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Various leaks across the past month have suggested that the Asus Zenfone 8, Zenfone 8 Mini, Zenfone 8 Pro or Zenfone 8 Flip could all launch soon. However, many of these leaked names could refer to the same phones.
We’ll know more when Asus officially launches the Asus Zenfone 8 this week – along with any sibling models. Asus promises a phone that’s ‘Big in Performance. Compact in size’, and will unveil the official specs during its upcoming livestream.
The Zenfone 8 could feature some of the same flagship specs as the Asus Zenfone 7 Pro, packed into a much smaller frame and without its trademark flipping camera.
We also could see a more expensive 2021 Zenfone phone that brings the rotating camera back. While the Samsung Galaxy A82 could also have one, it hasn’t been confirmed, which could make the Zenfone 8 Flip edition a unique option for novelty camera lovers.
Could the Asus Zenfone 8 become one of the best small phones in 2021? Here’s what we know so far about Asus’ upcoming handset.
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Leaked specs and renders for the Asus Zenfone 8 and Zenfone 8 Flip reveal what to expect from these two phones.
Cut to the chaseWhat is it? A compact Android phone with plenty of powerHow much will it cost? Unknown; the Zenfone 7 cost about $750 / £570 / AU$1,040When will it be announced? May 12, 2021Asus Zenfone 8 release date and price
Asus announced its Zenfone 8 product launch last month. During an online event on May 12 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST / 3am AEST on May 13, Asus will reveal the full details for the phone (or phones). You should be able to watch the event using the embedded YouTube video below.
You’ll get a clearer picture of the Asus Zenfone 8 release date and territories then, though we expect it to be available for pre-order that day.
As for the Zenfone 8 price, we haven’t heard any leaked information just yet. The Zenfone 7 cost about $750 / £570 / AU$1,040, while the Zenfone 7 Pro cost about $950 / £730 / AU$1,330. It’s possible we could see similar pricing for the Zenfone 8 series, with a slightly higher cost for the 8 Flip or 8 Pro.
Asus Zenfone 8 leaked specs
We’ll get official confirmation of the Asus Zenfone 8 specs on May 12, along with information on other hypothetical models like the Zenfone 8 Mini, Zenfone 8 Pro, and/ or Zenfone 8 Flip. Until then, leaked information from various sources can give us a decently clear picture of what to expect.
A few weeks back, we learned of a Geekbench listing for an Asus Zenfone 8 Mini that allegedly has a 5.92-inch screen and Snapdragon 888 chipset. Another recent leak indicated that the Mini could have IP68 water and dust protection, a built-in fingerprint scanner, a 4,000mAh battery, and a blue-and-black gradient pattern on the back of the phone.
(Image credit: Gadget Tendency)
However, the latest leak from tipster Ishan Agarwal suggested that the Zenfone 8 itself would be 5.92 inches; given how unlikely it would be for two Zenfone models to be the same size, there may be no Zenfone 8 ‘Mini’ per see. Instead, all of those specs could apply to the main Zenfone 8.
Other leaked Zenfone 8 specs indicate it will have a 120Hz display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 64MP main camera, 30W fast charging and 3.5mm headphone jack.
Is it just us or are there a lot of ‘o’s in ‘smooth’? How many, exactly? 😉 Know more:https://t.co/ig6Hay5mlo#Zenfone8 #BigonPerformanceCompactinSizeApril 27, 2021
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We did get an official Asus render of the Zenfone 8 with a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. The Zenfone 7 and 7 Pro had a flippable three-camera array to shoot rear and front photos, so the presence of the selfie camera strongly suggests that Asus ditched the feature for the Zenfone 8.
Fans of the Zenfone 7 can take heart, however: we’ve heard that Asus’s second upcoming phone could be the Zenfone 8 Flip, which would bring back the flipping camera module.
This phone would offer slightly upgraded specs, including a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, 256GB of storage and 5,000mAh battery capacity. It could also be the spiritual successor to the 7 Pro, as we haven’t received any information that Asus will release a Zenfone 8 Pro model.
What we want to see
The leaked Zenfone 8 specs live up to Asus’ marketed promise of a compact, powerful phone, and we’re intrigued by the possible return of the novelty flip camera. Outside of the raw specs, we have some hopes for Asus’ new phones based on our experience with the Zenfone 7 Pro.
1. Improved cameras for the 8 Flip
The Asus Zenfone 7 Pro (Image credit: TechRadar)
Our reviewer felt that ‘while it’s novel to use the same cameras to shoot rear and front photos, this isn’t as much an advantage as we expected’ in terms of selfie quality. It gave good shots in portrait, ultra-wide and night mode, but he found room for improvement, especially in terms of software processing.
Samsung, Huawei, Apple, Google and OnePlus are all trying to one-up one another in terms of smartphone camera quality, resulting in impressive 2021 camera phones. If Asus wants the Zenfone 8 Flip to stand out, it needs to blow us away with its lenses.
2. Make them lightweight and affordable
The Zenfone 7 Pro, mid-camera transition (Image credit: Future)
Assuming the Zenfone 8 turns out not to have the flipping camera of its predecessor, it could struggle to differentiate itself from the rest of the industry. Its main competitor could be the excellent Galaxy S21, which is slightly larger with the same CPU and frequent deals available.
Asus should sell it at an affordable price at launch to make sure consumers don’t compare it unfavorably against the bigger brands. And we hope its small display size will correspond to a lightweight, thin build that’s really comfortable to hold.
As for the Zenfone 8 Flip, our reviewer found that the Zenfone 7 Pro – which was also 6.67 inches – was heavy and bulky in his grip. Ideally, Asus will find a way to retain the display size but make the model thinner and a bit lighter.
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