ASUS ZenFone 8 Smartphone
Product Gallery
Product Overview
ASUS ZenFone 8 is a premium smartphone by ASUS in 2021: Unlike its predecessor from 2020, the ZenFone 8 is markedly smaller than the ZenFone 8 Flip and drops the trick "flip-up" camera setup; nevertheless, it still features Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 5G chipset and Samsung-sourced 120Hz AMOLED display.
With the 888 5G computing platform, the ZenFone 8 offers dual 5G standby. This is joined with strong specifications such as up to 16GB LPDDR5 memory, 256GB of UFS3.1 storage, WiFi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2.
The 120Hz OLED display offers slightly richer gamut than found in last year's ZenFones and, with its smaller diagonal, has a higher pixel density.
Another strong point is the 3.5mm headphone jack that is still present.
On the tradeoff-front, the USB-C port on the ZenFone 8 support only USB 2.0, and the microSD card slot is gone.
Ratings
What we found**
Pros
- IP68 rating
- Good camera performance
- IP68 rated
- Good battery life
Cons
- Mediocre performance
- Poor camera performance
What external reviewers found***
External score 70% (not directly comparable across industries)
Pros
- Superb performance
- Good performance
- Excellent build quality
Cons
- Lackluster camera performance
- No IP rating
- No 5G support
- No wireless charging
Price Comparison
Specifications
Connectivity
Ports
USB-C 2.0 + 3.5mm audio combo
Wireless Connectivity
WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2 + NFC
Construction
Battery | Capacity
4000 mAh
Camera | Front
Sony flagship IMX663 12 MP, f/2.5, 28mm, 1/2.93", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF
Camera | Rear | Ultra-Wide
Sony IMX363 dual pixel, 12 MP, f/2.2, 112˚, 14mm, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF
Camera | Rear | Wide
Sony flagship IMX686 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.73", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS
Colors
Obsidian Black, Horizon Silver, Moonlight White
Material
Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame
Microphone
Triple microphones with OZO Audio Zoom & ASUS Noise Reduction Technology
Speakers
Dual stereo speakers with Dirac HD Sound
Dimensions
Bezels
82.9% screen-to-body ratio
Size | Height
8.9 mm / 0.35"
Size | Length
148 mm / 5.83"
Size | Width
68.5 mm / 2.7"
Weight
169 g / 5.96 oz
Display
Aspect Ratio
20:9
Brightness
700 nits standard / 1100 nits peak
Display Diagonal
5.9 inch
Display Type
Samsung Super AMOLED (OLED)
Gamut
112% DCI-P3, 107% NTSC, 151.9% sRGB
Pixel Density
446 ppi
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
Resolution
FHD+ 2400x1080
Response Time
1 ms
Function
Bluetooth Profiles
A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive
Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform (5nm)
DAC
Qualcomm Audio CODEC
Fast Charging
Fast charging 30W, 60% in 25 min, 100% in 80 min
GPS
GPS (L1/L5), Glonass (L1), Galileo (E1/E5a), BeiDou (B1/B2a), QZSS (L1/L5), NavIC (L5)
Graphics
Qualcomm Adreno 660
HDR
HDR 10 and HDR10+ certified
Operating System
Android 11, ZenUI 8
Processor
64-bit Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680)
Sensor
Gyroscope sensor, E-compass sensor, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, G-sensor, Hall sensor, In-display fingerprint sensor, Accelerator sensor, Face recognition sensor, Angle sensor
SIM
Dual Nano 5G
Touch Screen
Capacitive touch panel with 10 points multi-touch
Tuner
FM Radio
Video Recording
8K 24fps / 4K 120fps / FHD 240fps / HD 480fps dual pixel PDAF
Weather Resistance
IP65/IP68
Performance
Memory | Capacity
6, 8, 12, or 16 GB
Memory | Type
LPDDR5
Storage
128 or 256 GB UFS3.1
Production
Debut
2021-05-12
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Launch Comparison
Clear List
3rd-Party Review Videos
External Reviews
anandtech[1]
Reviewer score 40%The Zenfone 8 series is an attempt by ASUS to position themselves in a gap in the market. The phone is built of more premium materials and has higher grade hardware components. The display at 5.9” lands at a sweet-spot in terms of density for the 2400 x 1080 resolution. While the cameras are functional, they are well behind any competitor solution.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Fantastic performance
- Good battery life
- Decent cameras
Cons
- 60Hz mode is a bit slow
- Camera performance isn’t up to par with the competition
digitaltrends[2]
