The ASUS Zenfone 9 is a compact flagship announced on July 28, 2022. It went on sale in Europe the same day at €799, and US pre-orders opened that September at $699. ASUS no longer lists it in its current Zenfone lineup, and the Zenfone 10 replaced it.
Design and display
The phone measures 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1 mm and weighs 169 g. An aluminum frame holds a textured polymer back, while Gorilla Glass Victus covers the front. It carries an IP68 rating for dust and water.
The 5.9-inch Samsung AMOLED panel has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and reaches 120Hz. ASUS rates its peak brightness at 1,100 nits, and it supports HDR10 and HDR10+. Four colors were offered: Midnight Black, Moonlight White, Sunset Red, and Starry Blue. Some markets sold only part of this range at launch.
Performance
The phone runs on the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 with an Adreno 730 GPU and a top CPU clock of 3.2 GHz. It pairs LPDDR5 memory with UFS 3.1 storage. Buyers could choose 8GB with 128GB or 256GB, or 16GB with 256GB. There is no microSD slot.
Cameras
The main camera uses a 50 MP Sony IMX766 sensor with an f/1.9 aperture. Its main feature is a 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer built into the module. A 12 MP Sony IMX363 ultrawide handles 113-degree shots and 4 cm macro photos.
The rear setup records video at up to 8K and 24 fps, or 4K at 60 fps. On the front, a 12 MP Sony IMX663 sensor records at up to 4K and 30 fps. There is no telephoto camera.
Battery and charging
The 4,300 mAh battery charges at up to 30W over USB-C. ASUS included a 30W adapter in the box along with a case. Wireless charging is not supported, and neither is reverse wireless charging.
Software and updates
The Zenfone 9 launched with Android 12 and the ZenUI 9 interface, which is tuned for one-handed use. ASUS promised two OS upgrades and at least two years of security updates. That support period has now ended, so buyers should not expect new patches.
Should you buy the ASUS Zenfone 9?
This phone suits people who want a small body with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, stereo speakers, and strong water resistance. A side-mounted fingerprint reader doubles as the ZenTouch control button, which helps with one-handed use.
However, it is no longer produced, and its update window has closed. The Zenfone 10 is the direct successor and adds wireless charging. Anyone who needs current security patches should look at a newer model instead.
