Asus Zenfone 10: 5 best and 5 worst things

[@Jeff.55649]

Time for EU to force updates for at least 3-4 years.

[@osamabinladen824]

Five (5) years.

[@donjohn3351]

Should be able to pay for longer support

[@billieguitar]

So many of you are deaf? It does come with 4 years of updates. Or are you completely brainwashed into believing in miracles and promises of "feature updates"? Ok, give me ONE single example of how android 14 changes over 13 about the way you use your smartphone or what you can do with it that you could not before? Im waiting. In the meanwhile why dont you give me 1000$ and i pinky promise ill write for you a nice and thoughtful very slightly changed NEW version of this same comment for you - EVERY YEAR for FOUR YEARS!!! So much value, not to mention the most of my competition around me offers zero! SUCH A GREAT OFFER, you would be dumb not to choose me to recieve your money. XD

[@AndrewUKLondon]

Definitely. I get a good 6-7 years with iPhones. I like the idea of the asus phones, but without a minimum of 4 years updates, forget it. Fairphone it is as my next Android phone until Asus sort out their customer orientation.

[@mrgrumpyjinx]

For most of part, updates just ruin phones battery life, lag appear after update, the performance could slow down!'

[@Notnow22]

As a current Zenfone 9 owner, I must say I don't mind the charging speed too much, especially with how long the battery lasts each charge. - I agree with the camera being just up to par, but I seldom take photos anyway. The video stabilisation, on the other hand, is actually impressive! - While I can agree the materials used for this device aren't top tier (glass, titanium, chamfered edges, etc.), I actually love the feel of it. The textured back helps with the grip and I can attest that it really isn't prone to scratching so easily, especially because I don't like using cases (even though Asus includes one in the box, which is a hard plastic one). The flat edges also add to the ''gripability'' of the device, helping it sit firmly on my hand. - Last but not least, while I do like the compact form factor, I could easily settle for a 6.5'' or 6.7'' screen with this particular style. Having said that, only time will tell how bad it'll age due to futureproofing.

[@βαθύζ]

Nice comment. I'm thinking abt getting one. How is the weight and portability on it? Is it bulky or anything like that?...thanks!

[@sauravrajeev]

Try installing gCam mode for your phone. It should improve your camera performance by a lot.

[@kevintan4603]

textured back is the only way to go duh. why make a glass back when all you gonna do is just cover it up with a case because youre scared of scratching it AND mainly because youre scared it might slip out of your hand because its so ultra slippery? kind of self defeating

[@matthieuzglurg6015]

I had a few problems with my previous phone : - my Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 phone was becoming slow : the slow chip paired with only 3GB of RAM meant that it was constantly bogged down the moment there was more than 2 apps opened. - I couldn't control the charge rate, or set a charge limit, which meant that over the last 3 years I've had this phone the battery life already reduced (and the phone was becoming hot while charging) - the 6.6" form factor was WAY too big for me and has been a constant problem for me. - The cameras were terrible. Autofocus was almost never reliable except is very good light. But the phone itself had some good points : a decently fast fingerprint scanner, a headphone jack and it cost me next to nothing : I bought it for 170€ brand new 3 years ago, meaning that I don't feel compelled to keep it since I didn't invest a ton of money in it. So after looking at my options, I decided to get a Zenfone 10 last week. I keep the good things from the Xiaomi (fast fingerprint scanner, headphone jack), get a much better build quality (with a steel frame) as well as a much beter handling thanks both to the smaller size and the very textured back (so much so that when I would never run my Xiaomi caseless, further increasing the size, I would run my Zenfone 10 caseless without a problem). My goal is clearly to keep this phone as much as possible now that I've spent 600€ for it. now for the downsides listed in this video : - Cameras are meh : for photography, I agree that the cameras are not exceptional, but I'm a photographer that pretty much always have a camera with me anyways. Most of what I use my phone for is video, and on that front that phone has been extremely solid, especially when it comes to stabilization : straight up feels like magic sometimes. Combined with the IP68 rating and a chest mount, I don't feel like I need a GoPro at all anymore for most things. - Only 2 years of OS updates : I simply don't care. I haven't even bothered switching to Andoid 14. I'm not a power user, I use my phone very lightly. I don't have a single care in the world for the latest and greatest features. So yeah, sure. I can see how this could be a bummer for some. It's not for me. The phone I had before my Xiaomi phone was a Samsung Galaxy J7 from 2016. I changed it in 2021 only because the power button broke. If I can do the same with this one I'll be very happy. - "only 30W charging" : again, I charge my phone overnight with a 80% battery limited and a slow constant charge rate to preserver battery as much as possible. During the day it only drops from 80 to maybe 60, I could even do another day on that charge. If I need a fast charge once, 30W is MORE than enough. - bezels are not a problem for me at all considering I found my old J7 was more than fine with the huge chin and foreahead. - as I already said the back of the phone is super grippy which I like a lot for handling. And the steel frame feels really nice. I'm really happy this phone exists ! The amount of non-budget phones that are not huge phones and have hardware powerful enough to go through several years are super rare, the Zenfone 10 was by far the best one. I don't regret a single € spent on it, even if that's probably the biggest expense of the year for me when it comes to tech.

