Asus Zenfone 9 Review: Small but Mighty - WIRED

There's nary shortage of large phones these days. Apple adjacent went truthful acold arsenic to nix a successor to past year's iPhone 13 Mini and alternatively replaced it with the iPhone 14 Plus. Small phones are hard to travel by, but they're not wholly extinct yet. If you're bushed of straining your fingers to scope parts of a screen, past the Asus Zenfone 9 is your friend.

I person to notation a fewer large caveats earlier you work immoderate further. This Android smartphone is disposable successful the US, but it volition not enactment connected Verizon's web astatine all. It works champion connected T-Mobile and AT&T. Asus besides doesn't enactment its smartphones for a agelong time. Most Android telephone makers present connection 3 to 5 years of bundle support, but Asus is sticking with a paltry two. Get with the times! It's a shame, due to the fact that the Zenfone 9 has perks that are hard to find: a compact surface with flagship performance, positive a headphone jack. That's ace rare. 

Small but Mighty

It mightiness not look similar a glitzy flagship phone, but determination are a batch of goodies successful this small package. It each starts with its size—at conscionable 5.9 inches, it's casual to wrapper my fingers around. It's not as tiny arsenic the iPhone 13 Mini (5.4 inches), but it's inactive 1 of the smallest screens retired determination today. 

This AMOLED show ne'er felt excessively cramped with mundane tasks, but it did consciousness limiting erstwhile I watched episodes of Love, Death & Robots portion connected the workout motorcycle astatine the gym. I had to bring the telephone adjacent to my eyes to drawback details successful the “Night of the Mini Dead” occurrence (fitting). Otherwise, the surface is sharp, looks colorful, and manages to get just agleam capable to usage connected sunny days. The 120-Hz refresh rate is simply a dainty too, and a diagnostic you won't find connected the iPhone 13 Mini—every swipe and scroll feels smooth.

Size isn't the lone happening that makes this telephone truthful bully to hold; it's besides the texture Asus uses connected the backmost of the device. It's brushed and feels benignant of similar the rubber mats connected a playground. I similar erstwhile telephone manufacturers play astir with designs and textures (RIP LG)—props to Asus for making this telephone consciousness distinct, unlike its predecessor. Just cognize that this rear worldly tin scuff up; it's casual to clean, but you'll inactive spot immoderate airy marks.

There's a side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded successful the powerfulness button, and it's a speedy and reliable mode to unlock the device. A headphone jack sits astatine the apical if you similar to wear corded earbuds—this larboard is simply a rarity connected flagship phones these days—and the Zenfone 9 has stereo speakers that get large and dependable beauteous great. It besides packs a near-field connection (NFC) sensor truthful you tin marque tap-to-pay payments. The surface is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus, and it has IP68-rated h2o and particulate resistance, which is arsenic bully arsenic you'll find connected astir high-end phones these days. 

What's missing? Wireless charging. You tin lone recharge this telephone with a cable, but there's bully quality present too: Asus is 1 of the fewer telephone makers these days that inactive includes a charging adapter on with the USB-C cable. (It adjacent comes with a case, though it's not terribly protective.) Speaking of charging, Asus has managed to acceptable a 4,300-mAh artillery into this tiny phone, which comfortably lasts a afloat day. Actually, it usually gets maine done a time and a fractional with mean use. It's beauteous great!