The Asus Zenfone 8 Flip just hit the market, and I have to be honest, this thing is cool. Of course, flip-up camera technology isn’t new to the smartphone scene, but this year Asus is really pushing for it to go mainstream.
If you take some notes from the Asus Zenfone 7 series, we have almost the same triple lens system that pops up as your front-facing camera. While this flip-up camera system is the Zenfone 8 Flip’s main selling point, Asus doesn’t see it as the flagship product. In fact, the smaller Zenfone 8 form factor gets some improvements over the 8 Flip. What is special about the 8 Flip? Let’s find out.
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The “notch” is dead
Recognition: Luke Pollack / Android Authority
It’s been a while since I’ve used a full screen smartphone and to be honest, I miss it. It really is a huge relief not to have a notch or hole staring at you. Still, there are some omissions in this beautiful 6.67-inch FHD + AMOLED display. Unfortunately, the 8 Flip’s panel is only 90 Hz, with the 120 Hz display reserved for the standard Zenfone 8. Even so, this display looks great at a glance. The panel is mostly flat but has a very smooth curve at the very edge of the screen. This floats naturally into the edges of the device and makes for a very polished impression in the hand.
The design here is very reminiscent of the previous generation Asus Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro, but with slightly beveled edges, a light blue on / off switch and a slightly more industrial design that I really like.
It really is a huge relief not to have a notch or hole staring at you.
Overall, I’m impressed with the general build quality and software of the Zenfone 8 Flip. Given that the Zenfone 6 and 7 were pretty durable devices, I can’t imagine why the Zenfone 8 Flip wouldn’t hold up even in the long run. That said, the mirrored back of the phone captures a ton of fingerprints, and I really wish manufacturers would stop preferring this to a matte finish.
In terms of what you get in the box, the phone comes with a 30W fast charger, two cases, and a USB-C to USB-C cable.
What about these cameras?
Recognition: Luke Pollack / Android Authority
As already mentioned, the camera system of the 8 Flip is largely identical to the setup of the Asus Zenfone 7 Pro. These include a 64MP Sony IMX686 f / 1.8 primary shooter, a Sony IMX363 12MP f / 2.2 ultrawide camera and an 8MP 3x telephoto lens. Unfortunately, and unlike the Zenfone 7 Pro, these new cameras do not contain optical image stabilization (OIS). Nevertheless, Asus has built in a new stepper motor that is supposed to make the unfolding process smoother. While I don’t have the Zenfone 7 Pro for comparison, I can confirm that the motor actuation is quick and feels fluid.
The advantage of this unique design is that you can use the primary camera system as a front shooter. In fact, Asus is heavily marketing this phone for vloggers and those who want to record high quality videos of themselves.
See also: The best camera phones you can buy
In my limited testing, the main sensor appeared to produce very detailed and fairly color-accurate images. The ultra-wide camera is a bit softer and louder, which is to be expected, and the telephoto lens isn’t particularly good either. The latter creates some very soft images, mainly due to Asus’ image softening on this particular sensor. However, due to the nature of this system, Asus offers a few more features, such as: B. a panorama mode, which operates the camera automatically to take smooth panoramas for you. There is also a professional photo and video mode that allows the user to make more precise settings.
Zen UI is smooth
It’s pretty easy to forget about the UI that manufacturers package with their devices, but I have to say the Zen UI is really simple and straightforward. The Zen UI that ships with Android 11 offers a near-current experience and has device-specific features like a 10-band equalizer, an in-game UI, and a customizable smart key power button.
Other than that, the UI has everything I’ve come to love about Stock Android. The native launcher has the native Google Discover integration and a variety of customization options ranging from icon size to grid options for the home screen. Unfortunately, Asus no longer allows you to customize your icons. You will need a third-party launcher to do this. Hope to see this in a future update, but I’m not holding my breath. Even so, there is no bloatware at all on this phone and there are various settings for changing the wallpaper or the always-on display.
Asus is still as good as Zen UI and hasn’t always had the best track record with software updates. So it is uncertain how long the Zenfone 8 Flip will be supported.
Zenfone 8 Flip vs Zenfone 8: what is the difference?
