ASUS Zenfone 10 it is not a breaking smartphone.
Indeed, it inherits a lot of elements from the previous model. And so, placed side by side, they almost look like twins.
This – we tell you right away – does not represent a defect for us.
We live in an era in which technological progress is considered as such only in the face of great upheavals, great changes.
And yet it is not so.
It is normal that, after years of research and evolution, we reach a stalemate. Or rather, at a moment in which a category of products is being perfected which has already reached the optimum in its current form.
We thus end up with terminals that improve but do not change completely. Waiting, of course, for the next big leap. Which could come with leaflets or which will take a completely different form instead.
In the meantime, we think it is more than legitimate to keep what is good in a product to go and improve, albeit slightly, those areas that still need optimization.
So yes, ASUS Zenfone 10 looks like 9 and that’s okay.
Design
What does “resemble” mean?
Basically the look has remained largely the same: dual rear camera, with the two lenses that are separated from each other and really clearly visible, matte back cover – with a texture that makes it very pleasant to the touch, increases its grip and eliminates very unpleasant fingerprints -, 5.9-inch display with rather small frames, 3.5 mm jack on the upper edge, volume rocker and power button which also houses the fast fingerprint reader.
Among other things, the same button can be used as a slider to lower or raise the notification curtain.
What else? Well, of course we have the USB-C connector and the SIM slot, both on the bottom edge.
The distinctive element, however, is the compact format. ASUS Zenfone 10 can be used comfortably with one hand, has a super-reduced thickness – 68 mm – and weighs only 172 grams. It’s a pleasure to use even if, we admit, the first few days we had some problems adjusting with the keyboard: being smaller than other devices we made a few gaffes and mistakes but nothing serious.
Apart from this, we have not encountered any major problems in using this smartphone: it fits comfortably in your pocket, you use it easily even when you have to hold onto the subway with the other hand, it has a perfect grip and therefore we never feared it would slip, not even in boat.
Only 5.9 inches?
If you are thinking they are too few, we have to prove you wrong.
Naturally it is very subjective but there is also an important component linked to habit: we usually handle larger devices and therefore, faced with smaller terminals, we immediately think “oh my God, there is little space”. There is less of it – this is undeniable – but still we have never given up on anythingfrom gaming to watching videos.
Moreover the AMOLED FullHD+ screen is very pleasant to usewith an update frequency that can be Automatic or set a 60 Hz, 90 Hz o 120 Hz. With Game Genie, during game sessions, you can go up to 144Hz for even more fluidity. It might seem like a bizarre choice but it actually makes sense: after all, what other apps could ever really benefit from this refresh rate if not games?
The only element that could be improved on the front of the screen is brightness: good but not very high. In the sun you do everything anyway but the visibility is not the best on the market.
ASUS Zenfone 10 review: Top performance and battery!
With ASUS Zenfone 10 we have done everything: from web browsing to email management, from having fun with some mobile titles to using social networks. It never faltered, it never got hot, it never gave a problem. And basically we didn’t expect anything different from the processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2accompanied by 8 or 16 GB and 256 or 512 GB of internal memory.
Software is Android 13 and yes, aesthetically it absolutely looks like a stock variant but in reality the Taiwanese company has enriched it with a series of functions that you find in the menu Advanced settings. For example, this is where you activate scrolling on the power button and, again from here, manage the Game Genie or activate the various gestures.
Instead, there is a very convenient option that you will find inside the camera: you can associate the double press of the volume rocker with the taking of photos, in stand-by. Basically you don’t have to unlock the device to seize the moment but aim, double click and Zenfone 10 takes 3 consecutive photos for you within 1.7 seconds.
Drums
However, what really impressed us is the battery: we arrived at 9h with the screen on. Really not bad for this little guy who allows you to stay calm even on super busy days.
However, charging is not very fast: 30W with cable and 15W with wireless charging. And yes, the latter is new this year.
A Gimbal?!
“It almost feels like a gimbal“Commented one of our videomakers watching one of the videos recorded with ASUS Zenfone 10.
It doesn’t actually “seem”. She has it.
Inside this super compact smartphone we find a 6-axis gimbal that combines optical stabilization, therefore hardware, with electronic stabilization, therefore software.
The result is double: indeed we have both l’Hyper Steadywhich limits the visual head but applies firm stabilization, either l’Adaptive EIS, which therefore adapts to the movement it perceives.
In practice, all this takes the form of movies that are really very very stable, even in extreme conditions.
What is missing is some quality and better light management.
We arrive at 8K @ 24 fps losing stabilization but even with this resolution the details are not as accentuated as we expected.
We can apply the same philosophy to photos.
The shots are good but not amazing. Zooming in you won’t have defined details but everything will be a bit watercolored.
On the other hand, it does not hyper-saturate the colors so the shots remain very natural.
That said, ASUS has promised a same-day update that should improve the photographic part, so we’ll take care to update the review accordingly.
And the sensors? Well, we have the 50 megapixel main camera and the 13 megapixel ultra-wide angle.
On the front instead we have 32 megapixels with an RGBW sensor that performs very well, giving us defined and natural selfies.
P_20230627_172736
The ASUS Zenfone 10 review: conclusions
ASUS Zenfone 10 arrives on the market in the following configurations:
- 8/128GB a 799€
- 8/256GB a 849€
- 16/512GB a 929€
E in cinque colori: Midnight Black, Starry Blue, Aurora Green, Comet White ed Eclipse Red.
On balance, it is a small evolution of the previous model which pushes on stabilization and adds wireless charging. Is it worth going from 9 to 10? As of today, probably not.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a new super compact device with excellent battery life and top-of-the-range performance, it is an excellent alternative.