Asus Zenfone 10 Review: Dinky Do-It-All

Finest Costs As we speak: Asus Zenfone 10

Asus is greatest identified for its laptops and gaming gear, however annually it additionally releases a premium-spec smartphone beneath the Zenfone identify.

The Zenfone 10 is the newest iteration, and it’s very similar to 2022’s Zenfone 9: an Android telephone marketed as a small, compact system with an eye fixed catching design, top-end specs, and considerate software program.

For essentially the most half, the Zenfone 10 is all these issues, although it’s not the smallest telephone round. It’s taller than the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone SE and is roughly the identical dimensions as an iPhone 14 however with a smaller display.

Don’t get me fallacious, Asus has a very good telephone on its fingers right here – it ticks virtually each doable field on the spec sheet. In doing so the Zenfone 10 finally ends up doing every thing fairly nicely, however its show and digicam aren’t prime drawer.

Design & construct

• Slim design
• Paper-feel again
• Headphone jack

Asus has not modified a lot of the look of the Zenfone 10 from the Zenfone 9. Actually, it’s precisely the identical dimensions at 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.4mm. That’s smaller than lots of the largest telephones on the market, nevertheless it’s not the smallest.

The iPhone 13 mini is 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.7mm and the Samsung Galaxy S23 is 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6mm – each are thinner and shorter than the Zenfone. Heck, even the common iPhone 14 is 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm, solely 0.2mm taller and 0.1mm thicker than the Zenfone 9.

I solely labour this level as a result of Asus markets the Zenfone 10 as some one-handed mini telephone miracle, nevertheless it’s very equally sized to different globally out there high-end handsets.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

My assessment pattern was the daring red-backed model, although there’s additionally inexperienced, white, black, and blue. The again is constituted of a bio-based polycarbonate and feels a bit like onerous paper to the touch.

I grew to love it, nevertheless it received’t be to everybody’s style. Neither will the daring round islands that home the twin rear cameras on the highest left of the rear. Underneath that’s some delicate Zenfone branding with a brand on the underside proper.

It’s grippy and feels higher than a shiny glass end that pulls fingerprints, however I favor a matt glass texture such because the one discovered on the iPhone 14 Professional or OnePlus 11. Making up for that’s the headphone jack, which may energy hi-res wired audio. There’s additionally a side-mounted energy button with an embedded fingerprint sensor as a substitute of 1 beneath the display.

The telephone additionally has an IP58/IP68 mud and water resistance score. This implies it’s protected towards mud, jets of water, and immersion in water. It’s higher than telephones which have simply an IP68 score, which means this can be a telephone that may take just a few splashes and survive.

Display screen & audio system

• ‘Small’ 5.9in display
• As much as 144Hz for gaming
• Twin stereo audio system

The Zenfone 10 has a 5.92in OLED 2400x1080p show. It’s fairly skinny with a 20.4:9 side ratio, which makes it simpler to carry in a single hand and doomscroll.

It has a most refresh price of 144Hz. That is larger than the 120Hz seen on most high-end telephones such because the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely and is a spec often discovered on gaming telephones, which is smart because the Zenfone can solely hit 144Hz in supported video games.

In any other case, you possibly can choose 60-, 90-, or 120Hz, or ‘auto’ that switches between these three to avoid wasting battery relying on what you’re doing.

It’s a very good show, and noticeably pokier than, say, an iPhone 14, because it’s narrower than that and lots of different compact rivals.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

I didn’t miss having the next decision given it’s fairly a small display by fashionable requirements. I want it went a bit of brighter although – it’s able to 1,100 nits at peak brightness however Asus says it solely has 800 nits of outside readable brightness. The display is tough to learn in daylight.

The twin stereo audio system are nothing to write down dwelling about. They will get loud sufficient for podcasts, however given the smallness of the telephone they aren’t very full, and it might probably get fairly tinny at loud volumes.

Specs & efficiency

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• As much as 16GB RAM
• As much as 512GB storage

Powering the telephone is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Qualcomm’s greatest cellular chipset but. My assessment telephone was paired with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage, however you may as well get 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB variations relying in your nation.

The highest-spec Zenfone 10 completely flew by way of every thing I threw at it, dealing with all apps and demanding video games reminiscent of Name of Responsibility Cell, not getting too sizzling within the course of regardless of its small measurement. The fashions with 8GB RAM would possibly fare much less nicely, however I haven’t examined these.

