Is the Asus Zenfone 9 the perfect phone for people who want a small Android flagship? That seems to be the case, judging by the glowing reception in last week’s poll – half of people who voted want one.
Another 30% would be interested, if Asus had offered software support longer than two OS updates and security patches spanning two years. To be fair, Asus said “at least two years”, but not everyone is willing to bet $700/€800 on the chance that patches keep coming after mid-2024.
Admittedly, the poll is probably skewed – those interested in a small flagship are more likely to read and vote on a post about the Zenfone 9. Still, the petite handset has a strong chance of becoming a hit in that particular niche, especially since the Xperia 5 IV is nowhere to be seen.
People in the comments argued on how the Zenfone 9 could be improved beyond the software support. The absence of an eSIM, a microSD card and wireless charging were noted.
Price was mentioned as well, but phones with this kind of performance and battery life are not cheap, regardless of size. Even so, the Zenfone 8 launched at €670 last year, €600 if you caught the early bird deal. That would have been a much more palatable price for the 9, but even at €800 people seem willing to pick one up.