Asus Zenfone 10: what we want to see
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The Asus Zenfone 10 could be one of the best phones of 2023, but the company will have to learn from the shortcomings of the Asus Zenfone 9, which was in many ways one of the most disappointing phones of 2022.
It achieved 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, and we haven’t really heard anything about the Asus Zenfone 10 yet. As soon as we do, we’ll add any leaks, news, and rumors to this article. But in the meantime, you’ll find our release date and price predictions, along with a wish list of things we want to see.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next model in the Zenfone line
- When is it out? Probably around July 2023
- How much is it? It probably has an upper mid-range price
Asus Zenfone 10: release date and price
There’s no news on when the Asus Zenfone 10 will be released, but it probably won’t be for a while as the Zenfone 9 only landed in July 2022. However, the company is not entirely consistent with its launches, as the Zenfone 8 launched in May of its release year and the Zenfone 7 in August of its release year.
So we can’t say for sure when the Asus Zenfone 10 will be announced, but we’re guessing around the middle of 2023.
We can’t say how much it will cost either, but for reference, the Zenfone 9 starts at $699 / £699 (around AU$1,210), so the price of the Zenfone 10 may be similar.
Asus Zenfone 10: news and leaks
While we haven’t heard anything about the Asus Zenfone 10 yet, we do know that one or more Asus phones will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, so chances are the Zenfone 10 will be among them, especially since the Zenfone 9 was powered by the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1.
The Gen 2 will be the best Snapdragon chipset of 2023 (at least unless and until a Plus version launches), and it’s likely to be the best chipset to be found in an Android phone for at least the first half of the year .
What we want to see
The Asus Zenfone 9 left a lot of room for improvement, so here’s what we’d most like to see from the Zenfone 10.
1. More cameras
The Asus Zenfone 9 only has two rear cameras, which isn’t much by Android phone standards. So for 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 it often takes a while for the phone to actually take a photo, which can lead to blurry photos.
2. A lower price
The Asus Zenfone 9 has a higher mid-range price, but it borders on high-end, only slightly below the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S22 and iPhone 14. It’s also more expensive than the Google Pixel 7, and the specs and features on offer might just not quite justified.
So for the Asus Zenfone 10, we’d like to see the price reduced, or a significant upgrade to the phone itself.
3. A small screen
The Zenfone 9 has a compact 5.9-inch display, and we wish the Asus Zenfone 10 had a similarly small display. So we’re not asking for changes here – we really want that aspect to stay the same.
There aren’t many compact phones these days, especially those with fairly advanced specs like the Zenfone 9, so we’d like to see this continue with the Zenfone 10, as there’s definitely an audience for it, however niche.
4. A glass back
Despite having a fairly high price point, the Zenfone 9 has a plastic back, something we’d expect more from a budget phone, despite Samsung’s attempts to make it acceptable to the high-end.
So hopefully the Asus Zenfone 10 will have a glass back. We can’t imagine this would add a huge amount to the cost, and it would make the phone look and feel significantly better than its likely higher mid-range price.
5. A bigger battery
The Zenfone 9 has a fairly small battery at 4,300mAh, and while that seems reasonable given that it also has a fairly small screen, it’s worth noting that the Sony Xperia 5 IV is only slightly larger, but still manages to pack a punch. 5,000 mAh battery.
Either way, the Zenfone 9 doesn’t have great battery life, so it’s clearly in need of a bigger juice pack or some optimisations, and we’d like to see the Asus Zenfone 10’s longevity improved. If so, it could end up being one of the best little phones out there.