Recognition: Luke Pollack / Android Authority
Asus strongly markets the Zenfone 8 as a flagship. Even so, the 8 Flip seems to offer a very competitive experience. Both phones share the same Snapdragon 888 processor and Adreno 660 GPU. Both have the same main and ultra-wide camera sensors and both are 5G compatible.
On the other hand, both phones exchange blows in other areas. The Zenfone 8 Flip has a telephoto lens, a larger 5,000 mAh battery and triple SIM card slots. While the regular 8 has a water and dust resistance of IP68, it comes with OIS for the cameras, uses the latest Gorilla Glass Victus, has a brighter 120Hz display, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and supports Wi -Fi 6E (in the US). . Plus, there’s no wireless charging on the Flip – a standard that should be expected from a flagship, although, oddly enough, it’s not included in the Zenfone 8 either.
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On paper, it’s pretty clear that the Zenfone 8 is the better phone, despite the Flip’s size difference and novel camera system. However, the prices for these two different phones don’t necessarily reflect this. The Zenfone 8 costs € 599 ($ 727) while the 8 Flip costs € 799 (~ $ 970). Essentially, you pay an additional € 200 for a larger battery, a larger display and a fold-out camera system.
In this regard, the previous generation Asus Zenfone 7 series offers a very similar experience but is available at a much cheaper start-up cost. The Asus Zenfone 7 comes with the Snapdragon 865, 6/8 GB RAM and an almost identical fold-out camera system, but costs only 699 euros. At this price point, the Zenfone 7 seems like a better deal, especially if you can close a sale. Sure, the 8 Flip has a faster processor and more RAM, but it’s hard to justify these relatively minor upgrades over the sharp rise in price.
Zenfone 8 Flip Specifications
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Asus Zenfone 8 Flip | |
|---|---|---|
| display | 5.9 inch AMOLED FHD + HDR10 + 120Hz refresh rate Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
6.67 inch AMOLED FHD + HDR10 + 90Hz refresh rate Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
| GPU | Qualcomm Adreno 660 | Qualcomm Adreno 660 |
| R.A.M. | 6/8 / 16GB LPDDR5 |
8 GB LPDDR5 |
| warehouse | 128 / 256GB UFS 3.1 Not expandable |
128 / 256GB UFS 3.1 Expandable with microSD card (up to 2 TB) |
| battery | 4,000mAh battery 30W wired charging |
5,000mAh battery 30W wired charging |
| Cameras | Primary: 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor with OIS, 2x lossless zoom F / 1.8 aperture 0.8 µm pixels Double LED flash 8K / 30fps video Secondary: Front: 12MP IMX663 |
Primary: 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor F / 1.8 aperture 0.8 µm pixels Double LED flash 8K / 30fps video Secondary: Tertiary: 8MP 3x telephoto |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E (US only) Bluetooth 5.2 NFC Dual nano SIM |
Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.2 NFC Dual nano SIM |
| operating system | ZenUI 8 Android 11 |
ZenUI 8 Android 11 |
| Audio | Stereo speakers 3.5 mm connector |
Stereo speakers No 3.5 mm connection |
| Dimensions | 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm 169 g |
165.04 x 77.28 x 9.6 mm 230 g |
| Colours | Obsidian black Horizon silver |
Galactic black Glacier silver |
Asus Zenfone 8 Flip Impressions: The verdict
Recognition: Luke Pollack / Android Authority
At the first impression, the Asus Zenfone 8 Flip packs a functional camera design, first-class workmanship and an incredibly large battery on the table. I was pretty impressed with the Zen UI as a skin, and the full screen display is just a joy to use. Of course, this phone is not without its drawbacks. There is no wireless charging and the screen is displayed at 90 Hz. Although the camera system is innovative, it is not the best model despite its price of 799 euros.
Still, the overall experience is relatively top-notch, but it’s hard to swallow the $ 799 price tag considering last year’s Zenfone 7 series gives you most of the experience at a significantly cheaper price.
Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
The Zenfone 8 Flip is essentially the Zenfone 7 with a new flagship processor. Otherwise, you still get a 90Hz OLED screen, 5,000mAh battery, 30W charge, and that funky camera system. The latter allows you to take higher quality selfies with the main, telephoto or ultra-wide sensors.
What do you think of the Asus Zenfone 8 Flip? Let us know in the comments.