[@khalidlatif6200]

Also support longer Software and security updates

[@ofek5365]

This is so great that ASUS let us choose between the thick stock UI 🤮to the clean Zen UI 💯

[@Saitama1x]

Wait that have an ui version and zen ui

[@t.h.9897]

Great stuff, thank you. A comparison against S23 would be interessting

[@zyruspastrana7989]

Really don't get why these people complain about the updates, when they are the ones who upgrades every year. As for the majority, security updates are what should be important. 2-3years of major updates are good enough, considering the battery would degrade overtime and apps gets heavier every year.

[@arifsaifuddinzakaria860]

yes, last updates should be best optimized for that phone, nowadays theres barely new features too

[@UnkemptBushell]

Great review. I bought this but returned it shortly after due to the camera. As you mentioned, the power button is too inconspicuous for me as well. It's such a bummer. If they can improve the cameras, raise that button a little, and maybe reduce those bezels, the next iteration could be a perfect phone.

[@trdi]

What kind of problems did you have related to the power button? I am assuming that just putting finger over it switches on the phone, since it's fingerprint reader? And if so, I think I would actually prefer it to be like that.

[@leondennis4659]

Only 2 yrs of updates is a big thumbs down for me.

[@namelesssnitchy]

sony xperia or asus zenfone ?

[@jepoybengco]

Great! i am still enjoying my Zenfone 8. I'll get the 10 in 2025 LOL

[@WeirdTippy]

After 2 months of owning my Zenphone 10, the blue back of the phone has discoloured with a yellowy tinge around the edges which I thought they'd fixed that issue after the 9. The power button being used for fingerprint access to apps is annoying as I almost always miss it unless I look at it first. This'll be the last iteration of the Zenphone as well, Asus confirmed a few weeks ago that they'll no longer be making this line any more . Still a great option for a smaller phone though but the lack of software support for the future is a bit of a bummer for such a capable small phone

[@Jamesnebula]

I've actually ordered one of these zenphone 10 which is arriving tomorrow. I require a small phone because I suffer from RSI my to seemingly only choices are the Samsung s23 and this phone. I got a great deal on the s23 but I'm finding the on-screen fingerprint reader terrible. If you have dry skin then forget about it and I haven't even got a screen protector on. It's amazing how things go backwards. I'm currently using a Samsung S9 with the fingerprint reader on the back and is absolutely flawless 100% rock solid. Why is it now at 6 years since that phone and I'm expected to put up with a flaky reader for the next 4 or 5 years. Can you imagine doing payments 12345 or 10th and then put in the pin every time you want to buy something it's ridiculous. I'm literally paying and double the price for this Zen just so hopefully the fingerprint reader works also I do like the headphone jack because every time I've been on a long trip or away from home sometimes it's just bliss to have that small roll of wired earphones that you just know you can rely on late night no messing about and also knowing that the sound won't suddenly come on in disturb someone with the Bluetooth cuts out

[@j.a.velarde5901]

Thank you! - Quick question: Do I need to worry about Android updates that will make my older phones unusable? For example: Apple tends to push updates that tank older phones, forcing its customers to purchase newer cell phones and replace. - I swear this is either proven or a common understanding among folks in my community, and I am concerned that Samsung or Android will do the same to force more purchases... so is this a thing?

