Hardly anyone makes small flagship smartphones anymore, but the ones that do exist are excellent. How does the unassuming Asus ZenFone 10 stack up?
The Second Best Small Smartphone
It's known that when entering any competition, we always want to be the best, but second place is also often worthy of praise and admiration. World vice-champion in ski jumping – sounds quite proud. Silver medal in boxing at the Olympic Games – also not bad. Especially since the metal won at the Olympics always comes with further deliveries in the form of a pension.
But what about the second best mayonnaise in a store available for five zlotys? Or second place in a checkers match? Well, in some cases, only victory counts. The question is, how does it look with the title of "second best small Android flagship".
Asus ZenFone 10 – Technical Specifications
The Asus ZenFone 10 has a screen diagonal of less than 6 inches, it can be comfortably operated with one hand, and it's hard to find any compromises in terms of components, smooth operation, or battery life. Or at least, compromises that would in any way be related to its size.
In fact, the only problem with this excellent device, which I found exceptionally comfortable to use, is the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S23 exists in the same universe. The Korean phone costs the same, has almost identical dimensions, similar performance, and also boasts a better screen, speakers, cameras, and longer software update support. Who will choose the Asus in this situation?
I have no idea, but I would really like it not to disappear into the depths of oblivion, because it looks sensational, feels great in the hand, and has one of the most comfortable versions of Android I've ever encountered. And we can't let Samsung get too complacent in this segment – if they wiped out all the competition, they probably wouldn't bother anymore.
How does a small smartphone compare to larger ones?
And the competition is precisely small – like this ZenFone. It's just how it is with small smartphones; users supposedly miss them, supposedly complain about the endlessly growing screens of newer and newer models, but when it comes down to it, they leave the store with almost 7-inch bricks. iPhones in the mini series were outstanding in every way, met all the needs of small device enthusiasts, and cost – proportionally to their size – less than other Apple phones. And what? Nothing! The Americans had to withdraw from them because almost no one bought them.
Is the ZenFone 10 Worth Buying?
Well, to the point! The ZenFone 10, although clearly smaller than almost every flagship on the market, has nothing to be ashamed of in almost every respect. Thanks to Qualcomm's most powerful processor and 8 GB, or even 16 GB of RAM on board, it runs perfectly, and doesn't overheat even during longer gaming sessions. Why does it need as much as 16 GB of RAM? I have no idea, but if they give it, you have to take it! Especially since it doesn't significantly affect the final price.
Multimedia? The screen is an OLED with a 144 Hz refresh rate, although realistically more like 120 Hz, as the extra two dozen only activate in selected games. Well, that's more than enough. However, the display could be brighter, and not everyone will like the placement of the fingerprint reader not in the screen, but in the side button.
The two speakers sound quite decent, so even for watching hour-long YouTube videos from the RetroTydzień series, the ZenFone doesn't disappoint. There's also a headphone jack! Remember such an invention? It disappeared from most smartphones around the same time as the last Vikings – in the 11th century. However, just as the Vikings survived in the form of Vikings, the spirit of the mini-jack remains strong in Asus phones, as we see it in every smartphone of this brand.
Surprisingly, the battery of this little one is enough for over a day of use and 6-7 hours with the screen on. Charging isn't exceptionally fast, but for the first time in the series, we also got 15W wireless charging. I, for example, often sit at my desk all day, and then my smartphone companion charges next to me constantly.
Intuitive System That Gives Freedom
I mentioned how much I like the system. I do! Because it gives me the freedom that my Viking blood desires! For example, I love pure Android directly from Google as an institution, but I don't like some of its solutions – for example, the impractical quick settings menu. In other smartphones, I'm either condemned to what Google has devised, or to how the device manufacturer has modified that idea.
Asus, on the other hand, allows me to choose the appearance of this menu myself: I decide whether I prefer the "clean" original or the Taiwanese interpretation. The same applies to the volume control panel, the power-off menu, and many other elements that most Android versions don't allow you to modify. The ZenFone also allows you to, for example, limit the charging speed or the maximum charge level of the phone if you happen to replace your smartphones every 15 years and feel that you need to take exceptional care of the battery. In addition, it offers dozens of different optional shortcuts and conveniences, but they are all hidden in the settings in such a way that they don't clutter the system. Class!
Asus ZenFone 10 Camera
Why then do I rank the similarly sized Samsung higher? I've already partly explained. The ZenFone's cameras are good, but unfortunately, only good – in purely technical terms, even those from last year's ZenFone 9 performed better, and that's a bit of a shame. Additionally, ASUS provides only 2 years of updates for this wonderful system to new Android versions. Samsung, on the other hand, offers 4. The Korean product also wins in terms of multimedia, and since their prices are practically identical, it's hard to choose the Asus based on common sense for now. No one buys two phones at once, so in this case, second place probably doesn't mean success.
Perhaps, however, everything will change with some price reductions? The ZenFone 10 is an excellent representative of an endangered species, and I hope we give Asus a reason to keep this species alive for as long as possible.
