Remember the days of small manageable smartphones, the kind that you could operate one-handed, relieving you of the annoying need for hand gymnastics in order to operate the phone's features? That category was pretty much forgotten by major phone manufacturers. It was Sony that was actually the first to offer a smaller format with the Xperia Compact, but these days small phones are a rare sight indeed.
Read more:
There is one company, though, called Asus which features their Zenfone lineup, aiming to buck the trend and give us devices that we can handle without requiring both of our hands to do it. The Zenfone 10 is the third iteration and this time Asus went all out. This phone has every feature you can possibly want in a modern-day smartphone. The screen is beautiful, the processor is fast, the camera is capable and it packs several features that aren't as ubiquitous as they used to be.
Perhaps the true merit of the Zenfone 10's design is that it avoids being ostentatious, yet is still able to bring forth its presence in a convincing way. It probably won't come as a big surprise that the iPhone has been the major line of inspiration for the Zenfone design, but it does have several advantages that its Apple counterpart does not. the back of the phone is based on polycarbonate, which is a type of plastic, and it's rugged in a way that is quite nice to the touch.
From a functional standpoint, it guarantees a certain kind of resistance to falls and will likely never slip out of your hand or any other smooth surface. The build quality of this phone is truly top-notch. The small screen is protected behind a Corning Guerrilla Glass Victus that is quite resistant to falls and other types of hits. While it's not the thinnest of smartphones, standing at 9.4 mm thick, it is worth mentioning that they had to cramp quite a bit into it. That also means it's not particularly light, weighing 172 grams. However, that weight does make it feel sturdy and reliable.
The phone features an IP68 certification, which means it is able to survive a freshwater splash and can be submerged for up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. Perhaps adding to the allure of the phone is the fact it's available in white, black, light green, red and blue. The choice of multiple colors could appeal to women, who will likely be more attracted to the compact form factor.
If there is one feature that might be somewhat of a drawback, is the camera array on the back. It has two camera lenses, both of which are huge, which leaves limited room to hold onto it without nudging your finger against the lens. That said, ASUS has been able to create a unique design language, which is not an easy feat these days. So no, the Zenfone is not the most handsome of phones, but it is quite cool and distinguished enough to differentiate itself from the hordes of Samsung, iPhones and Xiaomi offerings out there.
Keep in mind, though, that when we talk about compact phones these days, it's all quite relative. The Zenfone screen is 5.9 inches across, which these days is actually considered compact. The resolution is not quite up to 2023 standard, as it only stands at 1920 by 1080, rendering it a full HD display, but it does have an AMOLED panel, which means color and contrast are superb, and it can refresh the display at up to 144 Hertz, a feature that was likely inherited from their ROG lineup.
So yes, the Zenfone is excellent for gaming and either way, gaming is the only avenue with which you can fully use the 144 Hertz refresh rate. With other more rudimentary tasks, you'd have to settle for 60, 90 or 120 Hertz. The colors are quite vivid and the panel can get very bright, with up to 1100 units in manual mode. Let's just put it this way: Should you be a consumer that values a quality display above all else, you will truly appreciate what the Zenfone has to offer, comfortably rivaling any iPhone or Samsung.
We're happy to say that all other hardware features are top-notch as well. The processor is the second-generation Snapdragon 8, which is considered to be one of Qualcomm's finest. It knows how to save power, and offers ample computational speed to rival the latest iPhone, and has impressive thermodynamic temperature management even under extreme workloads. There is no SD card slot, but it comes in two forms. Either 8 gigabytes of internal memory and 256 gigabytes of storage, or 16 gigabytes of internal memory and 512 gigabytes of storage. Regardless of how you look at it, this is a phone that will be able to withstand anything you throw at it, no matter how intensely you do so.
Ready for some more praise? This phone's battery life is on the verge of legendary. It has a 4,300 milliamp-hour battery and with the processor's efficient usage of power, it can easily last two days before needing a charge. Additionally, it also supports wireless charging for anyone who still finds that feature relevant. It has Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 7 built-in, and unlike many other modern-day manufacturers, it did not skip the headphone Jack.
Unlike Samsung and other manufacturers who enjoy toying with their Android infrastructure and make their UI look cartoonish and grotesque in a somewhat desperate attempt to stand out, Asus has chosen to keep it as close to stock Android as you can possibly get, which gives it a streamlined look that is easy to operate. The power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, and should you choose to tinker with the settings sufficiently, you can also establish that double-tapping the back of the phone will take a screenshot. Some of ASUS's irremovable apps such as file manager and weather are present, but otherwise, it's all Google.
Despite its relatively diminutive size, the Zenfone 10 is equipped with all you need to consume content like a pro, with a true headphone Jack and capable stereo speakers. The one thing that might be considered somewhat of a minus is where they placed the speaker itself, which is on the bottom of the phone, so if you are the kind of person who put the phone in a crib, for example, the sound might come off a bit muted.
However, sound quality, in general, is superb, and one of the finest we've heard from recent smartphones, which means it's highly recommended for music enthusiasts. However, if you are planning on a Netflix and chill evening, you will likely not find this screen large enough to do so in a way that'll feel comfortable and natural. If you love consuming youtube videos, you might want to stick to the shorts, which are presented in a 9X16 format instead of the usual 16X9. In terms of software. The only thing that I can bemoan is the fact Asus handout software updates every couple years, which is quite annoyingly infrequent.
ASUS was never considered to be a photography juggernaut, especially when it comes to smartphones, as none of its previous devices was particularly well known for its photographic ability. However, this one has a pleasant surprise. It packs a gargantuan 50-megapixel main sensor made by Sony, and its image stabilization is one of the finest. Daylight photos are very colorful and rich in detail, and even low-light photos mostly come out looking quite well. That being said, the ASUS algorithm is still not quite as sophisticated as those of the iPhone, Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung. All of those have gained a lot more experience with this kind of stuff. Additionally, there is no zoom feature here and digital enlargement only goes up to X2.
The second lens is designed for wide-angle shots. It packs a 13-megapixel sensor and its output is reasonable. It does have a couple of problems though. The first one is that image stabilization is not quite up to par with this lens, and the second is that we're talking about a lens with a fixed focus. It's good enough for scenic panoramic shots, but nothing more. The selfie camera has a 32-megapixel lens, which is also fixed focus. It's definitely more than good enough for your TikTok videos or portrait shots with a blurred background. ASUS's main strength is video footage, which remains stable and very clear, even if you have two run behind your dog or your kids while filming. It also supports spatial audio, which means that as you are filming, the sound being captured will feel like it's coming from all around you. The bottom line is that this is a truly fine all-purpose camera.
The Zenfone 10 is expected to hit Israeli stores quite soon and is likely to take on Apple's and Samsung's latest offerings directly.
The Zenfone 10 is a phone that is greater than the sum of its parts. It doesn't quite hit a Bull's eye on every single avenue, but largely, this is an extremely capable device that is easy to use and live with. If you relish compact phones that are easily operated with one hand, and you are well aware of their somewhat limited lifespan and notable price, this one could be worth a look. It just might capture your heart in a way that others have forgotten how to.