Asus Zenfone 9 review

Gimbal camera stabilization and gaming phone power combine in the compact Zenfone 9

A photo of the Asus Zenfone 9
(Image: © Basil Kronfli / Digital Camera World)

Digital Camera World Verdict

We had high hopes when we found out that the Zenfone 9 combines the Oppo Find X5 primary camera sensor with gimbal stabilization, but the system doesn't quite live up to its potential. While you can get brilliant RAW photos from it, and good photos in auto mode, they're not best-in-class. On the plus, the Zenfone's secondary cameras and video capture are, and the phone's performance and battery life also hit the mark.

Pros

  • +

    Great video capture

  • +

    Strong ultra-wide and selfie cameras

  • +

    Powerful and smooth performance

  • +

    All-day battery life

Cons

  • -

    Image processing misses the mark

  • -

    No telephoto camera

  • -

    Misses out on wireless charging

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

Small smartphones mean compromises, especially when it comes to camera quality but Asus is here to put an end to the trend with its gimbal-stabilized Zenfone 9. 

Compact without many discernable drawbacks on paper, the camera is just the start of the Zenfone 9’s flagship spec sheet. It features impressive internals, a cracking screen, a novel design, stereo speakers, and a nifty new Smart Key – a gesture-sensitive power button. 

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Basil Kronfli

Basil Kronfli is a freelance technology journalist and content creator with a number of specialisms. He started his career at Canon Europe, before joining Phone Arena and Recombu as a tech writer and editor. From there, he headed up and runs Tech[edit], a technology YouTube channel, and has worked alongside this role at Future as a Senior Producer, sharpening his considerable video production skills. 


His technical expertise has been called on numerous times by mainstream media, with appearances and interviews on outlets like Sky News, and he provides Digital Camera World with insight and reviews on camera phones, video editing software and laptops, on-camera monitors, camera sliders, microphones and much more.