6 things we want to see from the Asus Zenfone 8 series

The Asus Zenfone series has been one of the most underrated flagship lines for several years. The Zenfone 5Z delivered an affordable flagship experience, while the Zenfone 6 upped the ante in that regard and gave us a foldable camera setup.

Last year, Asus further developed the Zenfone 7 and the Zenfone 7 Pro, building on the funky foundation of its predecessor. There is no doubt that Asus is now working on the Zenfone 8, and we have a wish list of improvements and additions that we would love to see.

1. A better update policy

Samsung, Google, and OnePlus are generally the front runners when it comes to firmware and security updates, but Asus is at the bottom of the list. For example, the Zenfone 7 series did not receive the stable Android 11 update until the end of March. And it’s not that the Taiwanese company had to update a ton of other phones first.

Connected: When will your phone get the Android 11 update?

We want the Zenfone 8 phones to be more committed to system updates. Even the default policy of two Android version updates and three year security patches would be welcomed if the company could actually roll them out in a timely manner. But Samsung and Google have also increased their stakes in this regard with three years of version updates, so that Asus should really rise here as well.

2.Keep the funky cameras (or pull out a Mi 11 Ultra)

Is the funky camera setup the best thing about the Zenfone 6 and Zenfone 7 series? It’s hard to argue otherwise as it really stands out from the usual scoring equipment and punching equipment. This mechanism allows for a full screen experience, but also has some practical advantages. There’s the obvious example of accessing higher quality selfie cameras, but the motorized rotary knob also means you can take panoramas without actually moving the phone.

We hope Asus keeps the Zenfone 8 series flip camera setup as it is still a standout feature today. With such a mechanism, it is difficult to implement water resistance. If the company really feels the need to forego this feature, the hope is that it will add a secondary screen like the Mi 11 Ultra on the back. It’s not as cool or practical as a flip system, but it still allows for high-quality selfies.

3. Make it at least splash-proof

One of the biggest drawbacks to the Zenfone series’ foldable camera mechanism is that it makes water resistance significantly more difficult than a traditional smartphone design. Hence, we understand why there is no significant IP rating available on the Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro.

Read more: The Best Waterproof Phones You Can Buy Right Now

Nevertheless, we would like Asus to at least implement splash protection, be it with an official protection class IP53 or with a simple splash-proof coating. This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a versatile design with some water repellent measures as the Motorola Razr 5G foldable has a water-repellent coating. Hopefully, Asus is more ambitious than a simple coating and gives us a little peace of mind.

4. A cheaper basic version (or give us a lite model)

The Zenfone 6 launched in Europe for 499 euros, but the Zenfone 7 for 699 euros means a massive price hike for the series. We understand that additions like a telephoto camera, high refresh rate OLED screen, Snapdragon 865 SoC, and more storage add to the cost, but a $ 200 increase is still no small feat.

We’d really like Asus to deliver a cheaper base Zenfone 8, even if the company has to cut back to get there. The company could do without the telephoto camera and / or offer a cheaper Snapdragon 870 SoC to bring the price down.

Alternatively, Asus could bring out a Zenfone 8 Lite, which is even cheaper and costs less than 499 euros in some other areas (e.g. with a Snapdragon 780G chipset, less RAM). A potential leak earlier this year points to a Zenfone 8 Mini in the works with a 5.9-inch OLED screen.

5. Increase the loading speed

The Zenfone 7 series offered 5,000 mAh batteries, similar to what we saw on the Zenfone 6. This means that two days or at least a full day should be possible with heavy use. In any case, you shouldn’t have to charge the phone very often.

More about charging: The best charging habits to maximize battery life

We’re happy that Asus is bringing 30W cable charging to last year’s phones, as the Zenfone 6’s 18W charging was very slow as early as 2019. One item on our Asus Zenfone 8 wish list, however, is the even faster cable loading. After all, it takes around 90 minutes to charge the flagships in 2020.

Hopefully, Asus will deliver higher charging speeds and / or optimize their current 30W charging solution to enable faster charging times. There is hope for improved speeds as the company’s ROG Phone 5 introduced 65W charging that can get 100% juice in just 55 minutes.

6. Wireless charging

In addition to faster wired charging, we would like Asus to equip the Zenfone 8 series with wireless charging capabilities. It doesn’t necessarily have to be present on both models, as the Taiwanese company could theoretically limit wireless charging to the Premium Pro variant.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of wireless charging as I would much rather have faster wired charging. But you would surely expect a phone to charge wirelessly if you pay $ 800 for it, like the Zenfone 7 Pro.

Poll is loading

That’s it for our look at our Asus Zenfone 8 series wish list! We also got some Honorable Mentions such as being less bulky (the Zenfone 7 Pro weighs more than the Galaxy S21 Ultra) and improving the camera’s hardware / software. What would you like to see from the Zenfone 8 series? Take our survey and leave a comment.