Reviewer score 62%The Zenfone 8 is not a phone to work hard if you want the battery to last. A day with an hour of gaming, 30 minutes of video, several calls, and an hourlong WhatsApp video call saw the battery hit 5% at 9 p.m. Recharging took 90 minutes using Quick Charge 4, and using the 30W HyperCharge block will add 60% in 25 minutes. No wireless charging, a technology Asus prefers not to use so it can better manage cell longevity.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Fantastic camera
- Good battery life
- Fast charging
Cons
- Battery life could be better
- No wireless charging
gsmarena[3]
Reviewer score 81%The Zenfone 8 strikes an unbelievable balance between flagship features, small footprint, and pricing. It literally has everything - a water-resistant body, a top-notch screen and hardware, excellent speakers and a 3.5mm jack. It also has one large battery with fast charging, and on top of all these - a starting price of €599. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is slightly larger but offers a similar screen, performance, speakers, and it even has three cameras at the back.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Top-notch screen
- Excellent battery life
- Excellent cameras
Cons
- No ingress protection
- No 3.5mm jack
laptopmag[4]
Reviewer score 78%The Zenfone 8 has the potential to be a breakout phone for Asus. While it doesn't pull it off flawlessly, it is successful enough to win over quite a few new customers. It's the one-two punch of the smaller size, something that flatly doesn't exist on Android, and the affordable flagship performance.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Sleek, compact design
- Ultra-wide camera
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- No 5G support
- No headphone jack
nextpit[5]
Reviewer score 57%The Zenfone 8 has a 4,000 mAh rechargeable battery that charges using a 30-Watt charger. The main sensor offers a good level of detail, a wide dynamic range, and rather natural colorimetry. The ultra wide-angle lens has too limited a FOV and the distortion at the edges is noticeable.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- High refresh rate display
- Good battery life
- Good cameras
Cons
- Mediocre camera performance
- No telephoto lens
notebookcheck[6]
Reviewer score 72%The screen of the Asus Zenfone 8 consists of a 5.92-inch AMOLED panel and offers a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. The system performance is very good, which is also reflected in a very smooth operation in everyday use. The dual speakers of Asus' smartphone achieve a relatively high volume and offer quite a wide sound spectrum.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Very compact and high-quality case
- Good system performance
- Fast Wi-Fi
- Good battery life
Cons
- No microSD card slot
pcmag[7]
Reviewer score 76%The Zenfone 8 has two top-of-the-line Sony sensors in the rear camera stack. The primary lens comes in at 64MP with OIS, PDAF, and quad pixel binning. On the front, meanwhile, you'll find a 12MP selfie camera with autofocus. The phone has linear speakers powered by a dual Cirrus Logic CS35L45 Mono AMP.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- High-resolution display
- Good battery life
- Good performance
Cons
- No wireless charging
- No multi-year Android updates
t3[8]
Reviewer score 80%'s no dedicated telephoto lens. On the front is a 12MP selfie camera. Point-and-shoot photos were of decent quality yet they did come out looking a little on the bland side in comparison to high-end flagships. Video can be recorded in resolutions up to 8K at 24fps. There are also a few different video modes to try out like Time Lapse and Slow-Mo.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Gorgeous 5.1-inch screen
- Superb performance
- Great battery life
Cons
- No wireless charging
- Mediocre cameras
techradar[9]
Reviewer score 79%The Zenfone 8 has two rear cameras (main and ultra-wide) and one 12MP front-facing camera in a punch-hole in the front screen. The 20:9 ratio display is tall and narrow, and while bigger thumbs might be able to stretch across its width when the phone is held one-handed, the top of the screen will be out of reach for everyone. The phone packs a 4,000mAh battery, which is enough to power it through the day.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Good battery life
- Decent cameras
Cons
- No microSD card slot
- No telephoto lens
theverge[10]