Asus admirably went full kitchen sink with the specs of the Zenfone 10: 5G, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 7. It additionally helps hi-res audio by way of the headphone jack and helps it wirelessly with the LDAC codec, along with aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, and AAC codecs. Audio can be tuned in partnership with Dirac. That’s a really spectacular checklist, upgrading in a number of areas over the Zenfone 9, and you’ll wrestle to seek out all of this on another telephone.

The one factor it’s lacking is a microSD slot for expandable storage. There’s a twin bodily SIM slot, however no eSIM help.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Cameras & video

• Inconsistent most important lens
• Primary ultra-wide lens
• No telephoto

I discovered the Zenfone’s cameras strong however a bit of inconsistent. In daylight, the 50Mp, f/1.9 most important sensor, a Sony IMX766, takes superb, sharp pictures with first rate color replica. Low gentle pictures are additionally good, and the excessive dynamic vary (HDR) produces some enjoyable, punchy pictures.

Its most important subject is saturating colors, although that is one thing Samsung telephones additionally like to do, and it struggles with oversharpening. At different occasions, pictures seems too pale. Listed below are some examples:

This can be a extensively used sensor additionally present in cheaper telephones such because the OnePlus 10T and Nothing Cellphone (1). Given the Zenfone 10 prices far more than these, the digicam is a weaker level. The twin lenses on the $799/£849/€1,019 iPhone 14 and the $499/£449/€509 Google Pixel 7a are higher.

As there’s no telephoto lens, it’s a must to depend on the primary lens to digitally zoom. There’s a 2x button within the digicam app and you’ll go to 8x. Outcomes are combined however typically usable:

The 13Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide is merely superb for grabbing extra of a scene. The pictures are ok to share with pals on WhatsApp however you’re not going to be shocked by outcomes or need to publish them on social media. Colors are over-saturated and there’s a lot of noise while you zoom in.

I used to be disillusioned with the entrance 32Mp digicam, which pixel bins pictures right down to 8Mp. It was really higher for fast enjoyable movies of teams, whereas pictures had been generally washed out and missing intimately like the primary one beneath. Evaluate that to the second selfie, which is great. It’s as inconsistent a sensor as the primary one:

Asus is admittedly pushing the primary digicam’s 6-axis gimbal stabiliser, which it claims improves picture stability greater than conventional optical picture stabilisation (OIS) tech. There’s even a dot and line animation within the digicam app to be sure you aren’t shaking round an excessive amount of.

That is all nicely and good and appears to work, nevertheless it appears overkill on what’s a firmly mid-range sensor, and Asus doesn’t see to do a lot extra computational processing on the pictures to enhance them like you will discover on Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy telephones of the identical worth.

I discovered the Zenfone’s cameras strong however inconsistent

The actual check of a telephone digicam is taking it to an essential occasion and seeing if you’re proud of the outcomes. I took the Zenfone to a very good buddy’s marriage ceremony, and although I received some first rate pictures, I additionally received some terrible ones, and was pissed off with the expertise of utilizing it for the day as my digicam. It left me not desirous to take pictures with the telephone.

Video is ok, although I don’t shoot extreme video on my telephones. It will probably seize as much as 4K at 60fps, and outcomes appeared nice with the gimbal stablisation.

Battery & charging

• Wonderful longevity
• Gradual 30W wired charging
• Wonderful software program charging choices

From slight disappointment with the digicam to being shocked with battery life. I don’t know what wizardry Asus is doing right here, however the Zenfone 10 has no proper lasting this lengthy contemplating it’s working the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and solely has a 4300mAh battery.

Different premium telephones just like the Galaxy S23 Extremely have the identical chip however barely eke out a day’s energy on 5000mAh batteries.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

I thrashed the Zenfone 10 from 8am on the day of that marriage ceremony, utilizing Google Maps, the digicam, and WhatsApp extensively, and it lastly died at midnight. That was the one approach I might kill the factor.

Most different days I used to be ending up with 40% or so at 11pm. It’s the most effective issues in regards to the telephone, and proves smaller telephones can have good battery life.

I don’t know what wizardry Asus is doing right here, however the Zenfone 10 has no proper lasting this lengthy

It’s a very good factor it lasts so lengthy, as a result of charging is annoyingly gradual with the included 30W wired charger. From 0% it solely received to 18% in quarter-hour, and was at 35% in half an hour.

