Enough of today’s big phones. Apple even went so far as to create a successor for last year iPhone 13 Mini and replace it with . instead iPhone 14 Plus. Small phones are hard to come by, but they’re not completely extinct yet. If you’re tired of straining your fingers to reach parts of the screen, the Asus Zenfone 9 is your friend.
I must mention a few key notes before you read further. This Android smartphone is available in the US, but it won’t work on Verizon’s network. It works best on T-Mobile and AT&T. Asus also doesn’t support its smartphones for a long time. Most Android phone makers currently offer three to five years of software support, but Asus is sticking with a meager second. Go with time! It’s a pity, because Zenfone 9 has hard-to-find perks: a compact screen with top performance, plus a headphone jack. That’s super rare.
Small but mighty
It may not sound like an eye-catching flagship phone, but there’s a lot of utility in this small package. It all starts with its size — at just 5.9 inches, it’s easy to roll my fingers around. It can’t like as small as the iPhone 13 Mini (5.4 inches), but it’s still one of the smallest screens available today.
This AMOLED display never feels too cramped for everyday tasks, but it do feel limited when I watch episodes of Love, Death & Robots while riding an exercise bike at the gym. I had to bring the phone up close to my eyes to capture the details in the episode “Night of the Mini Dead” (fit). Otherwise the screen is sharp, looks colorful and manages to get only Bright enough to use on sunny days. The 120 Hz . refresh rate It’s also a cool thing and a feature you won’t find on the iPhone 13 Mini — every swipe and scroll feels smooth.
Photo: Asus
Size isn’t the only thing that makes this phone so nice to hold; it’s also the texture that Asus uses on the back of the device. It’s soft and feels like a rubber mat on a playground. I love it when phone manufacturers play around with designs and textures (RIP LG) —Asus support steps to make this phone different, unlike its predecessor. Just know that this back material can get scratched; very easy to clean, but you will still see some light stains.
There’s a side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded into the power button, and it’s a quick and reliable way to unlock the device. The headphone jack is at the top if you like wear wired headphones—This gate is a rare on flagship phones these days — and the Zenfone 9 has bigger stereo speakers and sounds pretty great. It also integrates near-field communication (NFC) sensors so you can make payments by tapping to pay. The screen is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus and is IP68-rated for water and dust resistance, as good as you’ll find on most high-end phones these days.
What’s missing? Wireless charging. You can only recharge this phone with a cable, but there’s good news here: Asus is one of the few phone manufacturers today that still includes a charging adapter along with a USB-C cable. (It even comes with a case, though it doesn’t offer terrible protection.) Speaking of charging, Asus has managed to fit a 4,300 mAh battery into this small, comfortable phone. lasts all day. In fact, it usually gets me through a day and a half with average usage. It’s pretty awesome!
