ASUS made lots of adjustments to its Zenfone collection during the last 4 years, and the present iteration of the portfolio is all about dimension. Whereas different producers are turning to bigger and taller telephones, ASUS is doubling all the way down to ship a telephone that is designed for one-handed use. That was the important thing differentiator with the Zenfone 9 final 12 months, and ASUS is constant down the identical path with the Zenfone 10.
Due to this fact, the Zenfone 10 maintains the identical diminutive dimension as its predecessor, coming in a peak of underneath 150mm and width of underneath 70mm, giving it a definite edge over nearly each different telephone I’ve used this 12 months. Whereas ASUS did not tweak the size, there’s wi-fi charging on provide right here — one of the vital requested options, in accordance with the model.
And whereas gargantuan gadgets just like the Galaxy S23 Extremely and Xiaomi 13 Extremely miss out on the function, you will discover a 3.5mm jack on the Zenfone 10. There’s additionally IP68 ingress safety — similar as final 12 months — and a decent-sized battery that manages to final nicely over a day. There’s higher customizability to the software program as nicely, and ASUS continues to ship a clear and uncluttered interface that is a delight to make use of.
The one factor lacking on the Zenfone 9 was a zoom lens, and I used to be holding out for ASUS to introduce that this 12 months. Nevertheless, that is not the case, and the Zenfone 10 retains a twin digicam array that is largely unchanged from final 12 months; it seems to be like we’ll have to attend one other technology to see noticeable upgrades on the digicam {hardware} aspect of issues.
I used the Zenfone 10 for the higher a part of a month now, and I feel it’s the finest small telephone at the moment obtainable — there actually is not one other gadget that provides the identical feature-set in such a small dimension.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Specs, pricing, and availability
ASUS unveiled the Zenfone 10 on June 29, and the telephone is now obtainable in choose nations in Europe, beginning at €799 within the area. Additionally it is debuting in Taiwan and Hong Kong, with a launch in North America slated for later within the 12 months.
The Zenfone 10 is offered in a number of storage configurations: the bottom model has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and there is an 8GB/256GB mannequin, together with 16GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB editions. Like final 12 months, there is not any point out of whether or not the Zenfone 10 will make its debut in India, and that is a puzzling transfer contemplating the nation is one in all ASUS’s largest markets.
| Class | ASUS Zenfone 10 |
|---|---|
| OS | Zen UI 10 primarily based on Android 13 |
| Show | 5.92-inch FHD+ (2400×1080) AMOLED, 120Hz (144Hz in video games), HDR10+, Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 1 x 3.2GHz Cortex X3, 2 x 2.8GHz Cortex A715, 2 x 2.8GHz Cortex A710, 3 x 2.0GHz Cortex A510, Adreno 740, 4nm |
| RAM | 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 |
| Rear digicam 1 | 50MP f/1.9 Sony IMX766, 1.0um pixels, OIS, gimbal stabilization, 8K at 24fps, 4K at 60fps |
| Rear digicam 2 | 13MP f/2.2 wide-angle, 1.12um pixls |
| Entrance digicam | 32MP mounted focus, 1080p video |
| Ingress safety | IP68 mud and water resistance |
| Safety | Facet-mounted fingerprint module, face unlock |
| Audio | Stereo sound, 3.5mm jack, AptX suite, 24-bit/192kHz audio |
| Connectivity | International Sub-6 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC |
| Battery | 4300mAh battery, 30W USB PD charging, 15W Qi wi-fi charging |
| Dimensions | 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.4mm, 172g |
| Colours | Inexperienced, Pink, Black, White |
ASUS Zenfone 10: Design
I actually appreciated what ASUS with the design of the Zenfone 9, so it is good to see that the model did not make any main adjustments to the general aesthetic with the Zenfone 10. The telephone shares a design that is similar to its predecessor, with the identical giant rings adorning the cameras on the again, and the identical polymer end on the again that feels nice to carry.
Though ASUS did not change the design, there are delicate tweaks right here: the rings across the cameras have a cleaner design, and there is not as a lot textual content on the again, resulting in a extra minimalist look. The ASUS Zenfone branding is now positioned beneath the digicam housing, and also you get a stylized monogram emblem on the backside to have fun ten years of the Zenfone collection. I just like the adjustments because it makes the Zenfone 10 look a little bit extra elegant.