There are glorious charging choices within the software program too, together with excessive efficiency, dynamic, sturdy, and extremely sturdy modes, three of which will be scheduled to kick in when the battery hits your chosen stage, scheduled charging to slower cost at sure occasions to guard the battery, and regular charging to at all times cost it slower.

Software program & updates

• Very customisable
• Intelligent additions to Android
• Solely two Android OS updates

The Zenfone 10 runs Android 13 however Asus solely guarantees two updates to take it to Android 15 in 2025. This isn’t nice, and lags behind Google, Samsung, Apple, and Oppo.

It barely makes up for it by promising 4 years of safety patches to 2027, however there’s no assure they are going to be month-to-month.

Asus provides you so many customisable choices that it’s a bit of overwhelming. The Android pores and skin could be very plain, nearer to ‘inventory’ Android than Google makes use of on Pixels. The one duplicated app is Asus’s Gallery, in any other case Asus simply helps you to use Google’s apps for every thing.

You may select to run the inventory look, or choose ‘Asus optimised’ parts reminiscent of an altered fast settings design, energy button menu,  clock measurement, incoming name show, and quantity adjustment choices. The facet key may also be set to react to swipes – I used it to swipe down the notification shade however you may get quirky and use it to clean backwards and forwards by way of YouTube movies.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Although not a gaming telephone, the Zenfone 10 inherits the Sport Genie software program discovered on Asus’s ROG gaming telephones. Gestures are additionally nice – drawing letters on the locked display to open sure apps, flipping to mute, and double tapping to lock on the house display are all right here.

However the telephone’s narrowness means apps can really feel ever so barely cramped. The Gboard software program keyboard feels squished, so I modified the settings to make the keys greater, although I’ve fairly small fingers. I discover it onerous to sort shortly on this telephone.

The default textual content measurement can be weeny and though you possibly can enlarge it, you’ll match much less on the display. In case you want studying glasses or wrestle with small textual content, this isn’t the telephone for you.

Worth & availability

The Asus Zenfone 10 prices from £749.99/€799. It’s out there to pre-order now within the UK direct from Asus till 31 July.

The telephone is coming to the US with a Q3 launch deliberate. There’s no confirmed worth or precise launch date but, although.

European pricing pitches the telephone as a premium system shut that undercuts the $799/£849/€799 Samsung Galaxy S23 and the $799/£849/€1,019 iPhone 14. It’s across the similar worth because the $699/£729/€849 OnePlus 11, however I believe the OnePlus is a greater purchase for its superlative cameras, software program help, and charging speeds except you really need the compact kind issue.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

For extra choices, take a look at our rankings of the perfect small telephones and greatest Android telephones.

Verdict

The Zenfone 10 is a formidable telephone with a spec sheet rammed filled with every thing you can probably ask for. It’s received wonderful battery life, top-tier efficiency, a headphone jack, and a few of the most customisable software program going, all in a telephone that’s really going to slot in most pockets.

Regardless of this, it’s a premium-priced telephone that has below-flagship cameras. In case you don’t care about having the perfect telephone digicam then you definitely received’t thoughts, however you may get a greater shooter, and spend a lot much less, with the Google Pixel 7a.

Asus additionally must do higher with software program help. A telephone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will carry out nicely for no less than 5 years, however Asus solely guarantees two Android model updates with 4 years of safety patches.

However in the event you don’t care about Android’s newest options then that is nonetheless a wonderful small telephone with battery life that defies perception.

Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 
• 8/16GB LPDDR5X RAM 
• 128/256/512GB UFS 4.0 storage 
• 5.92in 144Hz AMOLED show 
• Digital camera:
  • 50Mp, f/1.9 Sony IMX766 most important digicam with OIS & gimbal-stabilisation 
  • 13Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digicam 
  • 32Mp, front-facing digicam 
• 4300mAh battery 
• 30W wired charging 
• 15W wi-fi charging
• Twin stereo audio system with Dirac HD Sound 
• USB-C 
• Headphone jack 
• Wi-Fi 7
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Twin-SIM 
• Sub-6GHz 5G 
• IP68 score 
• Gorilla Glass Victus show 
• 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1 mm 
• 169g 
• Android 13 with Zen UI