[@mma0911]

It's really a crapshoot. Maybe it will happen, maybe not. My last phone got worse after newer updates, but it was largely software design choices that I didn't like so even if I bought a newer phone the experience would be similar. Because the Android space is so fragmented, the brand loyalty that Apple has just isn't there, so I think there's more risk to try and get people to buy a new phone. Considering that Asus reportedly shut down the Zenfone line, I don't think they'd have incentive to pull some fuckery, even with the ROG lineup which caters to a very different audience.

[@j.a.velarde5901]

Thanks for this reply. Best wishes.@@mma0911

[@dillanio9191]

On my anecdotal experience, it didn't get slower performance wise. The thing is, the os updates are usually 3 years only, and the phones usually are good for 3 years irrespective of updates because hardware stands up still. So the updates aren't given for enough time for your device to actually become old, so for the 3 years your phone receives updates, there's not much issues But after that it's just security updates which don't affect performance or battery much.

[@chrishess7443]

Your describing the legal (but morally questionable) business practice of planned obsolescence. Especially vital in regards to electronic tech corporations.. their industry wide operational standard, without it consumers wouldn't be forcefully manipulated to buy another turd in its newest over priced version nor could it be a justifiable purchase. As practices arw now we get.... another facelifted version that may/not include an audio cable port or a microsd slot consumers like, it will lack any note worthy operational speed gains besides its negligible performance gains in comparison to the previous version it replaced.

[@jesuspablomiros4715]

he vuelto en 2024 y al parecer el canal siempre ha sido así de bueno:)

[@mohdismail5151]

The Last Zenfone, RIP *ASUS deny this bad news.. Good

[@offbeatkyle]

dont believe the lies

[@mohdismail5151]

@@offbeatkyle wait and see..

[@offbeatkyle]

@@mohdismail5151 look at the news Asus just confirmed the zenfone is gonna continue

[@ofek5365]

Asus said they are continuing with the line of Zenfone, don't worry

[@mohdismail5151]

@@ofek5365 glad they denied that report..

[@prebenjaeger]

Remember when "stock android" was a selling point on phones? Sure was more interesting 10 years ago when everyone came with their own take on Android, but then again all these fcking phones are the same nowadays in almost every aspect.

[@eddietorres9732]

None of the negatives are show stoppers, still a great phone.

[@c2thaj2tha71]

I NEED that wallpaper 🥹

[@Azmodaeus49]

Zedge

[@miguelreyes2680]

​@@Azmodaeus49how can be found in Zedge?

[@mapsandnavigation433]

Dear ASUS. If you are the only few left , make it 16:9. Take the camera out of scren, like Sony did, and put a 3x camera. And make it more easily available.

[@neerkum5428]

This is the perfect Android phone rn

[@rheetam]

Which camera did you use to shoot this video plz?

[@pudinichigo91]

This is great phone tbh, but the reason I still cant use asus zenfone only because of two reason, the first one is the software update, they should at least give us 3 years of OS update and the second one is the price, I can get S23 or even S23+ (on sales) with the same price which is also same compact size as this phone for S23 but with better camera & build quality (also design but that was more like personal preference) and four years of OS update. I dont really care about audio jack since I have at least 3 wireless earbuds & speaker so I dont care about audio jack at all but the price & software update it just turned me off.

