The Asus Zenfone 8 launch event is on May 12, but details regarding the actual phones have been relatively scarce with rumors of an Asus Zenfone 8 Mini circulating. However, a massive leak appears to have revealed all with less than a week to go.
Photos and specs for an Asus Zenfone 8 and Asus Zenfone 8 Flip were posted by 91Mobiles, and if the leak is accurate, these somewhat unique phones could be compelling new options for Android fans (via SlashGear).
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Asus Zenfone 8
It seems the rumors about an Asus Zenfone 8 Mini weren't entirely wrong, it's just that the Zenfone 8 is remarkably small. According to the leak, the Zenfone 8 will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and a 5.92-inch FHD+ display. The phone will measure 5.8 x 2.7 x 0.35 inches and weigh just 6 ounces; it's nowhere near as small as the iPhone 12 mini with its 5.4-inch display, but that would be shorter and narrower than any current Android flagship.
The leak also claims that it will have 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which is certainly the minimum on both counts to be considered as a flagship these days. The 4000mAh battery sounds large enough considering the screen size and also explains the thickness of the phone. 30W fast charging isn't quite as impressive as what we've seen from OnePlus or even Asus itself with the ROG Phone 5, but it's considerably better than the fast charging from either Samsung or Apple.
The leak claims that the rear camera array includes a 64MP primary sensor and a 12MP macro lens with support for up to 8K video capture. That would seem like an odd choice for the cameras as opposed to the more traditional wide and ultrawide sensor array, but it's possible Asus would do it to shave down costs. Finally, Asus will make wired headphone fans happy with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
The Asus Zenfone 8 Flip will be the new and much more descriptive name of the Zenfone model with the fun flipping camera module. It looks similar to the 180-degree mechanism seen in the previous models and avoids any unsightly hole-punch or notch front-facing camera.
According to the leak, the cameras include a 64MP main sensor, 8MP telephoto and a 12MP macro lens. Again, I find it unlikely that Asus would skip an ultrawide sensor, but it's possible. The ability to use that full rear camera array as your front-facing camera should make this the best selfie phone on the market.
The Zenfone 8 Flip won't be mirroring the diminutive size of the Zenfone 8 with a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Internally, it will also use the Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This would certainly suggest that the Zenfone 8 has a higher refresh rate as well, but again, the leaker didn't provide any information on that.
The Zenfone 8 Flip gets the same 30W fast charging, but a larger 5000mAh battery as you would hope for the larger display. Unsurprisingly, given the camera mechanism, it's a large and heavy phone at 6.5 x 3 x 3.7-inches and 8.1 ounces. That's the same size as the Galaxy S21 Ultra with its 6.8-inch display, but thicker and heavier.
Given the proximity to the event, the level of detail, and the quality of the renders, it certainly feels like this leak is probably pretty dead-on for these devices, but we'll find out for sure on May 12 at 1 PM Eastern.
