Android has far more offerings in the premium smartphone space than Apple. Yet, for someone looking for a more compact device, the options quickly reduce. Asus is looking to change that with the upcoming Zenfone 8 Mini.
On May 12, the Asus Zenfone 8 series will be unveiled, with at least two devices in the family — a regular and a mini. Compact Android smartphones are an endangered species, with barely a handful of devices fitting the bill in the last few years. It seems like Asus wants to try its hand at making a small-sized flagship, and possibly take on the iPhone 12.
Based on information received by DealNTech, the Asus Zenfone 8 Mini will a 5.92-inch screen, which is smaller than the iPhone 12’s 6.1-inch but slightly larger than the iPhone 12 Mini’s 5.4-inch displays. It is expected to have an aspect ratio in the ballpark of 20:9, making it one of the smallest and narrowest Android smartphones of recent times.
Other specifications from the leak include up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which suggest that Asus is really pitting the Zenfone 8 Mini as a full-fledged powerhouse and not a sidekick. The battery capacity is tipped to be 4,000mAh with support for 30W fast charging.
One of the major reasons why Android OEMs have avoided making compact smartphones is because it is difficult to offer good battery life on these devices. Not only do the batteries have to be physically small, but even the high-end chipsets from Qualcomm, such as the Snapdragon 888, are known to be particularly power-hungry. It remains to be seen how Asus tackles this issue.
Another teaser revealed that the Asus Zenfone 8 Mini’s display will have a punch-hole display instead of the series’ iconic flipping cameras, with a refresh rate of 120Hz. Other expected additions include dual- cameras, Android 11, and of course, the Snapdragon 888 chipset.
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