[@4R7Y]

Samsung os is very laggy and battery life isn't great

[@pudinichigo91]

@@4R7Y lol did you even use Samsung before ? 😂 I've been using Samsung over 3 years now and my phone never laggy, I was using S20 before then upgrade to S22 last year, and the only problem with S22 was battery life is not that good but they already fixed this problem with S23, also my old S20 doesn't have problem with battery life

[@4R7Y]

Yeah if u use Samsung all around then you won't notice lags. I've been using one plus, asus, samsung and now again one plus with custom rom and when I used Samsung even tho I switched all animations off it still was laggier than stock android. It's UI is heavy so I guess that's it but yeah if u had experience with pure android, it is laggy for you

[@pudinichigo91]

@@4R7Y nope, I was using Xiaomi & OnePlus with stock & custom rom before I switched to Samsung, more over I'm heavy custom rom user before that I changed my rom every month and I also tried many custom kernel so that why I said my Samsung never got laggy even with stock rom and I never factory reset or format my phone since I bought this phone, so I know how phone will behave when they do lagging but my phone never laggy

[@4R7Y]

Sure buddy

[@joop4822]

When you put off the wifi and data the phone charging go mutch faster. You better ask ASUS to update the Zenfone 10 longer ,the price is to high for two years updates

[@Wqghfxz]

I have this phone too. The case that comes with this phone makes no sense. The phone itself has a back panel texture that allows you to hold phone without any problem, the case on the other side is so slippery so much so you can't use it much.

[@Faraonqa]

could you specify what "heavy use" is because mine *90% limit barely gets me through a day

[@Woody10719]

I wish this was available in Canada.

[@tjmillin8122]

I live in Canada and bought it, not from a carrier. Ordered it direct from Swiftronics. I use on Bell network ,works fantastic...no issues...camera is not a pixel that for sure!

[@AmitKumar-dq5rb]

i dont see any major worst this about this phone. this is almost perfect phone.

[@iluvcakes19]

better camera, 5k battery, and SD card slot and then yes perfect phone.

[@JYMBO]

all of these are compromises when you buy a phone this small, no more room for a bigger battery, no more room for a sd card slot & better camera usually means bigger sensor to which there is no more room, the appeal of buying this phone is to have a small one handed phone, this is the smallest phone you can buy if you exclude the last iphone mini with older specs... if you increase the size then the reason for buying this phone kinda goes out the window as now your phone is the same size as the rest of the competition to which there are much better options at that size lol there's no such thing as perfect but if a small phone is what you want then this is the closest you will likley ever get@@iluvcakes19

[@frankolamar]

@@iluvcakes19 looks like the xperia 5v is your perfect phone... though you can't get it in north america

[@iluvcakes19]

@@frankolamar I have the Xperia 5 IV and no... the phone sux hardcore.

[@frankolamar]

@@iluvcakes19 why whats wrong with it?

[@mazdaxc90]

The biggest con with this phone is the locked bootlloader. How can you just not even talk about that?

[@UpgradeUrWinRARTrial]

Because this is the Android Police channel, not the XDA Developers channel 😂

[@mazdaxc90]

@@UpgradeUrWinRARTrialStill, at least mention it if your going to talk about the 2 year software updates

[@Jamesnebula]

I'm no expert but I appreciate it's great to have an unlocked bootloader but if you have that it is a massive security vulnerability. If someone steals your phone with an unlocked bootloader and some serious technical know-how they can read anything on your phone. Also there are other reasons as well it protects asus software. I'm not an expert but I have rooted phones in the past I think a lot bootloader is something of a feature. In another separate point I don't really see how the security updates really matter. I'm using a Samsung S9 with all my banking apps and they all work fine. Unless you are installing dodgy cracked games and apps what exact threat are we talking about in terms of security updates?? What is the harm that has happened to others like me without current updates?

[@mazdaxc90]

@@Jamesnebula Bootloader is not a big security risk if you take precautions. Some roms also let you re lock bootloader. And Yeah I agree security updates don't matter.

[@WildfireX]

Can't make my mind up between this or the Xperia 5 V.

[@DoubleOhSilver]

Check the network support bands. My Xperia 5 iii has terrible support.

