In a world in which flagship phones become every day costlier, the number of people searching for flagship-killers is increasing every day more. Nowadays, you can get the same flagship-like performances as the most expensive handsets by spending less than half of their listing prices, but only if you know what to buy. The newly-announced Asus Zenfone 6, Xiaomi Mi 9 and Lenovo Z6 Pro are currently among the most impressive flagship phones sold at an affordable price, and this is the perfect comparison for people who want the highest performance with the smallest (and smartest) expense.
Asus Zenfone 6 vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Lenovo Z6 Pro
| Asus Zenfone 6 | Xiaomi Mi 9 | Lenovo Z6 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 159.1 x 75.4 x 9.2 mm, 190 g | 157.5 x 74.7 x 7.6 mm, 173 g | 157.5 x 74.6 x 8.7 mm, 185 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.4 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), IPS LCD | 6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED | 6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.8 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – micro SD dedicated slot | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 512 GB, micro SD slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie, Zen UI | Android 9 Pie, MIUI | Android 9 Pie, ZUI 11 |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | Dual 48 + 13 MP, f/1.8 and f/2.4 | Triple 48 + 16 + 12 MP, f/1.8, f/2.2 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Quad 48 + 16 + 8 + 2 MP, f/1.8, f/2.2 and f/2.4 and f/1.8 32 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 5000 mAh, fast charging 18W with Quick Charge 4.0 | 3300 mAh, fast charging with Quick Charge 4+, wireless charging | 4000 mAh, fast charging 27W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, rotating cameras | Dual SIM slot | Hybrid Dual SIM slot |
Design
Asus Zenfone 6 deserves an award just for its incredibly innovative form factor. Its display is almost completely bezel-less and it does not have a notch, thanks to the presence of a rotating camera setup on its rear side. It even comes with an astonishing build quality thanks to the glass back protected by Gorilla Glass 6, its aluminum 6000 series frame and its rotating camera tested with up to 100,000 flips, that is equivalent to 28 selfies a day for five years. On the other hand, it is still worth noting that Xiaomi Mi 9 and Lenovo Z6 Pro come with very elegant and premium aesthetics. Between Xiaomi Mi 9 and Lenovo Z6 Pro, the former has a better build quality as it is made with stronger materials.
Display
Asus Zenfone 6 is equipped with a panel which shows very realistic colors as it has a 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage and the HDR10 technology. But it is just an IPS panel, so you do not get the same deep blacks and vivid colors you can get with the Xiaomi Mi 9 or the Lenovo Z6 Pro. I personally prefer these two handsets because of their AMOLED panels but also because they have an in-display fingerprint reader which is much more comfortable than the traditional rear scanner found on the Zenfone 6.
Hardware/Software
Given that all of these devices are powered by the amazing Snapdragon 855 chipset which is currently the best SoC by Qualcomm, in each case you get incredibly fast performances in every scenario. But there is still a winner in terms of hardware: the Lenovo Z6 Pro. In its most advanced variant, it boasts 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage, that is the most powerful memory configuration ever found on an affordable flagship phone. All these three phones are based on Android 9 Pie but only Mi 9 and Z6 Pro have a custom user interface installed. Both the Asus Zenfone 6 and the Lenovo Z6 Pro feature a micro SD slot which allows expanding the internal storage, while Xiaomi Mi 9 does not.
Camera
The most complete and versatile rear camera department belongs to the Xiaomi Mi 9. It has a total of three sensors with a main 48 MP lens, an ultrawide secondary sensor and a telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. Unlike its rivals, it can record super slow motion videos at 960 fps with a 1080p resolution, and it boasts very accurate laser autofocus. Asus Zenfone 6 does not have a front camera, but you can use the main cameras as selfie cameras thanks to the rotating mechanism. The most convincing front camera belongs to the Lenovo Z6 Pro with a 32 MP resolution.
Battery
Asus is basing most of its marketing efforts for the Zenfone 6 on the rotating cameras and the huge battery. With a high 5000 mAh, there is no affordable flagship which can beat the Zenfone 6 when it comes to battery life. And with its reverse charging technology, it can even double as a power bank. The second place goes to the Lenovo Z6 Pro with its 4000 mAh battery which is still able to last two days with moderate use, despite it can not reach three days unlike the Zenfone 6. Xiaomi Mi 9 has the smallest battery and it is just an average unit, but it is the only to feature a wireless charging technology. And we are talking about fast wireless charging with a power of 20W: Asus Zenfone 6 and Lenovo Z6 Pro can only be charged via cable with a max power of 18W!
Price
The Lenovo Z6 Pro was launched in China with a starting price of just €400/$445 for the base 6/128 GB variant, Xiaomi Mi 9 starts from €450/$500 globally in the 6/64 GB version, and Asus Zenfone 6 starts from €500/$560 in the 6/128 GB configuration. Overall, Asus Zenfone 6 is making a big difference with its bigger battery, stereo speakers, reverse wireless charging and very innovative design, despite it lacks an AMOLED display and a UD fingerprint scanner.
Asus Zenfone 6 vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Lenovo Z6 Pro: PRO and CONS
Lenovo Z6 Pro
PROS
- Good display
- Great hardware
- Big battery
- 3.5 mm audio jack
CONS
- Nothing particular
Xiaomi Mi 9
PROS
- Wireless charging
- Great build quality
- Good cameras
- Thin body
CONS
- No micro SD
- Smaller battery
Asus Zenfone 6
PROS
- Innovative design
- Huge battery
- Reverse charging
- Rotating cameras
- Stereo speakers
CONS
- IPS display
