemented by an LED flash. The placement of the cameras and the fingerprint sensor is ergonomic, allowing for easy reach and quick access.

The Asus Zenfone 8's design elements combine to create a device that not only looks premium but also feels robust and sturdy in hand. The choice of materials and the fit and finish of the phone contribute to its overall build quality. The inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers adds to the device's versatility. Additionally, the phone's compact form factor makes it highly portable, easily fitting into pockets and bags without adding unnecessary bulk. Overall, the Asus Zenfone 8 offers a well-designed and aesthetically pleasing smartphone option for those who prefer a smaller and more manageable device.

Display

The Asus Zenfone 8 features a 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1080 x 2400 pixel resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The screen size strikes a balance between compactness and providing enough real estate for multimedia and productivity tasks. With a screen-to-body ratio of approximately 82.9%, the display offers an immersive viewing experience. The OLED technology ensures deep blacks and vibrant colors, enhancing the overall visual experience. The display supports HDR10+ and has a peak brightness of 1100 nits, making it suitable for outdoor use even in bright sunlight. Additionally, it has an anti-reflective coating that helps reduce glare. The Gorilla Glass Victus protection on the front ensures durability and scratch resistance. The display offers excellent touch responsiveness, allowing for smooth and precise interactions. With a pixel density of around 446 pixels per inch, the screen delivers sharp and detailed visuals. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and animations, enhancing the overall user experience. The Zenfone 8 also features an always-on display, providing users with quick access to notifications and information without fully powering on the screen. It includes a blue light filter and adaptive brightness feature to reduce eye strain and optimize visibility in different lighting conditions. Overall, the Asus Zenfone 8's display offers a high-quality viewing experience with its vibrant colors, sharpness, and smoothness.

Performance

The performance of the Asus Zenfone 8 is commendable, thanks to its powerful chipset and efficient GPU. Equipped with the Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, which is built on a 5nm process, this smartphone delivers exceptional performance. The Octa-core CPU, consisting of a 2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 core, three 2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 cores, and four 1.80 GHz Cortex-A55 cores, ensures smooth multitasking and app loading speeds. Additionally, the Adreno 660 GPU enhances the gaming capabilities of the device.

In various benchmark tests, the Asus Zenfone 8 has showcased excellent performance metrics. It achieves high scores in both CPU and GPU benchmarks, indicating its processing and graphics capabilities. Synthetic benchmarks have also revealed the efficiency of the processor and GPU, further emphasizing the device's performance prowess.

The gaming experience on the Asus Zenfone 8 is top-notch, thanks to its powerful chipset and GPU. It can handle graphically demanding games with ease, providing a lag-free and smooth gaming experience. Gaming benchmarks have shown impressive graphics scores, highlighting the device's ability to render high-quality visuals during gameplay.

Furthermore, the Asus Zenfone 8 excels in system optimization and thermal management, ensuring sustained performance without overheating. The device efficiently manages its resources, resulting in a smooth user experience even during demanding tasks.

Overall, the Asus Zenfone 8 offers exceptional performance across various metrics. Its powerful chipset and efficient GPU contribute to a seamless user experience, whether it be multitasking, gaming, or general usage. The device's performance in benchmark tests, both CPU and GPU, attests to its processing capabilities and graphics performance. With its smooth performance, efficient system optimization, and thermal management, the Asus Zenfone 8 is a reliable choice for those seeking a high-performance smartphone.

Software and User Interface

The Asus Zenfone 8 runs on the Android 11 operating system, which is upgradable to Android 13. This gives users access to the latest features and improvements in terms of performance and security. The device also comes with Asus' own user interface, which offers a unique and customizable experience.

One of the advantages of the software on the Zenfone 8 is its user-friendliness. The interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy for users to navigate through the various menus and settings. The inclusion of an always-on display further enhances the user experience by providing quick access to important information without the need to unlock the device.

In terms of customization, Asus has included several options to personalize the device to suit individual preferences. Users can customize the home screen layout, app icons, and even choose from a wide range of themes. This level of customization allows users to truly make the Zenfone 8 their own.

As for pre-installed apps, Asus has struck a good balance. The device comes with essential apps such as the phone dialer, contacts, messaging, and camera apps, which are all optimized for the device's hardware. These apps are useful and provide a seamless user experience. However, users won't find an overwhelming amount of bloatware, unnecessary apps that take up storage space and can be intrusive.

Overall, the software on the Asus Zenfone 8 offers a user-friendly interface with a good amount of customization options. The device comes with essential pre-installed apps and avoids excessive bloatware. With the ability to upgrade to the latest Android version, users can expect a smooth and up-to-date software experience.

Camera

The Asus Zenfone 8 boasts a powerful camera setup that delivers impressive results in various shooting scenarios. The main camera features a dual-lens system with a 64-megapixel wide lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. The wide lens has a large aperture of f/1.8 and a focal length of 26mm, allowing for clear and detailed shots. The ultrawide lens has a 14mm focal length and a wide 112-degree field of view, making it perfect for capturing expansive landscapes or group photos. The camera also benefits from optical image stabilization (OIS), which helps to minimize camera shake and ensure sharper images.

In terms of image quality, the Zenfone 8 excels in daylight photography, producing vibrant and natural colors with excellent sharpness and detail. The camera's dynamic range is impressive, allowing for well-balanced exposures in high-contrast scenes. When it comes to low-light performance, the Zenfone 8 performs admirably, thanks to its low-light sensitivity and advanced noise reduction algorithms. The dedicated night mode further enhances low-light photography, capturing brighter and more detailed shots in challenging lighting conditions.