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ASUS is sticking with the identical set of shade combos as final 12 months — black, blue, pink, and white — and is introducing a vibrant inexperienced mannequin that appears fabulous. The again of the telephone retains the bio-based polycarbonate again, and ASUS notes it went this route as there are fewer CO2 emissions versus a normal glass again. Moreover, the packaging itself is made out of recycled supplies and sues soy-based inks.
As for the in-hand really feel, the Zenfone 10 is in a league of its personal. The telephone weighs 172g and has a peak of146.5mm and width of 68.1mm, and that results in a tool that feels excellent. ASUS nailed the burden distribution as nicely, and coming from the Xiaomi 13 Extremely, the Zenfone 10 appears like a breath of recent air.
On that observe, there is a 3.5mm jack right here, and also you get IP68 mud and water ingress, giving the Zenfone 10 the flexibility to climate the weather. ASUS eschewed the usual in-screen fingerprint module for a side-mounted sensor, and it does a terrific job in every day use. This time round, the ZenTouch button picks up lots of further options, together with the flexibility to drag down the notification pane with a gesture, and even YouTube playback controls. However extra on that later.
There’s little to fault on the design entrance of the Zenfone 10. The dimensions of the telephone mixed with the placing shade choices, aluminum mid-frame, and IP68 ingress safety means the Zenfone 10 is not lacking out in any key areas, and it’s the best choice if you need a small telephone.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Show
ASUS is utilizing the identical panel as final 12 months, and as such you get a 5.9-inch Samsung AMOLED display screen with 120Hz refresh. You possibly can manually set the refresh fee to 60, 90, or 120Hz, and there is an overclock possibility that kicks it as much as 144Hz, however that is solely obtainable in video games.
Like final 12 months, the display screen itself is vibrant and has no points with outside visibility or distinction ranges. Auto mode was greater than enough in my use case, and there is a respectable quantity of customizability relating to adjusting the colour stability. There is a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus overlaying the display screen, and having examined its efficacy on the Zenfone 9 to a terrific extent final 12 months, I can say with some confidence that it does a stellar job in defending the AMOLED panel.
What I like essentially the most in regards to the Zenfone 10 is that it enables you to play video games at 144Hz; there are not any limitations such as you get with most Chinese language telephones — the place video games are locked to 60Hz whatever the {hardware} — and ASUS’s Recreation Genie utility has an intensive set of options to get essentially the most out of the {hardware}.
One other space the place ASUS does issues nicely is audio; you get a 3.5mm jack and stereo sound with similar channels. The sound is tuned by Dirac, and the AudioWizard utility is among the many finest relating to configuring the onboard audio, providing a great vary of presets in addition to a 10-band EQ. You additionally get the complete suite of AptX codecs, and the onboard sound is nice for enjoying video games or streaming content material.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Efficiency and battery
Just like the finest Android telephones, the Zenfone 10 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Qualcomm made a bunch of adjustments to its platform this 12 months, and the result’s that the 8 Gen 2 consumes much less energy whereas delivering a lot better efficiency in nearly any scenario.
As you’d think about, the Zenfone 10 has zero points on the efficiency entrance; the software program is optimized to take full benefit of the {hardware}, and I did not see any slowdowns by any means within the month I used the gadget. As famous above, the Zenfone 10 is especially nice for gaming, and you will not run into any body fee limitations on this telephone. That is nice to see on such a small gadget, and whereas you do not get an enormous display screen, it does not miss out on any {hardware} options.
On that entrance, the Zenfone 10 has 256GB of storage as commonplace, and there is a 16GB/512GB mannequin on provide this time round. All storage configurations function UFS 4.0 modules as commonplace, and that is one other constructive for the model.
Switching to the battery aspect of issues, the Zenfone 10 has the identical 4300mAh battery as final 12 months, and I did not see a complete load of distinction by way of battery longevity. Contemplating I bought over a day’s price of use out of the Zenfone 9, that is a great factor. There’s zero want for any battery nervousness by any means, and even on days with heavy use, I by no means needed to fear in regards to the battery working out earlier than I bought to mattress.
