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Compact phones are not a trend, but there are still a lot of people who can not leave without them. At the same time, there are still companies that release amazing compact flagships. But Asus was not one of them, at least until the Asus Zenfone 8 came out. It is the first very compact flagship from the Taiwanese company and it boasts astonishing specifications. But is it the best compact flagship you can get without spending the max amount of money in the Android world? In order to let you find out, we decided to compare it to the most important compact flagship in the last generation: the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S21.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Asus Zenfone 8 Flip

Samsung Galaxy S21 Asus Zenfone 8
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm, 169 g 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm, 169 g
DISPLAY  6.2 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), AMOLED  5.9 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED
PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz or Samsung Exynos 2100 octa-core 2.9 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, octa-core 2.84 GHz
MEMORY 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE  Android 11, One UI  Android 11, Zen UI
CONNECTIVITY  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/6e, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS
CAMERA Triple 12 + 64 + 12 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.0 + f/2.2
10 MP f/2.2 front camera		 Dual 64 + 12 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.2
12 MP f/2.5 front camera
BATTERY  4000 mAh, fast charging 25W, wireless charging 15W  4000 mAh, fast charging 30W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Dual SIM slot, 5G, reverse wireless charging 4.5W, IP68 waterproof Dual SIM slot, 5G, reverse charging, IP68 waterproof

Design

I love the design of the Samsung Galaxy S21: it looks very elegant and futuristic; definitely a better look than Asus Zenfone 8, with even a higher screen-to-body ratio and a thinner body. But on the other hand, the Asus Zenfone 8 is way more compact than Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. Both the phones are waterproof and dustproof with the IP68 certification, and both have a glass back protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. Do you prefer the most beautiful phone or the most compact one?

 

Display

Samsung Galaxy S21 and Asus Zenfone are very close when it comes to the screen quality. But the Samsung Galaxy S21 is a slightly better phone. It has an AMOLED panel with higher brightness and judging on its specs, we also think it reproduces the images better. It is also a wider panel and it comes with a better ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader. But the Asus Zenfone 8 remains a phone with a great display: it has a Full HD+ resolution, a high peak brightness, the HDR10+ certification, and a 120 Hz refresh rate, as well as an in-display fingerprint reader. With its smaller diagonal (just 5.9 inches), it is easier to use with one hand.

 

Specs & Software

Samsung Galaxy S21 and Asus Zenfone 8 are powered by the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform, which is the best processor released by Qualcomm. But the Asus Zenfone 8 can count on better memory configurations: it comes with up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S21 provides a more advanced software experience with the One UI based on Android 11. And I would personally prefer having better software rather than more RAM.

 

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S21 has a superior camera setup: it is composed of a 12 MP main sensor with OIS, a stunning 64 MP telephoto camera with optical zoom and OIS, and a 12 MP ultrawide camera. It also provides an amazing 10 MP front camera that records 4K videos. Unfortunately, the Asus Zenfone 8 lacks a telephoto sensor: it comes with just a 64 MP main camera and a 12 MP ultrawide sensor. On the front panel, you get a hole with a 12 MP selfie snapper.

Battery

Asus Zenfone 8 and Samsung Galaxy S21 have the same battery capacity. Their compact bodies are unable to contain a big battery, so they ship with just 4000 mAh. But they are enough for a day of moderate use. Their battery life should be similar as the components are similar too. But there is an important difference: Samsung Galaxy S21 supports wireless charging, while Asus Zenfone 8 does not.

 

Price

Samsung Galaxy S21 is priced at about €700/$800 in the global market (for the 8/128 GB variant), while the Asus Zenfone 8 starts from €600/$700+ in the base variant with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. At the end of the day, Samsung Galaxy S21 is a superior phone due to its better display, wireless charging, amazing cameras. But the Asus Zenfone 8 is more compact and even more affordable, so it can still make sense to choose it for a lot of people.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Asus Zenfone 8: PRO and CONS

Samsung Galaxy S21

PRO

  • Original design
  • Better cameras
  • Wireless charging
  • Thinner

CONS

  • Dimensions

 

Asus Zenfone 8

PRO

  • Faster charging
  • More compact
  • Good price
  • Several memory configurations

CONS

  • Inferior cameras

 

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