Nothing worth mentioning, not memorable. If you want to express ASUS's latest Android smartphone "Zenfone 8", it will be like this.
That's not to say it's a bad smartphone. It has a high-end processor, so any app runs smoothly, and the compact design makes it easy to use with one hand. Moreover, the price starts from $ 630 (from 79,800 yen in Japan) and less than $ 1,000 (about 110,000 yen).
However, the Zenfone 8 has very few unique features. If you look up "mediocre" in the dictionary, you'll probably see a picture of the Zenfone 8. It's so ordinary that I'm surprised that it's a product of the company that created that flashy gaming smartphone "ROG Phone 5". However, there are times when being ordinary wins out.
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Comparing the Zenfone 8's specs to expensive smartphones from OnePlus and Samsung shows just how good the Zenfone 8 is. They all have the same Qualcomm flagship chip, the Snapdragon 888, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (there's a 256GB model, too). Since it uses the "UFS 3.1" standard storage, the read and write speed is comparable to other companies' equivalent products, and the loading time of apps and games is short.
You won't find this much power and speed for $630. You don't have to worry about your favorite game stopping in the middle or having trouble switching between apps. The touch sampling rate (the number of touch reactions) is as high as 240Hz, and combined with the screen refresh rate of 120Hz (the frequency at which the display updates the image), scrolling apps like Twitter and heavy games such as "Oddmar" are smooth. I feel like the reaction is good.
Furthermore, if you feel that modern smartphones are too big, the Zenfone 8 will do just fine. It's not as small as the iPhone 12 mini, but about the same size as Google's Pixel 5. When I tried it, my thumbs reached everywhere on the 5.9-inch screen.
This sense of size is precious. This is because there are almost no small Android smartphones these days, and there are almost no small machines with flagship performance.
As for the screen, the AMOLED (active matrix organic EL) display is sharp and colorful. That said, I personally wish the screen was a little brighter outdoors. The front is protected by Corning's ultra-strong Gorilla Glass Victus glass, and the back glass is Gorilla Glass 3.
The matte textured back is very slippery and easy to drop, so you should definitely have a smartphone case. Thankfully, though, the glass coating proved to be surprisingly tough. I've dropped the Zenfone 8 three or four times so far with no scratches or obvious damage. That said, I'm not going to get carried away and not use the case.
The Zenfone 8 has a 4,000mAh battery, which usually lasts a full day, but very barely. If you're watching TikTok for hours on end, you'll probably need a charge before going to bed (this is with the Always On Display feature and 120Hz display turned on, and turning them off will drain your battery to may last until the morning of Sunday). It doesn't charge as quickly as other flagships, but it can be charged to over 50 percent in 25 minutes with the included 30-watt adapter charger.