An attention-grabbing addition this 12 months is wi-fi charging, with the Zenfone 10 providing 15W charging over the Qi protocol. I am not a giant fan of the function because it takes too lengthy — over two hours on this case — however there’s clearly lots of customers that want the function, and it is nice to see ASUS including it on the gadget. The wired charging tech is unchanged, and also you get a 30W charger within the field together with a collection of software program options to extend battery longevity.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Cameras
Just like the design, ASUS is not making many adjustments to the cameras, and the Zenfone 10 has the identical 50MP Sony IMX766 f/1.9 lens on the again. It is joined by a 13MP wide-angle lens with a 120-degree FoV, and on the entrance, you now get a 32MP digicam with 1.6um pixels. The gimbal stabilization tech that debuted final 12 months has been tweaked for this technology, with ASUS noting higher stabilization whereas capturing movies.
There’s additionally AI-based scene recognition this time round, and the function robotically adjusts the colour stability primarily based on the state of affairs. Rounding out the adjustments, you get OZO audio recording, a real-time stabilization mode that dynamically adjusts the sector of view in accordance with shakiness of the scene, and the Gentle Path mode can now be used handheld.
The 32MP digicam on the entrance options an RGBW module with a lot better gentle consumption, and ASUS is touting vital beneficial properties on this space — notably in low-light conditions. That stated, the module misses out on autofocus, and there is not any autofocus on the wide-angle lens as nicely. I actually wished to see a zoom lens on the gadget, however ASUS says there wasn’t sufficient room so as to add one, and that it needed to stability consumer necessities when it got here to designing the telephone, so it unnoticed the zoom lens and went with a bigger battery and three.5mm jack.
The digicam interface itself hasn’t modified, with all of the capturing modes arrayed in a ribbon and toggles for the lenses, evening mode, results, flash, and Google Lens simply accessible. The Professional mode enables you to unlock higher management over photographs, and there is a comparable mode this time aimed toward movies too.
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The IMX766 has been a mainstay on telephones for nicely over three years in the past, and whereas there are newer and higher sensors obtainable, it has confirmed to be a dependable workhorse. For its half, the Zenfone 10 manages to take vibrant photographs in daylight situations, providing loads of element and dynamic vary with out oversaturating the colours. ASUS made tweaks to its digicam algorithms with this technology, and it makes the Zenfone 10 take higher photographs in nearly any scenario over its predecessor.
That stated, it tends to be a bit conservative with publicity ranges in low-light conditions, and this may very well be a measure to restrict noise in scenes with little to no synthetic lighting. You continue to get usable photographs in difficult situations, nevertheless it is not fairly on the identical degree because the Pixel 7a. The wide-angle lens is respectable sufficient in its personal proper, nevertheless it misses out on autofocus with this technology, and that makes it rather less versatile.
The addition of a zoom lens would have made the Zenfone 10 that rather more engaging, however because it stands, you get a good set of cameras. Positive, it is not going to win any awards on this space, nevertheless it has confirmed to be a dependable shooter, and should you want a telephone with best-in-class cameras, there are different selections obtainable.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Software program
The Zenfone 10 runs Zen UI primarily based on Android 13, and it has a clear interface with none overt customization. ASUS did a terrific job preserving all of the options Google launched in Android 13, and also you get an identical set of Materials You styling choices as a Pixel telephone. On high of that, ASUS has a collection of unique options that find yourself being fairly helpful, together with the likes of the ZenTouch button.
You possibly can simply pull down the notification shade by sliding down together with your finger on the facility button, and also you get the flexibility to launch the digicam, take a screenshot, make a name, toggle Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or on off, and a lot extra. The sheer quantity of options obtainable right here makes the button much more versatile than the usual energy key you will discover on most telephones, and ASUS deserves credit score on this space.