[@desaad1725]

5v is overpriced, heavier, shittier

[@WildfireX]

@@desaad1725 The overpriced thing is redundant given that it comes with a pair of headphones you can sell for £250-300. I did the same thing with the Xperia 5 2... Sold headphones that it bundled with for £250. Heavier isn't an issue unless you have baby hands, or are super weak. Shitter 😂, I mean, you might be right idk.. I. Thinking about the Google 8 pro as well but that phone looks massive & no headphone jack is a bummer. I might wait until next year instead

[@csatada]

I wish it would have a mechanical or tactile home button!

[@Chillychill1990]

Where did you get that wallpaper?

[@AkashDuttasky]

small phone like this is love

[@errolmoako]

I love the fact that it uses vanilla android!

[@travelshad]

The front side of the phone looks a bit like Samsung S10E. Not the back, of course.

[@xanthromera]

No mention that it's the only dual sim on the market in a compact handset.

[@La_verdad_es_libertad]

Is it compatible with Verizon?

[@drewgibbs1645]

I don't think so... I'd maybe try T-mobile but def research it.

[@lionsmusic004]

man but that battery!

[@KBoon]

Would you sell this one?

[@paulista9862]

Screen brightness is so bad on it. Hard to see anything on a sunny day.

[@Azmodaeus49]

I'm still going for poco f5

[@someshojha5692]

Buy an extra motherboard too 😂😂

[@namelesssnitchy]

i would always put a case on it so i wouldnt mind the backpanel

[@QaziTasawur-h5g]

Weird comment from me, but can android police share the link for that awesome wallpaper background in the phone

[@gotoastal]

The unlock servers have been down for months. I wouldn’t hold my breath they will actually bring the servers back online. Don’t buy a phone you can’t unlock-it’s not an appliance.

[@kevintan4603]

Can't unlock this phone!?

[@alikhuramijaz]

Still using my s10e

[@altijdvliegen]

me too. so, did you go to the Asus?

[@ericolson118]

Mine just broke. Im really struggling to find a good replacement phone. Its all so dizzying the specs and prices...

[@blazorax]

I prefer phones that can last for heavy daily use. No point of having all the fancy stuff if you do not have the power to use them

[@wrathgor]

Nice Snapdragon Gen 2 phone but what a low charging speed it is. My Magic4 Pro even charging 100W WIRELESS. Asus should do something with charging speeds. Sony also has same problem on their phones.

[@OleLeik]

This race for super fast charging is confined largely to Chinese phones. Others follow the PD and QC standards that max out at 30w wired and 15w wireless or so for mobile phones. Most things in life are a compromise, and little comes for free. For most producers and users battery capacity and longevity is seen as more important than faster charging of the battery.

[@wrathgor]

@@OleLeik Battery capacity and longevity is not a big problem anymore,they support charging thousands of times. Also you can even see some phones with fast charging has better endurance(Oppo find X6 pro?) ratings than lets say 25-30W charging phones. Its not an excuse to me

[@OleLeik]

@@wrathgor These proprietary fast charging stations standards are not issue- and cost free . For starters, they run hot, which often necessitates such things as throttling back power levels, multiple batteries and cooling solutions. All adding cost and bulk. Increased power and temps put more stress on a battery, and even with the solutions above it don't quite quell concerns about the long tems effect, particularly so in compact and tightly packed phones. At the end of day a zenfone have an all-day battery life with juice to spare and charges pretty fast for a non-Chinese brand. More to the point: it probably charges about as fast as it can without the manufactur needing to do something that is going against the zen phones main selling points: Size, weight and screen time between charges

[@iluvcakes19]

those cons were a damn reach bro.. except the camera.

[@peterpan6821]

Battery lasts forever and seldom needs charging. Also, battery doesn't charge fast enough 😂

[@GlynTaylor]

Bezels are bizarrely big. Waiting for the 11 in the hope they are better

[@___David__]

This phone is NOT COMPACT. That's one of its biggest problems. It's sold as "compact" but then it's bigger than the also enormous S23. The biggest positive is the headphone jack, an ESSENTIAL feature that no phone who wants to be called "premium" can lack. Wired audio will always be superior. And if you want shitty wireless audio, the presence of the headphone jack doesn't stop you from connecting some crappy Bluetooth earbuds to the phone. Whereas the absence of a headphone jack prevents us who like quality audio from having it (and no, USB-C and dongles are NOT a valid alternative).

