ASUS Zenfone 9 Review: Compact Powerhouse with Flagship Features

If you’ve ever looked at the latest phones and thought, “They all look the same,” then this one might just be for you. The Asus Zenfone 9 is packed with features that really go against the grain.

First off, let’s talk size. Flagship phones these days just keep getting bigger, right? But this one is a breath of fresh air. It’s got slightly larger bezels, but those frame a 5.9-inch display, making it feel a lot more compact. It’s not “mini,” but it’s close enough that it feels more comfortable in your hand and pocket. Reaching the top of the screen with one hand is much easier, and everything just feels more manageable.

Then there’s the build. Most high-end phones these days sport glossy glass backs, but the Zenfone 9 goes for a soft-touch plastic back instead. It’s not as rough as the old OnePlus sandstone finish, but it has a nice texture that makes it easy to grip. Pair that with the flat aluminum sides, and it feels really solid and pleasant to hold. The little design touches—like the cutout around the power button and the subtle text on the back—add character without feeling over the top.

And let’s not forget the headphone jack. Yep, it’s back. It’s a small thing, but it’s becoming rare in new phones, and it’s nice to see here. Oh, and the red color? It’s bold and eye-catching—definitely not your typical phone color.

The only downside? The camera bumps are a little chunky, so the phone wobbles when it’s flat on a table. But we’ll get into the cameras in a bit.

A lot of phones these days have moved their fingerprint scanners under the display, and while it’s a nice feature, it hasn’t really evolved much in the past couple of years. Asus, though, decided to try something different. Instead of hiding the fingerprint scanner under the screen, they made the power button do double duty. Not only is it a fingerprint reader, but it also acts as a customizable smart key. You can set it to trigger actions with a double press or a long press—whether it’s opening Google Assistant, launching any app you want, or something else entirely.

But Asus didn’t stop there. They added a little “hack” to make the power button even more useful. You can swipe down on it at any time to pull down the notification shade, no matter what screen you’re on. It’s similar to what Samsung did with the Galaxy S10e a few years ago, and it’s a great feature for one-handed use. Asus also included a side tool that lets you quickly launch apps with your thumb, making it easier to reach everything on the phone.

When it comes to software, most flagship phones tend to come with heavily customized interfaces, but Asus went in the opposite direction. Instead of loading the phone up with extra features, they kept things light with ZenUI, which is basically just a few thoughtful tweaks on top of almost stock Android. The result is a clean, fast experience with no bloatware to slow things down. With a 120Hz display, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, and up to 16GB of RAM, this phone runs smoothly most of the time.

Asus also focused on usability, adding small but useful features without overcomplicating things. For example, they took the display animation speed settings (which are normally buried deep in developer options) and made them easy to adjust right from the display settings. You can also customize the always-on display and tweak the one-handed mode. One of my favorite features is the ability to customize the camera modes that appear at the bottom of the screen, so you don’t have to scroll through menus to find the one you need. It’s all these little touches that make the phone feel more polished and user-friendly.

Let me tell you about the battery life on this phone. Normally, smaller flagship phones don’t do so well in the battery department. It makes sense—there’s not a lot of room to fit a big battery into a compact design. But the Zenfone 9 is different. With its 4,300mAh battery, it’s pretty impressive for a phone this size. Honestly, when I put my SIM card in and turned on the 120Hz refresh rate (which is what I like), I wasn’t expecting anything special. But man, was I wrong.

This phone’s battery life is actually really good. It doesn’t drain quickly at all. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip inside is part of the reason—it’s not just powerful but also way more efficient than the previous models. The phone handles standby time like a champ, and even heavy use doesn’t seem to faze it. I was using it a lot—bright screen, navigation, gaming, you name it—and still getting over seven hours of screen-on time in a day, finishing with 10 to 20% left. Seriously, I was pretty blown away by how long it lasted.

Now, while we’re on the subject of things that surprise you—let’s talk about the cameras. They’re better than you might expect. The main sensor here is the same one found in the Nothing Phone and the ROG Phone 6—both of which were good but didn’t exactly blow anyone away in terms of camera quality. But here’s the thing: in the Zenfone 9, two things are different.