In an identical vein, you will discover loads of gesture shortcuts, a sidebar that slides out from the sting of the display screen, a one-handed mode that shrinks the display screen even additional, and a again faucet gesture that is notably useful for screenshots. Briefly, there’s a lot to love right here, and utilizing Zen UI jogs my memory of the legacy days of OxygenOS; the interface itself is as near vanilla Android as potential, and also you get an enormous suite of customization choices tailor-made for energy customers — extra of this, please!
This customizability extends to different areas of the interface as nicely; you may select between the Android 13 power-off menu or the ASUS possibility, which switches to the older format. The identical is true with the notification pane as nicely, with the flexibility to decide on between the bigger rounded tiles that Google launched with Android 12, or going again to the Android 11-esque six-tile format. These are all small issues, however they make a tangible distinction whereas utilizing the telephone.
Elsewhere, the gallery now makes use of on-device machine studying to ship higher search outcomes, and it surfaces highlights primarily based on content material saved on the gadget. ASUS additionally made adjustments to the always-on mode, introducing new clock kinds and the flexibility to make use of your personal picture or textual content. To spherical issues off, there’s now a scrolling screenshot mode baked into Zen UI.
As you may most likely inform, I actually like what ASUS has achieved with Zen UI, and it’s one in all my favourite Android interfaces for the time being. The one downside on this space is the software program replace scenario; the Zenfone 10 will solely get two platform updates and 4 years of safety updates, and that simply does not minimize it in 2023. Most Android producers have made tangible beneficial properties on this space during the last 12 months, and we’re at a degree the place most telephones on this class will get no less than three assured Android OS updates.
ASUS says it is not in a position to present long-term updates to its telephones because it has restricted software program assets, however that excuse does not work when you think about the state of the trade and the way a lot the Zenfone 10 prices. Positive, there are finances Android telephones that also solely get two Android OS updates, however most telephones that retail for over $500 are getting long-term updates, and I am unable to assist however really feel that the Zenfone 10 is hobbled by this transfer.
ASUS Zenfone 10: The competitors
There aren’t many selections if you need a small telephone in 2023. The usual Galaxy S23 is a good sufficient possibility, and whereas it is not fairly as small because the Zenfone 10, you get a tool that feels extra premium in-hand, and it’ll decide up double the variety of platform updates.
There’s additionally final 12 months’s Zenfone 9 to contemplate. The telephone continues to be going sturdy a 12 months after its launch, and contemplating the shortage of main adjustments on the Zenfone 10, the Zenfone 9 may be the higher possibility provided that it has the identical design and cameras.
I additionally just like the Pixel 7a, and whereas Google does not cater to the small telephone market, there is not any denying that the 7a is an absolute beast of a telephone.
ASUS Zenfone 10: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You desire a small telephone that does not miss out on any options
- You want all of the extras like wi-fi charging and ingress safety
- You desire a clear interface with a excessive diploma of customizability
You should not purchase this if:
You want long-term software program updates
ASUS is not reinventing the wheel with the Zenfone 10. The telephone makes use of the identical basis as final 12 months’s mannequin, however you get a number of tweaks that give it a slight benefit. You are still getting the identical nice display screen, cameras, and battery life, all in a package deal that is designed for one-handed use.
Whereas ASUS did a stellar job retaining the Zenfone 9’s finest options, its shortcomings are intact as nicely. The software program scenario hasn’t modified to any significant diploma, and that places the Zenfone 10 at a transparent drawback over its Android rivals. Most Chinese language manufacturers made large beneficial properties on this space during the last 12 months, and in consequence, we’re now in a scenario the place the Zenfone 10 will get fewer platform updates than most different telephones in its class.
ASUS actually wants to alter its place on long-term updates, as a result of the {hardware} itself can simply final over 5 years. There isn’t any limitation on that entrance by any means, and the truth that the gadget will solely get two assured Android OS updates takes the shine off an in any other case faultless package deal.
Nonetheless, there actually is not another should you’re out there for a small telephone — except you decide up final 12 months’s Zenfone 9.
It is easy to sum up the Zenfone 10; that is the very best small telephone you may get for the time being, so should you want a tool that is designed for one-handed use, it’s the apparent alternative. For the second 12 months in a row, ASUS did a powerful job retaining all of the options of a flagship in a small chassis.
