thought : Asus announce the Zenfone 9 this week , and while I have only used the gadget sparingly it looks to be a substantial update to one of my personal favorite Android sound of 2021 . But there ’s a crowing issue that lead a sour taste in my mouth .
It can be concentrated to make your Android earpiece bear out from the crew . Plenty of manufacturing business , notably LG , have cash in one’s chips the business probably due to the inability to kick out big male child like Samsung and Xiaomi .
More recently , we ’ve seen Nothing draw a bead on to set up itself apart with the improver of theGlyph port , a range of LED lights on the telephone set ’s rear that may ( or may not , depending on your feelings ) be little more than a doodad .
Asus has set itself asunder not only by creating thebest gaming phonearound in the form of theROG Phone 6 Pro , but also by going against the challenger and stuff top - drawer components into a far belittled , much more pocketable size .
TheZenfone 9 , like the Zenfone 8 before it , is n’t touted as a ‘ Mini ’ version of the large flagship , nor does it feel inferior to a ‘ Pro ’ version . This is Asus ’ flagship , consumer smartphone for the yr – it just happens to be small than many of the best sound around .
What pass water the Zenfone 9 rare than your average little phone is that it is packed to the raftsman with top - end technical school . Running the show is theSnapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1chipset partner off with up to 16 GB RAM and a 120Hz show . On the back , there ’s a 50MP main camera taken to the next level with genuinely telling 6 - axis gimbal stabilization .
So far, so good – but there’s a big issue
In his initial helping hand - on of the headphone , nonmigratory telephone expert Peter Phelps read , “ The Asus Zenfone 9 is a phone that is proudly dissimilar from the others , at least as far as its design is concerned . Its modest sizing and thin aspect ratio , along with its retentiveness of the 3.5 mm earphone seafarer , are unusual selection , and it is undeniably proficient to see all of these make uncommon visual aspect on a high - remnant earpiece and broaden the range of option for consumers . ”
So far , so adept – but there ’s a fully grown issue I have find with the Zenfone 9 , and that is its poor hope of future Android and surety updates .
Asus has prognosticate to only support the Zenfone 9 , a phone that can cost up to £ 749 , for a mere two years . That means you ’ll in all likelihood only get two major update and only a couple of yr of security plot of ground for the phone . see we need to do all we can to try and combat do in tech , I really do n’t think sheer off support after such a short amount of time is proficient enough and Asus really should be doing better .
While , of class , the Zenfone 9 will stay on to function after that two year period , the deficiency of surety patches could leave it open to vulnerabilities – and you wo n’t benefit from any newfangled features added to Android .
Two class of updates might be the norm for some of thebest cheap earphone , but its rare at the higher conclusion of the market . Samsung is assure five years of updates with itsGalaxy S22series , thePixel 6awill be by rights back up for four years and even the £ 399Nothing Phone ( 1)will get three major Android OIS updates and a further year of security measures support .
Apple is another brand who supports devices for a long clip , with the seven - class - former iPhone Captain Hicks still able to be updated to the recent iOS 15.5 version .
Simply put , only get two years ’ Charles Frederick Worth of updates from Asus commit a serious dampener on my excitement for what otherwise looks to be an excellent smartphone .
