Zenfone 8 review. The ideal small high-end!
Comfortable to hold!
ASUS has loaned me "Zenfone 8" for a certain period of time last year, so I will review it.
Index
- The first impression is "Thank you, but a manufacturer that is difficult to recommend"
- 2Exquisite size, not too big, not too small
- 3 Small but performance monster
- 4I like Smart Key, a simple but distinctive software
- 5 communication
- 6 audio visual
- 7 biometrics
- 8 batteries
- 9The long-awaited wallet support!
- 10 cameras
- 11 as a high-end compact. How to perceive this machine
- 12 general comments
The real intention is "Thank you, but a manufacturer that is difficult to recommend"
ASUS is a market pioneer and a wonderful manufacturer that has taken the lead in Japan by introducing SIM-free products and has been boldly introducing high-performance models up to the present.
On the other hand, in the past few years, when I was asked, "Can I recommend this as my main machine with confidence?" This is mainly because I felt that the "lack of localization" was not enough to keep up with the intensifying competition.
This time, the focus is on "FeliCa and waterproof support". I was surprised that they would incorporate the Japanese specifications.
By the way, I believe that camera quality is essential for high-end smartphones, and it is difficult to recommend a smartphone with poor quality here. Zenfone was already around 7, but after using 8 as well, I feel that "the camera may be pretty good" as described later. I think that the reason why it is difficult to recommend is gone. Of course, I think that the readers of this magazine feel that "just because the bad points are gone, I don't feel like buying, I want individuality." I find this in terms of "size" and "smart key".
Perfect size, not too big, not too small
The biggest feature of this machine is its size. 2-layer PCB interposer streamlines internal layout and reduces size. It features a relatively narrow and easy-to-hold housing.
The front is Gorilla Glass Victus. The back is matte frosted glass. Smooth and comfortable to the touch is the best. It exudes quality and luxury. Despite the waterproof housing, there is an earphone jack on the top of the terminal.
Matte aluminum frame on the sides. It has a speaker, microphone, USB Type-C, and SIM slot on the bottom. The SIM slot is a physical dual SIM. The thickness of the housing is about 8.9mm.
While the front is flat with no edges, only the back has an edge shape, making it easy to hold.
After all, it is easy to hold as it is suppressed to 68.5 mm in width.
The size and impression are reminiscent of Sharp's famous machine "AQUOS R2 Compact". Small as a Snapdragon 888 machine. It fits perfectly in the palm of your hand.
It has almost the same width as the Xperia 5/10 series, but is only 148mm tall, which is lower than the Xperia 5/10 series and fits very well in your pocket. The performance is the same as the Xperia 1 III and AQUOS R6, but the fit is overwhelming.
These days, trousers with small, large pockets can even feel like they hit your waist when you're walking, but this machine doesn't have that. It is also a good impression that the weight is light.
Personally, the only miscalculation is the frosted glass matte back. Depending on how you hold it, if you let your guard down, you may slip and almost drop it. For better or worse, today's large-scale high-end devices have given up on the idea that "the basics are to be operated with both hands", so they don't slip and drop. However, the Zenfone 8 has a great size, and because you want to use it with one hand, it becomes unstable to hold the device when you try to stretch your fingers to the edge. I think this is largely due to factors such as how I use it, how I am used to it, and the size of my hands.
The size is quite good, and the frosted glass material has a luxurious feel and I love the feel of it, so it would have been better if it had a strap hole. Of the three colors, the matte tone is Horizon Silver (tested this time) and Obsidian Black, so if it was the glossy Moonlight White, I might have had a different impression. As a physical solution, it is possible to attach a protective case and a strap, or attach a smartphone ring.
Operationally, is it possible to utilize the one-handed operation mode? It can be called by swiping the lower part of the front face downward. Since the entire screen is lowered, you can avoid unreasonable hand holding.
Small but performance monster
Equipped with Snapdragon 888. The execution memory is LPDDR5 and the transfer speed is 6400Mbps. It is a small but high-spec specification.
| OS | Android 11 |
|---|---|
| SoC | Snapdragon 888 |
| memory | 8 / 16 GB |
| capacity | 128 / 256 GB |
| screen | 5.9 inch OLED (2400 x 1080) 120Hz compatible |
| camera | 64 million pixels F1.8 wide-angle camera 12 million pixels F2.2 super wide-angle camera |
| front camera | 12 million pixels |
| Battery | 4000 mAh |
| size | 148 × 68.5 × 8.9 mm, 169g |
| colour | Obsidian Black Horizon Silver Moonlight White |
| others | IP68 compatible with in-screen fingerprint authentication 3.5mm jack |
I like Smart Key, a simple but distinctive software
UI such as home screen is AOSP-oriented, that is, there are not many useless customizations. It can be used normally. "NePLAYER for ASUS" for high-resolution sound source playback is included in the pre-installed application. The button that acts as Zenfone 8's "power button" is a customizable "smart key". Specific apps and actions can be assigned to long press and double press. This is very convenient.
