If you're a fan of small phones, then the Asus Zenfone line of Android mobiles is probably already on your radar. The next one we're expecting is the Asus Zenfone 9, and it could be coming along any time now.
This is the anticipated successor to the Asus Zenfone 8, which we saw in May 2021, and it could also come alongside a Flip edition like that mobile did.
We've started to hear Asus Zenfone 9 rumors, but they're not coming thick and fast like the iPhone 14 leaks are, so it's not clear whether it'll be coming immediately or in the more distant future.
We're collecting all the leaks and rumors we hear about the Zenfone 9 for now, and you can find them below, alongside a wish-list of all the things we want to see in the upcoming Android.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next flagship Android from Asus
- When is it out? We don't know - hopefully soon
- How much will it cost Likely around $629 (roughly £425 / AU$769)
Asus Zenfone 9: release date and price
We don't know when the Asus Zenfone 9 will go on sale - that's because, while most mobiles get launched annually, the Zenfone 9 is late to that schedule.
The Zenfone 8 family launched in May 2021, though it took a few months to go on sale. But we'd have expected the Zenfone 9 by this point if it was sticking to a rough annual schedule.
The Zenfone 8 cost $629 (around £425 / AU$769), and we wouldn't expect the new version to come at much of a different price. Perhaps the 9 could be a touch cheaper or pricier, but not by much.
If you've got more money to burn, we could see a Flip version too which would be more expensive and have a flipping camera solution - we'll have to see.
Asus Zenfone 9: leaks and rumors
We've only really heard one major Asus Zenfone 9 leak - but it's a massive one, as a marketing video for the phone has leaked out.
So apparently the phone has a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, a 4,300mAh battery, two rear cameras (one of which has a gimbal feature), a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, a 5.9-inch 120Hz display, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an IP68 rating for protection. Oh, and it'll apparently come in red, black, cream and blue shades.
It's an odd video - the music is so ill-fitting that we can't help but feel like it's a rough cut or similar - but this gives us lots of information about the phone.
Asus Zenfone 9: what we want to see
Here's what we want to see in the Asus Zenfone 9 in order for it to be a decent upgrade.
A telephoto lens
Despite the high price, the Asus Zenfone 8 didn't have a flagship array of cameras - primarily, it doesn't have a telephoto zoom lens.
This means that, if you want to zoom in when you're taking a photo, it does so with digital zoom, or cropping. It's a weak link in the Zenfone's photography chops that means it can't compete with some same-price rivals.
A lower price
The Zenfone 8 had a price that sat on the fence between mid-range and top-end, but its specs certainly fell into the former - its battery and camera specs especially felt more like a mid-range phone.
We hope the Zenfone 9 fixes that, either by bumping up the specs so the phone is more top-end, or by having a lower price so that it's a competitive mid-ranger.
Improved battery life
We found the Asus Zenfone 8's battery life sub-par, as its 4,000mAh power pack didn't keep the device lasting for very long.
If the aforementioned leak is correct, the Zenfone 9 will get a 4,300mAh battery - but also a more intensive processor, so that larger battery might not lead to a longer battery life.
We'd like to see an even bigger battery than 4,300mAh, or perhaps some other optimizations, to make sure the phone lasts long enough.
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