The Zenfone 8's camera software offers a range of features to enhance your photography experience. Portrait mode allows for professional-looking bokeh effects, while HDR mode ensures well-exposed images in high-contrast scenes. The panorama mode enables you to capture stunning wide-angle shots, while the pro mode gives you manual control over settings such as ISO and shutter speed. AI scene recognition automatically adjusts camera settings based on the scene, optimizing image quality.

Video recording capabilities are equally impressive on the Zenfone 8, with the ability to shoot 4K videos with excellent detail and clarity. Video stabilization ensures smooth footage, even when capturing fast-moving subjects. Slow-motion and time-lapse video modes add creative options for capturing moments in unique ways. The Zenfone 8 supports a variety of video formats, providing flexibility for sharing and editing your videos.

Battery Life

The Asus Zenfone 8 is equipped with a non-removable Li-Po 4000mAh battery, which provides a decent amount of power for a compact smartphone. The battery life of the Zenfone 8 is quite impressive, with an endurance rating of 88 hours, indicating that it can last for a substantial amount of time on a single charge. The device supports 30W wired charging with PD3.0 technology, allowing for fast charging capabilities. In just 25 minutes, the Zenfone 8 can reach up to 60% battery capacity, and it takes around 80 minutes to fully charge the device. The smartphone also supports reverse wired charging, which is a convenient feature for charging other devices on the go. Overall, the Zenfone 8 offers a reliable battery performance with efficient power consumption, making it suitable for users who require a device with long-lasting battery backup.

Connectivity and Networking

The Asus Zenfone 8 offers a wide range of connectivity options to ensure a seamless user experience. With support for 5G technology, users can enjoy blazing-fast data speeds and low latency, making it perfect for streaming, gaming, and downloading large files. The device also supports a variety of network compatibility, including GSM, HSPA, LTE, and 5G, ensuring that it can be used in most regions around the world.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the Zenfone 8 comes with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, allowing users to connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. This ensures a stable and reliable internet connection, whether you're at home, in the office, or on the go. Bluetooth 5.2 is also supported, providing faster data transfer speeds and improved energy efficiency when connecting to other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

For convenient file transfer and charging, the Zenfone 8 features a USB Type-C 2.0 port. This versatile port allows for fast data transfer and can also be used for charging the device. Additionally, the device supports NFC, enabling users to make contactless payments and easily transfer files between compatible devices.

The Zenfone 8 also offers dual SIM capability, allowing users to use two different SIM cards simultaneously. This is especially useful for those who travel frequently or need to separate personal and work phone numbers. GPS is included for accurate navigation, and the device can serve as a mobile hotspot, allowing you to share your internet connection with other devices. Overall, the Asus Zenfone 8 provides a comprehensive range of connectivity options to cater to the needs of modern smartphone users.

Additional Features

• Standout Features: The Asus Zenfone 8 comes with a compact design, making it a standout option among smartphones. With dimensions of 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm and weighing only 169g, it is a comfortable device to hold and operate with one hand.


• Water and Dust Resistance: The Zenfone 8 is equipped with an IP68 rating, making it both water and dust resistant. It can withstand being submerged in water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, providing peace of mind for accidental spills or exposure to rain.


• Wireless Charging: The device supports Qi wireless charging, allowing for convenient and cable-free charging. Users can simply place their Zenfone 8 on a compatible wireless charging pad to replenish the battery.


• Advanced Sensors: The Zenfone 8 is equipped with a range of advanced sensors, including an accelerometer and gyroscope. These sensors enable precise motion tracking and enhance the overall user experience, especially for gaming and augmented reality applications.


• Long Battery Life: With a 4000mAh battery, the Zenfone 8 offers impressive battery life. It also supports 30W wired charging, allowing for quick charging when needed.

Comparison with Other Related Phones

The Asus Zenfone 8 is a compact and powerful smartphone that competes in the highly competitive market of flagship smartphones. When comparing it to related devices in the market, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 and the iPhone 12 Mini, the Zenfone 8 holds its own with its impressive specifications and unique features.

In terms of specifications, the Zenfone 8 boasts a 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, offering a smooth and vibrant visual experience. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, which is also found in other flagship devices, ensuring top-notch performance. The phone comes with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage, offering ample space for all your files and applications.

When it comes to the camera, the Zenfone 8 features a dual rear camera setup with a 64MP main sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. The camera performance is impressive, capturing detailed and vibrant photos in various lighting conditions. The phone also excels in video recording, offering up to 8K resolution at 24fps.

One of the standout features of the Zenfone 8 is its compact size. With dimensions of 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm and a weight of 169g, it is considerably smaller and lighter than its competitors. This makes it a great choice for users who prefer a more pocket-friendly device without compromising on performance.

In terms of pricing, the Zenfone 8 is positioned as a more affordable alternative to other flagship devices. With a starting price of around €529, it offers great value for money considering its powerful specifications and premium build quality.

Overall, the Asus Zenfone 8 competes strongly in the flagship smartphone market with its impressive specifications, compact size, and competitive pricing. It stands out among its competitors with its unique combination of features, making it a compelling choice for tech enthusiasts looking for a high-performance device that doesn't compromise on portability.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Asus Zenfone 8 is a compact powerhouse that offers an impressive set of features. Its sleek design, IP68 water and dust resistance, and Gorilla Glass Victus protection make it a durable and premium device. The Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate provides a vibrant and smooth viewing experience. Powered by the Snapdragon 888 chipset and ample RAM options, the Zenfone 8 delivers excellent performance for multitasking and gaming. The camera setup captures stunning photos and videos, while the long-lasting battery ensures a full day of usage. If you're in the market for a compact yet powerful smartphone, the Asus Zenfone 8 should definitely be on your radar.