First, they’ve added a big six-axis hybrid gimbal stabilization system to the sensor, which makes a huge difference in keeping shots steady. Second, the software tuning is on another level. The Zenfone 9’s camera takes photos that look way better than what you’d get from the ROG Phone or the Nothing Phone. If you’ve seen my blind camera tests, you won’t be shocked to hear this: the Zenfone 9 is probably the closest non-Pixel phone I’ve tested when it comes to delivering that Pixel-like look.

The Zenfone 9 takes photos that are bold, high-contrast, and highly saturated, which makes them look great at first glance. That said, it can sometimes go a bit overboard, with the HDR and processing feeling a little too much, especially in scenes with a wide dynamic range. But the extra stabilization is a real plus—not just for video, but also for reducing noise in low-light photos, at least with the main camera. However, it still struggles to capture fast-moving subjects since you need a faster shutter speed and a larger sensor for that. That said, of all the phones with this sensor, I think this one looks the best.

The ultra-wide camera is also well-tuned to match the main camera’s color, which is a nice touch. Props to ASUS for their camera software—this has been a strong point in the Zenfone series. Maybe they could pass some of that knowledge to the ROG Phone team? A little collaboration wouldn’t hurt.

I’ve mentioned a lot of positives, but here’s one more: the price. Starting at $699, this phone is a great deal. When I first popped my SIM card in two weeks ago, I honestly didn’t know the price, and I would’ve guessed it was higher. It kind of reminds me of the Pixel 5—it wasn’t the flagship everyone wanted, but it was a fantastic value at the time. The Zenfone 9 feels like a “Pixel 5 Pro,” two years later—top-tier chip, a solid display, and impressive battery life, with few downsides.

Honestly, I think it’s my favorite release of the year. I’m really impressed by it. Now, it’s not perfect—no phone is—but there are a few small trade-offs that are worth mentioning. So, here’s the catch:

While battery life is fantastic, the maximum charging speed is only 30W, which is fine but not the fastest. And there’s no wireless charging, which some people might not care about, but at this price point, it’s worth noting. Most phones in this range offer wireless charging as an option, so it feels like a miss here.

So about the display I mentioned earlier—it’s super responsive with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sample rate. But, it’s just a tiny bit below the level of flagship screens. It tops out at 800 nits when not showing HDR content, which means it can look a bit washed out in direct sunlight. Also, the cut-out for the selfie camera has a little ring around it, and it might be a bit more distracting than some people would like.

As for the speakers, small phones have always had limitations when it comes to sound, and these are no exception. They’re fine, but you can block them pretty easily. The biggest thing I’ve noticed, though, is the soft-touch red color—it’s really cool, and I love it, but I’m starting to worry about how it’ll age. You can already see the corners on mine starting to fade and darken a little after just two weeks, and the Sunset Red color isn’t as vibrant as when I first got it.

I’ve never seen a plastic finish like this before, but I’m not sure how well it will hold up over time. And just to preemptively answer the comments I know are coming—yes, I know most people just throw a case on their phone right away. It does come with a case in the box, and it’s more on the plastic-y side. But honestly, I feel like a phone with a soft-touch plastic back shouldn’t need a case the way a fragile glass one might. So, it’s worth considering if you’re into that kind of thing.

Now, about the power button features—first off, the fingerprint reader is fast. You just touch it, and it unlocks instantly. It’s super sensitive. But the pull-down notification feature? I was accidentally triggering it all the time, which got kind of annoying. I ended up turning it off because it was more in the way than helpful. It reminded me of how I had to disable it on the Galaxy S10e. Cool for a few days, but eventually, it just wasn’t for me.

On the sustainability side, this phone isn’t super repairable, but it does come in fully recyclable packaging, which is nice. And it includes a 30-watt charging brick in the box. So, as far as downsides go, that’s pretty much it.

All things considered, I think this is probably the most well-rounded compact phone out there—if you can even call it compact. There’s a lot to like, and I’m definitely enjoying using it. This is probably going to be pretty underrated in the U.S. though, since Zenfones aren’t exactly easy to find in carrier stores. But if you’re shopping for a solid compact Android phone around $700, don’t think twice—this is a great option.And that’s pretty much it.