The Asus Zenfone 10 may be one of the best phones of 2023, but the company will have to learn from the shortcomings of the Asus Zenfone 9, which in many ways was one of the most disappointing phones of 2022.
It scored 3.5 stars in our review, which isn’t bad at all, but it’s a huge drop from the 4.5 stars the Asus Zenfone 8 achieved last year. These phones have a lot of potential though, so we’re cautiously optimistic about the next model.
It’ll probably be a bit of a wait though, and we’ve got some specs to whet your appetite. Here you will find our reports with news and specs, coupled with release dates and expected prices, as well as a wishlist of things we want to see.
To the point
- What is this? Another model in the Zenfone line
- when is it coming out? Probably around July 2023
- How much does it cost? It will probably have a higher average price
Asus Zenfone 10: release date and price
There’s no word on when the Asus Zenfone 10 might be released, but it likely won’t be for quite some time as the Zenfone 9 didn’t land until July 2022. However, the company isn’t entirely consistent with its launches since the Zenfone 8 has arrived in May of the year of its release, and Zenfone 7 in August this year.
So we can’t say for sure when the Asus Zenfone 10 will be announced, but we’re guessing around mid-2023.
We also can’t say how much it will cost, but for comparison the Zenfone 9 starts at $699 / £699 (around AU$1,210) so the price of the Zenfone 10 could be similar.
Asus Zenfone 10: news and leaks
The first few leaks regarding the Asus Zenfone 10 have surfaced, which paint a picture of a smartphone that is a hefty update from its predecessors – albeit with one unsettling change for those who were fans of the former compact bezels. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is present, as expected, as is a massive boost to RAM and storage by 16GB and up to 512GB respectively. There is said to be a large 5,000mAh battery with a 67W fast charger to help keep it topped up daily.
The display is rumored to get bigger as a report claims Asus is set to ditch the much-loved 5.9-inch display in exchange for a larger and more popular 6.3-inch size. This was considered the best feature of its predecessors, but it seems that the company is making a business decision. Small phones haven’t even taken off yet, and Asus probably doesn’t think it’s worth a third try on its part.
What we want to see
The Asus Zenfone 9 left a lot of room for improvement, so the following are the things we most want to see in the Zenfone 10.
1. More cameras
Asus Zenfone 9 only has two rear cameras, which is not much by the standards of Android phones. So with the Zenfone 10, we’d like to see at least a third added – specifically a telephoto lens.
It would also be good if Asus could improve the shutter speed, as we found in our Zenfone 9 review that the phone often takes a while to take a picture, which can lead to blurry shots.
2. Lower price
The Asus Zenfone 9 has a higher mid-price but approaches the high-end, sitting just a little below the Samsung Galaxy S22 and iPhone 14. It’s also more expensive than the Google Pixel 7, and the specs and features on offer just can’t justify it.
So with the Asus Zenfone 10, we’d like to see either a price cut or a significant improvement to the phone itself.
3. Small screen
The Zenfone 9 has a compact 5.9-inch display, and we want the Asus Zenfone 10 to have a similarly small screen. So we’re not asking for changes here – we really want that aspect to stay the same – although we’re losing hope after seeing the latest rumors.
There aren’t many compact phones these days, especially ones with fairly high-end specs like the Zenfone 9, so we’d love to see how that continues with the Zenfone 10 as there’s certainly an audience for them, however niche.
4. Glass back
Despite its rather high price, the Zenfone 9 has a plastic back, which we would expect more from a budget phone, despite Samsung’s attempts to make it acceptable in the high-end.
So let’s hope that the Asus Zenfone 10 will have a glass back. We can’t imagine it would add a huge amount of cost and make the phone both look and feel much more worthy of its likely higher average price.
5. Bigger battery
The Zenfone 9 has a fairly small 4,300mAh battery, and while that might seem reasonable considering it also has a fairly small screen, it’s worth noting that the Sony Xperia 5 IV is only slightly larger, but manages to fit a 5,000mAh battery in it.
Regardless, the Zenfone 9 doesn’t have great battery life so it clearly needs a bigger juice pack or some optimizations, and we’d love to see the life of the Asus Zenfone 10 improve. If so, this could be one of the best small phones out there.