Reviewer score 63%The ZenFone 8 fills a void in the Android market for a full-specced, small-sized device. The lack of true optical zoom or a telephoto camera is a disappointment, but you can't have everything on such a small device. Aside from battery life, which is manageable, you give up very little in the way of flagship features.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Good performance
- Good battery life
Cons
- No IP rating
- No telephoto camera
tomsguide[11]
Reviewer score 80%The Asus Zenfone 8 is a great phone, though its availability might leave some confused. It's snappy, quick, and I don't notice any lag when performing certain tasks like opening an app in Recents. ZenUI 8 looks a lot like what you'd find on a Pixel and it does a great job of doing what you want it to do and staying out of the way.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Great cameras
- Good battery life
- Decent performance
Cons
- Mediocre cameras
- No wireless charging
trustedreviews[12]
Reviewer score 73%The camera isn’t miles away from the Pixel 5 in regular lighting. The secondary camera takes good ultra-wide shots and it’s nice for some added versatility. The lack of any sort of zoom – aside from the digital option – is a shame but hardly a surprise. It even has excellent sounding, front-firing stereo speakers that sound better than many pricier phones.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Decent performance
- Good battery life
- Decent cameras
Cons
- No telephoto zoom
- No wireless charging
wired[13]
Reviewer score 75%The Zenfone 8 packs dual speakers that get loud and sound good, a headphone jack, support for the Wi-Fi 6 standard, and IP68 water resistance. It doesn't recharge as quickly as other flagships, but you can get a little more than 50 percent in 25 minutes with the included 30-watt plug-in charger. Unfortunately, the phone does omit some key features, including a MicroSD card reader.
Find the original article here.
Pros
- Compact design
- Solid performance
- Good battery life
Cons
- No microSD card reader
- No wireless charging
- Lackluster camera performance
User Reviews
Comments
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References
- ^ The ASUS Zenfone 8 Hands-On Review: A New Compact Direction. [anandtech]. https://www.anandtech.com/show/16665/the-asus-zenfone-8-hands-on-review. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Asus Zenfone 8 review: Size isn’t everything, and this small phone proves it. [digitaltrends]. https://www.digitaltrends.com/cell-phone-reviews/asus-zenfone-8-review/. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ Asus Zenfone 8 review. [gsmarena]. https://www.gsmarena.com/asus_zenfone_8-review-2266p6.php. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ Asus Zenfone 8 review: Android’s answer to the iPhone 12 mini. [laptopmag]. https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/asus-zenfone-8. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ Asus Zenfone 8 review: Going against the grain. [nextpit]. https://www.nextpit.com/asus-zenfone-8-review. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ Asus ZenFone 8 smartphone in review: Compact and powerful. [notebookcheck]. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-ZenFone-8-smartphone-in-review-Compact-and-powerful.543617.0.html. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ Asus Zenfone 8 Preview. [pcmag]. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/asus-zenfone-8. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ Asus Zenfone 8 review: compact and powerful . [t3]. https://www.t3.com/reviews/asus-zenfone-8-review. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ Asus Zenfone 8 review. [techradar]. https://www.techradar.com/reviews/asus-zenfone-8. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ Asus ZenFone 8 review: an Android iPhone mini. [theverge]. https://www.theverge.com/22431051/asus-zenfone-8-review. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
- ^ Asus Zenfone 8 review: The best small Android phone, hands-down. [tomsguide]. https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/asus-zenfone-8. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ Asus Zenfone 8 Review. [trustedreviews]. https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/asus-zenfone-8. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Review: Asus Zenfone 8. [wired]. https://www.wired.com/review/asus-zenfone-8/. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
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These key takeaways ("pros" and "cons") and summaries are identified from third-party reviews. They may differ from the original texts.
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