[@shantanuvarun9900]

6'1 inch is pretty compact these days. A normal phone 6'5-6'8

[@ofek5365]

It's not bigger than the S23 The width of the S23 is The width of the Zenfone 10 is And the length is the same The Zenfone 10 is than the S23 and feels more comfrotable because the width is narrower

[@Miabalzitch]

have you felt both phones in your hand? I just got an s23 and the dang thing is honestly uncomfortable (coming from s10e). heavy! I'm hoping to try out the z10, with the hope that i won't need a case.

[@ofek5365]

@@Miabalzitch I felt the S22 and because it's a little bit wider, my Zenfone 8 felt more comfortable. same for the Z10

[@uiebwuiowebuiopwebfoipbewfoip]

the camera post processing is terrible

[@khalidlatif6200]

Why couldn't they make Plus or Pro, a larger version one.

[@DoubleOhSilver]

Go buy a stupid Samsung and don't ask for stupid features on one of the last good phones. Compact is better. If you want something bigger, then buy something else or get off your phone or buy a tablet.

[@sedbaka]

i want this phone so bad :(

[@glynnetolar4423]

Bluetooth sound sucks! Yeah for headphone jack!

[@wahidmahmood9169]

U forgot mention it now has wireless charging

[@kenfox6651]

This phone is not available anywhere that's worst

[@willstikken5619]

I've been looking at this phone for a while. If it had a screen in the 6.5" range i think it woudl be a no brainer to buy. The smaller size and relatively slower charging are really the only negatives i have here. If the oneplus 11 offered a version for the us with 512gn of storage and wireless charging then that woudl be an easy sell. As far as software updates go my experience with oneplus is that their software tends to get worse and lose features with updates while my Samsung experience is that broken software stays broken despite updates. All I really want form any of these devices is to be able to unlock the bootloader and flash lineage once they hit end of life. Asus playing games with that right now doesn't help sell me on the brand but two years of updates form a relatively low volume mfg isn't really a negative.

[@Nessal83]

You are not the target market for this phone.

[@Miabalzitch]

The whole point is the small size. Honestly, coming from an s10e, i just got a s23 and the thing is uncomfortable for one-hand use. probably gonna try out a zen10.

[@Nessal83]

@@Miabalzitch same. I got a s22 after I had a s10e and it's too wide. I even wish the s10e was a little less wide so I'm going to get the ZF10 since the specs show that the width is even smaller than the s10e.

[@jamieyeung9633]

AZooss

[@XxPsychedelicxX]

the walpaper please

[@adeetyaarora6868]

This video is 2 days late. Rip little bud.

[@ZachAnderson]

Nope! Asus came out to say they're not shutting down their Zenfone department

[@j3sv1n]

They aren't actually shutting down 🙃

[@adeetyaarora6868]

@@ZachAnderson Oh thank god. This is literally the only good small android phone left. While I still rock a 13 mini, I'd definitely pick this up as my secondary phone.

[@coffeevie]

@@adeetyaarora6868Sadly the zenfone isn’t REALLY that compact in actual size. It’s the same height as the 13 pro and between the 13 mini and pro as far as width goes, so it’s definitely closer to the 13 pro than mini in size. Unfortunately there still doesn’t seem to be anything truly comparable to the 13 mini as far as size and specs go in the android world

[@EpicBunty]

I love everything about this phone omg why did it have to be asus though.

[@xplics]

FIRST!!!

[@davidbasil5368]

First guy ❤

[@edchobanyan]

Still laggy even at scrolling at 1:35 )) Android 🤷‍♂️

In some countries, zenfone is long dead from the market.

[@wall-e7179]

That silver accent round the selfie cam from the cheap Samsungs is a nope

[@arkvsi8142]

you can disassemble it, take the front camera off, paint the border in black, and re assemble it. done.

[@offbeatkyle]

great nitpick

[@trollingleftists2490]

I want this just for the size....