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Try looking for a compact Android phone that’s got high-end specs and works as good as any, and you’ll likely come up empty. Large almost-tablet phones have all but edged out the smaller more ‘holdable’ phones that used to be common. It is large screens that are in demand because users now do so much on a smartphone. Yet, there’s a sizeable segment of people who really long for a compact phone that isn’t compromised, and search high and low for them. Well, Asus has its 8z smartphone to offer to cater to this category of customers.
The Asus 8Z was supposed to launch quite a while ago in May last year, but the pandemic and other factors got in its way. But here it is now for ₹42,999 on Flipkart. The Galaxy S22 is also relatively compact, but the 8z is more so. The only other compact flagships come from Apple and aren’t in the Android sphere, of course.
One-handed
The 8z comes in a nicely designed grey box that’s of a size that immediately tells you there’s all the essentials inside. As you lift out the device itself, you’ll be struck by its very welcome compactness. It’s light (169 g) and your hand immediately curls around it in a good grip. It’s a little slippery, so you can use the case provided.
It’s remarkably different from the large phones that are more the norm and so much less fatiguing in the hand. This is a rare one-handed phone for those who like multitasking. It also has the software that lets you customise it for one-hand use.The 8z is great for those who make a lot of calls and need to hold the phone up for long sessions. It’s also convenient for those who are very much on the go and need to quickly grab the device for a call. The screen has great outdoor legibility, so there’s no struggle to see the screen when rushing about.
Smart button
Looking over the device, you’ll notice the back is smooth and black and very pronouncedly curved on the edges, adding to its ease of grip. Fingerprint smudges do show, unfortunately. There’s a modest looking camera square on the back. In fact, the whole phone is modest looking.
The power button, quite as if it were rebelling against the plainness, is an electric blue. It is in fact hiding a very nice feature that one wishes were present on every phone — it’s programmable. From Settings you can set it to call up a specific app with two quick presses, or even take you straight to a task such as making a call. If there’s something you do really frequently, this will be so very useful and is, in my opinion, a killer feature. The button still functions normally as an power button as well.
The screen on this little phone is 5.9 inches and despite the fact that it’s much smaller than I’m accustomed to, I found it perfectly easy to do everything I normally do without the apps or the keyboard feeling cramped. These are just the details that should be taken care of, and have. It’s a Super AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh, HDR10+, brightness of 700 nits (HBM) and 1,100 nits at peak. It’s a 1080 x 2400 pixels display with Gorilla Glass Victus protection. This is an IP68 rated phone, so you can easily go out in the rain. The Asus 8z also supports 5G
Clean power
The 8z works on the Snapdragon 888 processor — the one that’s been on flagship phones for the past year. Our unit has 8GB RAM and 128 GB of storage, and is beautifully fast and smooth. It flies through everyday tasks and does fine on benchmark tests as well. It warms up a little on sustained use of the processor for something intensive, but not by very much. The best part is that the software is Android 12 and unhampered by any heavily customised interface, the way so many Chinese phones are. It’s straightforward and clean — a pleasure to use. There are also no obnoxious unwanted apps except a tiny number that are commonly used, such as Netflix and well, Facebook. Easily uninstalled if you don’t want them on this device. It has a 4,000mAh battery which is a good enough rating for its size, but battery life is somehow not stellar.
The Asus flagship has often come out with unusual camera arrangements such as one that flips all the way around. But the cameras on the 8Z are once again, modest. The main camera is a 64 MP with f/1.8, PDAF and OIS. The secondary is a 12 MP, f/2.2,. Both are Sony lenses. These give you good results with natural colours in the photos and good dynamic range. Photos are not over-saturated. The daylight shots are really very nice. You get 2X lossless zoom, which works very well. There’s no macro, but you can use the ultra-wide to do the job. Portrait shots are good on this phone too.
The front camera produces good skin tones overall and does a good job. Low light shots are middling. You can actually do 8K recording with this phone and you have good stabilisation. While not on the same level as the most expensive flagships, it’s pretty good for its price.
Overall, the 8z is a rare option in a world of large phones and will suit some users admirably.
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