Here’s why Asus’ ZenFone 9 should be on your radar

I think Asus makes great phones.

I know, you weren’t expecting me to say this, but hear me out. Over the years, I’ve probably used a larger variety of devices than any other member at MobileSyrup. I’ve reviewed handsets from Sony, Motorola, Samsung, Google, LG, HTC, Huawei, Unihertz and have used several OnePlus and even Apple smartphones. I don’t say this to brag, but just to show the diversity of brands I’ve used in the past five years.

I’m not here to say that Asus, makes the best Android devices out of all of these brands (this award would go to Samsung and Google), but I really believe Asus knows what it’s doing. Though the company doesn’t generate very much hype it’s still making some pretty interesting devices.

I, unfortunately, haven’t been able to review a ZenFone since the 6, which came with a pretty awesome flip-up camera. The premiere selfie experience, the display without an annoying camera hole and the ZenUI almost stock experience made the ZenFone 6 an awesome phone to use and abuse.

Now, last year’s ZenFone 8 was a head-turner. The handset had a small 5.8-inch display, it lacked the flip up camera and looked rather bothering, but still it reviewed rather well.  I didn’t get the chance to review it because it wasn’t readily available in Canada, but here’s what some others said about the device.

“All that said, the ZenFone 8 will be the right fit for a specific type of person, and I can heartily recommend it to my fellow small phone fans. You’ll get flagship-level build quality and performance quite literally in the palm of your hand.” The Verge.

“The Asus ZenFone 8 offers a crisp display, flagship performance and a great camera set-up, all for an extremely competitive price – managing to outpace its sister phone, the ZenFone 8 Flip. The smaller design is a solid option for those who don’t want to settle for a big phone.

The battery life isn’t great, but providing you’re happy to use it in durable mode and can savour that 120Hz display, you can make it last through the day. Overall, this is a contender in the smartphone market for 2021.” – Tech Advisor

The ZenFone 8 got a lot of praise and though it wasn’t perfect it seemed generally good.

With all that said about the ZenFone 8, the 9, according to rumours, will be even better. The 9, will sport a slightly larger battery, which should help with power complaints. Asus is said to use a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor which is good for low light and optical image stabilization and pair it with a gimbal to really help with stabilization. This time around the device is expected to feature the Snapdragon 8 + Gen 1, which will make it one of the most powerful phones on the market, even ahead of Samsung’s S22 Ultra. It’s even rumoured to have a headphone jack, which is unbelievable for a flagship handset.

So, if you’re someone who likes (or doesn’t mind) a smaller 5.9-inch display phone you should definitely keep this one in mind, even though carriers won’t have it readily available.

Best Buy marketplace, Amazon and other places will definitely be your place to head to.

The phone is expected to launch pretty soon, so keep an eye out.