ASUS ZenFone 8 Lands As A Compact Android With Flagship Performance And Specs
The ZenFone 8 is built around a 5.9-inch AMOLED display and features a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. The 2400x1080 display features a fast 120Hz refresh rate (although it can step down to 90Hz or 60Hz to conserve power) along with a touch sampling rate of 240Hz. ASUS says that the display has a typical [outside] brightness rating of 800 nits, while it can reach a maximum of 1,100 nits.
You'll find Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 888 SoC under the hood coupled with up to a generous 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and 256GB of internal UFS 3.1 storage (microSD expandable storage not supported). Other features include 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity along with a 4,000 mAh battery. That's about 500 mAh skimpier than larger flagships, but that's expected. ASUS says that the smartphone supports 30W wired charging, but surprisingly, wireless charging isn't supported on this flagship. And despite its more diminutive stature, ASUS found room to include a 3.5mm headphone jack (Apple and Samsung should pay attention) and stereo speakers.
When it comes to photography, the ZenFone 8 has just two cameras on the rear: a 64MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. For selfie duties, a 12MP camera is embedded in a hole punch cutout in the display.
Also launching alongside the ZenFone 8 is the ZenFone 8 Flip. This phone is sized more in line with other contemporary smartphones with a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display (2400x1080) with a 90Hz refresh rate. The ZenFone 8 Flip also features the Snapdragon 888 SoC but is paired with only 8GB of RAM in 128GB or 256GB internal storage configurations. It also supports 30W wired charging but gets a bump in battery capacity to 5,000 mAh.
The ZenFone 8 Flip lives up to its namesake with its motorized rear camera pod, which houses three sensors. There's a 64MP primary, 12MP ultra-wide, and 8MP telephoto sensor. The entire camera array can flip 180 degrees for selfie duties. This also means that the ZenFone 8 Flip's display is unblemished by notches or cutouts.
ASUS hasn't announced U.S. pricing and availability for the ZenFone 8 and ZenFone 8 Flip yet, but they will debut in Europe, priced at €599 and €799, respectively.