Assignable actions include automatic rotation, silent mode, specific contacts in the phonebook and Twitter DM, stopwatch, Google Assistant, camera activation, adding new tasks/plans, and starting and stopping audio recorder recording. In particular, it is very convenient to start and stop recording with physical keys. You can use it as a voice recorder. It looks like the old CLIE TH55, which is good.
communication
This machine supports four MNO companies. Both VoLTE and 4G platinum band are perfect. It is not compatible with 5G Sub6 n79, so it is important to keep in mind when using 5G and docomo lines. I used LINEMO's physical SIM card, but LINEMO is firmly in the preset APN list. You can use it by checking the box without having to enter each item of APN.
audio visual
I tried it mainly for watching movies for a while, but it has a stereo speaker, and the sound is impressive for a small housing. Both sound quality and volume are higher than AQUOS R6. The Xperia 1 III is probably close to the highest peak, but it doesn't come close to it.
The display is bright and has a wide viewing angle, which is sufficient for everyday use. Although it is 5.9 type, it is wonderful that the smooth movement feeling is suppressed by 120Hz drive.
biometrics
Basically, it's pretty fast, and as long as you put your finger firmly on the fingerprint authentication area, you get the impression that you can authenticate immediately when you pick up the terminal. Pretty good.
However, the area that can be authenticated is narrow, so it takes some getting used to. Also, there were times when the reaction was remarkably bad on rainy days.
The AQUOS R6's latest in-screen fingerprint sensor has a wide reading area and high authentication accuracy, which is comfortable. In this regard, Zenfone 8 is high speed and high precision in the method of unlocking by putting your finger on the screen when it is off. It's comfortable if you can even get used to the position.
Battery
Fast charging is 30W. It meets the minimum as a high-end and is sufficient. The battery life is enough for me to use for a day, but the impression is not so good for the battery capacity of 4000mAh. If you have one and use it heavily, you may not have enough battery life. Just in case, I did a 2 hour battery test with my Snapdragon 888 machine.
| PCMark 3.0 Work 3.0 Battery life After 2 hours | ||
|---|---|---|
| Zenfone 8 | Xperia 1 III | AQUOS R6 |
| 68% | 71% | 82% |
Personally, I would have liked this device, which is fairly thick, to be compatible with wireless charging Qi.
Long-awaited wallet support!
The great thing about this machine is that it is the first Zenfone to have FeliCa. You can finally use Osaifu-Keitai.
Tokyo and other regional cities rely almost entirely on a railroad network, and Tokyo in particular constitutes the world's largest metropolitan area with a population of approximately 38 million, supported by a well-developed railroad network. FeliCa is necessary for the author who moves between local cities and Tokyo. Recently, we use the wena 3 to make payments on the wrist, so smartphones aren't as essential as they used to be. , Especially if it is a high-end machine, it is still a FeliCa-equipped machine.
camera
The camera has two eyes. The main configuration is a wide-angle 64-megapixel 1/1.73-inch Sony IMX686 that supports optical image stabilization. And super wide-angle 12 million pixels Sony IMX363.
The camera takes pretty good pictures even on auto. I feel that we have narrowed the gap with our competitors' high-end products. I can use it enough A calm impression that is not too flashy as a trend. You can also take pictures without any problems.
Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold2, which has slightly inferior camera quality compared to other latest high-end Galaxy devices. Taken in a dark store. Galaxy Z Fold2 on the left, Zenfone 8 on the right. Approximately 1.5x digital zoom on the aircraft side when shooting both. Zenfone 8's camera auto was a food judgment, but Galaxy's is closer to warm colors and I like it. A level close to error.
HDR that synthesizes multiple images. For my own use, I often use HDR in situations where I want to darken the high key, such as signboards and light sources that cannot fit in the dynamic range in normal shooting, but honestly, both auto HDR and manual HDR are not very good. HDR on the left, Auto on the right. Auto is better. The camera has Auto HDR turned off by default. If the night is even darker, the message "HDR cannot detect night photography" is displayed.
