If you’re looking to buy a small phone, one of the only companies that really caters to you is Apple, with devices like the iPhone 13 mini offering a lot of power in a compact body.
But it looks like one of the few other names on the scene is gearing up to launch another product: the Asus Zenfone 9, which we’ve already heard a few leaks about, has been confirmed for a July 28 release date.
The launch is expected to take place at 6 am PT / 9 am ET / 2 pm BST / 9 am ACT, at simultaneous events in New York, Berlin and Taipei.
It’s likely to be a cute mini phone – not only did an early leak say it would have a 5.9-inch screen, but we can literally see it in someone’s hand in the teaser image above, and it’s clearly not a massive phone.
The image above seems to tease some of the phone’s functions – there’s a camera, a game console, a speaker, a telescope, plus a few more things we can’t really identify. There’s no front camera in some of the images Asus shared, like the one above, but in others it’s present – so don’t expect an under-display camera (UDC).
We’ll bring you more information about this phone as it launches, particularly around the July 28 launch.
Analysis: Taking Apple’s place
While Apple is currently the main player in the small phone space, that likely won’t last much longer.
Rumors point to the iPhone 14 not coming with a mini version, marking the end of Apple’s ride with compact phones (aside from its SE devices).
If that’s true, fans of small devices will have to look elsewhere – and that’s going to be a challenge, because very few phone makers choose to make devices smaller than 6 inches.
Asus will likely be one of the few brands that meet this need, so the Zenfone 9 could become very popular – perhaps it will make it to our list of the best smartphones.
Through GSMArena (opens in new tab)