After all the waiting, ASUS has finally unveiled the company’s next-generation Zenfone 8 flagship series smartphones that will take on the likes of any other high-end offerings in the market including the most recent OPPO Find X3 Pro (Review) and Xiaomi Mi 11 (Review).
ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip
Starting with the higher-end model, we have the ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip which as it’s name suggests, will continue to retain the signature flip-up camera module that we saw among it’s predecessors.
These cameras include a 64 megapixels Sony IMX686 primary shooter, a 12 megapixels Sony IMX363 ultra-wide camera, as well as an 8 megapixels telephoto camera that offers up to 3x optical zoom and 12x digital zoom.
In terms of videography, it’s primary shooter is able to support 8K@30fps and 4K@60fps. As for the ultra-wide camera, it’ll be able to record up to 4K@60fps. Thanks to the flip-up camera module, it’s main and ultra-wide cameras can also be used to click high-res selfies as well.
Upfront, the ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip gets an unblemised 6.67” AMOLED display that offers a FHD+ screen resolution, smooth 90Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, as well as a peak brightness of 700 nits. On top of that, it also features an in-display fingerprint scanner.
Under the hood, the ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 888 chipset which is paired with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB onboard storage. Interestingly, it do come with a microSD card for storage expansion as well.
To keep its light on, it draws power from a respectable 5,000mAh battery with 30W fast-charging support. It’s shipped with the custom ZenUI 8 based on Android 11 OS out of the box. The ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip carries a starting price of €799 (US$970) in the European markets.
ASUS Zenfone 8
Coming to the ASUS Zenfone 8, this is probably the smallest flagship phone in the market aside from Apple’s iPhone 12 Mini. It comes with a petite 5.9” AMOLED display that brings along a FHD+ screen resolution and a slightly higher 120Hz refresh rate. Furthermore, it’s also HDR10+ certified and features an impressive peak brightness of 800 nits.
Since this device lacks the flip-up camera module seen in the Zenfone 8 Flip, it settles with a regular-looking rectangular camera housing at the back instead. It will be a dual-camera setup that consists of a 64 megapixels Sony IMX686 primary shooter and a 12 megapixels Sony IMX363 ultra-wide unit. Upfront, there’s also another 12 megapixels Sony IMX663 shooter for selfie and video-calling purposes.
On the audio-side, the ASUS Zenfone 8 rocks an impressive stereo speakers system that’s aided by a dual Cirrus Logic (CS35L45) mono amplifiers with Dirac HD optimization. Most importantly, it also boasts a highly coveted 3.5mm headphone jack that we don’t usually see among flagship phones.
At the helm, the ASUS Zenfone 8 is also powered by a Snapdragon 888 mobile platform which is coupled with up to 16GB RAM and 256GB onboard storage. Unlike the Zenfone 8 Flip, the vanilla model doesn’t has a microSD slot for storage expansion.
To keep its light on, the device is fitted with a 4,000mAh battery with 30W fast-charging support. It’s also shipped with the custom ZenUI 8 based on Android 11 OS. In terms of pricing, it has a slightly lower starting price of €599 (US$724) in the European markets.
