Our quick take

Asus Zenfone 9 - 4.5 / 5

Design and build

  • 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1mm; 169g Gorilla Glass Victus IP68 rating

  • Zenfone 9 vs Zenfone 8: What’s the difference?

Display

  • 5.9in, 2400 x 1080 pixels, 445ppi Samsung AMOLED, 120Hz HDR10+

Hardware and performance

  • Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 8-16GB RAM 128-256GB storage 4300mAh; 30W charging

Camera

  • Double rear camera: Main: 50MP, 1/1.56in, f/1.9, 1.0μm Ultrawide: 12MP, 1/2.55in, f/2.2, 1.4μm Selfie: 12MP, 1/2.93in, f/2.2, 1.22μm

  • Main: 50MP, 1/1.56in, f/1.9, 1.0μm Ultrawide: 12MP, 1/2.55in, f/2.2, 1.4μm

Software

  • Android 12 with ZenUI Two OS updates Two years of security updates

To recap

The Asus Zenfone 9 is the compact phone of choice, making few compromises to deliver a flagship experience in a smaller package. There’s plenty of power and performance, with good cameras only marred by the lack of telephoto. The design is attractive and the build is quality, including waterproofing. Still, the phone is let down through the software - bloat and app duplication are compounded by relatively short support, with only two years of updates.