Zenfone 9 with Android 13: Android Stock with many small improvements

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It has been 6 months since I started using zenfone 9a smartphone that immediately intrigued me and on which I had high hopes given that the software is the same as the Rog series with which I have always had an excellent feeling thanks to small improvements to the stock Android interface which, in the workplace and not I just find it extremely smart and comfortable.

Nothing shocking is clear, a Samsung One UIi is so much more complete, complex and customizable that we can now consider it a separate OS if we look at the Android world. However, not everyone loves interfaces that are too distant from the official Google one and therefore Zenfone, Pixel or Motorola are the best choices that could be made today even if not the only ones.

ANDROID 13 ON ZENFONE 9

I will not repeat the review already done but I think it is important to underline a couple of points that have also emerged in the comments in various articles on the product.

UPDATES:

Asus has declared 2 major updates, therefore Zenfone 9 will die with Android 14 unless changed. A limited support if we look at other important brands but which in any case can still be considered a minimum standard for the sector. However, Asus has a particular policy because, much more than other brands, it uses the community to improve its software, eliminate bugs or add features.

In all of this, the security patches arrive on a regular basis, not every month but in any case there is an average monthly update that brings bug fixes and new patches every 60 days. android 13, which is still in beta anyway, has already introduced le december patches (just at the beginning of the month) and in any case its release is not that slow. Obviously the point is that Asus has very few smartphones on its price list and if we look closely, at the hardware level they are also very similar taking the same year of marketing. Therefore, greater support would be a good and right thing and on this the company must give further guarantees even retroactively. It would also be a commercially useful message.

One of the notes I read in the comments concerns the definition of compact of Zenfone 9. In particular, the comparison with Galaxy S22 would demonstrate how in almost identical dimensions, Zenfone 9 still has a 5.9-inch display against the 6.1 of S22. True thing, correct but the compactness is not given only by the not excessive diagonal, but, particularly in daily use, by the width of the device.

Less optimized frames render Zenfone 9 taller than S22 but it is a difference that is not significant in use as we are still talking about screens that can be used with one hand. The 2 mm in width, which is always a potentially negligible difference, is instead clearly perceivable by the user. In hand, bearing in mind that we always talk about very small differences, Zenfone 9 is still more manageable and better gripped. The feeling therefore is that of having to do with a smaller or in any case more compact smartphone than the S22.

The update, not yet officially released, confirms the goodness of the software and the general optimization of the system. With the first releases there were some blocks and instability but with the latest update (the one of the video), everything has returned to the levels of Android 12 with a further improvement in the animations, fluidity and, obviously, with the new features of security introduced by Android 13 and with the new customizations that also allow you to change the theme of applications that support contextual color variation.

On balance, however, the visible and usage differences are reduced to these aspects and practically nothing changes between Android 12 and 13. Asus has in fact implemented the same customizations and improvements to the UI Stock that allow you to make the smartphone user-friendly without weighing down the UI. Some examples:

Dual wi-fi to maximize network performance

Gaming suite like the Rog one in game

Excellent SIM management with many options for 5G management

Workspace (Google Suite Works) managed very well

Twin apps available

Selectable app lock for all apps with tons of different options

Lightning-fast side fingerprint reader with programmable key even with the launch of 2 different apps

Convenient multitasking menu and not overly rich in options being a 5.9 inch

Full system gestures with tap to power off, power on, app launch and rise to wake

AOD well done

Advanced battery management with customizable consumption profiles

Complete and customizable call recording

This list, not complete at all, underlines the features that I use the most and which, all together, are difficult to find in other phones, especially so well made and integrated. Not even the One UI with all the extra options it has, however, manages to have the same effectiveness by taking the list above.

In short, without repeating the review you find above, Zenfone 9 is confirmed to be a concrete product and with which it is practically impossible to feel bad.

WEAK POINTS?

Price still fixed in the list. Not that it is expensive mind you, the positioning is correct compared to its competitors but, unlike many other brands, Asus manages to control the price very well and except for some discounts imported from Unieuro, it is really difficult to find Zefone 9 at super competitive prices.

Updates, as mentioned above, which need a simple guarantee of 3 major updates and 4 years of patches, nothing absurd that the company can offer.

Camera not up to the top, especially the S22 which is now under €600. Asus still needs to work on the software algorithm: the hardware, quality and interface have no real weaknesses, but it is clear that the “software magic” that other brands have achieved is still missing. HDR in particular and a color saturation closer to the modern canons of “online beauty”.

All ideas for a Zenfone 10 that can bring an optimization of the frames, a camera hole more aligned with the lateral curvature of the body and an even more pleasant aesthetic.

In the meantime, good Zenfone 9 with Android 13 for those who have it and good hunting, maybe used, for those who wanted to try it but haven’t found the occasion yet.