Night view mode is automatically activated when the camera's auto mode detects nighttime. Rather, with auto HDR, the automatic night view judgment does not work at night. Auto HDR and exclusive. I understand that you want to use the night view mode when it's dark, and I don't think it's necessary for the night view judgment to occur when HDR is turned on explicitly. I think so.
The overexposed signboard on the upper left can be suppressed by using night scene mode. HDR on the left, night view on the right. I was able to tighten the black while suppressing the light source. Comparison with other companies. At easy-to-understand Tokyo station.
The Zenfone 8's image creation is very trendy at first glance, and it looks pretty bright. However, there is also an impression that the color is yellowish and diluted. On the other hand, there are few failures due to camera shake in night view mode, so it feels easy to use. Excellent here.
Night view judgment is effective even at ultra-wide angle, so it looks good at first glance. However, it is quite noisy when enlarged a little. The manual shooting mode has the impression that the necessary and sufficient setting items are quite complete. It would be nice to be able to save custom settings.
By the way, the DxOMark camera score is 120 points. This is a score close to the Galaxy Note20, Pixel 5, and iPhone 12, so it can be said that it is a level that is not embarrassing as the latest high-end terminal. However, these days, DxOMark, whose credibility and authority has been shaken, is just one indicator. We recommend that you refer to it as "one of several measures".
As a high-end compact. How to perceive this machine
The AQUOS R2 Compact was a wonderful model that boldly attacked the 800s SoC and introduced it to the SIM-free market.
However, the design is controversial with a top and bottom double notch. I don't think the position of the fingerprint authentication sensor is design-wise. (It was easy to authenticate, so I can't generalize.) And the camera is completely useless. From this point of view, I think that there were many people who liked small high-end models but were unable to use them as their main machine. The Zenfone that appeared this time is a bezel-less in-screen fingerprint authentication. The camera is pretty good too. Isn't it a long-awaited high-end SIM free that is easy to hold?
How about considering the famous Xperia XZ1 Compact? That was a smartphone with a narrow width and HD resolution that kept the battery capacity down and ensured a long battery life.
There is no doubt that Zenfone 8 is small as the latest smartphone equipped with Snapdragon 888, but it still maintains a realistic large screen that can demonstrate the significance of installing a high-end SoC. I think it will be a candidate for those who are looking for a replacement for the XZ1 Compact or XZ2 Compact, but since the screen is longer than the top and bottom bezels, the range where you can stretch your fingers should be quite wide. is. You can get the ease of holding with one hand, but you should purchase it assuming that "one-handed operation" may not be easy. As mentioned above, it may be good to improve the one-handed operability with a case, strap, and ring.
As a slightly smaller latest model, there is also an option of iPhone 12 mini other than Android. If it's a genuine small high-end that emphasizes one-handed operation, the iPhone 12 mini should be a strong candidate.
However, due to the lack of fingerprint authentication, it is difficult to use during the corona crisis, so if you are not motivated to reduce the authentication accuracy by using it with the Apple Watch, I will not use an iPhone that uses Face ID now. . I'm sure I'll choose Zenfone 8, which can be unlocked quickly with in-screen fingerprint authentication.
In addition, is the existence of the Galaxy S series unexpectedly overlooked? The Galaxy S20/21 is also very thin and lightweight, making it easy to hold in one hand and attractive, so I think it's actually a hidden rival.
The S20/21 are not too far apart in terms of dimensions and weight. The Zenfone 8 is smaller in width and height and lighter in weight, but the thickness of the Galaxy is thinner. The width is 69.1mm for S20 and 71mm for S21. There is no doubt that Zenfone 8 is superior, but the lightness of the impression you have is a good match. The mature software perfection of a top manufacturer is also attractive to the Galaxy, so if possible, I think it would be good to consider it after checking the actual device.
However, the problem with high-end Galaxy is the sales channel. Limited to MNOs . On the other hand, Zenfone 8 is SIM-free and can be purchased quickly. Moreover, as a high-end, the lower limit "8/128GB model" is very cheap, and the low price of less than 80,000 yen including tax is an advantage.
Overall review
It is characterized as a relatively small high-end model in the open market (SIM-free), and is highly recommended as a model that has overcome its weaknesses. I think it's an ideal machine with a moderate price and a firm pressure point.
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