After 8 generations, ASUS has announced their popular Zenfone series of smartphones is launching here in Australia. Overnight, ASUS announced the Zenfone 8 and Zenfone 8 Flip and ASUS has confirmed they’re heading down under. 

The Zenfone 8 is the true flagship of the two, with ASUS concentrating on a smaller form factor device thanks to customer feedback. The Zenfone 8 isn’t ‘nerfed’ like other compact flagship phones, and features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of on-board storage. 

Update: ASUS advise the Zenfone series will arrive in Australia from mid-June.

Zenfone 8 (8/128 GB)
AUD $999		Mid-June, 2021
Zenfone 8 (8/256 GB)
AUD $1,099		Mid-June, 2021
Zenfone 8 Flip (8/256 GB)
AUD $1,199		Mid-June, 2021

It’s been an age since we saw a compact, flagship level Android phone but ASUS has thought through the ergonomics, aiming for a phone under 150mm tall, and under 70mm wide. This size is optimal for one-handed mode, and they’ve even gone so far as to improve their one handed mode to make it easier to reach notifications. 

The Zenfone 8 Flip also uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, however it “only” comes with 8GB of RAM. It does however have the Flip camera module, which allows the 6.67-inch display on the front to remain notch-less with the triple sensor camera module flipping over the top of the phone when needed for selfies. 

The Zenfone 8 is the star of the launch though, with the phone getting a 120Hz 5.9-inch AMOLED display, while the Zenfone Flip gets a larger (and notchless) 6.67-inch display though it only refreshes at 90Hz. Both displays support HDR 10+ and have in-display fingerprint sensors. 

Another difference between the two phones is the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack on the Zenfone 8, which is a feature the Zenfone 8 Flip misses out on. Both phones do include audio optimisation from DIRAC which includes four audio profiles and a 10-band graphic equaliser.

One area the phones differ on is their camera setup. While ASUS hasn’t traditionally offered a lot in their ROG Phone camera system, the Zenfone series are a whole different kettle of fish. 

The Zenfone 8 and Zenfone Flip both use a 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor with quad-pixel binning. There is a slight difference between the models, with the Zenfone 8 camera utilising Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) while the Zenfone 8 Flip simply has Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS). 

The Zenfone 8 includes a secondary 12MP IMX363 Sony sensor which it also uses on the front of the phone as a selfie camera. The Zenfone 8 Flip also uses this sensor, but pairs includes a telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. 

Both phones include Pro Video and Photo mode to let you capture the best photos with your phone, including a High Gain Night Mode to capture stunning low-light images. ASUS has also included a bracketing option which takes three shots with different EV to capture the moment ‘just right’. 

The phones both have large batteries with 30W Fast Charging support. The Zenfone 8 gets a 4,000mAh battery, while the Zenfone 8 Flip has a massive 5,000mAh battery. 

At this stage, ASUS hasn’t announced local availability or pricing fo the Zenfone 8 and Zenfone 8 Flip. In Europe however, ASUS has priced the Zenfone 8 from €599 while the Zenfone 8 Flip is priced from €799.